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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1888)
THE WEST SHORE. culture tUt ii stowed upon lands m the Mississ ippi valley, there is scarry a limit to the producing capacity of ol "B00 1 can I plowM at any season of the year and is always friable. Washington county shares in the greatest mcas arc the fame of the Willamette valley in the fertility of iU soil, its salubrious climate and its general pro ductiveness. The natural conditions are as favor able for the growing of many fruits as can be found anywhere. In a wild state numerous kinds of fruits and lorries are product in abundance, especially atrawU-rries, blackberries, huckleberries, plums and crab appK and the size and flavor of these spontan eous productions would compare favorably with the cnltivated fruits of sorao states that make an effort to rank high in fruit growing. Cherries, pesches, pears quince, apples and all the common small fruits are grown in abundance, and with the possible exception of M'ache ami grajxn, they are characterized by largo iim and exceptionally fine flavor. However, good loaches and grajx'S are raised in largo quantities. Throughout the county, wht rever fruit culture is un d'rUkn it is a moat gratifying success. The hill iide ikN-m to offer the best locations for orchards, from the a!lute certainty of tho crop there, but the marked excellence of tho product on timber lands bordering the atrcams shows that no portion of tho county is unfitted for orcharding with profit Tho proximity of a nevcr.failing market is a great incen tive to the development of this industry. Tho great itaple product ot this county, as well as of tho wholo Willamette valley, baa leen wheat, which still re ceives more attention than any other crop, though it is giving place to more profitable branches of agri culture. The atrcngth of the soil is evidenced by tho )icld of wheat which are obtained, eighteen to forty bushels leing the usual crops, tho syhtem of tillage, or lark of it, governing the result more than the difference in quality of the soiL Tho grain is first clans in every mcl With gotxl cultivation oats yield in th U-ht localities ono hundred to ono hun dred and twentyfive bushels per acre, and are of very heavy weight Of course, root crops and vegetables do well Tho considerations which, until a very recent pe riod, influenced tho operations of farmers, have been chsngL The great lack of adequate facilities for transiting product to market, from which tho en tiro northwest suffered, was nowhere more manifest than in tho realm of agriculture. There being no re liable market at hand, nor any convenient means for reaching one, there was no inducement for striving for the finest results from tho toil; wheat, being the grain that brought sufficient money to pay for trans- portation by water to distant markets, and being of a nature that would permit such transportation, was the farmer's staple. The railway connections that have been established within the last five years have entirely changed the status of agriculture. They have brought within reach the best markets of the world, not only for one product but for all In ad. dition to this they have been one of the most import, ant agents in the growth of the northwest, and the in cidental creation of a reliable home demand for farm products. With safe markets for encouragement and with favorable natural conditions as the foundation for his business, the farmer is not averse to making progress, and when such conditions were established here the farming communities were not slow to rec ognize them. The wheat crop, though still import, ant, is not an exclusive one. The cultivation of bar ley, oats, rye, corn, beans, hops, fruits, roots and grasses, in a word diversified farming, is coming into vogue, and the improved methods of operation are the result of the new status of affairs. Recent expe riences, also, have convinced farmers that they will do well to take advantage of their facilities for dairy products, for supplying meat markets and for raising vegetables. Washington county is unsurpassed in its natural capacity for producing and marketing those products. Its proximity to Portland gives it superior advantages, for the cultivable area of Mult nomah county is too small to supply the requirements of the metropolis. Among the considerations which specially com mend Washington county to dairymen is the unusual adaptability of the soil for the production of foods for cattle. Clover grows to a rankness and richness which few other localities can show. Roots, such as carrots, turnips, rutabagas and beets also yield large crops. Timothy, red top, orchard grass, and many other varieties are natural to the soil, and with reas onable care green grass can be provided for cows the entire year. The creek bottoms and swale lands pro duce enormous crops of grasses, three or four tons of hay not unusually being harvested from an acre of ground By reason of its location with reference to market, and by its climate, soil and productions, this county claims attention as a- section of superior qual ifications for fruit growing, dairying, gardening, stock raising on a moderate scale and a system of generally diversified agriculture. Small farms are the most profitable and satisfactory. Hillsboro and Forest Grove are the only incorpo rated towns in Washington county, the former being the county seat There are numerous other trading centers for farmers distributed over the county, and many lumber mills and flouring mills, about which more or less of the population is located. Hillsboro,i