fHE 1IOBNING' OKEGONIAN, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1901.
13
u '
HOMES IN THE MOUNTAINS
IREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR HEALTH,
PEACE AN'D C03IPETENCE.
Locations for Families of Smnll
Means, Ready Industry and Fru
gality Better Than City Life.
SALEM. Or.Sept- 2S. The mountain
region of Oregon, now almost entirely
unsettled, -will afford happy, prosperous
homes for thousands of people -within the
next few years. This Is the opinion of
General W. H. Odell, who, as a surveyor,
has traveled through the mountains on
foot at frequent intervals in the past 50
years. v
The mountainous section of Oregon is
fully as productive as the mountain region
of Switzerland, and in every respect is
more attractive to the homeseeker. The
summit of the Coast Range is but a
days' ride from the "Willamette River; the
summit of the Cascades, is but little far
ther. At present the land is compara
tively cheap. It can be homesteaded, or
can be bought at $1 25 to ?5 per acre, and
at the latter price would be good farm
ing land.
There is no more healthful place to
make a home than the hills and valleys
of Oregon's mountain ranges. The air Is
clear and bracing, the water is pure and
fold, the climate is subject to no ex
tremes in Summer or "Winter. The bot
tom lands along mountain streams raise
large crops of hay and vegetables, the
hillsides provide good pasturage, the for
ests furnish fuel and material for build
ing holies. Once established in a moun
tain hofiie, a man would lead a most
independent life, free from care and trou
ble. Such a home is not suggested for a
man who has a large amount of capital
to Invest in farm land, but rather for the
man with but a small amount of money,
the man who is now working for $1 50
a day, and trying to keep a family on it
In town. Such a home is not suggested
for the man who is determined to get
rich in a short time, but rather for the
man who wants to make a comfortable
living with a reasonable amount of work.
There are thousands of men who spend
the'.r lives in the cities, driving teams,
working in shops and mills, or doing other
plain labor that brings but ordinary
R-ages. Such men seldom get rich, sel
lom own their homes, and get but little
enjoyment out of life. "When they are
"out of a job their expenses go on Just
the same. Their families have no greater
opportunities for enjoyment than could be
found In the country. On a mountain
ranch of 1G0 acres, an easy living could
be made, and the man would own his
home.
It is well known that the soil of Ore
gon's mountain ranges is productive and
makes good agricultural land after the
timber has been removed. There are
but few pJaces, especially in the Coast
Range, where the soil Is rocky. A growth
of grass is easily secured, Indeed it is
natural to the soil, and as pasturage Is
good nearly the year round, stock re
quires but little feeding. Everyone who
has spont a Summer vacation in the
mountains has noticed that cows yturned
out In tho woods to seek their own feed
are fat and healthy and give a good
measure of rich milk.
A man about to go into the mountains
to make his home should select a place
where there are a few acres of land level
enough to cultivate, and where water
is to be had the year round. If he be far
from a sawmill he can build his first
dwelling house of logs and shakes, and
this can later be replaced with a modern
xbsde. Thus established he can ralsB his
own vegetables, his own butter, meat
and honey, and can find abundant fuel at
his door. His chief expense -will be for
clothing, and the requirements of a moun
tain life are not expensive in this respect.
At first it will bother him to make both
ends meet, but after he is once established,
he can manage to turn off every year a
few head of sheep or goats, a few head
of cattle, and several hundred pounds of
honey. As the country around him be
comes well settled, as it will in the nat
ural course of events, he will have good
roads to market, and will find it profitable
to make butter and cheese. With pas
ture that is luxuriant nearly 12 months
in the year, he will be able to produce
butter at much less expense than can be
done in the "Willamette "Valley. Mountain
honey brings in the retail market 50 per
cent more than Valley honey, and there
is always a demand for it. The cost of
keeping bees is nothing, except the care
they require.
If the settler has selected a piece of
land that has good timber on it ho will
be able in a few years to sell the stump
age to a sawmill, and will thus be aided
in clearing his land. The clearing process
will be slow on land that produces lum
ber, but many tracts of land that are
crossed by mountain streams have groves
of alder and other trees that are more
easily grubbed out. It cannot be expected
that a mountain ranch will be prepared
for grain raising in a year or two, or
that all of it will ever be cleared of
stumps. Dairying will be the Industry
of our mountain regions as it is the
source of livelihood of the peoplg who
have made prosperous homes in the
mountains of Switzerland.
"With careful management, which is es
sential to success anywhere and in any
occupation, the settler can in a few years
build up a home where he can spend
the remainder of his days in compara
tive ease. From a spring on the hillside
he can lay pipes that will conduct pure
cold water to every part of his house,
and he will have no water rates to pay.
