C2S THE WEST SHORE.
cd land, of which one hundred and twen- vegetable matter which has covered them
ty thousand acres are under actual cul- for ages. Though the early settlers sup
tivation. The surface of the western posed that the Yailey lands were the
hulf of the county consists of little val- beat, and though for years the value of
leys, lying along the water courses, be- the hill lands was not appreciated, the
tww-n which lie rolling prairies. Along fact is now generally recognized, that
tho Willamette, for several miles inland, the soil of the hills is remarkably for
is a continuous stretch of almost level tile, and produces the finest and hardest
valley land, with a steady trend toward wheat of the Willamette valley, the
the river. Across the northeastern cor- most sought after by millers for their
ner stretches a high range of hills, pop- best brands of flour. The hill farmer,
ularly known as the Eola hills, their also, has the advantage of grazing for
summits crowned with fields of grain, his stock on unoccupied, 01 partially
The western half of the county is hilly, cleared, land, since, wherever the brush
rising gradually to the low summit of is cut away, a spontaneous growth of
the Coast range, numerous valleys pen- grass and white clover springs up at
etrating far into their midst The gen- once. Taken all together, then, the val
eral nature of the toigrapby is shown leys, prairies and hills of Polk county
in the engraving on page 031. From form one vast area of arable soil, whoso
tho summit of Mt Pisgab, near Dallas, yellow fields stretch, in harvest time,
it locks across tho valley and hills, to from horizon to horizon,
the snow-crowned peaks of the Cascade In regard to the production of cere
range, als, there is, practically, no difference
Tho idea mnst not be obtained that on- between the different classes of land, all
ly the valley and prairie lands are arable, of them yielding enormously. What
since it is a fact that, in some respects, the differences aro observable are of a local
hill lands make tho best farms. Even nature, or consist in methods of cultiva
te higher slojies of tho mountains, tion, more than in quality of soil. At
whose sides are not so rugged and pre- the office of Wright & Ellis, in Dallas,
cipitous as those of tho Cascades, pos- I was shown some magnificent samples
seas a fertile soil, capablo of profitablo of wheat of this year's crop. One stool
cultivation when cleared of timber. The in particular was a marvel in its way.
fact is, that but a comparatively small It contained seventy heads, and upon
jiortion of tho county is unfit for event- counting the grains in a head of average
ual cultivation, while by far the greater size, there were found to bo seventy-six.
K)rtion is either already in a producing This gave a total of more than fivo thou
Ute, or can easily bo so rendered. Each sand grains of wheat from one seed. Tho
section has iU advantages Tho valley good old " hundred fold," of the bible,
and prairie lands, of course, give the far- was hero mado five thousand fold This
mer a great r projwrtion of cultivable was, of course, an exceptionally largo
soil, l tt r opportunities for orchards, stool, others taken from the field show
and, on tho rich bottoms along the ing about thirty heads. The harvest of
streams, a soil well adapted to the cul- the present year has not sufficiently pro
turo of hops. The soil of the valleys greased to give accurate figures of the
and prairies is rich, dark loam, of al- yield per acre; but that it is equal, if
most even and unbroken fertility. Tho not superior, to that of last season, is
hill lands possess a reddish soil, formed evident Tho total crop of 1SS7 is esti
by tho decomposition of lava, and of the mated at one million two hundred and