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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1884)
THE WEST SHORE. 229 OORVALLIS AND YAQUINA BAY. . ANE of the most prosperous and populous counties of J Oregon, and to which a new and important railroad enterprise, now well advanced, gives promise of a brilliant future, is Benton, lying partially in the upper end of the Willnmette valley and extending across the Coast Range Mountains to the ocean. In this combination of valley, mountain and coast, with good routes of travel connect ing them, it possesses advantages not, enjoyed by any other county in the State. This is the foundation of the railroad project which is doing so much to develop its resources, increase its population and enhance the value of property of every description. Benton embraces an area of 2,000 square miles, ex tending from the Willamette River to the Pacific, and lying between Polk and Tillamook Counties on the north and Lane on the south. The eastern end lies within the limits of the "Willamette Valley, and includes thousands of acres of the most fertile arable land in Oregon, much of which has been under cultivation for a third of a con tury. ThiB is divided into three general classes, prairie, bottom and foothills. The prairie land extending for miles north and south of Corvallis, the county seat, lies within the great wheat belt of the valley. This is gen erally level or slightly rolling, becoming more broken as it approaches the base of the mountains. Wheat, barloy and oats are the leading products of the prairie land, the first being the one great staple to which the majority of farms are devoted Under careful cultivation, by uso of the summer fallow method, this land produces from twenty-five to forty bushels of winter wheat to the acre, in exceptional cases even large fields exceeding that limit Even with such prolific yields, the present low prices ruling in the wheat market are leading to a groator diversity of products, and a rotation of crops, much to tlio benefit of the soil and the improvement of the farm ers' condition, rendering them more independent of the grain market They thus stand ready to profit by high prices, but not to become impoverished by low onos. The farms are nearly all well improved, with comfortable and pleasant dwellings, commodious farm buildings and gxxl fences. There are, however, many tracts not yet broken by the plow, over which a few sheep and cattle graze. Land will soon become too valuable to be used in that manner. Good farms can be purchased here nt from if 25 to $10 per acre; though the choice ones, with excoption n"y good improvements, cannot be secured at such prices. Comparatively unimproved farms can be bought nt much lower rates. A farmor with a littlo capital cannot 1 better in Oregon than to purchase land of this char acter in Benton County, where railroads, highways, good schools and churches already exist This is certainly letter than settling in an entirely new country, where the future must be looked to for supplying homo and wcial comforts and necessary conveniences for reaching market A farmer in the East who is making a scant living on from 100 to 200 ilcres of land, valued at from to $100 per acre, can sell his prorty. move his family to Benton County, purchase twice the quantity of equally good land, and" have considerable of his capital left with which to settle himself well in his now home. Many such have located there .the pmtl two yeuiit, mid seem to be well satisfied with tlio chnngo. A few fruit trees aro to bo found on noarly every farm, while a con siderable number of quite extensive orchards have 1 won in bearing condition for years. Such fruit on pears, apples, plums, cherrieB, grapes, etc., are of superior quality, . and the troos and vines yield abundantly. This is un industry now rapidly increasing in Oregon, under the f influence of the extensive markets opened up by the railroads, and in the futuro much greater attention will be given to fruit culture than formerly. Along the Willamette thero are long stretches of bottom land, some of it overflowed in the spring time, which is extremely valuable. This laud was formerly covered with a donso growtli of fir, maple, balm, nsli, scrub oak, hazel, etc., and was cleared with much difliculty; but it is now well worth all the labor and expenso of improving it. Timber and brush still stand ing here and thoro givo an indication of the former condition of all tlio Ixittom lands. Tlio higher xirtions of the bottoms make splendid wheat land, while tho lower become natural meadows whero tho grass never fails. Dairying is an important and prolitablo industry along the rivor; also tho raising of vegetables. This low land is especially adapted to tho culturo of hops, a business which is rapidly increasing and promises soon to lxwomo one of tho distinctive industries of Oregon. There nro n numbor of hop fields in tho county and plenty of excel lent land uixm which to start new ones. This is ono of tho most profitnblo crops a farmer can raise, Tho price of hops is not regulated by the quantity raised on tho Coast; so that it frequently happens that tho general supply is short at a time whon tho producer hero Itnvo an unusually abundant crop. Fortune havo Ision made in ono season by such a condition of affairs, ns wa tho case in 1882. Tho price fluctuates from 20 cents to $1.00 per ixmnd, but has nover in tho history of hop culturo here fallen lclow tho cost of producing Tho fxthills lie Isitwnon tho prairio land and tho mountains. Hero is considerable land opn to set tlement, much of .which is very desirable. In it natural state it is covered with oak tree and shrulm, lxiimath which there is fino pasturoge, where sheep, cattlo and hogs can Imi maintained at littlo expense. This submit . readily to cultivation when projxirly situated, giving tho ixmsessor generally ft combination of arable and posture land Much of this land in it unimproved state can Im purchased at ft nominal sum, while land with greater or less improvement is held at from " to ti!i r acre. Thero is. also, considerable government land, though not so desirable as that which is held for salA. Thero aro two river flowing through tho mountain to tho Pacific, tho Ynquina In tho northern end of tho tv and tho Alseo at tho southern, ino imht ih.ws eotin . -a M ..-..- fHu.. from tho divide wnicn separate n inim nj - -tributary of the Willamette, and for four mil. i "ply a beautiful mountain stream. It then pussc out into a