The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-04
PUGET SOUND ,HoRrICuLTuRE.
Paper Read nv Secretary Csss Re-
fore Farmers Institute at sumner.

Paper Read nv Secretary tass He
fore Farmers Institute at sumner.
When I nFst came 10 the Coass IN ISIS
found that fruit - that .pe on Puget
Sound grew almost spontaneously. Why.
al Olympia. where | lived couple 81
years or so. one could nnd old neglected
orchards 81 apple trees bearing hcautifut
fruit. and almost concealed Ia brush and
timber thickets. Little or 10 attention
was given TO caltiyatnE or pruning ORCH
ards, and people had more fruE than they
knew " hat 10 10 with. 20 speak IN a gem
eral way. The cherries AZ Olympia were
magnificent Little or no attention Was
given At that time 20 the growing Or fruit
fer market purposes. ba. most every fana-
Ily bad trees 20 produce Tor home use.
And 1t was about the same with all gar
DEN products. These were things in their
way about as spontaneous ia their yield as
the wonderful clam beds of that section.
Since that time however. Ia the general
field OF horticulture here IN Western
washington. the fruit growing interests
have got into. and are vel. in a transition
STAGE. And IL l. the experience that We
have had in. the last decade or so. and that
We are now IN the midst Of. that VIII put
fruit growing here as a business on the
highroad 10 success.
About fifteen years ago oar newspapers
began advocating the planting Of the Itai-
ian pyuna largely as a commercial crop.
III
mate and conditions that were among the
best for the growing of the PLAN kind.
And the experience Of the years since has
shown that 10 be srue. nowhere can this
family Of fruits be grown 70 such peTfec-
ton.
here in certain points that are essential 10
make them reliable ard profitnblo Tor
market purposes. The italian pruna fails
in this. that SIS bloom seems sensitive 10
he effects or the damp and continued
shoWcry weather during the poisoning
neriod somewhat common here IN the
spring months. ana which under such con
aiflous does rot sci q crop ~ fruit " II
sfsa so late fu rlneniug as 10 get caught IN
ma early fall rains. which is often ruin
Gus 10 the crop go that the italian prane
DOES not In any fan measure fninh expec-
tatlons as 20 lts value here in our climate.
VET the prune growers here. We believe,
ara in n very much better position than
thefr oregon or California competitors,
: IA chiefly because they have not very
largely entered into he production. Tor the
weI. recognized fact Il that when al the
trees there planted 20 this fFat come inFo
st,Ii hearing rs proluesion viii be so far
beyond any expected demand of con-
aIrnnt4nn So 70 annihilate profits entirely.
wveo now at this time, with perhaps but
a-thfra az the trees OF bearing age. the
dried fruit is going begging In southern
Oregon. I arm told, az ] cent per pound or
less And 20 make matters worse v -
largely the case n some counties there that
the farms are encuFn bere. with large AMI
extensive patented drying houses. set %
% pasd FOR in most cases and which viii
30 e4riv vyretehef repln8ers % tli-adylssd
enterprtse and investment. For there II.
AMI was no well grounded reason for th@
building % any bsIt very cheaply erect
Ell structure for the curing Of the prBDe.
Ia r4sHs ysaFe ~
pert@nrs.
n may Ne Justly said. however. that no
other section % the eouHfry has the con
ditfons for - successfully growing some
OF the other and large snowy varieties ~
pllms. and which may be with great
profit shipped IN q ripe state 20 the East
ern markets as the Puget soUnd region
About the came time apf right along
~ince. The SANE authorities have been aa-
vocs,ing the planting and growing 81 hnely
colorsa winter apples a. being on the line
OF the true road 10 wealth for ths orchard
ist here. 80 the ATT largely or TIE part
os those planting apples FOR proat. was
20 select from the Catalogues sleh sorts
"a were q rfbNd as red and highly color
81. ana o. curse such rs brought he big
prices IN TIE markets. Tbis. OF course. was
as plain rs the noee or a mans face. The
right thing 20 DO. and az easily carried ont
a. Capt Baha8il' method 81 defeating "a
army. But. unfortunately. the feet 10. 40
has b4en shown very clearly - The ex-
pe~ence4 practical fruit grower here, that
on he lower eta aaes ~ the coast. trees
81 sft-h varieties 90 not - rule produce
nnv h1t ordinary appearing. greenIsn and
Atmry looking spe mgens ard - insure the
production 0f o really grssf late keepng.
market eDn,e he.e We ned ~ select nns
Fessa~t or bFawnish. o. yrlfow variety,
IN ire art gear Or Two 7 have hHsn top
- assf RI NJ
some 90 % sure six or seven year Oh
trees because - th,s fat We can grow
reasonably fine specimens ~ thia style -
aur.le here fn our smoky and hazg fail
afn9asuhere. huf cannot near apff uar1
growing such fine appearing highly eoloff =
raA wlmtar annaes az snn7# other favored
sections - the state eass ~ TIA Aa'her
should We attempt g. Every orr should
g+fek 10 hfs own fasf a1f follow stcn a
course as hts enVsronraa Ee1sn's OF thAf
there viii - plain calling 70.
Y zras along afsVat ths same time too,
o. somewhere in the iaat fifteen years.
that our real estate dealers maize ~ HD~
porfant discovery. vf1. Tflaf patefes q .8f
tansf On paeef sound that was good fgr
nothing. Or would prod 80 nothing else -
the way % croFs. stiA vas Fooi tfi@il
Land +" More hgpes - OR fFfzit Ero#tfH
resElv he1ssva. have hss@n wrsrke1 on ihaf
rock than on any other. TIE FIRST pTinei1ie
fnught in RS text books - anY e. leF4tf
On IN sagbseet IL tsaF the ssoeeEsgal pro
Sacflsn az <rult tenants good sod ard
good cultivation.
True II IL that good continuous caitiFa~
.ie,rs AZ A. araDarsntly sterile soil IN Oar
nnrrfA atmosphere and climate tends 80
raas3t sn a somewhat handsoTn@ tree
Rrowth. get theirs viii be al aziso.lteiY
certain disappointment IN tie way o. re-
s4fts r. fruit prs1action, or ia ceHtin-
"a healthfg}ness o. suea tree gTo% th.
.g.lese tss mineral clements demanded are
- .ha ssff IA fairly proper proportions. II
nav b laid Down az an axiom. that En-
-FFaN. ~