Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-08-11
is BIGGEST IN WORLD
Greatest Collection of Varieties of
Pears in the World Will Be at
Talent Station.

FlolI W IHe SJdle experimental 1arm
at Talent, Friday. The farm is as
yet in its infancy, having only been
started last year. In fact, the very
first planting was done this year, all
OF the work done last year having
been entirely preliminary.
The visit was made in company
with Mr. Overholser, horticultural
graduate of the University of Mis-
souri,, and Messrs. Schoen and Stad-
/ Ter of st. Louis. OF course we all
had to be shown, and Professor Rel
mer was more than ready to do it.
After a short chat in his pleasant
office he took us on a brief tour of
the farm.
While, as Mr.. Reimer stated at a
recent banquet of the Commercial
Club, the farm in nowise aims to be
model farm, yet it does not fall
short of that function in any extent
visible to the naked eye. What the
farm was established for and what
, Professor Reimer Is devoting most
of his time and the space of the farm
to is the testing of new and standard
varieties of fruit trees and of various
methods of culture, pruning and fer
Utilization.
The Talent farm mas the unique
distinction of having the largest col
lection of varieties of pears, both
European and American, in the
world. There are already in the
neighborhood of $50 different varie-
ties, all of which were set out this
spring, and the additional ones con-
tracted for to be set out this fall or
spring will bring the number well
over 500. These will all be tested
out for their value to the Rogue
River. Valley.
The work of the farm, however, is
not by any means confined to pears.
Professor Reimer has a large num-
Der of varieties of Strawberries try
ing out, including some half dozen
varieties of fall-bearing berries. The
fall-bearing berry was first developed
in New York state in 1898, and there
are now quite a number of varieties,
which have increased in number.
There was one variety of excellent
flavor just ripening, and several 9th
ers not yet come into full size.
There are also a large variety OF
spring-bearing berries being tried
out. There are ten different varie-
ties of red raspberries, about as
many of blackberries, besides cur
rants, gooseberries, loganberries,
etc., in the trial grounds.
Vegetables are not neglected in
the experimental work, being grown
between the rows of the orchard
work. Professor Reimer tried out
several varieties OF eastern lima
beans, but found that they nearly
all failed to come, but had better
luck with western-developed variot
ties, the New Oregon seeming to DO
the best. He also made various tests
of varieties of tomatoes, 16 varieties
of this fruit or vegetable, whichever
you may term it, being represented.
The Sparks Earliana this year proved
the earliest, coming into bearing sew
eral days ahead of the others. The
first tomatoes were gathered Friday.
The fam is also making extensive
experiments in cover crops Cowpeas
and soy beans were planted in an at
tempt to determine which plants we're
best fitted to the Rogue River Val
ley. There will also be number of
winter cover crops sown this fall and
tested out.
me farm has as yet sent out no
bulletins, because of not having had
time to carry tests to the point where
results are certain, but will in the
future send out bulletins which
should be in the hands of every grow
er of fruit or vegetables in the Rogue
River Valley.
Professor Reimer is making the
experimental farm thing of beauty
as well as of utility, and has a fine
lawn started. The soil where the
house stands is very compact clay
subsoil, and over the entire lawn the
land was dynamited, half a stick
being used in each shot and the shots
being placed six feet apart each way.
Professor Reimer is always glad to
show visitors around the farm and
wants all to feel that it is there for
their inspection and that they are
free to visit it often and get all the
information that he can give. That
is what the farm and he are here for.
to help the individual grower to solve !
his problems.
Farmers around Quebec are raising
great quantities of potatoes this year,