Appendix. 129 



carriers, the far-sighted men who saw what the possibilities wei-e in 

 this direction, came to the rescue with well-considered presentations of 

 the true facts in the premises. They discussed the subject at issue in 

 the light of well-established and fully-recognized business principles. 



The geographical position of the country, its peculiar climatic sur- 

 roundings, its adaptability to the production of certain fruits, and the 

 lack of similar climatic conditions in vast areas certain to be the homes 

 of vast populations, were pointed out and dwelt upon, and the certainty 

 that these vast populations in the nature of things, would I'equire im- 

 mense supplies of our fruits, green, dried, canned, and preserved, was 

 made apparent. This view of the case struck the country press forci- 

 bly. It was restated, reiterated, and continuously kept before the people 

 with results, which, in their magnitude and importance, can only be 

 hinted at in this article. But, much that was said, and all there was 

 to say, applied as well to Oregon, and our practical thinking men took 

 up the subject. The scare was over — the spirit was contagious. Old 

 orchards were trimmed and cultivated and new ones set. All the fruits 

 of the temperate zone, so far as tried, had done well in Oregon. Our 

 Italian prunes, Bartlett pears, and Royal Ann and Black Republican 

 cherries paid best, and were attracting favorable attention abroad. The 

 last few years trees of these varieties had been set out by hundreds of 

 thousands all over the State, but mostly through the Willamette Valley. 

 The trees when pi-operly cared for make a vigorous, healthy growth; 

 and five years from the setting make pecuniary returns. 



As these to-day are our leading varieties and of considerable import- 

 ance and great promise in the future commercially, they seem to deserve 

 some historical record. The prune, as before stated, was introduced in 

 1847 by Henderson Luelling, of Iowa. Our little German prune — 

 Luelling prune — is the true German prune, a native of the Rhine, 

 propagated from the seed, and cultivated more extensively in Germany 

 and over the continent of Europe than any other fruit, and is the 

 "butter" and the condiment of the peasantry and a principal source of 

 revenue. The prune has always done well with us. 



In 1857 Mr. Henry Miller, of the firm of Miller & Lambert, of Mil- 

 waukie, who had purchased the orchard of Luelling & Meek, sent to 

 Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, N. Y., for the best drying prunes; 

 and in answer received scions of the Italian (Fellenburg), and a little 

 oblong purple prune called the d'Agen, but not the prune grown now as 

 Petite d'Agen or French prune. These scions wei'e worked on bearing 

 plum trees, and soon bore heavy crops. The d'Agen, though a sweet, 

 palatable prune, when green proved to be a poor shipper and watery 

 and unsuitable for drying; so, after being pretty extensively tested over 

 the State, was abandoned. The Italian was a large palatable fruit, a 

 good shipper, and yielded 33 per cent when dried; making a shoviry 

 black prune — excellent as a "confection" to eat out of hand; requiring 

 little sugar and of the finest flavor when cooked. The tree is free from 

 all pests, stocky and vigorous; is a regular bearer, carrying its fruits 

 HOR.— 9 



