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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1913)
MAGIC TOUCH OF YOUNG FARMFR TM WILLAMETTE VALLEY DOES WONDERS In Two Years E. I. Kleiner, By Defying Soil Traditions in Oregon, Converts Mere Fern Ridge Into One of Greatest Show Places in State and Gives Others "Tips" on How to Make Money and Homes. , n v 1 Hi I 3 V 1 WWW. jihOvjV ,ts, "JH' N t 1 Vis Ji - i s ( :W2?r- : V I 'illy ti: f - f it :. y ft " v '-v je. 4iV L, -fif .1 3 scHbl 1 J&ir& stents t- If- im imit- I. T- -r Vlf-., ,riM-v -M lfrrtf , iij-m,.,. - iTnitiiiniiAiiMfinil " --7 ' . A LI. tlie prophets who assembled under the lig trees and date palms way back In the Says when. It was popular to take a squint at the weather and Issue a bulletin on the probability of the next stopping place of a wander ing tribe of the children of Israel would have been given another assignment If they had decorated their stone tablets with the story of E. L. Klemer and what he would do in the Willamette Valley in the year 1913. Even If any prophet of late years in the Northwest had possessed the te merity to suggest that ripht here under the nose of Portland Senator Paulha- mus. of Puyallup, Wash., would be out Paulhamused .by a young horticultur ist from Minnesota, and that Klemer's individual plans for fruit development and marketing would equal anything . tha.t has been accomplished by the en massed population of Puyallup, said seer and, revlator would have been put In the class of those citizens who pre dicted the election of William Howard Taft In 1912. Bnt after reading this tip, the old timer who scratches his right ear with a. wheat straw , and ventures the pre diction that young Klemer will soon be known as the greatest demonstrator of Willamette Valley soils the bis basin has ever known, will take his place alongside of Solomon. And if such prophet adds the statement that the Klemer place, known as Kern Ridge prchards. is the greatest show place in Western Oregon, he would de . serve to be written down as an expert nail-driver. Klemer In Soil Wizard. Klemer Is a wizard of the soils, the Oregon Burbank. an optimistic demon strator of what-can be done, a patriot who is proving the truth of every state ment made since 1843 concerning the richness of the Willamette Valley, a man who has made $100,000 in real money from a fern bank while some of his neighbors have gone on raising wheat and oats and sounding warnings of the doom that was about to ring for this young man who was rending assunder the farming traditions of the country. But Klemer Is a determined Dutchman, and he went right ahead demonstrating practical horticultural and intensive farming methods, and he Is now pouring his spoils back Into lands and Bchemes for marketing prod ucts. Klemer has nothing more to sell, but he is aiding to fill the Fern Ridge rountry with home-building people, and hen he Is going to furnish a market for everything they can raise. The Klemer farm, 1250 acres in ex tent, lies 10 miles north of Kugene and nine miles west of Junction City. It spreads over the Fern Ridge country and was considered a worthless farm posture when Mr. Klemer and his young wife bought their first land in 1911. Their horn is a beautiful and modern bungalow. Klghty varieties of roses bloom in the front yard, while for more than a mile on either side of the dwell lng stretch tree orchards and berry 8. S-jm. X... . f jv-k. ' ... . . . ..... . . of the Portland, Eugene A. Eastern Rail way at the new town of Alvador. and I will have them In operation in time to handle the crop of next season. The plant will be co-operative to those farmers who wish to become stock holders, but I will buy for cash the produce of those farmers who do not care to invest in the company. By this means we will somewhat equalize the high cost of living and the low profit of the farmer. "Through an arrangement with the Pacific Land Company I have secured ten acres of land which also parallels the Portland, Eugene & Eastern elec tric line and will make It a demonstra tion farm. On this farm I propose to produce diversified crops, so as to fur nish an object lesson to the traveling public of what can be done in the south end of the Willamette Valley, and to give to settlers of the neighbor hood complete instructions for working the soils and producing the crops for which the Fern Ridge district is best adapted. It will be a show place as well as a practical plan for aiding In getting the best crop results. "I believe that we shall have the hearty co-operation of the farmers and landowners of the surrounding country for the reason that our selling or ganization and facilities for refrigera tion, storage and canning will operate