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Thursday, December 1, 1955
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE SEVEN
First Horticultural Society Meetings Centered On Naming Fruit Varieties
Q3
While gold miners swarmed
across the Sierras in 1849, a
handful of pioneers of a different
type pressed toward Oregon with
a strange cargcL-- 13
Farmers, doctors, clergymen,
nail businessmen aild settlers
game bringing the source of
their unexpected wealth oxen
drawn wagons of nursery stock
for plantirfg in "the salubrious
climate" of western Oregon.
Fortunes seemed assured when
, jgftes of apples fciid for between
S60 and $100 each in San Fran
cesco. Like gold strikes, the
boom and bust days made his
tory rather than lasting fortunes.
But unlike the 49ers, fruit grow
ers lived to see better times. A
core if the more fortunate grow
ers built the foundation of to
day's multi-million dollar fruit
and vegetable industry, which
holds its 70th annual meeting at
Oregon State college today and
tomorrow.
Scant Similarity
There will be scant similarity
between Oregon State Horticul
tural society's 70th meeting and
those earlier days. Chemical war
fare against weeds and insects,
use of hormone sprays to in
crease fruit size, and mechanical
harvesting of beans will be dis
cussed with other horticultural
problems. .....
Early gatherings were primar-1 off the limb for growers who ' gon's horticultural growth is re-1 findings, fumigation of fresh
ROGUE VALLEY
i AND WEAVERS
GUILD
ANNUAL EXHIBIT and SALE
Girls Community Club
Dec. 2nd and 3rd
, 2-9 p.m.
ily "fruit shows" and the occa
sion for naming new varieties.
According to 1887 records, Seth
Lewelling "exhibited two vari
eties of cherries, both fine. The
State Horticultural society
named one of them Lewelling,
and the other Lewelling named
the 'Bing' after his favorite
Chinaman."
Lewelling also had pioneered
the Willamette valley apple in
dustry when he and Ralph Geer
crossed the plains in 1847 with
a "traveling nursery" a wagon
bed of 700 apple trees and a
half-bushel of apple seeds. Lew
elling sold the first box of ap
ples on the streets of Portland
for SI.
Market Problems
The big problem in 1887 was
finding markets and getting to
them. And at this year's session
for apple and pear growers, two
topics stand out, reminiscent of
the past "The Export Market
What are the Potentials?" and
"Fruit Packaging." ,
History shows that early grow
ers were not completely devoid
of profitable local markets. ; W.
K. " Smith, a Salem settler, re
ported paying $15 a bushel for
apples in 1855-56 and was suf
ficiently impressed "to go into
the business." From his first
crop, a single apple was sold
to a Salem sawmill man for $5.
But apples were not destined
to profit the valley in the long
run. Other nearby areas Hood
River, Wenatchee, Yakima and
in Idaho's Snake river valley
grew them with better finish
and growers were better organ
ized to pack and market a qual
ity product.
The apple reversal did not saw
were wiHing and able to shift
plans. Western Oregon had other
fruits better suited, and their
sales today represent new wealth
to the state each year.
Pears top the list with 19,600
acres and annuar sales of $13,
000,000. Both counts are based
on 1954 figures, with Jackson
county having more than half
Oregon's total acreage.
Strawberries, a fast-growing
second dollan-wise crop with 17,
000 acres bringing $8,500,000,
are expected to post an all-time
high of 19,000 acres by 1956.-
Washington county has 3,700 of
the total acreage.
OCherries and apples each con
tribute about $7,000,000 in year
ly sales. Of Oregon's 17,200
cherry acres, Lane county has
most of the sour varieties and
Wasco county leads " in sweet
cherry acreage. The Hood River
valley grows the bulk of Ore
gon's 13,300 acres of apples.
"Purpl Plums'
Prunes brought fortunes, then
disaster, when dried prunes lost
export markets and were pushed
to the back of the grocer's
shelves by year-round supplies
of fresh and frozen fruits. tRe
cent promotion of canned ""pur
ple plums" has enhanced Ore
gon' 19,400 acres with $2,500,
000 sales in 1954. Polk county
leads with 3,600 acres.
Peaches, like apples, go back
far into Oregon's fruit history.
In 1844, the Rev. Edward Evans
Parrish came from Ohio with a
sack of peach pits which thrived
and multiplied in the valley. Last
y$ar the state grew 8,300 acres
valued at $1,000,000. Jackson
county has 1,700 acres, leading
the state's production.
A stimulating chapter in Ore-
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irapes -
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ii : ; i
3 x-iJSLWS V jfZZ&ri-h3mlXJCS
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- ,.
.mpefor
Grapefruit
Avocados
cOrded in a vegetable industry
which gains strength each year
with new techniques in process
ing. Green beans hit a new high
of $10,000,000 in sales last year
from 9,500 acres; 56,400 acres
of green peas yielded low ' and
still brought $3,500,000; and
sweet corn from 14,200 acres
sold for $1,500,000.
