The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-07-02

WoR1HrHoron, MINI. July 2. 1891.
FROM OREGON
EUGENE, Oregon, June o6th, @l.
EDITOR ADvANCE:-As the season
advances AMI growth reaches out to-
ward maturity the ideas of the new
conner must necessarily enlarge cor
respoudinely in order to keep pace
with, and comprehend everything in
its entirety. In listening to some OF the
stories told me regarding tho size, yield,
&c., Of different productions here l Am
sometimes obliged to request the mar
rator to defer the big end until my
ideas have had time to grow to . point
If comprehension II not belief. Of tho
flowers here 1 can speak of certainty.
but to undertake . description Of the
many kinds and their wonderful beau
ttes would flll volume; the briliiancy.
size and variety OF Wild flowers alone
is beyond description, and to behold
garden or yard of cultivated flowers is
worth the travelling OF many miles to
say the least; the rose in all its perfec-
tion and loveliness is here from the
deep dark red to the white, with all
intermediate shades and colors, and I
can only leave tito your imagina-
tion to complete tho picture. the
largest of the scarlet roses have seen
are by actual measurement over six
inches across, and their btauty sur
passes that OF the peony or gladiolus.
The principal fruits grown here are
apples, pears, plums, peaches, prunes
and ounces, the smaller fruits with
the exception of Strawberries and
grapes, are not cultivated to any ex-
tent but are plentiful in their wild
state. Apples grow iu such abundance
that thousands of bushels go to waste
every year, the apple orchard is seen
on nearly every farm varying in size
from a dozz3n trees to forty acres or
more, no failure Vt this, Tor any othcr)
crop was ever known. but some years
they are more abundant and Of larger
size and better quality than in Others,
but in all years they vary in size from
the ordinary cider apple to fifteen and
twenty inches in circumference.
The apple tree is to be found in all
manner of places far from human ha
bitation, loaded with fruit that is left
to fall and rot upon the ground, many
orchards are left in a very unkempt
condition, / t'e soil being sod-bound and
the tree totally unacquxinted with the
pruning knife with moss hanging from
the limits. In this half-dead and
tangled condition one cannot but " IN
der how they manage to bear at all yet
these same trees a,e loaded with fruit
but inferior to that grown on we'll
kept trees, where the largest aud finest
fruit Ut ti,e kind il to be found, it is
claimed, on the whole Pacific Coast, II
not the United States, but rs l wish to
speak mostly from experience, will
lot enter largely into particulars
until the maturity Of the crops men,
toned. Pears are also grown in variety
Of kinds and sizes and the trees are at
ut present we'll loaded with green fruit,
plums aud cherries load the trees be-
yond imagination, making them ap.
pear rs it the fruit h. d Teen thrown on
with shovels, aud stuck fast, bending
the limbs until the trees seem to
"weep'' with their burdens. The
cherries are ripe, and the writer has
had ample proof Of their qualities to
warrsnt a lengthy description Of them
did time and space permit.
Peaches, though yielding we'll, are
not grown asextensively as as other fruits
Tor it is claimed that they are too tart,
and otherwise not good enough to war
rant any great outlay of time and
money, at the same time others claim
to raise a. good peaches as grow, any
where in the north giving their rea-
sons for it IL difference in the soil in
the north. giving their reasons for it
~ difference in the soil, lsy of the
land, SC. Ounces are grown in very
limited amounts, and not eagerly
sought, after the arst bite into one,
the memory Of which generally remains
during life.
The prune, which comparatively is
yet in its infancy in this state. is re-
oeiving more attention than all other
fruits combined, two kinds of this
fruit are grown here. the Italian and
the Silver prune, having thoroughly
tested the qualities Of these in their
crude state, unhesitatiDgly pronounce
the former (which is the inferior one
here) superior to any Of its kind grown
In California, which brings the highest
price In our eastern markets, its flavor
being Of that peculiar kind, belonging
entirely to the genuine italian article
and not the plain sweet taste of the
California prune Of which ono soon be-
comes satisfied. it is also fully as large
il not larger in size than that of the
golden state.
The Silver prune. as its name would
imply, il Of light, creamy color And
very large, twelve or fifteen of them
often weighing pound, this is said t.
be chiefly an Oregon producE, belong
ing principally to this vall(y, and is ot
recent origin, 1t out-rivals every tbiua
OF it, kind In size, flavor and yield and
''de6es competition" it is tho coming
prune, and the god Of mammon is fluna
1T its feet.
There are few very flne pruue or
chards in this vicinity, one of them be