Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-07-09
AMONG THE ORCHARDS.
Fruits in the Willamette Valley
Small Crops the Rule.

oAeo - e&tO W NoAaSJ
Small Crops the Rule.
During the past week r. D. AL
len, of Silverton, and Il. j. Beatty,
have made tour of the valley look
ing up the fruit interest in general.
First they visited the large peach
orchards of La Follet, Collard and
Jones. The first named gentleman
has very fair crop on. his bearing
peach trees, and the finest crop of
cherries they have seen. Out of 1000
trees planted the past season by
these three not two per cent. are
worth saving, and all will be plow-
ed out for replanting. Mr.. La Foil
ct claims that he is at a loss of at
least one thousand dollars by hav-
ing followed the advice of Wilson,
the California horticultural writer.
Several others were found on their
tour who made like complaints in
regard to his advice on peaches.
These gentlemen do not know what
caused The death of their young
trees, as the leaves curl on some and
others have died from other causes.
No frosts were reported in the neigh
borhood, and the fault could hardly
be attributed to faulty work in the
nursery, rs the trees came from var
ious propagators. Only one young
peach orchard was found that look
ed thrifty, and that was on the San
tam, about five miles south of Scio.
AS to prunes, these gentlemen
found the outlook rather slim. The
Ira Burley petite orchard was load
ed and part of the Shepard orchard |
near Zena, although the latter has
about $500 trees that aught to be in
good bearing, but while the trees
look healthy they haye no fruit.
Among all prune orchards the petite
trees are about the only ones that
are bearing. The only trees that
are dying are an occasional Italian,
perhaps 10 per cent, nearly al of
which are above four years old.
The italian orchard of Mr.. Stone,
about II miles south of Albany, has
25 per cent, of dying trees, all five
years old. The cause in this case is
attributed to white land and too
much wafer, besides deep blowing |
near trees late in the season. No
cause can be attributed for the NOR.
tality among other orchards, cult
waited trees doing but little better
thar others.
Apples will be scarce article this
year, and little spraying is being
done, although as consequence not
much pest was discovered. Very
little woolly or green aphis and no
scale of any kind was discovered
A few cherry or pear slugs were
found, but not enough to do much
injury.
Mr.. Beatty thinks more trees of
all kinds Will be planted next year
than ever before, and says that
most nurserymen have large orders
ahead. This is especially true in
Benton and Linn counties. He
thinks 1000 acres will be planted in
the vicinity of Corvallis, and that
80 per cent. of them will be Italian
prunes.
One very significant fact was
found in the successful work of
reclaimipg an old "worn out"
orchard on the agricultural college
grounds. These old trees have been
brought into the finest bearing con-
dition.
In the orchard of Joseph Wasson,
at Lebanon, 500 prune, peach and
apple trees, mostly prunes, were de-
stroyed by using kerosene for borers,
on the instructions of Ethan w.
Allen in Bulletin No. 7, issued by
the state board Of horticulture.
While Mr.. Beatty deplores The
of the trees and fruit crop
this season he does not consider that
it will retard the fruit industry a
particle in the future. He says that
even the men who are the heaviest
.
losers still have their old faith in
fruit and propose to replant and
continue in the business.