Early members of the State
Horticultural society attached
aesthetic values3 to productive
soil and climate.
Rose Exhibit
The first rose exhibit in Ore
gon forerunner of the present
Rose Show was held in Port
land in June, 1893, by women
of the society. "It attracted much
attention but did not fully pay
its way," according to, the rec
ord. The women in charge, ap
pointed by society president J.
R. Cardwell, were Mrs. George
Lamberson, Mrs. Henry E. Jones,
Mrs. M. E. Shafford, and Mrs.
Ella Lehigh.
Dr. Cardwell was a Portland
dentist and first president of
the organization. He served con
tinuously from the society's
founding in 1885 until 1907. For
many years he cultivated 80
adres of mixed fruit four miles
south of Portland courthouse.
Dr. Cardwell came to Oregon
from Decatur, 111., in 152 with
a wagonload of nursery stock.
His uncle, who was to follow
later, was financing the 50-50
enterprise in exchange for Card
well's labor.
Hauled by Oxen
The nursery stock "planted in
the ' black dirt of the Illinois
prairie" was drawn by four yoke
of oxen on the six-month, eight
day journey. As it neared Ore
gon, the 'vsagon skidded and roll
ed on a sharp bank of the Snake
river, dumping the casgo into :
the current. Dr. Cardwell. re
trieved only one rose cutting.
Actually, Oregon's first hortie
cultural group was formed in
1858 at the suggestion of Amos
Harvey, Polk county grower, ;
and had its first meeting in Sa
lem. It later joined the Oregon
State Agricultural ' society, but
emerged again as a separate
group with spasmodic meetings.
Since 1885, it had had official
stature with - regular annual
meetings, and solidified its po-,
sition in 1889 by bringing about
creation of the Oregon state '
board of horticulture.
Key speakers for the morning '
general assemblies at the 70th
annyal meeting are Dr. Irving
Krick, meteorologist, who will
review "weather control," and
Dr. Edward Vaughn, OSG bot
anist and recent visitor in Eu
rope, who will give an illus
trated report of agriculture in
six European countries.
The assembly each day will
divide, into four production
groups small fruits, stone fruits,
apples and pears, and vegetales
to hear reports by experts,
who will conduct more than 50
special sessions.
Experiments with wood wastes
in heating orchards, introduction
-of new "Siletz" strawberry, fer
tilizer and irrigation research
market cherries for shipment!
into quarantine areas, and pro
motion of canned purple plums
are among topics to be discussed.
A SLIGHT HINT
Bismarck, N.D. (U.R) Two
Dickinson, N.D., men escaped
injury here recently when a Soo
Line train nudged their auto off
the tracks while they were de;
ciding where to have lunch. The
men said they heard the train
but were unable to get their car
off the tracks in time. The en
gineer slowed the train suffic
iently so as to just busnp the
car to one side.
Dead line for Sunday Classified Is
at noon Saturday
19EE&
END
USDA
CHOICE
n
CHILI MEAT or
GROUND BEEF
FRYER
214 to 2U
average
RABBITS ST lb.
END GUT PORK
CHOPS lb.
Borde' 0 j pIi "JV
STARLAC 1
PEAS " JL 3
Durle' Fre6iet
HAYOtlHAISE J J
OIL JV
Clov&rloaf brand , 4
SHOTS GIVEN
Dunsmuir About 55 second
and third grade children were
given Salk polio vaccine inocu
lations at Dunsmuir elementary
school recently, it was an
nounced here. They were young
sters who failed to get shots last
spring when the program was
temporarily discontinued. o
A MEAL IN
A MINUTE
avz- -x im
Jftsf Hi ftilk
wi Igffar . . .
terra
Open Week Da
8 'Til! 8
Sunday-10 'Till 6
We Givs
lorifcern
Full 1 5 ounce can
mates four fjeiwous
servings for 10c or
Is per serving.
parous
HEAETY
BUTRITIOuf
Pre-Christmas
IMPORTED TWEEDS,
FLEECES
FANCY CHECKS
SOFT VELOURS
POODLE CURLS
VALUES FROM $29.95 to $32.95
VALUES FROM $49.50 to $59.50
OPEN 1
eWED. &
EVENINGS
9 p.m. . f Jai
Sizes 6 to 16
In Ail Colors!
7t4d
Prints and Plain Colors
ONE and TWO-PIECE DRESSES
In Sleeveless, Short and Length Sleeves
Sizes 10 to 20, 9 to 15 and 14V2 to 24V2
ONE BIG GROUP OF
DRESSES
FROM OUR REGULAR
$5.95 and $8.95 STYLES
NOW
AT ONE y
LOW PRICE
n v n v i
G
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