to their advantage in disposing of every pound of their produce. The profits of mot farms are lost In waste products, stuff that cannot be marketed directly and which the farmer is unable to make use of. My plan means that all these waste accounts will be wiped out. Our canning and other plants will be so constructed that additional sections may be put In from time to time to keep pace with the needs of the -district. Thousand . of Acrfi ATTalt. "I have always employed from 35 to 60 laborers on Fern Ridge farm, and have operated two boarding-houses for their accommodation. This Winter I will build cottages for the men at the new town of Alvador and thereafter will employ nothing but married men. who can reside with their families close to their work." "" And back of the talk of this young man Klemer is the money and the spirit to carry out his plans. Back of those things and the magnificent Klem er ranch are the thousands of other acres of lands, equally rich in soil values, but which have never come un der the m3gle of the Klemer touch. Klemer realizes that he could not con trol all of these lands If he wanted to. and that his colony of 60 settlers will be the center of a district containing nunareas or sucn country places, ana he Is willing to aid them all in "getting the knack" of making a success of the land. Just what all this means to Western Oregon can 'scarcely be conceived. It may safely be said that the larger part of the acreage of the Willamette Valley is In the ownership of a few persons. That Is particularly true of the', south half of the valley. Most of the dona tion land claim farms have never been cut up. In hundreds of places farmers are cultivating large tracts when .the same amount of energy devoted to a small acreage would bring greater re turns. This Is proved by the fact that of the 2,096,030 acres of arable land in the valley, only 829,236 acres are under cultivation. . To the northwest, southwest and southward of the Klemer place there are thousands of acres of opportunities such as he embraced. While unlm. proved lands in that district are not high in price, it takes money to buy land with an orchard on it. There is plenty of it where the difference be tween a high price and a low price ts represented by willingness to swing an ax. 47r& y&ajr 7?a?r tracts. More than 100 acres of straw berries, loganberries and gooseberries are Hanked by acres of garden truck and all of it a. growing success. There are no "mourning doves In the trees" on this ranch, nor no "little owla call ing tremulously to their mates." as is written of by a former President of these United States, but sitting on the piazza of the Klemer home one can look away over miles of country that will soon be brilliantly developed and where thousands of prosperous homes will exist. But taking his visitors to the top of a bigh tower, from which a. panorama1 of the great valley can be viewed and which Mr. Klemer calls his salesroom. Farmer Klemer related "his own story of his life:" , Beginning Made In 1011. "All that I have accomplished on this farm can be done anywhere in this district by the man who is wUling to work the soil." was the first statement handed out by this alchemist of pros perity. - "In 1911 I disposed of an apple or chard a.t Hood River and with the cash In my pocket, began searching for land for diversified farming. I found It here on Fern Ridge ajid secured 470 acres. The analysis of the soil satis fied me that, it was peculiarly adapted to my purposes, it was far from the railroads and it gave me an oppor tunity to get In on ground floor prices. "By bleeding them. I easily killed out the ferns, which had been found to be a detriment to other farmers, and set the land to small fruits and garden stuff. One-year-old strawbery plants pro duced more than 100 berries to the stalk, loganberry vines gave me 70 per cent of a full crop the first year, and my vegetables proved of good size, quality and a big yield. These results enabled me to interest persons who were looking for homes, and they were . induced to come here to investigate for themselves. My Parting on Battlefield Is Recalled in Oregon Albany and Salem Men to Kind Spot at Ott.vHbura; AVherp Separated During Historic Fight. wife worked- the typewriter and showed the lands - from the sales room on the tower. The result Is that I have purchased and resold 900 acres or H ern Ridge lands, each tract planted to the variety of tree fruit or berries the purchaser desired, have 350 acres left for myself, and have so planned all these orchards that vegetable crops can be planted on the same ground. "These lands have been sold from Seattle to Boston. During-the present year and in 1814 more than 50 families will come