Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 7.pdf/159

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First Fruits of the Land.
153

berries the entire season. The berry has a pleasant sub-acid taste, and with a little sugar is palatable in pies, stewed, or in preserves, and properly prepared makes an excellent wine, for which it is now often used. Another variety of smaller growth (Sambucus pubens) has a red berry, also edible. This variety is not so widely distributed, and is only found along the coast and up the streams inland.

The grape (Vitis Californica) is found in the southern part of the State, and has been much used in other countries as a phyloxera resistent stock, on which to work European varieties. This fruit is something like the fox grape of the East, and has been some improved by selection and cultivation, and will doubtless be of value in the future.

Oregon is a land rich in native berries, which were held in great esteem by the Indians and early settlers, some of which are really fine and yet much sought after and utilized, and form a considerable commerce in our towns and cities.

The wild blackberry (Rubus ursinus) is very abundant everywhere, and takes possession of neglected fields, fence rows and burned districts. The fruit is of good size, oblong, very sweet and juicy, and believed by the children and good housewife to be for all purposes much superior to the cultivated varieties. Tons of this fruit are gathered and sold to families, and if there were more pickers a large commerce could be made with the canneries. The Aughinbaugh is a sport from this species.

Of raspberries, we have four varieties—the salmon berry (Rubus nutkanus), a large, yellowish, red fruit, with a white blossom, juicy, sweet, highly flavored, very palatable; a red berry (Rubus leucodermis), highly aromatic, soft, sweet and very good; a black cap (Rubus pendens), not unlike Gregg's black cap, and with us, under cultivation, fully its equal. This berry is widely distributed and