Unlike his city cousin he need not stint
himself on wood by using an unhealthful
heating stove, but can fill his fireplace
with huge blocks of wood, which he will
enjoy to see burning, for wood is over
abundant. Under the Oregon system, of public
school maintenance, the country school
has the advantage in the distribution of
public funds, and every little hamlet
where three or four families are gath
ered can have Its common school. "While
at first the settler will be five to 15 miles
from a postofHce he will soon have
a semi-weekly mail and later a daily
mail. It is, indeed, a sparsely-settled
region in Oregon that does not have its
daily mail service,
"While going back into the mountains
to build a home seems at first like cut
ting one's self off from civilization, this
is what all pioneers have done, and time
has shown that all of them who were
frugal in their management have now
comfortable homes and have reared their
families free from the vices and vani
ties of the city. Children who are raised
in the midst of surroundings, unhealthful
to both mind and body, are not as a
rule the successful and honored men of
the future. The pioneer lad who has
built a physical constitution and a manly
character by honest labor and by absti
nence from the frivolities of life, has laid
the foundation for an honorable career.
And this is a matter of moment to the
man who is considering the question of
a permanent home, where he will rear
his family and spend the remainder of
his days.
She rapid Hie. such as the Yankee
r-isually desires, is not to be found In the
seclusion of a mountain valley, where
the ways of nature prevail, but the life
possessing the essentials of happiness,
health, peace and competence, are there
to be found with comparative ease. And
there is an abundance of land which will
furnish such homes. The mountainous
area of Oregon nearly equals the moun
tainous area of Switzerland, and. exclu
sive of the forest reserve not now open
to settlers, is half as great The Coast
Range Mountains, which offer the great
est inducements to settlers, extend from
the Columbia River to the California line,
in Oregon, 'and have been settled in but
few places. Southern Oregon having the
greater area of unsettled region, offers
probably the greatest opportunities for
homeseekers, and yet desirable homes
for the bona fiae settler can be found at
almost any point In the long range of
forest-clad mountains.
A. "W. PRESCOTT.
UPPER WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Conditions Encouraging for Settlers
nnd for Industrial Growth.
EUGENE. Or., Sept. 25. There is prop
ably no state in the Union having greater
natural resources or variety in climatic
conditions than those to be found in Ore
gon. The farmer, stock-breeder, wool
grower, lumberman and miner, may find
within our borders a field' for engaging1
in his chosen calling, which cannot be
excelled anywhere. Tnere Is no other
county in which these conditions are more
nearly realized than in Lane County.
Bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the west
and the summit of the Cascade range
of mountains on the east, nearly 150 miles
in length, it embraces an area of nearly
7000 square miles. "Within its boundaries
there is a larger area of valuable tim
ber for domestic and export purposes
than in any other county in the North
west. The superior opportunities for graz
ing and dairying upon the western slope
and the valleys bt the Coast range of
mountains are worthy of consideration
by the dairyman. The south or upper
end of the famous Willamette Valley lies
within the center of Lane County. This
valley is already nearly all occupied by
a thrifty class of farmers, engaging in al
most all the industries which appertain
to farming. There is probably no other
region in the world where so nearly all
the products of the soil necessary for
the comfortable life of communities can
be successfully produced as within the
limits of this valley.
Within the county are many smaller
valleys bordering streams tributary to
and forming the Willamette River. These
little valleys are also of rreat fertility,
and are reached at moderate distances
from Eugene, the county seat and chief
export market. Formerly the production
of wheat was the chief reliance of farm
ers of this county, but in recent years
their attention has been directed to a
greater diversity, as insuring a more cer
tain and profitable Income. There is a
growing Interest in the production of
fruit and hops; the result of which is
that almost the entire cost of produc
tion and preparation for market Is dis
tributed among the people for labor. An
extensive dealer in hops Informs me that
there were 75,000 pounds of hops produced
within the county in 1900, and his esti
mate is a larger crop this year. There
is no reliable data at hand of the amount
of fruit shipped from the county, or InJ
wnat lorm, except tnat tnere were up
wards of 40 carloads chiefly prunes. This
year the crop is larger and presents
some new features in production. Eight
carloads of Royal Anne cherries were
shipping from Eugene, and several of the
growers Informed me that it was the
easiest money they ever made.
This county is fortunate in the prev
alent conditions, which warrant future
prosperity to whoever may become identi
fied with our many productive industries.
The lumbering Industry already employs
a large force of men, one company alone
owning and operating mills with a dally
capacity of 300,000 feet. There are also
other mills within the county which will
bring the cutting capacity to nearly
1,000.000 feet per day. Our mines In the
Blue River, Fall Creek and Bohemia dis
tricts are attracting a good deal of at
tention, and there is no less than 500
men engaged In prospecting and doing
development work. Five of these mines
are already equipped for stamping out
the free-miling ore and the yellow
metal is obtained in quantities satisfying
to the owners. All of these mines are
revealing a richness in mineral deposits
that leaves no room for doubt that in
the near future there will be many moce
stamps" "crushing " the freemllllng ore."
