July, 1883.
150
THE WEST SHORE.
AGRICULTURE.
The cre age of hops being somewhat larger
than it was last year, the total cropwill be about
the name. The season is a little earlier than usual,
and the vine are now in full bloom, IVking
will begin late in August and continue for about
six weeks. In Puynllup valley there will be em
ployed from 6,000 to 7,000 Indians, of both sexes
and all ages, representatives of the various tribes
of Western Washington.
Our exchanges are dropping into the office one
by one, admitting that their gloomy predictions
of a general failure of the wheat crop in the Wil
lamette valley have not been realized. The desire
to prophesy disaster is one of our strongest attri
butes. Many people are so constituted mentally
that it is a positive pleasure to them to slowly
wag their heads and overcast the future with
gloomy clouds. They seem to have no hope of
sunny days to conic, nor remembrance of those
that have passed. To a degree this is true of the
majority of mankind. Especially is it true in the
agricultural world. A little too much rain or a
little too much drouth, hot weather, cold weath
er, wind, and the score of causes that affect the
crops, plunge the farmer, merchant and editor
into dismal forebodings, unwarranted by the facts
and unsupported by the results, Oregon and
Washington have suffered much from croakers the
present reason. In February, owing to a few
weeks of weather the severest ever known in this
region, but moderate indeed when compared with
that inflicted upon the stales further cast, much of
the fall wheat was winter-killed for the first time
in many years. Immediately the cry went up that
the whole wheat crop was destroyed, our news
papers published statements that were telegraphed
over the world, and the impression became gen
eral that there would he a total failuie of crops in
Oregon and Washington. The result was, that
in few weeks intelligence was received that
many shipowner 1 who had intended sending their
vessels to our ports for wheat cargoes this fall,
had dispatched them on long voyages to othei
puiti of the world. The direct result is, that
with 1 large surplus of wheat on hand, the pros
pects for shipping it arc lar from encouraging. It
was soon discovered that much of the fall wheat
supposed to be killed was in good condition.
During the fine weather in March many fields
were resown, and a huge acreage of spring wheal
was put in during the next two months. Then
came the long dry spell, as refreshing to our evil-
longued prophets as it was supposed to be parch
ing to the grain. Not content with the injury
done by their injudicious repoits earlier in tin
season, the papers again declared that the fall
wheal would not make half a crop, while the
spring lowing would make no crop at all. Even
the Walla Walla region, whose wheat had passed
the winter in excellent condi.ion, was not spared
but it was asserted to be suffering so severely from
t lack of rain that but a partial crop could be
hoped for. Now, what are the facts in the case?
In the Willamette valley harvest is progressinr-.
and the farmers find pretty generally that the
drouth has affected severely only that portion of
we spring wheat that was put in the ground very
late in the season. Of such there is about half a
crop, instead of a total failure. Of the earlier
prtnj toviag, ttatrt is at least a two-thirdi crop,
and many fields are showing from seventy-five to
ninety per cent. The fall wheat is harvesting
nearly a full crop. The same is true of the Ump
qua and Rogue river valleys, and of the whole
region west of the Cascades generally. The con
dition of the crop east of the Cascades is best
told in the following extracts from the papers of
Umatilla, Walla Walla and Columbia counties.
The Dayton Chronicle says : "William Parker
brought in a bunch of wheat grown on his place,
at the head of Whetstone hollow, that is very fine.
The field will yield thirty-five bushels to the acre.
Joseph Crawford brought us some fine specimens
of his grain, grown about three miles from Day
ton, on the ridge between Mustard hollow and
Pal it creek. The heads are very large, and are
filled with plump, heavy grain. It will probably
go nearly forty bushels to the acre. William Nick
son also brought in two samples to-day, that are
magnificent. The heads are long, well filled and
plump. One stool, raised from a single seed,
contained 130 straws, not all producing heads,
however. The grains grown on the stool were
counted, and showed that they were 700 in num
ber, all from a single seed." The Umatilla Ex-
ammer says : Near Alkali, Weatherlord Bros.
