Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-08-22
WILLAMETTE VALLEY FRUITS.
Peaches Should Be More Generally
CultivaIed-FaiIure in other Places
Good Here.


that fruit, is almost a total failure
this year, while in this valley there
is very fair yield, Notwithstanding
the very unfavorable spring weather,
by which the blossoming trees were
badly blighted; and the matured
fruit is of most excellent quality,
large and of good flavor. There is
no doubt that the culture Of this de-
licious fruit can be made profitable
in this part of the valley, that it is
growing in popularity and that
more care and attention will be Civ
en- to it in the future. Heretofore
peaches have been only a secondary
consideration, but few trees having
been cultivated and these simply
with a view to family consumption,
without any regard to the market.
One of the causes of this was the
carelessness with which varieties
were selected. Trees were set out
hap-hazard, without regard to adap
tation, and they were allowed to
live or die, SURVIVE or perish, dwin
die or flourish according to theil
own power of overcoming advers,
circum tances. Things have
changed the past year or two and
the result is becoming noticeable.
The JOURNAL has made arrange
meDts for valuable article on this
branch Of horticulture, and also fol
samples of the frnit raised in this
vicinity, that actual facts aud fig
ures may accompany this article in
next weekly edition. For this puT-
pose the following items relating to
peaches, plums and fruit generally
will be found interesting:
SOME BEAUTIFUL SPECIMENS.
Mr.. Charles Calvert, who resides
on Asylum avenue, exhibited in this
office this morning basket OF
beautiful peaches of the Early Craw-
ford variety, two of which, growing
on one small stem, weighed just
twenty ounces and the largest meas
ured IL inches in circumference, the
other being nearly as large, and
none of the whole basketful being |
very much smaller. In flavor they |
are superior to any peach imported |
into this market, and indeed this is |
a notorious quality in connection
with this fruit as grown here. Our
mild, equable climate during the
critical period of ripening gives the
peach here a peculiarly agreeable
flavor and brings it to the height of
perfection.
MAMMOTH PEA CHES.
This is from the Albany Demo
crat: Mr.. Skeels, the gardener, who .
lives across the river from this city,
left at this office sample Of peaches
of his own growing that contradicts
in the most emphatic way the notion
that peaches do not do well in the
Willamette valley. One of the
peaches brought in measures nine
and one sixteenth inches in circum-
ference and weighs full eight ounces.
The other measures eight and fifteen
sixteenth inches and weighs slight
ly less than eight ounces. They are
of the early Crawford variety and
are finely favored, eXcelling Cali
fornia or Southern Oregon peaches.
Someday the finest peaches on the
Pacific coast will be found growing
In the Willamette valley,
And so is this this: -Four peaches
taken from Seeding peach tree in
the yard of c. w. Watts have been
in the window of Klein
Bros. presenting sight that has
caused passing pedestrians to pause
and remark, "wonderfulp One of
the peaches is ll4 inches in circum.
ference, which equals the biggest on
record in Oregon" The Al
bany brother is mistaken
only in the statement that
this equals the biggest on record in
Oregon. On the city plat of Salem
two years ago peaches were raised
l2l inches in circumfer-
ence and there were many brought
m measuring over II inches. a
year ago the writer picked large
Dasketful in VIM. Wrights orchard
IN the island south of this city, and
he smallest peach was not less
han IL inches in circumference,
The Oregonian two years ago had
1ne brought in which measured l2}
inches.
THE RECORD IN PLUMS.
"Plain Barney Simpson, of South
Salem, has left at the JOURNAL
office limb, cut from plum tree
m his orchard, which had seventy
two large plums on it, The limb
was about Il half inch in diameter
At the large end, and was three feet
long. The net weight of the plums
was nine pounds, which would give
eight plums to the pound. Who
can beat this? The fruit was what
is known as the Washington plum,
and those brought to this ollice are
not an extra large plum for the vari-
ETY. as grown here.
MARKET FOR FRUIT
The following from n Corvallis
paper throws strong light ON u
well-known fact and that is that