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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1885)
118 THE WEST SHORE. and rich in minerals; the foothilla afford splendid grac ing fur cattle and shoop; the valley lands produce cere als, liny and vegetable in abundance, and the rivor bottom fruit of unsurpassed oxcellenco. In tho diversity of iU product and resource, Jackson is superior to any county in the Slate. Tho market for the valley's product has hitlierto been necessarily local and limited. Tho Btego companion and teamster have consumed large quantities of hay and grain, while the flour, vegetables and fruit of Jackson, Josephine, Curry, Del Norte, Klamath and Lake counties havo boon largely supplied from this region. Beyond what was necessary to supply this demand, however, Las not been produced, and it can truly be said that the capa bilities of tho valley for extensive agriculture havo never lxx-n fully UwIihL The arable land embraces nlamt ono fifth of tho entiro area of the county, including foothills, plains and river Ixiltoms. Tho fcxthills xihhchh that rich oil to 1)0 found on the hilly lamia of Western Oregon, while tho plain have much adobe land, and tho bottouia are ooinxwed of the moat fortilo alluvium. In the valley, whoat, oa(a, barley, corn, potatoes, hay, etc., yield abun dantly, and anything loss than a half crop ha never been eipericnwl during tho thirty years of cultivation. Twenty bushel of wheat to the acre ia coiiHidorod a very uusatiafaclory crop, wliilo aa high as sixty buahels havo Ixton realized. Hurley and oat produce proportionately well, and jxitetoea and ooru are of eapocial excellence and yield abundant crops. The fiNithilla furniah grazing of tho fineat quality, and there are in tho county alxmt 110,000 sheep, 10,(XK) cattlu, 6,000 horaea and 10,(KK) hog. Great attention has lawn paid to tho improvement of tock, and somo of the boat horaea ami sheep in Oregon are to be found in thia region. Fine dairy cattle are kept, and the dairy products are among the beat in the State. It is a well known fact that the fineat flavored grape of California are produced on tho auuuy alojiea of tho foothills, and the conditions there found exiat in tho foothill region of Jackson. Tho vines produce large clusters, and tho graes have a moat excel lent flavor, being very juicy, and making a auerior qual ity of wine. The conditions of soil and climate are also very favorable to peaches, the fruit being sujwrior in flavor, though a trillo smaller in sine, to tho California product The slight touch of frost in winter, though too mild to injure tho vines or trees, gives a flavor to the fruit that is larking in that of the warmer regions of Cali fornia. The bottom lamia are eaNcially adapted to fruit culture, and it is that claaa of soil that has Iteon utilized tho moat by fruit growers. In addition to grape and arha, apricots, pears, plums, apples, cherries and the small fruits produce abundantly, and are of excellent quality, eaiteeinlly Uie apples, which have uo sujierior anywhere. Know falls occasionally to Uie depth of three or four inches, but rapidly diaapear, while ice never exceed two inches iu thickness, and form but a few time during Uie season. Iu the mountains, of course, there are more snow and ice. 1'Umt and o,ui-U turning htvs Uou tits lading indus tries since tho county was first settled. Iron, coal, copper and cinnabar exist in varying quantities. Timber covers the mountains and promises a supply of lumber for years to coma Four good flouring mills, a large woolen mill J and several aaw and planing mills make up the sura of manufacturing enterprises. There iB an abundance of good water jxiwer. Good improved fanning land can be bought from $20 to $T0 per aero, though a few choice places would com mand a higher prico. Other lands, not bo well improved but just as fortilo, and in some cases more desirable for fruit and grain culture, can bo had as low ns $5 per acre. Theao prices depend upon the amount of improvements, location, character of soil, water facilities, etc. Many placos partially coverod with timber, or a portion of which is too steep or rocky for easy cultivation, can be purchased at low figures and turned into excellent farms. Small farms, upon which orchards could be mode the principal source of income, can bo bought at low prices, and there are many places whore a little work in clearing off brush and timlior would reword the induBtrious farmer with many acres of land of the beat quality for grain, orchard and vineyard. Much of the hill land will produce good crops of grain, and its capabilities for grapes have boon pointed out It has been used chiefly for grazing, and is nearly all owned in large tractB, which will of necessity be cut up into smaller divisions for farming purposes and sold. The land is so well adapted to mixed farming that it is especially valuable, for with grain, fruit, hay, cattlo, sheep, horses and hogs to depend upon, such a . thing ns an entire failure would be impossible. There is much Government land in tho foothills and mountains, as well as largo trncta reserved to the 0. & C. Jacksonville, the county seat, and for years the lead ing town of Southern Oregon, lies six miles from the railroad station of Modford. It has a population of 1,200, and contains numerous stores, etc Ashland, the south em terminus of the 0. & C. road, has about 1,400 people, and contains a woolon mill, flouring mill and sash and door factory; also the Ashland College and Normal School. I'hconix, on the lino of the railroad, has 300 people and a flouring mill. Other railroad points are Modford, Woixlville, with a saw mill; Rock Point and Central Point Tho line of the 0. & 0. road rung through the valley, giving access to Portland markets, and good roads lead into the regions east and west which aro, to a degree, tributary to the valloy. JOSEPHINE COUNTY. Tho county of Josephine adjoins California, and ia hemmed in between Jackson on the east and Curry on the' west It ia essentially a region of mountains, Bnd its population of 2,500 live chiefly by mining, stock raising and dairying. Rogue River fl0W8 tom the upper por tion iu a northwesterly direction, while Illinois River pursues tho same genorid course further to tho southwest The valley laud is confined to the comparatively nnrrow tnpa lying along those streams and their tributaries. IU luwwr end of ltoguo Riw VaUoy extend from Jack-