DR. J. R. CARDWELL. 17 



ment of the peasantry and a principal source of revenue. 

 The prune has always done well with us. 



In 1857 Mr. Henry Miller, of the firm of Miller & Lam- 

 bert, of Milwaukie, who had purchased the orchard of 

 Luelling& Meek, sent to EllwangerA Barry, of Rochester, 

 N.Y.,for the best drying prunes; and in answer received 

 scions of the Italian (Fallenburg),and a little oblong pur- 

 ple prune called the d'Agen,but not the prune grown now 

 as Petite d'Agen or French prune. These scions were 

 worked on bearing plum trees, and soon bore heavy crops. 

 The d'Agen, though a sweet, palatable prune, when green 

 proved to be a poor shipper and watery and unsuitable 

 for drying; so after being pretty extensively tested over 

 the State, was abandoned. The Italian was a large palat- 

 able fruit, a good shipper, and yielded thirty-three per 

 cent when dried ; making a showy black prune excellent 

 as a " confection " to eat out of hand ; requiring little sugar 

 and of the finest flavor when cooked. The tree is free from 

 all pests, stocky and vigorous ; is a regular bearer, carry- 

 ing its fruits well distributed, and requiring no thinning; 

 remarkable in the respect that it sheds' all fruit it can 

 not perfect to a good large size according to the dryness 

 of the season. The tree responds to good treatment- but 

 does tolerably in the grass plot and under neglect, and 

 has been called "the poor shiftless man's tree." 



About the year 1858 Mr. Seth Lewelling, a brother of 

 Henderson Luelling. set the first Italian prune orchard, 

 five acres, near Milwaukie. Others, noting the elegance 

 of the fruit, in quality, size, and flavor, and its fine ship- 

 ping and drying qualities, began setting trees in different 

 localities over the State for home use, and as an experiment 

 to test locality, and as a basis for business calculation. 

 About 1870 there was much talk and speculation about 

 prunes and prune growing as a business, for and against, 

 those favoring showing facts and figures, those against 



