The Minneapolis journal., 1902-09-26
Special Correspondence.

Special Correspondence.
Portland. Oregon, Sept. 21.-"The
world moves along not merely by the gi-
gantic shoves of its hero-workers, but by
the aggregate Of tiny pushes Of any honest
worker whatever. AL men may give
some tiny push or other, and feel that
they are doing something for mankind. -
John Rochard Green.
It has been said that Oregon, the state
of plenty, Is nothing If not horticultural
state. AL fruits, Including the tender
olive, do exceedingly. Well here. In Ore
gon the planter can not only find the To-
calities best suited to the different vari-
eties Of fruits, but, In addition. has his
choice as to climate. He may select east
ern Oregon with its extreme seasons
Southern Oregon tempts him with its en-
chanting valleys, clear skies, and balmy
air Then, there is our own Willamette
valley of 200 miles or more in length, with
its equable climate throughout the year;
or If fond Of sea breezes, the various val
leys along our coast line. AS between
bottom lands and hulsides, the latter are
preferred. Oregon. therefore, offers an
inviting field for. the orchardist.
The arid lands Of the vast island empire
located east Of, the Cascade range Of
amountains and especially along the can
yons and flat areas of the Snake river,
which were heretofore considered only fit
ITO grow sagebrush and grasswood, and
the home Of the jack rabbit and toads,
ihave proved wonderfully fertile under ir-
rigation and under the management Of
progressive, up-to-date farmers and fruit
growers. Canals have been dug, varying
in length from twelve to thirty miles,
towering thousands Of acres Of these
lands which are now being brought into
fcultivat1on. It was my privilege to spend
Ia week with some friends near Ontario,
Galong the Snake river, last August, and to
see the transformation Of a desert into
I- - +
Bown to alfalfa, with surprising success.
On the K. s. & D. ranch they are har-
vesting the third cutting, and flooding the
lands for the fourth crop; the average
yield being seven tons of hay per acre for
the season. On this same ranch Is an
orchard covering 200 acres planted to
peaches, apples, pears and prunes, being
then 2, 8 and 4 years old, in a
most perfect condition, both as to health,
vigor and luxuriance of foliage, with
the thermometer at 1870 degrees Fahren-
heit in the sun. 1t is almost beyond belief
that water, under the control of in
telligent endeavor, will produce on these
soils. The alfalfa is fed to hogs, calves
and steers for the markets, thus bringing
ready cash revenue to meet expenses,
while the orchard is slowly but surely
growing into revenue-producing fact.
Along these benches is room for thou
sands Of happy, contented homes, amid
Grating health giving air to breathe. I
never tasted finer. peaches and water
melons than right there. Many of the
grapes then forming measured 10 inches
to the bunch, with berries as large as
marbles; in fact, the bunch of grapes
which won the medal at the worlds Co.
lunbian Exposition at Chicago, was
grown near the Snake river.
The beautiful Grand Ronde; ~iWallowa,
Burnt river, Powder river, Eagle creek
and numerous smaller valleys scattered
throughout these higher plateaus and
Blue mountains, as we'll as Hood river
valley, along the Columbia river, and
which do not depend on irrigation, are
most fertile spots for the fruit grower
especially the rolling foothills. Perhaps
nowhere do apples, pears, cherries and
prunes grow to greater perfection as tc
size, flavor and color than in these val
leys. A paper was read at farmers in
stitute, held at La Grande, in which the
writer said: "At Cove (the garden spo
of the Grand Ronde valley), and here al
La Grande, instances have been reported
and verified where over $500 have beer
received for the product Of a single acre
of Jacunda Strawberries, while there is
no place under the sun where red rasp.
berries do better than here" He 1consid.
ers the apple, pear, and cherry the most