Horticulture in Oregon. 221 



combined with a climate unsurpassed anywhere in this fair land of ours. The 

 vast mining districts of this section, which are fast assuming large proportions, 

 will furnish a very good local market for the small grower, while most commer- 

 cial growers will prefer to ship their products to the East, England. Ger- 

 many, and France, where these fruits have found a vei-y profitable market. To 

 illustrate : several years ago I was shown a letter by one of our commission 

 houses at Portland, which had shipped the fruit for the grower, from the II(;n. 

 William G. Grinnell, American Consul at Manchester, England, stating in a lot 

 of apples received from Oregon, and on sale at that city, placards were found 

 on which was printed "Rogue River Apples, from the orchard of C. Kleinham- 

 mer. Phoenix, Oregon," saying that finer fruit had never been exhibited in 

 that market, and the dealers wanted to secure the output for another year. 

 Thus showing what these valleys can produce, and which opened another and 

 unlimited market for the wide-awake fruitgrower. Intelligent endeavor, hon- 

 e.st packing, brains, and application of business principles, which hereafter 

 must be adopted in order to be successful in horticultural pursuits, has its 

 own reward. Peaches, apples, pears, prunes, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, fil- 

 berts, grapes, and wtaermelons grow in great abundance. The Rogue River 

 Valley, which is. in respect to soil and climate, like the famous Burgundy Val- 

 ley of France, is the place par excellence for the growing of wine grapes. There 

 is no good reason why the hillsides of that productive valley should not be 

 covered with vineyards. (irapes of as good quality as those grown in Cali- 

 fornia, France or Germany can be produced in that valley. 



The great and beautiful Willamette Valley does, and always did, grow fine 

 fruits, and is the oldest settled part of Oregon. True, these fruits have not 

 the keeping qualities, owing to its humid climate, of those raised in the more 

 dry localities and higher altitudes, but for size, color, and flavor are not ex- 

 celled anywhere, besides having the advantage of nearness to the large local 

 markets of our cities, as well as cheaper railroad and ocean transportation to 

 the markets of the world. Here flourish the apple, pear, prune, cherry, peach, 

 apricot, walnut, almond, chestnut, all the small bush fruits in great abundance, 

 and grapes galore. That grapes do well in Oregon is evidenced by the fact 

 that there are small vineyards in every part of the State, but I know of only 

 a few commercial vineyards in Oregon, which are located on the red hills in 

 Washington County some twenty-five miles from Portland. These vineyards com- 

 prise a total of eighty-four acres. Every year these vines are loaded down 

 with large bunches of the choicest grapes — each vine or stalk yielding from 

 fifty to one hundred pounds. These sell from $25 to .?-10 per ton. When the 

 owners of these vineyards came to Oregon, not many years ago, they were in 

 very modest circumstances. They had to clear the land and plant it to grapes, 

 and now are all well to do. I have been in the vineyards of Germany, France. 

 and California, but have never seen such an abundance of grapes as these 

 Forest Grove vines bear from year to year, nor have I tasted grapes of finer 

 quality. The principal varieties grown for table use are Moore's Diamond. 

 Niagara, Worden, Sweetwater, lone, Delaware, and Hamburg, and for wine-mak- 

 ing or unfermented grape juice the Riesling, Gut-Edel, Burgundy, Muscat, and 

 Zinfandell. In this connection it may be stated that at the various great 

 expositions held in America we have exhibited the various kinds of wine- 

 These wines came into direct competition with similar brands from other 

 States. Much to my surprise, the jury awarded us the highest medal and di- 

 ploma for excellence, fineness, aroma or bouquet, as it is generally called, smooth- 

 ness, and for the absence of that pungent and alcoholic taste so pronounced 

 in wines grown elsewhere, notably in Zinfandell. I said it was a surprise to me, 

 and yet it should not have been, for I know that our soil and climate condi- 

 tions, especially of the foothills on both sides of the Willamette Valley, are 

 identical to those of that part of the Rhine in Germany where the finest of 

 wines are produced. Upon further investigation I learned from the growers that 

 it is owing to our humidity and cool nights which makes the skin thinner 



