Appendix. 173- 



clean trees and clean fruit is now the oi'der. No longer can the worth- 

 less disease-infected old orchards of the careless, thriftless grower be 

 allowed to menace the clean orchards of the careful, painstaking neigh- 

 bors. The county may now take charge of these old orchards and do 

 the right thing at the expense of the owners. Sprays and spraying 

 outfits are so improved and perfected that this is no longer a difficult 

 or very expensive undertaking. 



We are learning and have learned some things. In fruit commerce, 

 conditions, tastes and fashions have materially changed within a decade. 

 The situation seems to demand serious consideration. Rapid transit by 

 steam and rail, refrigeration, improved packages and appliances for 

 shipment, the great extension of the fruit area in tropical countries, 

 our growing trade relations with these countries, now placing the green 

 fruits of the islands of the sea and the four quarters of the earth on 

 the fruit stands of a whole continent— carted and shouted through the 

 streets in country and city. The fig, the date, the orange, the lemon, 

 the banana, pineapple, grapes, mangoes, and queer, unnameable fruits, 

 edible, these are always with us, and largely consumed by the populace. 

 In their season from the south of us, the early peach, the cherry, the 

 grape and all the small fruits known to civilization; and the consump- 

 tion in green fruits. Admitted, that sometimes in their season we may 

 compete at home and abroad successfully with our superior green fruits, 

 and we may send three-and-a-half and four-tier apples to the Orient, to 

 England, France, Germany, and other countries, and the growers may 

 reap a golden harvest; all this — but what of the greatly decreased and 

 decreasing consumption of our dried products, even reaching canned 

 fruits. Verily, a serious condition — a problem — what shall we do about 

 it? The dried apple, and peach, not long ago the world's great staples, 

 now rarely called for; culinary art, and gustatory taste call for green 

 fruits. Gi-een fruits have taken their places. The green apple, banana, 

 pineapple, small fruits, possibly canned cherries, peaches or berries. 

 And what of the great staple of the Willamette Valley and all Western 

 Oregon and Washington, the prune, a few years ago of so great promise, 

 so highly figured, so inspiring to the hopeful, even reaching the pessim- 

 ist, the banker, the speculator, the conservative, the merchant; even the 

 idle, interest-collecting capitalist; veritably a popular wave that swep; 

 all over California, Oregon, and Washington; with what potency to the 

 hopeful; with what high hopes; to the visionary with entrancing, irri- 

 descent, golden visions; in realization the mythical pot of gold at the 

 end of the rainbow. Many of us have felt the spell of it. Veiy truly 

 a superior dried product— the prune. Once popular, much sought and 

 largely consumed in America, more largely consumed by all classes in 

 Europe. A product superlatively superior in Oregon, known in market 

 as the "Oregon prune," Italian prune. This superior product, now for 

 ten years decreasing alike in price and consumption, in America and 

 everywhere. Added, the exactions of the popular taste for small, neat, 

 showy packages, clean and attractive, 30s to 40s, possibly 40s to 50s, 



