117 



OREGON 



dent and Lake, develop into the choicest of fruits. The 

 Late Duke, Late Kentish, Richmond and Montmorency 

 Ordinary, in fact all cherries, do well, though these latter 

 are of no particular commercial importance. 



The plums, and especially those varieties of Pniniis 

 domestica which have come into general cultivation 



'^SHIISGTON 



1591 Oregon showme by 



m the more favorable sections of the country, thrive 

 throughout the state, though there are particular locali- 

 ties where those varieties cultivated as prunes do much 

 better than in others. As a commercial crop the prune 

 has become of much importance to the state, the output 

 for 1898 on a conservative basis being put at 400 car- 

 loads of 30,000 pounds each and valued at 3Ji and 3K 

 cents per pound. For green fruit for local market the 

 Yellow Egg, Peach, Columbia and Bradshaw are grown. 

 Several attempts have been made to ship the Peach 

 variety in a fresh state to the East, but thus far all such 

 efforts have ended in failure. It will not keep long 

 enough and stand up under the jar of transportation. 

 For the prune crop two varieties are grown, the Italian 

 and the Agen, locally known as the French or Petite. 

 At present there is a much larger acreage of Italians 

 than of Petites. There is a limited acreage of Golden 

 Drop, locally known as Silver Prune, but as the tree is 

 not robust, and as the fruit needs sulfuring before it is 

 cured, this variety is given much less attention now 

 than formerly, and only a limited quantity is grown. 

 The curing of the prune is all done by means of driers 

 or evaporators, of which there are numerous designs. 

 (See Evaporating of Fruits.) 



Of small fruits it may be said that they grow and fruit 

 most abundantly in all parts of the state. Only about 

 the larger cities are they grown as commercial crops, 

 though at Hood river, which is a favored locality, large 

 quantities of strawberries (the Clarke variety) are grown. 

 In 1898 about fifty car-loads of these berries were shipped 

 to the Rocky mountain states, returning to the growers 

 something like $37,000. Blackberries, gooseberries, 

 strawberries and raspberries do well in nearly all locali- 

 ties. Usually it is necessary to select favored sites for 

 blackberries and strawberries: the former on account 

 of water, our long, dry summers being uncongenial; the 

 latter, on account of our heavy soils, will not generally 

 do best on other than river bottoms or sandy ravines. 

 Of currants the chief varieties are Cherry, Fay, White 

 Grape and Black Naples; of blackberries the chief va- 

 rieties are Lawton, Kittatinny, Erie; of the dewberry, 

 Luoretia; of raspberries, Cuthbert, Gregg, Red Ant- 



OREODOXA 



werp and Marlboro; of strawberries, Wilson, Sharp- 

 less, Clarke, Magoon and Everbearing; of gooseber- 

 ries. Champion, Downing and Chautauqua. The wine 

 grape is grown in southern Oregon and particular lo- 

 calities along the Columbia river, but the output can 

 hardly be said to have commercial significance as yet, 

 though it is rated as of "ex- 

 cellent quality. During the 

 past few years some large 

 plantings of wine grapes 

 have been made in the 

 Rogue river valley. 



In the Willamette valley 

 the Moore Diamond, Con- 

 cord, Worden, Delaware and 

 Isabella are the most gener- 

 ally grown. Along the Co- 

 lumbia, the Sweetwater, the 

 Muscats and Tokays are con- 

 sidered best. In southern 

 Oregon both the American 

 and foreign grapes flourish. 

 The Mission grape of Cali- 

 fornia, Sweetwater, Ham- 

 burg and Muscats fully ma- 

 ture in this section. 



Chestnuts of the American 

 and Japan varieties have 

 been planted in numerous 

 localities, and are just be- 

 ginning to bear fine crops, 

 French walnuts and filberts 

 are likewise grown in many 

 localityss by amateurs, and 

 much interest is being mani- 

 fested in this fruit and in 

 the near future commercial 

 plantings will undoubtedly 

 be made. From the experi- 

 ence of the past and the 

 character of the nuts pro- 

 (liK-.-.I. it i- I'.inflilently predicted that the nut crop of 

 tlir liiturr. will be one of much value on the foothill 

 laiHl "t till' state. The almond, the apricot, the black 

 fill arj.l thr l("Huit grow and fruit quite freely in the 

 suuthi ru ■..itious of the state. The cranberry thrives 

 along the coast, and there are a few small bogs under 

 cultivation in favorite spots. £ jj l^^e. 



OKEOCOME. See Selinurn. 



0RE0D6XA (Greek, mountain glory). Palmice(r. 

 This genus includes the Royal Palm, the pride of Florida, 

 and the only tall palm native within the borders of the 

 United States b( fore the annexation of Porto Rico and 

 Hawaii; also the Cabbage Palm, which is cut down 

 when three years old for the central leaves, which are 

 tender and edible. Oreodoxa contains 5 species of pin- 

 nate palms from tropical America. The nearest culti- 

 vated allies are Euterpe and Acanthophoenix, but in 

 these the petals of the pistillate fls. are free, while in 

 Oreodoxa they are grown together at the base. Oreo- 

 doxas are spineless palms, the solitary, erect, robust 

 trunk cylindrical or swollen at the middle: Ivs. termi- 

 nal, equally pinnatisect; segments narrowly linear-lan- 

 ceolate, narrowed at the apex, unequally bifid ; midnerve 

 rather thick, scaly beneath; margins not thickened, re- 

 curved at the base; rachis convex on the back, sulcate 

 toward the base, and acute toward the apex above; 

 petiole half -cylindrical, sulcate above: sheath long: 

 spadix rather large, with long, slender, pendent 

 branches: spathes 2, entire, the lower serai-cylindri- 

 cal, equaling the spadix, the upper ensiform, ventrally 

 fissured: bracts and bractlets scaly: fls. small, white, 

 in scattered glomerules : fr. obovoid or oblong-ovoid, 

 small, violet. 



Of the Royal Palm Reasoner writes: "It is one of the 

 grandest of pinnate palms, growing to a height of over 

 100 ft., with immense, plumy, feathery leaves and a 

 straight white trunk. It is a grand tree for extreme S. 

 Fla. for avenue planting, and is valuable in all sizes, 

 but especially when 4 ft. or over in height." 



