Page:Centennial History of Oregon 1811-1912, Volume 1.djvu/495

Rh arranged, with fine walks, lined on each side with strawberry vines. At the opposite end of the garden is a good house covered with grape vines. Here I must mention the origin of these grapes and apples. A gentleman, twelve years ago while at a party in London, put the seeds of the grapes and apples which he ate, into his vest pocket, soon afterwards he took a voyage to this country and left them here, and now they are greatly multiplied."

One of these old Fort Vancouver apple trees is still (1912) standing at the southwest corner of the U. S. Military Reservation in front of the Chief Commissary's office at Vancouver, in apparent good health after having borne crops of fruit annually for more than eighty years.

Subsequent to Luelling's other nurseries were founded; but Luelling's was substantially the foundation of all the good orchards started in the pioneer era of Oregon. In four years from planting these young trees Luelling had a few apples to sell, and sending a few boxes down to California, sold them out to the gold miners for a dollar for each apple. The trees soon came into bearing and apples were plentiful—so plentiful, that in less than fifteen years after Luelling sold apples for a dollar apiece, thousands of bushels rotted on the ground and the farmers were feeding them to their hogs to get rid of them. The fruit industry is now a great source of wealth to Oregon, and apples are shipped away to New York and for the European market by the train load; and it is in point of importance as well as years, as far back to Luelling's little grafts, and later on to the labors of Joseph A. Strowbridge traveling around over Multnomah, Clackamas, Yamhill and Marion Counties, gathering up little lots here and there to ship by steamship to San Francisco. Mr. Strowbridge did for the apple trade what Luelling had done for the orchardist—he pioneered the business, and on November 18th, 1854, the (Portland) Oregon Weekly Times newspaper gives his business the following notice:

"We were shown by our friend Jos. A. Strowbridge the largest quantity, and the best quality of apples we have ever seen in Oregon. He had some 300 bushels, comprising almost every desirable variety of grafts gathered from the orchards of the valley. It was a pleasant sight to the eye, and equally pleasant to the taste. Indeed, our visit to his storehouse was a tasty treat."

In the summer and autumn of 1857, ten years after Luelling's planting, the fruit interest had so increased that the enthusiastic fruit growers commenced to hold meetings and exhibit their choice fruit, making fine displays of apples, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, gooseberries, plums and pears, which were clean of all pests and fruit diseases. Among the growers of fruit attending those meetings were George Walling, Albert G. Walling, Morton M. McCarver, J. H. Lambert, Henry Miller, Thomas Frazar, James B. Stephens, Dr. Perry Prettyman, J. H. Settlemier, Seth Luelling, A. R. Shipley, and Dr. J. R. Cardwell, all of whom have passed on except Dr. Cardwell. Monthly meetings were held for several months, and called meetings were held two or three times in the summer and fall of 1858.

Counties in the Willamette valley began organizing agricultural societies in the following order: Yamhill county, October 22, 1853; first fair held October 7, 1854, at Lafayette; F. B. Martin, president; Ahio S. Watt, secretary.

Marion county, April 6, 1854; first fair held in Salem, October 11, 1854; Nicholas Shrum, president; Joseph G. Wilson, secretary.