The west shore., July 01, 1889, Page 377, Image 28

THE WE8T 8H0RE.
377
Probably the statements about the ferility of that
region will seem extravagant to lome readers who
thought they knew a good deal about the country, so
let ub consider the matter somewhat in detail. In the
first plaoe it is distinctively an agricultural country.
Stock raising on the tillable area must decrease in
proportion as the soil is brought under cultivation,
but there is abundant pasturage in the foot hills of
the mountains that will never be tilled and will al
ways furnish the best of grazing, and suoh lands will
be occupied more closely when the farmers drive the
cattle and horses and sheep from the wide expanse of
rolling bunch grass plain, and the nomadio vaquoro
gives way to the industrious husbandman, with his
comfortable home and sober life. The soil through
out the section now penetrated by this railway sys
tem is analogous. The ohemioal analysis shows it to
be among the riohest in wheat produoing properties
of any in the United States; it is even said to be un
excelled elsewhere in the world outside of the island
of Sioily. This rioh soil is in many plaoos twenty
five to forty feet deep, and such is the capillary at
traction that it is practically exhauBtless, the fertilis
ing properties being drawn to the surfaoe constantly
as the growing vegetation absorbs the nutriment
From the winter rains and the atmosphore the strength
of the land is renewed. The we of artificial fertilis
ers is an almost unheard of thing in that oountry.
The soil arisos from the disintegration of volcanic
rocks, and it bears a close resomblanoe to a dark col
ored clay loam. It is of very fine texture. Through
the driest seasons it holds moisture, which may al
ways be found near the sarfaoe of the ground. Forty
and fifty bushels to the aore are common yiolds of
wheat, and as muoh as sixty or seventy bushols are
sometimes grown throughout large fields. While
grain, and especially wheat, is the product for which
that country is best suited, there is no lack of the
proper conditions for producing a great variety of the
ordinary farm crops, swoet potatoes, peanuts, sor
ghum, melons and the Boost of genoral fruit. Teach
es, apples, pears, nectarines, etc., and all small fruit
of prime exoellenoe are grown. The yield for a given
area is very large, but only a small portion of the sec
tion is now cultivated, so the aggregate production is
not large in comparison with the extent of the region.
From Hunt's Junction southeast toward Tendl
ton, the Oregon & Washington Territory railway paw
esup the Vansycle canyon, and, though the canyon
itself is not of special fertility, the oountry to the
brink on either side is of the character deacnbed
above. Emerging from the canyon, the road extend
acroM the plain, and a. Ceuterville and TendloUm re
approached the wild bunch graas give, way to fl I J
of waving grain, and neat and comfortable farm bou
es greet the eye in every direction. For many miles
along this railroad as far as the eye can see the ooun
try is covered with growing crops. At Grand View
station one of the grandest prospooU imaginable lies
before the observer. That is the most elovatod point
on the line, and from it may be soon the Walla Walla
oountry, Eureka fiat, the Columbia and Snake rivers,
and the Blue mountains in tho distance, and the in
tervening fertile fields and bunoh grass pastures.
Not many farm houses are soon, because each land
owner holds a large aroa somotimee a few hundred
acres and sometimes a few thousand and many of
them live in the cities, from which they conduct their
farming operation. It is also notiooable that ouly
in the neighborhood of the cities or along the older
lines of communication is thore any considerable de
gree of agricultural development It is not because
of any difference in the prodoolng powers of the land
that there is any difference in improvement, but sim
ply the lack of moans to got the ordinary products of
the soil to markot Whore the land is not cultivated
stock range throughout the year, and the sleek ani
mals are sufficient proof of the exoellenoe of their
pasture.
On this line of road, which is mostly in Oregon,
Stanton Janotion is one of the important shipping
point, ilolix is also a flourishing town on this line. It
has cattle yards, an elevator and largo warehouses and
a number of mercantile bouses doing a brisk buataess.
It promises to become an Important town. There are
several stations on this line whore great quantities of
wheat are shipped.
The railroad through the Eureka flat oountry ex
tends almost due northeast from Hunt's Janotion.
Twenty-one miles from Hunt's the present mala line
turns to the southeast and pursues a somewhat irreg
ular course np the Touohet river and across tho di
vide' to Dry creek and Spring creek and enters the
very heart of the city of Wall Walla. The branch
whioh is now in operation twenty miles from Earoka
Flat janotion will bo extended through to Blperla,
fifteen miles beyond on Soake river, before the end
of the present year.
Eureka flat has for some years been known as a
surpassingly rioh country, but its remoteness from
transportation baa tondod to deter farmers from lo
cating there. The lack of eommanloatioo also pre.
vented the examination of the oountry, eioept Imme
diately along the shores of Snake river. But the bar
vrat from the few scattered ranches in tho interior
wu so bountiful that when dolivered on the banks of
that stream ths greatest difficulty was eiperlonoed in
Retting it marketed before the high water of the suc
ceeding year. Hunt's lines have opened that remark
ably fertile region to the investigation of settlers, and