Development work is revealing the pres
ence of base ores in such apparently
inexhaustible tjuantlties and richness, that
the erection of an extensive smelter must
soon command the attention of capitalists.
These are conditions helpful to every
industry. Agriculture finds a home mar
ket for many products that cannot
be profitably exported. The mechanic,
the merchant and the laborer in every
field feel the Increased demand upon them
as a result of these improved conditions.
Another, and what I consider a crown
ing reason which makes this portion of
our resourceful state a most desirable
place in which to live and work, is the
social, moral, and intellectual character,
of the people. Nineteen years residence
among them enables me to say that there
are no better neighbors than ours, no
more honorable men in all the business
relations of a community than that dis
played by our business and professional
men. Eugene is a city of nearly 5000
people. Our public schools are attaining
to the highest standards in the country.
The University of Oregon Is situated here,
and Is doing a grand work in the higher
departments of learning. The regents
and faculty are all Imbued with an ambi
tion to make this institution what the
state in its liberality designed it should
be one of the first in the means afforded
for higher education. People commenda
ble for intelligence and character are
obtaining homes in Europe, where these
advantages can be secured.
There is no more inviting field in the
great Northwest for the man who is will
ing and anxious to invest his capital
and industry among those who, by their
Industry and zeal have brought our
county into so desirable a condition for
residence. This is no place for the chronic
fault-finder with existing conditions, or
for the man who sits down and idly
waits for miraculous provisions of loaves
or fishes. He must at least be willing to
dig the bait. The price of land In Lane
County is not beyond its productive value,
and many Instances might be cited of
men assuming obligations for nearly all
of the purchase price of their lands,
and In a few years paying every dollar,
becoming owners of their well-stocked
farms through industry and economy.
Conditions admitting of success were
never more favorable than now, and the
range of opportunity never so large.
S. M. YORAN.
Too Realistic.
"Look here," said a Suffolk farmer to
a friend, "I'm going to kill my pig, but
I owe so much pork to my neighbors
that I shall have none left for myself if
I pay it all back. What would you do?"
"Quite easy to trick 'em," said the
friend. "Kill your pig, and leave It
hanging outside until late at night, so's
every one can see it. Then take It In,
and say some one stole It. Stick to the
tale, and you'll be all right."
The farmer followed Instructions, and
the kind friend watched his chance and
stole the pig. The poor farmer came
round next morning to tell what had hap
pened. "Somebody's stole my pig!" he cried.
"Good!" said the friend. "Stick to It,
and the nelghbors'll believe you sure
enough."
"But it was stolen, I tell you."
"Excellent," quoth the friend. "Just
you stick to the tale."
"You confounded ass!" yelled the farm
er, "'don't you understand? It was really
stolen."
"Superb," laughed the delighted friend.
You ought to have been an actor, so
you ought."
That Suffolk farmer slammed the door,
and went away fuming. London Answers.
BUSINESS ITEMS.
If Baby Is Cutting Teeth.
Be sure and use that old and well-tried remedy,
Mrs. Wlaslow's Soothing Syrup, for children
teething. It soothes the child, softens the gums,
allays all pain, cures wind colic and diarrhoea.
Every woman should know that? Carter's
Little Liver Pills are a specific for sick
headache. Only one pill a dose. A woman
can't stand everything.
LIVESTOCK IN OREGON
CONDITIONS AS MANIFESTED AT
STOCKYARDS AND ABATTOIRS.
Best "Cattle, Sheep and Hogs, Though.
Supply of Lnst-Nnmed Is Much,
Below Home Demand.
Two very apparent subdivisions of this
state become evident twhen we notice theJ
nuuuiy oi nvesiocK sent' to-, tne stock
yards and abattoir and thclast section
to be settled is -noticeably, the most pro
gressive. Eastern Oregon cattle are eas
ily separable from others, both In the
stockyards before slaughter, and in-the
mM$k . fwWfctf&SjFII .
SCENE IN AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT AT PORTLAND
eo9
chill-rooms afterwards. The noticeable
-features of dlfferentlation-between East
ern Oregon and Valley beef cattle are asi
much the result of good judgment in the
matter of Improved breeding stock as of
nutritious grasses, combined with dry,
equable climatic conditions. The supe
rior quality of the beef cattle which this
vast semi-utilized section of the state
sends to market, after having attained
their marketable condition on a simple
grass and hay diet, would be a revelation
to the man who thinks he has to feed
grain for months to get fat cattle. I have
seen cattle delivered at the Union Stock
yards, In Portland, In as perfect a state
of finish, from your Eastern Oregon
grasses, with a run on stubble fields, as'
I have ever seen come from the feeding
stalls of the Central States.
