32 REPORT OP STATE BOARD OP HORTICULTURE. 



NECESSITY POR TELLING THE TRUTH. 



Shortly after the cold wave which passed through the center 

 of the Willamette Valley early in February, I was invited, 

 while at Salem, to examine the orchards in that vicinity, and 

 reported that I found all prune orchards planted on low, wet, 

 heavy clay bottom lands badly injured, and predicted that 

 these trees w^ould die, while orchards located on hill land, 

 and planted in proper soil, were in perfect condition, and 

 from appearances would yield a fair crop. I w^as somewhat 

 criticised for this, as many persons, some living one hundred 

 miles from there, took it for granted that my remarks applied 

 to the whole state, though I never could understand just why. 

 I also received several sharp letters from prune land sellers, 

 stating that I had no right to express my opinions as such 

 were calculated to ruin the prune industry. Eight here per- 

 mit me to say that the planting of orchards, on lands not 

 adapted to fruit culture, and selling them at fancy prices to 

 newcomers, has done more injury to the fruit interests of 

 Oregon than any other one thing, and it is high time to warn 

 intending buyers that all lands, even in this favored region, 

 are not suited to fruit raising, nor the enormous results 

 figured out on paper likely to be realized. I hold that it is 

 the duty of this board to give the actual facts, the truth, 

 which is right, and right wrongs no man. We have many 

 favored localities adapted to fruitgrowing, but heavy, clay, 

 wet soils, or lands from which the water will not drain, is 

 not fruit land. Permit me to add that upon recent examina- 

 tion of the trees that I said two months ago would die, many 

 were found to be dead even now, thus verifying my prediction. 



NEW MARKET IN THE ORIENT, 



In my last report I spoke about marketing our fruit, which 

 is the great problem confronting the fruitgrowers at this time, 

 and called attention to the new market opening to us, giving 

 statistics and other data in connection therewith, especially 

 the market of England ; but more particularly the Orient. I 

 have made considerable inquiry since then into this Oriental 

 market, which, it seems to me, belongs to us of the Pacific 

 Northwest, and from information gathered, am more than 

 ever convinced that this is the field for us to operate in. The 

 difficulty wdiich seems to lie in the way is the long ocean 

 transportation, and whether our fresh fruit will stand this 