have 1,000 acres of fall wheat, which will average
twenty-five bushels to the acre. This is on the land
along the Columbia that until recently was con
sidered valueless for growing grain." Another
reports that, "The 200-acre field of wheat, just
outh of town, belonging to Mr. Moorehouse,
yields a little over fifty bushels of wheat to the
acre. His barley averaged forty bushels to the
acre, Messrs. Reese, Jones & Co. had about 850
acres of wheat on their new celebrated " Margin
Ranch," on South Cold Spring. The yield was
thirty, forty and fifty bushels to the acre, on the
lifferent fields, making a splendid average." Still
another says : " In Greasewood and Vansycle
the yield on summer-fallowed land, which was
sown in the dust before the fall rains, will average
from Unity to forty bushels per acre. North of
Pendleton, on high table lands, few summer-fal
(Owed early-sown fields will fall much below forty
bushels to the acre. Kail-sown barley is also turn
ing out well. Down Butter creek and in the
Wells Spring country, the yield will be about
twenty bushels to the acre. That country is new
and this is its first crop. After everything is sum-
med up, one thing is established beyond a doubt :
Early sown fall grain, put in on summer-fallowed
hind, can not fail in Umatilla county. Spring
sowing is a speculation that can not be relied on."
The final conclusion in regard to fall and sprine
grain, is equally true f the whole region east of
Hie Cascades. Hut little spring wheat is now Diit
in there, except on new farms, or by those who
were unable to sow in the fall. The estimate of
200,000 tons to be shipped from that great wheat
empire this tall, proves now to be none too laree.
though it was made early in the season, when
everything was promising and before the croakers
became so unduly inspired by the dry weather.
EST MJORE certainly hopes that our coun.
try and city press will, in the future, refrain from
indulging in such mournful predictions. Thev
can do no good, and are certainly productive of
evil. Not only do they infuse false notions into
the minds ol people abroad, but they are condu
cive to a stagnation in business, by inspiring
u.uesmen ana tne people generally to expect the
proverbial "hard times" that follow a failure of
crops in any locality. With the most unpropitiou,
season, both winter and summer, that Oregon and
Washington ever experienced, we have a larger
surplus than ever before for exportation, and this
ought certainly to encourage us to wait patiently
until alter the harvest before we advertise our
selves as a failure, and are then compelled to un
dertake the difficult and unpleasant task of con.
tradicting ourselves. "
STOCK.
Foreign capital controls the largest stock ranches
in the country, occupying vast ranges in Texas,
Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Dakota and Mon
tana. It is estimated that $30,000,000 of Eng.
lisn capital were invested in the cattle business in
America last year. Agents of several large En
glish and Holland companies are now in the west
buying up water privileges, and the probabilities
are that this year foreign investments will beu
large as last. The Marquis de Mores, a French
nobleman, has gone into the sheep business on an
extensive scale in the Little Missouri country,
that portion of Western Dakota popularly known
as "The! Bad Lands." In addition to large
bands tended by his own herders, it is his plan to
entrust smaller bands to the custody of settlers,
who will look after them and take for their pay 1
certain proportion of the increase and wool. In
this way many settlers will, in a few years, be
possessed of bands of sheep without having paid
out a dime. It appears to be an arrangement
mutually beneficial.
Several heavy stock transfers have recently been
made in Montana, which indicate accurately the
status of the business. J. C. Brenners, of Phila
delphia, purchased the Horse Prairie ranch, with
the cattle and horses, for $70,000. The cattle
sold for $30 a head, and the horses for $60. The
Northwestern Montana Cattle Company purchased
one band of 7,000 head of cattle for $235,000
and another band of 4,000 head on Sun river.
This is a Helena company, which already owns
14,000 head of stock, and contemplates (till
further extensive purchases. From $7,000,000 to
$10,000,000 are invested in cattle, horses and
sheep by citizens of Helena. By far the heaviest
transaction of that kind in Montana was the pur
chase, early in July, of 12,000 head of cattle from
Davis, Houser Co., for $400,000. The pur
chasers were Kohrs & Bielenberg of a two-thirdi
interest, and Stuart & Anderson one-third. Kohn
& Bielenberg own a controlirg interest in 25,000
head of cattle, and stand at the head of the stock
business in that territory.
The movement of young ca'.tle from the east to
stock the western ranges has been very great thii
year. The Minneapolis Tribune says: "Twenty
car-loads of young breeding cattle left the transfer
yesterday for the Villard Cattle Company at Milei
City. They were from Garden City, MinnesoU.
Two car-loads leave the transfer for Livingston
this morning, and forty car-loads are en route from
Fort Dodge to Montana points. The business of
shipping breeding cattle to .Monlana is growing
rapidly, and the Northern Pacific reports that over
200 car-loads are now in transit from varioul
points, Minnesota, Illinois andMowa. The entire
ihipmenti westward this year are estimated at
35,000 to 40,000 head. Of the young stock ihh
Pd ot aboat forty can be ahipped la a car, but