But while an inspection of the stock
yards may demonstrate the marked supe
rlotity of the "east of the mountain"
country for beef production, it none the'
less forcibly impresses the visitor with
the equally marked pre-eminence fit that
section of our state termed generally the
"Valley," though actually referring to'
the entire Western Cascade slope, as the
producer of dalrjr stock. I hive heard It
said that even such persistent beef breeds
as the Herefords, after a few generations
on the perpetually green fields of West
ern Oregon, show a marked increase In
milking qualities. A very great improve
ment Is noticeable from year to year In
the quality of the animals sent from
Western Oregon to both the beef and
dairy markets. A good sprinkling of
Shorthorn and Holsteln stock Is making
Itself very apparent, in sending to the
market large steers that show the qual
ity for which the butcher seeks, while
at the same time the owner is able to
boast of the milking qualities of the
mother being so good that he couldn't
afford to let the calf suck, but had to
raise it on skim milk (certainly very de
plorable when the poor thing weighs
from 900 to 1100 pounds at 2 years, and Is
in fine butchering condition).
In a few years I look for Western Ore
gon not only to surpass any equal area
of the world In butter and cheese pro
duction, but to show Eastern Oregon that
it is just as profitable to quit Summer
fallowing the cows as"lt Is the land; and
that it improves both to be kept busy.
The idle field will be much improved by
allowing the hitherto semi-Idle cow to
transform part of its weeds and grasses
into butter and cheese, which 'will pay
her board while her calf and eight little
PACIFIC COAST WHEAT SHIPMENTS.
The total exports of wheat (flour included) from the Pacific Coast for
the cereal years were 47.617.1S2 bushels. The shipments from the differ
ent ports were as follows:
Portland
San Francisco
N,Tacoma and Seattle
Total
9HHMHMM HHHHHMOUM
pigs, which have grown up on her skim
milk, will furnish the yearly profit on
her maintenance; and incidentally the
presence of all this stock on the fields
will scatter over its surface an abund
ance of available plant food for the next
year's crop.
Best Mutton in the World.
In the quality of mutton produced, the
Pacific Northwest surpasses the world.
The feed of all parts of this section seems
to be particularly well adapted to sheep
husbandry. Eastern Oregon' breeders
have attained already o wide and en
viable reputation for the production of
the largest fleece, combined with the
marketable carcass which supplies cuts
of mutton for the table, which are dis
tinctive In flavor and texture; distinctive
because entirely free from that peculiar
flavor and aroma so common In sheep
from other localities, "which is designated
as "sheepy."
Great Demand for Pork.
In connection with - the livestock in
dustry in this country, so favored by na-
ture with abundance of nutritious grasses
and grains, and with the most equable
and salubrious climate, there is one most
deplorable feature. In the one city of
Portland, which, though a great distribut
ing center, represents but a portion of
the available market of the state, the
demand for cured pork provisions calls
fotf the product of GOO hogs dally, yet
only about one-sixth of this supply is of
native production, the remainder being
shipped in to this market from Missouri
River points. This, too, in the face of
the facts that our breeders are unham
pered by thedlsease problem which Ms a
question of serious consideration with
their 2000-mIles-distant competitors, arid
that they have tons of the finest feed in
the world, to be obtained at a figure
which at the average price "pi hogs for the
last two years could have been fed al a
50 per cent profit. In" addition to this,
there are thousands of acres of stubble
field every year, which "would suffice for
the finishing of many carloads of hogs,
fr--fr--"0 ( -ooo
without the expenditure of a cent for
-feed, but-'sjinplyaHuwIng-p-theae- animals
to gather the scattered kernels. 1 know
of a few farmers In Eastern Oregon who
have raised upwards of 100 head of hogs
each this year, as they say, for noth-
i lng more than the cost of seed for a few
acres of rye, which they sowed last Fail
J and upon which their brood sows havo
raised litters to the stage when they are
fit to go upon the stubble-fields, from
which they will go to the abattoir and
bring to these progressive men from $12
to ?15 per head. Still others are raising
their hogs for the first six to eight
months upon alfalfa, finishing them to
the 250-pourid stage on wheat at a re
ported cost of 2V cents per pound or
hog, which can be delivered at any rail
road station in Eastern Oregon for $5 50
to $6 per hundredweight, at any time
now, and at no time within the last two
years" has the producer had to .take less
than A cents for his hogs on the farm
or at his home station.
Best of" Food for Stock.
