The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-17
FRUIT ON PUGET SOUND.
An Excellent Paper by One who
Knows the Subject.

Knows the Subject.
John T. Blackburn, of Vashon, is one of
the best known fruit growers in the state.
He has made it his business for years In
England, in the Eastern states, and for
years in Washington. His paper follows:
There is nothing new or startling in the
title of the subject assigned me on which
to prepare short paper. There is no one,
however, who has resided continuously on
Puget Sound for period of twelve years.
which has been my lot, and has been di-
rectly or indirectly interested in the Gull
ture Of fruit, but will say that there is
subject matter enough in it to fill large
volume. Fruit culture on Puget Sound
twelve years ago was very different from
what we find it today. Eleven years ago
street cars were drawn up and down Sec
ond avenue by horse power Mark the
changes. While pomology may not have
grown by electricity, she has made rapid
strides in the right direction. Prior to the
time just mentioned it was generally be-
lieved that the hill or upland of the Puget
Sound country was worthless, save only
for the timber that was growing on 1t. But
since then the fact has been demonstrated
beyond the shadow of a doubt that our up
lands are especially adapted to fruit Gull
ture, which has passed the experimental
stage, and when the dark cloud of financial
depression shall have rolled away, it is a
question of only a short time before the
shores of Puget Sound. as well as the in
question may arise why this prediction is
made. l answer, the conditions are all ia
vorable. We have the climate, the soil
and the transportation facilities to market
our fruit, which facilities Will improve as
the volume of fruit increases. Fruit cul-
ture has a fascination connected with it
which grows on the person engaged and is
very contagious. 1t is not absolutely nee
essary that a person should have large
bank account before he embarks in this.
one of, if not the grandeSt, industry in the
world True, it has shared with all other
industries the effects of the financial depres-
sion during the past two or three years,
and the margin of profit has been very
small, and were it not for the bright star
of hope for the future the fruit grower
might have reason to become discouraged.
But when he remembers the fact that
failure of fruit crop is not known in the
Puget Sound country and when he remem-
berS the amount of failures OF this crop IN
the Eastern states, should not this stimu-
late and encourage the fruit grower and
also the woud-be fruit grower? For ex-
ample last year I received number OF
communication from Eastern cities, say
ing: 1--WE depend entirely upon Washing
ton, Oregon and California for our pears,
plums and prunes."
AS before stated, it is not absolutely nee
essary to have large bank account to en-
ter into the business Of fruit culture. How
ever he should have enough to purchase
small tract of land and pay for it, from
ten to forty acres being sufficient, or even
less If he is not able to clear up enough
of his land for an orchard, garden and
meadow, he can plant his garden in the
orchard for two or three years, and by
thorough cultivation, the fruit trees will
not object very much to the company of
vegetables and small fruits By SO doing
he can, the second season, receive returns
from good crop of Strawberries, as well
atah ha tO nj
These are items of vital interest to the in
dustrious man of limited means. The eli
mate is such that he will not freeze in win
ter. Up to this date, January 10. my Their
mometer has registered at its lowest point
% degrees above zero, with from four to
five inches of snow. He will not be over
come by heat in the summer, the mercury
seldom reaching 80 degrees. Billiards and
cyclones are unknown on Puget Sound.
With such a climate were the soil almost
worthless, by mans ingenuity and the use
of common sense it could be made to pro-
duce wonderfully. However, the soil OF
the Puget Sound country is by no means
worthless, but in every respect equal, II
not superior, to that of England, and it is
generally known what is raised there and
how much per acre. The writer has lived
and cultivated fruit in England, Illinois
and Western Washington, and l consider
Washington superior to either England or
Illinois. with reference to fruit growing.
So [ believe it is safe to say the conditions
are favorable for the Puget Sound coun-
try to become one vast fruit field. 1t Is
now laying the foundation upon which to
build structure that is bound to COM
mand the admiration not only Of our own
nation, but of all the other civilized ma
lions of the world.
France is known as one of the foremost
nations in the line of industry and pros
perity, and her prosperity is attributed
principally to the fact that large por-
ton of her domains are cultivated in small
farms The same condition that has gain
ed for France such perstige can and will
apply to Puget Sound, if we follow their
example and we find in a large degree
that we are doing so. Very many of the
horaesteads of 100 acres that were owned
few wears since by one family are now
owned and being cultivated by from four
to eight families. These are some of the
stones in the foundation of what will, in
the near future. be one of the greatest
fruit growing sections in our country.
AS before stated, fruit growing in the
Puget Sound country is no longer an ex-
pertinent. as the annual crops for num-
her of years past prove. To say that the
cultivation of fruit has '""reased Won
derfully during the past few years Is to
state the fact in mild terms. 1t Is not
MANY wears since that our now large cities
were mere hamlets, and they consumed
all the fruit that was grown. and the de-
n,and could not be supplied by home
grown fruits These baby hanlets have
developed into giant cities. We now can
supply the demand and ship carload after
carload to the Eastern states. L nave not
the figures or the number of cars of fruit
shipped the past season by one firm in this
city. but think about twelve OF straWDer-
ries and several of plums, prunes, etc. 1
NAV say here that the shipping or SOFT,
fresh fruits from Puget Sound is an ex-
periment of 1895 by the Rochester Broker
ox,d n a G /
q success and has given fresh impetus to
| the cultivator. not only of the large and
| hardy fruits, but also Of the smaller and
| more delicate varieties, such as the straw
| berry. which is the king of small fruits in
| western Washington. and it is an estab-
| lished fact conceded everywhere, that
Western Washington stands at the mead as
| a producer of this noble fruit. Two hum
bred crates of twenty-four pounds each
| are grown with ordinary care and cultlva-
| ton, and over 300 crates have been gath
| cred from one acre. A neighbor OF mine