Appendix. 1(M 



learned by experience what we might have gathered from a study of 

 geography, namely, that the Willamette Valley is hemmed in and natur- 

 ally so circumscribed that there is no large near-by shipping outlet for 

 her small fruits. I mean that almost every locality within a reasonable 

 time from any point in the valley, is almost equally well supplied with, 

 about the same varieties as are produced here, so that no great business 

 can be built up in the local, less than carload shipping of small fruits. 

 We then resolved that the only thing to do was to go in for carload 

 shipments. We have had our experience in that line, some of it mighty 

 costly, and have for several seasons about abandoned any effort tO' 

 operate in anything except the cured products; we might except apples 

 and late pears as we annually try to handle a few cars of this fruit. 



Now, then, I assured the gentlemen in charge of this program that I 

 would be likely to say something of this kind if I got started for the 

 "truth will out." However, I do not wish to discourage in the least any 

 grower, packer, or shipper of Oregon small fruit. Because I am not an 

 enthusiast along this line does not necessarily make it impossible for 

 some other man to make a great success out of it. My experience is 

 that the valley cherry, of whatever kind, the valley apple, and valley 

 pear, especially the Bartlett, will not stand up for long distance ship- 

 ment as the same varieties of fruit evidently do stand, when grown in 

 certain other sections of the State and elsewhere. As I said in the 

 beginning, I do not know about these things, but my experience has not 

 been exhilarating, and it remains for other men to take up the work if 

 they choose and profit by the experience and failures of their prede- 

 cessoi's. 



I have never been called a pessimist and I firmly believe that it may 

 be possible to so improve the Oregon-grown fruits by cultivation and 

 care that more knowledge might be gained and applied concerning var- 

 ieties and their habits and only the best fruit selected and used and 

 then, with greater care in the proper picking, handling, and packing, 

 equally good results could be obtained as are secured in California, or 

 elsewhere. I will not admit that our chei'ry is second to those grown: 

 anywhere in the wide world. How could I in the midst of this marvel- 

 ous display; I doubt if this show of cherries cou.ld be surpassed and, I 

 fancy, hai'dly equalled anywhere in the world. But the chief reason for 

 past failures is not so much the method of handling the cherry, but 

 because there is not the quantity in any given district to make it an 

 object for packers and merchants to give the matter the attention which 

 it deserves, and which it would receive if there were many thousand' 

 times more cherries; hence, packers have been content to let the canners' 

 and Maraschino people take the fruit year after year; and the latter 

 have been, and are, the price-makers. 



Cherries for long distance shipment must be packed properly, but 

 before that they must be carefully picked, before they are fully ripe. 

 Every fruit must be handled individually and should be carefully taken 

 from the trees, handling each fruit by the stem and never seve 'ing the 

 fruit from the stem. If possible, they should be picked when cool, or 