The vast area of, available but unused
stubble will not only furnish food for an
almost unlimited number of. hogs, but an
examination of tie stomach contents of
the sheep and cattle coming directly from
this stubble shows that the lodged grain
and short, uncut stalks that are missed
by the headers supplies the Ideal grain
combination to go with the green pas
turage these fields afford each Fall im
mediately after harvest. Critical judg
ing of these cattle in the stockyards
shows that by this ration they attain
a high degree of finish, and the block test
of the carcass makes apparent a combi
noinn nf lean nrnnnTtinnftd t.n fat far
superior both in texture and location to
the stall-fed cattle. Yet I have known
sheep-feeders to ship several thousand
head of sheep to St. Paul, buying screen
ings, from 57 to 510 a ton, and of course
lose money, while all around them In
Oregon were thousands of acres of this
stubble, green with sprouted, scattered
kernels, and rich with lodged and uncut
heads of grain.
The residents of this state are sur
rounded by such an abundance of natural
sources of enjoyment and profit that they
! fall to realize the agricultural possibili
ties of their state. Unfortunately, this
creates in the mind of the homeseeker
the suspicion that, as old residents do
I not avail themselves of nature's bounty,
- to ae
Bushels.
17,706.102
15,888.044
14,023,036
Per cent.
37.1S
33.37
29.45
47,617,182
100.00
-- t HMM8
the opportunity does not exist Example
Is contagious, both for good and bad.
E. N. HUTCHINSON.
Inspector In Charge of Bureau of Animal
Industry Station, Portland, Or.
Europenn War on Trailing Skirts.
New York World.
Berlin The war against trailing skirts
grows In dimensions. '
In Saxon, Switzerland,, notices are post
ed on the trees that wearers of trailing
skirts will be fined.
In Ischl, Upper Austria, there have been
several instances of skirts of unsuspect
ing ladies being torn by rabid sanitarians.
At Ems, Prussia, the authorities have
put up a notice that' no long skirts are
to be admitted within the precincts of the
gardens, and the janitor refuses admis
sion to those whose skirts are vbo long.
The sanitary zeal of the Berlin police
is rapidly becoming a mania. Under the
newest ordinance the touching of bread
cakes, etc., or the handling of meat or
vegetables in shops, Is punishable with a
heavy fine.
OREGON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
HOW THEY ARE ORGANIZED AND
"WHAT THEY DO.
Results Compare Favorably With.
Those o the Common Schools
in the Eastern States.
SALEM, Or., Sept. 2S In the space al
lotted me," I must perforce confine my
self to. a brief review of the most salient
features of our school system and only
hint at the. independent-system .which
.plays no small part in our educational
scheme. v '
Oregon's school- system is not unlike
EXPOSITION, 1001.
those of other states, especially of the
-Mississippi- Valley. Its -state constitution
makes ample provision for a complete
school system from the1 kindergarten to
jmd. including the university, and, in ac
cordance with such provisions, the Leg
islature has established grammar-grade
schools, high schools, normal schools and
a state university.
Each county in the state is divided into
convenient subdivisions technically known
as school districts of the first, second
and third classes, according to the num
ber of persons in each between the ages
of i and 20 years of age. These districts
are supervised by boards known as dis
trict school boards, having certain admin
istrative powers, the principal ones being
the engaging of teachers, visiting and
inspecting their schools from time to" time,
furnishing apparatus, purchasing and
leasing schoolhouses, contracting debts
under certain restrictions, etc. The citi
zens who make up the schoolboards, in
most of- the districts are conscientious,
self-sacrificing men, and give much of
their time without compensation to their
respective schools. The most important
duty they have is the selection of teach
ers, and one of the most hopeful signs of
educational progress is the growing feel
ing on the part of school boards that they
must get the best teachers possible with
the means at hand. The school laws pro
, vide that at least 85 per cent of tho school
fund shall be applied to teachers' sala
ries; and also that each district shall
maintain at least three months of school
in order to draw public money. With
thestKtwo provisions', each district is as
sured of a certain amount of school each
year, and each teacher a fair remunera
tion for his services. The average number
of months' school In the several districts
during the past year was six. but most of
the city and village schools had nine and
ten. ?Male teachers received an average
monthly salary of 44 46, and female teach
ers 534 81.
No person is allowed to teach In the pub
lic schools without either a county or a
state certificate. The question for both
, county and state certificates are prepared
by the State Board of Examiners, and
I are uniform throughout the state. Man
uscripts for counts certificates are graded
by county boards of examiners, and man
uscripts for state certificates by the State
Board of Examiners. The per cents re
quired are as high as are required in other
states.
No aphorism seems truer than the fa
miliar one, "As is the teacher.vso will the
school be." If it were possible to devise a
plan by which an earnest, conscientious
and efficient teacher could be placed In
every school In the state, the greatest
hindrance to thevprogress of the schools
would be elminated. It Is only fair to say,
in this connection, that our teachers, as a
body, will compare favorably with older
states as they are earnest, conscientious,
strong and thoughtful in all things per
taining to their -work. Many of our
teachers .have had special training for
their work either in the normal schools,
agricultural college, state university or
Independent educational institutions of the
state, and many of them are graduates o
the best Eastern schools.
