The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-08-04
SWEET PEAS RAISED
IN PORTLAND
REMARKABLE STORY OF BUSINESS
MAN FROM THAT cITy-RAlsES
VINES FOURTEEN FEET HIGH -
CAUGHT SMOKED HERRING,

Think of It'll Sweet peas - ieS'
high! The hero o! a sweet pea s'ors
which is stranger than any fiction Is
q q Huchson. of Portland, who was
.uest At the Qccident Hotel last msh''
Mr. Hughson has photograph oil sweet
peas which reach higher than the caves
Of his ne,story cottage in Portland
He i the manager OF the r. n Mason
4 Company paint concern in his ei'y ana
will spend the day trout fishing on the
Lewis 4 Clark river
Last spring Mrs. Hughson wanted .
trellis erected in the garden TO gro"
sweet peas, and before leaving on u
business trip to the southern part OF
the state Mr.. Hughson gave orders 70 i
carpenter to do the work, leaving MN
without instructions as to how high ne
wanted to grow the sweet peas
The carpenter went ahead with tne
rorr according to his own ideas. he
n,ante, lsZoot AKA scantlings in the
Ground about two feet apart and put
four widths of 3-foot wire netting on
the posts. Neighbors viewed these pro-
eeedings with interest and Mrs hugh'
son with alarm.
The tNllis for the peas, when COM
pleted, was joke in the neighoornooo
and Mrs. Hughson wrote to her nus
bapJ about the matter. He did not pay
any attention to it because to give an
impression of the real state OF AFFAIRS
could not be done on paper lie re-
turned home after a few weeks and on
arriving at his cottage was amazed 10
see the huge structure the carpenter hao
erected for the sweet peas. 1t was IL
feet high and was only two feet below
the edge of the cottage roof.
Hughson was guyed unmereiiully by
his neighbors, but he was game de
speeulated on how he might turn the
Joke on the Others and Immediately went
been planted and which were about two
TO work to foster the peas that had
inches above the ground.
Securing different kinds o. fertilizer
he experimented and irrigated the
ground surrounding the plants until they
began to grow. He kept after the
plants diligently and was soon delighted
to see that they grew several inches
every day. He twisted the vines in
and out among the wire netting AMI
those sweet peas never did stop growing
They climbed to the top OF the L.
foot trelEs work. Then they began to
fall over on the opposite sides for need
OF more heights to climb and Mr.. Hugh
son secured number OF 3-foot lathes
and tackled them two feet above the
highest part of the trellis work, covering
them with the wire netting.
The vines grew to the l4-foot height
with the greatest ease and then began
to hang down again, so he let them hang
oTer. Mr.. Hughson was astonished to
find that as yet there were no blossoms
in sight so he irrigated the roots OF
the vines and long stems began to ap-
pear on the plants at different points.
Several days later large buds appeared
on the stems and then the most mag
nifcent blossoms began to bloom. They
were wax-like and in keeping with the
size OF the vines The neighbors who
had ieered him were glad to come and
carry away the abundant blossoms that
grew on the plants, which became the
wonder 70 flower lovers in the city.
And that was how Mr.. Hughson turn
ed the joke on his neighbors, who have
grown to have great respect for him
a. an amateur florist. The vines were
the biggest ever known and he believes
they can be grown even higher. The
truth of his story is proven by a photo
graph of the plants standing alongside
his cottage.
Mr.. Hughson is whole -sauled speci
men of manhood, and is naturally opti
mistic. He is dearly fond Of a joke
Last night he was carrying a fishing
basket, strung from a strap over hi
shoulder. He was with several friend