Report of State Board of Horticulture. 27 



KEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER. 



FIRST DISTRICT. 



SEMIANNUAL REPORT, APRIL, 1901. 



DiLLEY, Oregon, April 8, 1901. 



To tlie President and Members of tlie State Board of Horticulture — 

 Gentlemen : I herewith submit my quarterly report for 

 the term ending April 8, 1901. At the present time the out- 

 look for the fruit crop for the coming season is most promis- 

 ing. The fruit buds are strong and well developed and in 

 plentiful quantities on the trees. Nothing has bloomed yet, 

 save peaches and a few early clierries, so the cold rains and 

 frosts of the past two weeks have done no injury worth men- 

 tioning. The entire winter season has been most favorable, 

 and trees that have been proper]}* cared for are in the best of 

 condition. 



There has been a notable increase in the planting of trees 

 this season, particularly of apples and prunes. The prune 

 planting is almost entirely of tiie Italian, the general conclu- 

 sion being that there is no profit in growing the Petite. 

 Nursery stocks of Italian prunes are almost entirely exhausted, 

 and prices received were very good, choice yearlings selling 

 as higli as 12+ cents by the hundred. In spite of discour- 

 aging features in the market outlook, the demand for prune 

 trees bids fair to continue strong for some time yet. But 

 the largest plantings are of apples, particularly such varieties 

 as Gravenstein, Jonathan, Spitzenburg, Rome Beauty, and 

 Yellow Newtown. Stocks of these varieties were exhausted 

 early in the season, and it is quite probable that nurserymen 

 will be unable to supply the demand the coming season. 



One branch of the fruit industry is, curiously, almost en- 

 tirely neglected in Western Oregon, and that is growing the 

 winter pears. There has scarcely been a pear in the Port- 

 land market since Christmas. I remember having seen only 

 one small lot, and as they were of a,n unfamiliar variety, I 

 purchased a couple to taste, and traly they were worse than 

 the much-abused Ben Davis apple. I asked the dealer about 