While many of our school districts are
not provided with such buildings and ap
paratus as we would like, yet their build
ings are constantly being improved, ana
we are pleased to be able to say that
as a rule, when hew buildings are erect
ed, they are modeled after the most ap
proved plans.
The law authorizes the State Board of
Education to prepare state courses of
study for grammar grades and high
schools, which has been done. This so
systematizes the work that all teachers
are practically following the same lines
of work, but not necessarily the same
methods nor devices; neither is that de
sired. The state course of study, together
with the uniform examinations for grad
uates from the eighth -grade, has done
much to articulate the grammar-grade
schools with the high school, and with
the state's higher Institutions of learning.
In every public school system there are
necessarily three Indispensable factors;
elements, if not equally important, so mu
tually dependent upon each other, that the
most efficient school system will be that
in which each of these Is developed In the
best possible manner. First, the school
fund as to amount and manner of distri
bution; second, the teacher, along with
the method of employment, certification,
etc.; third, the supervision of schools
state, county, city, district.
Funds for the maintenance of schools
are derived from three sources! (1) Tne
income from the irreducible school fund
which Is distributed among- the several
counties of the state In proportion to the
number of children resident therein be
tween the ages of 4 and 20 years. During
the past year this fund amounted to 51 56
per child. (2) The County Courts of the
several counties are required to levy at
least 5 mills on the dollar. This sum
amounted last year to 5821.59S 15. (3) Dis
tricts have power to levy a tax upon the
real and personal property In their dis
tricts for the support and benefit of the
schools in their district. There was re
ceived last year from this source $399,
078 04.
.As to supervision we have already
spoken of that performed by the district
school board, and It only remains to speak
of the county and state systems of su
pervision. County supervision Is per
formed by the county school superintend
ent who is the official head of the school
system In his eounty. His duties are
quite similar to those required of county
school superintendents in other states. I
would offer, In this connection, testimony
to the faithfulness and efficiency of our
county school superintendents. They put
forth honest, Intelligent endeavor to im
prove the schools of their resepectlve
counties, and they are doing much to sys
tematize their schools. They inspire their
teachers with a. progressive and earnest
educational spirit and with a desire for
something better In the educational work
for the children in their charge: have en
couraged school officers to their best ef
forts in behalf of their schools and by
their own zeal and earnestness have
brought about an Increased earnestness
among patrons In school affairs, addi
tional strength having thus been given to
teachers and to teachers' work.
A general superintendence of the county
and district school officers Is secured by
means of a superintendent of public in
struction, elected at a general election,
for four years, and a state board of edu
cation, composed of the Governor, Secre
tary of State and the Superintendent of
Public Instruction. The principal duty of
the state board Is to prescribe a series of
rules and regulations for the general im
provement of the public schools, and for
the maintenance and discipline therein; to
grant and revoke certificates and diplomas
and prepare qourses of study.
The last Legislative session passed some
wholesome school legislation; in fact. It
practically revised the whole school code.
In our opinion, the act authorizing dis
trict and county high schools will work
as much good ultimately as any one meas
ure passed at said session. Up to this
time no county has taken advantage of
the county high school proposition, but In
formation is coming to this office daily
that many districts, especially In the rural
communities, are making provisions for
grades above tho eighth, thereby making
it possible for young people In nearly all
communities to do advanced work In their
home districts.
We have a uniform series of books In
the state selected by a state board of
text-book commissioners appointed by the
Governor. Said commission has recently
selected books for the ensuing six years,
and, so far as this office is advised, their
action meets with the general approval
of school patrons.
The higher institutions of learning, both
public and independent, have their courses
of study so extended that their graduates
have no difficulty in entering Eastern col
leges without re-examination.
A survey of the work shows satisfactory
progiess. Still we are far from reaching
our Ideal or even approaching it either in
the matter of school accommodation,
school administration or any distinctly
educational lines; yet from our past ex
perience in assigning pupils, who have
been educated in other states, to grades
in our own schools, we haveno hesitancy
in saying that the boys and girls educated
in the schools of Oregon have no cause to
"be ashamed dr 'the work donoljy their
teachers; hence, any one thinking of mak
ing Oregon his home need have no hesi
tancy in doing so, so far as the educational
advantages of the state are concerned.
J. H. ACKBRMAN.
State Superintendent of Public Instruc
tion. PASSING OF THE BEAVER.
"Wonderful Little Animal Ha Almost
Disappeared From Native Haunts.
Chicago Inter Ocean.
Among the clearances at tho Custom
house on Tuesday was one of four live
beavers. They were consigned to Gover
nor Van Sant, of Minnesota, from the
Minister of Crown Lands of the Province
of Ontario, Canada, and were sent from
Depot Harbor, Ontario. They will be
placed In Itasca Park, the state preserve,
at the headwaters of the Mississippi
River, and are expected to form the nu
cleus of a colony.
