64 ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
pest varieties of fruit and planting the 
same. In the spring of 1846 these root- 
lets were grafted with especially selected 
scions, and particular attention was given 
to their cultivation. Early in April, 1847, 
a critical selection was made of between 
300 and 900 of the best of the trees, one 
year old from the graft, and they were 
planted in two wagon boxes in a foot of 
earth in which was uniformly mixed a lot 
of pulverized charcoal. A light frame work 
was built upon the top of each box in 
order to protect the young and tender 
limbs from injury by stock. Hach wagon 
was drawn by four yoke of oxen, Mr. 
Luelling driving the first team and his 
son, Alfred, a lad of 16, the second team. 
The trees were watered on the plains as 
opportunity offered, and the precious load 
arrived at Portland—then a hamlet in the 
dense timber containing not to exceed 20 
rude log cabins—without any loss worth 
mentioning. Finding a piece of cleared 
land about half a mile north of Mu1l- 
waukee owned by a man named A. E. 
Wilson, Mr. Luelling bought the tract and 
at once set out his trees in proper form. 
Thus was the first fruit nursery on the 
Pacific coast established. That act gave 
to Oregon the name of “God’s Country, 
or the Land of the Big Red Apples,” a 
name I used to hear often when I first 
came to Oregon 59 years ago from I[Ili- 
nois. In the words of Ralph C. Geer, 
also a pioneer of 1847, ‘That load of trees 
contained health, wealth and comfort for 
the old pioneers of Oregon.” It was the 
mother of all our early nurseries and or- 
chards and gave Oregon a name and fame 
that she never would have had without 
it. That load of living shrubs and trees 
brought more wealth to Oregon than any 
ship that ever entered the Columbia 
river. In this connection permit me to 
say that the source of my information, 
for the most part, was Alfred Luelling, 
the son of Henderson, who was his 
father’s chief assistant in the original se- 
lection of the varieties, and who attended 
to all the details of work following until 
the nursery was an established fact. Fur- 
ther reference to the nursery and to Al- 
fred Luelling may be found on page 95 
of the “Proceedings and Papers of the 
Twenty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Quar. 
ter-Centennial Celebration of the Oregon 
State Horticultural Society,” held at Port. 
land, Ore., November 30, 1910 
It occurs to me at this moment that 
it would be well to say something about 
Seth Lewellung, a younger brother ot Hen- 
derson Luelling. Naturally you will note 
the difference in spelling the naines The 
following is the explanation Originally 
the name was spelled Llewellyn o1 Liew 
elyn. Henderson’s father, so the giand- 
son, Alfred, informed me, diopped the 
original form and spelled it Dwelling, and 
followed that method. AIJl the members 
of the family followed that style of spell 
ing for many years—indeed until after 
1882—and then Seth began spelling his 
name Lewelling, and followed that method 
until he died February 21, 1896 He was 
born in North Carolina, March 6, 1819 
and in early manhood learned the shoe- 
maker’s trade. In 1850 he crossed the 
plains to California, worked in the mines 
a few weeks, and then went to Milwau 
kee, Oregon territory, arriving there No 
vember 20, 1850. He worked at his trade 
as opportunity offered, and in the nursery 
of his brother, Henderson, between times 
until November 26, 1853, when he became 
a partner of the latter for a short time 
A little later he began the nursery busi- 
ness on his own account. Seth Lewelling 
originated the “Black Republican” cherry 
in the early 60’s, the Golden Prune in 
1876, and the “Bing” cherry a liitle later. 
This cherry was named “Bing” after a 
faithful Chinaman who had been many 
years in his employ, and who took great 
interest in his effort to produce a new 
and excellent variety of cherry. 
The varieties of fruits brought by Lew- 
elling were: 
SuMMeErR Aprtes—Sweet June, Red As- 
trachan, Golden Sweet, Summer Pearmain, 
Summer Bellflower. 
AutuMN AppLtes—Gravenstein, Red 
Cheek Pippin, Seek-No-Further, Rambo, 
King of Tompkins County. 
Winter Appres—Golden Russet, Yellow 
Bellflower, Tulpehocken, Baldwin, Lady 
Apple, White Pearmain, Northern Spy, 
Esopus Spitzenburg, Winesap, Yellow 
Newtown Pippin, Jennetting. 
