Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-05-24
LOCAL And GENERAL NEWS
Icnized Account Of DOingS in City and
Country.
OUR FRUIT CULTURlSTS.
A Visit To DF, Reynolds PFune, Plum,
Pear and Cherry Orchard,
SAFETY FROM THE PEACH BORER.
What Skill and Enterprise are Doing
For Our Fruit Industry.
OUR FRUIT CULTURISTS.
;AFETY FROM THE PEACH BORER.
What Skill and Enterprise are Doing
For Our Fruit Industry.

A pleasant drive of twenty
minutes, behind spanking pair OF
bavs, and we reporter finds himself
at the promising fruit plantation OF
DIR. ]. Reynolds, located three miles
north of Salem. We are met by
Mr. ]. T. Westley, the genial gentle
man in charge, who spares no pains
in showing us through the well kept
orchards, giving such information
as we seek for. The Doctor is one
ofthose far seeing men who realized
long ago that the future greatness
of Oregon would be in great part due
to her horticultural products; and
while others were fearful and faint
hearted he was setting out his young
fruit trees. The wisdom of this is
now evident to every one, and our
visit to his place is to secure infOr-
nation that may be of use to the
scores of others whOare beginning to
follow his and other pioneer fruit
mems footsteps.
The one thing that is perhaps the
most striking is the evidence every
where of the care and thorOughlculti-
vation that is being bestowed upon
trees and soil. A coat of white wash
has been given the trees, as a sani-
tary measure. There can be no doubt
as to the value of this, though some
Orchardists prefer occasional appli-
cations of lye. On old trees the
bark often becomes rough and
scaly, affording harbor for insects.
The doctor would remove all such
danger by scraping the body care
fully, removing the dead bark. So
far he has not found any necessity
for this, his trees all being young
and vigorous.
THE PEACH BORER.
Though our climate is not one in
which fruit pests are liable to prove
as troublesome as to our neighbors
on the south of us, we must not be
asleep to the Importance of guarding
against them. The peach borer is
but little known among the orchards
of the Willamette valley, but is
occasionally met with and if not
destroyed will do great damage, It
is the larva or grub coming from the
egg of beetle, and attacks the tree
just under the,surface of theground,
boring into the bark, and sometimes
completely girdling the tree. Mr..
Westley's method of dealing with
this pest is to remove all the soil
from around the tree down to where
the roots branch out, and carefully
remove all bOrers, which can be
found by close examination. Then
q half gallon of air Stacked lime is
mixed with the soil, and replaced
bout the tree. In a conversation
with Mr. o. Dickinson, our veteran
nurseryman, he stated that ten years
ago his peach trees were infested
with the borer. Heremoved all the
soil from around the trees to the
roots, and swept it clean, leaving it
over night. On returning the next |
day, the presence of bOrers were
easily detected by the "saw dust"
scattered around ON the ground |
near the body of the tree, and the
borers were killed. All the trees
were then given a coat of tar from |
the roots to eight inches above the
ground. Since then he has never
found borer in those trees. That |
is simple and effectual treatment |
that recommends itself to every one.
Doctor, what is your opinion as
tothe best varieties of fruit to set
out?' we asked.
THAT depends very much upon
circumstances. Apples, pears,
cherries, plums, and prunes all do
wonderfully well here, and all will
be very profitable. Apples will
command an excellent market for |
drying and for shipping. Pears, for
drying, canning and shipping. |
Cherries, for shipping and canning. |
Plums for shipping, drying and can
ming. Prunes, for drying. So we
need have no fear of disposing Of
our fruits, for If one method fails,
We can resort TO others. have made |