The shipment of these beavers through
Chicago recalls the fact that, like the
Dunaio, me oeaver in its wuu state is
now almost extinct in the United States.
Once it was abundant and widespread.
In the Maine and Adirondack wUaemessesi
In the Michigan peninsulas, in the head
waters of the Mississippi River, In the
mountainous portions of Virginia. Penn-
svlvnnfn. nml pvpns.'M'IqfilKslrmi nnrl n th
forest country between the Mississippi
and Puget Sound Its kind was once al
most as numerous as that of the fox
squirrel. In fact, it Is recorded that dur
ing the early part of the last century
as many as 2W,wu beaver skins were
shipped each year from America to Eu
ropean countries.
Yet today it is doubtful If the beaver
can be found wild anywhere within the
borders of the United States. It has gone
entirely from Its favorite haunt In the
Adlrondacks and Minnesota, Wisconsin
and Michigan streams, where once the
beaver's work changed the face of the
landscape, know It no more. Perhaps In
the deepest wllds of Wyoming or Oregon
there may still be found a beaver dam
here and there and a few of the lnteli:
gent little animals that built It. But the
beaver a3 an American animal is practi
cally extinct.
Like the buffalo, the beaver was once
most intimately associated with the lire
and development of this country. Its
thrifty habits and remarkable home life;
its wonderful dams, canals, locks, houses
and other engineering works, showing an
Intelligence and skill almost human, made
It prominent In the minds of the pioneers
of the land and an object of superstition
to the Indians. The names of Beaver
Falls, Beaver River, Beaver Dam and
Beaver Lake show how strong was the
Influence exerted by the beaver on the
pioneers of the Northern States.
For this reason the passing of the beav
er Is a National loss. But It Is one un
avoidable In the progress of civilization.
Tried, nnd Found Wanting".
The young man drew himself up to his
full height.
"I have," he cried, "an unsullied char
acter, an ardent heart, a versatile ralnd
and strenuous biceps."
The young girl yawned and seemed in
terested. He was quick to push his ad
vantage. "I am the possessor of a town and coun
try house, a yacht, a itable of thorough
breds and a box at the opera."
She hesitated, and a slight flush be
trayed that she" wa3 listening.
"I have got," he continued, with a cer
tain fierceness, "30 servants, 40 pairs of
trousers, 50 ancestors, three automobiles,
six prize bull pups and an army commis
sion." Ah! she found her tongue at last.
"And how ,many golf medals?" she
lisped.
The young man shuddered.
He felt, that he had lost. He had played
heavily and high, but she was above his
limit. London Tit-Bits.
A REVELATION TO HIM
PROFESSOR NEWELL ON HIS TOUR
OF EASTERN OREGON.
District Is Much Richer Thnn He Had
Supposed Plenty of Water Can
Be Secured.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 25. There is mora
livelihood now than ever before that
Eastern Oregon, will recetv smti con
siderable attention from the Golgicl
Sdrvey la the matter of examination of
its water supply and the loaatloa. ef
feasible reservoir sites. This change in
the situation has been brought about sole
ly through the personal and individual ef
forts of Representative Moody, wha in
duced Professor F. H. Newell, hydrog
xapher of the survey, to maka a personal
inspection of the field during tha past
Summer. Mr. Newell has just returned
to Washington much enthused and vary
agreeably surprised at the opportunities
for development which he found In the
eastern part of Oregon.
"What struck me most forcibly on my
tour of Eastern Oregon?" he repeated is
answer to a question of The Oregonlan
correspondent.
"The thing that impressed me most of
all was that the Second District has at
last got a Representative in Congress who
has studied its needs, who understands
the problems that confront hte constitu
ents, and who is leaving no stone un
turned to further the interests of his dis
trict at large.
"But to get down to the physical feat
ures that Impressed me. I am forced to
admit that I had always maintained a
false Idea of the true condition of East
ern Oregon. I had the opinion that East
ern Oregon, like a large section of South
ern Idaho, was one vast lava bed, where
agriculture was almost art impossibility.
My trip was a great revelation to me,
for, while I found a number of lava beds,
yet Eastern Oregon contains vast quan
tities of rich soil, which would make ex
cellent farm lands if it can be properly
watered. I had no idea so much rich land
was there being given up entirely to the
grazing Interests.
Water Supply a Surprise.
"Moreover, I held a false view as to the
available water supply of that section, of
the state. To my surprise I found an
abundance of water la most sections. The
Deschutes River turned out to be a large
stream, and its water can be readMy di
verted Into numerous Irrigation ditches at
a minimum cost, and without the con
struction of storage reservoirs. Yet all
the rivers are not so fortunately located.
To derive the full benefit of the waters of
such streams ns the Malheur and Crooked
Rivers, storage reservoirs will have to be
constructed and feeding canals connected
with the reservoirs. Most aH of the
streams of Eastern Oregon were larger
than I had supposed, and the quantity of
water going to waste far exceeded my ex
pectations. There is water enough X Ir
rigate all the land in Eastern Oregon, that
can be settled for some tlma to coma.
"Of course, there are a number of vast
plains which are now practically useless
and without value, because they are too
remoto from a source of water lor even
stock grazing, I am reasonably sura that
artesian wells can be sunk In these re
gions, which will, if properly managed,
furnish all the water that is needed, not
only for watering stock, but for IrrigAtlner
largo portions of these plains for agricul
tural purposes. The soil itself Is rich; It
needs only water to make It vahmbh.
But Irrigation alone will not settle and
build up Eastern Oregon. In ray mind,
one of the most crying needs of tht sec
tion today Is a railroad. There in a viwt
section of country nearly 2u0 miles square
that has no railroad fac)Htie whatever.
Transportation Is entirely by horses,
wagons and coaches. Farmers cannot be
expected to go Into and develop a section
when they cannot get their prodjcito
market. Hence, I believe the lack of
railroad facilities more than anything also
retards tho settlement of Eastern Ore
gon. "It is true the stock industry can con
tinue, to thrive there, and with the Jink
ing of artesian wells In many noted, sec
tions, additional pastures of the highest
order can be made available. But agri
culture brings In a greater yield to the
acre than sheep or eattle rais
ing, and In the end a large part of East
ern Oregon must be given over to tho
farmers. Of course, there are vast
ranges where agriculture will never be
attempted, and these ranges, when
properly protected, and judiciously used,
will afford pasturage for all the sheep
and cattle that Oregon will care to main
tain." Mr. Newell was asked as to the benefits
that would arise from his visit to East
ern Oregon. He explained that hte trip
was merely preliminary, and made at the
Insistence of Representative Moody, -wtith
a view to getting an accurate idea of
Eastern Oregon conditions, and the need
for early Investigation by the field forces
of the Geological Survey. These exam
inations are made each year under a
general appropriation by Congress.
Work: Will Be on an Elaborate Scale.
The work which will probably be dono
in Oregon will be on a more elaborate
scale than is usually followed out, and
to facilitate its early execution, a special
appropriation will probably be required.
The survey of possible reservoir sites can
be made with funds taken from the gen
eral appropriation. But Mr. Newell de
sires to go further, examine the struc
ture of the country so as to determine
whether or not artesian water exists,
and by making borings, here and there,
determine the depth at which the maxi
mum flow can be encountered. The sur
vey would sink wells perhaps one or two
hundred miles apart, and from results
there obtained, could give approximate
estimates of the depth of artesian water
at Intervening points, provided the struc
ture' of the country Is first studied out.
Two places where wells would be sunk
would be in the center of the Harney
Desert and the Malheur Desert. An
appropriation of $15,000 win probably be
asked fpr purchasing a well boring out
fit, which, once secured, can be used on
all points In Oregon. Mr. Newell think 5
the outfit should be of sufficient size
to bore to a depth of 3000 feet, although
it Is hardly to be expected that wells of
such depths will have to be sunk In Ore
gon. He touched, with some emphasis, on the
need of a forest resrve in Eastern Ore
gon, particularly in the Blue Mountain
region. Mr. Newell contends that If
storage reservoirs are to be constructed
In that region, a forest cover ht needed
to protect the snows to a certain extent,
but more particularly to hold the H in
place, and prevent its being- washed down
Into the reservoirs, thus filling them up.
and rendering- them useless. He does not
believe It necessary to hold up the cre
ation of such a reserve, because certain
companies and Individuals hold a portion
of the lands that might profitably be In
cluded within Its limits.
His plans for a Reserve.
"Go ahead and create the reserve,"
says he, "and exclude all lands that do
not belong -to the Government. It is a
near-sighted policy to refrain from cre
ating reserves where they are naedad,
just because all the desirable lands can
not be had. or because, by their Inclusion,
opoortunity would be given for perpetrat
ing frauds on the Government. The
checkerboard system of exclusion Is good
enough to meet these contingencies. I
talked with a large number of people In
Northeastern Oregon, as we drove around
the Elue Mountains, and all were heartily
in favor of the creation of a reserve."
Mr. Newell concluded with a second
eulogy of Representative Moody, saying
he was "all right." Not only had he
made full preparations In advance of- the
trip with Mr. Newell, but all during the
trip Mr. Moody made It his personal duty
to manage everything, arrange all meet
ings with representative people in the
several communities, and afford every
imaginable facility for making a thorough
reconnoisance.
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