here o build their homes and to take over their holdings. Not one of them has been allowed to pur chase any of these lands until I gave his character and reputation a. thor ough "nvestlgation and was satisfied that he was the kind of a man who would strengthen a community. They include such men as Dr. Louis Nippert, a noted physician and surgeon of Min neapolis; F. c. Popham, principal of the High School at Anacortes, Wash.: Wil liam T. Young, civil engineer of New York City; E. G. Quigley, Seattle; Thomas R. Cole, head of the Broadway High School of Seattle, and I think every other school principal of that city. I am under contract with these purchasers to handle their. lands for a number of years, and in 1914 I expect that 450 tons of stuff will be produced by these lands. Market Next Big Need. "In the meantime other farmers are Increasing and - their produce must have a market if the community Is to prosper. The Pacific Land Company holdings now almost surround my farm and I understand that they have been succesful in selling a large number of tracts These people must also have a market. "In solving this problem I am new planning. the erection of a (30,000 can nery, cold storage plant, dryers and Juice mills. This will be located on six acres of land along the right-of-way ALBANY. Or.. June 28. (Special.) Andrew Crooks, of Albany, and William -H. Simpson, of Salem, who parted under unusual circumstances on the field of Gettysburg, to meet for the first time afterward 43 years later on the opposite side of the continent, will soon enjoy a reunion on the site of their parting half a century ago. Both are members of the party of veterans which the State of Oregon sent back to Gettysburg to enjoy the semi-centen nial of the historic battle. Both Mr. Crooks and Mr. Simpson were members of Company D, 149th Pennsylvania Regiment, known as the "Second Bucktalls." On the first day of the battle the Union brigade of which their regiment was a part gave way before a strong Confederate onslaught and about the time the' retreat began Sergeant Stewart, of the company, was severely wounded. aergeant Stewart was placed on a stretcher and four men were detailed to carry him to the rear. Simpson and Crooks were on the same side of that stretcher, Simpson being at the head of the stretcher and Crooks at the- foot. In a hail of bullets from the oncoming enemy, the men picked up the stretcher and started to run along the Chambers burg pike. Before they had proceeded far Crooks was struck in the leg by a bullet and fell, the stretcher going down with him. The command at that time was in full retreat and the company found it necessary to abandon the wounded, so the other three men who had been carrying the stretcher went on with the retreating soldiers, leaving Crooks and Stewart on the pike. The tern porarily victorious Confederates passed by them In the attack and when some of them returned later, Crooks, in order to get water for the suffering Stewart, traded his and Stewart's new canteens for the Confederates' old ones, which were filled with water. All that night Crooks and Stewart lay there on the pike and the next day they were taken to temporary hos pitals In churches in Gettysburg. Stew art had a sister-ln-law, Mrs. Sarah Stewart, residing in Gettysburg and he was later taken to her home, but died In a few days. The surgeons found it necessary to amputate Crooks' leg In order to save his life and while he was recovering from the operation he was cared for at Mrs. Stewart's home. Mrs. Stewart is living In Gettysburg yet and Mr. Crooks will visit at her home while attending the semi-centennial observance of the battle. From the time Crooks saw Simpson disappear down the Chambersburg pike on the first day of the great battle he never saw him again for 43 years, for after the amputation of his leg Crooks was discharged and Simpson served on through the war and after the end of the conflict they settled in different cities. Soon after coming to Albany to live with his son, H. M. Crooks, president of Albany College. Mr. Crooks beard that Mr. Simpson was living near Salem, and after some correspondence they met in SaVm at the State Fair seven years ago. - Since then they have held a reunion each year at the Oregon State Fair and next week they will walk down Chambersburg pike to gether and endeavor to find the exact place where they parted half a century ago. Assuan Dam May Be Harnessed. CAIRO, June 28. (Special.) It Is re ported as highly . probable that a pro ject for the utilization of waterpower from the Assuan Dam will be embarked upon at- the end' of the year. FIVE PER CENT OF CITIZENS OF COTTAGE GROVE SEPTUAGENARIANS Well-Known Bohemia Mining District, Which. Is 35 Miles Southeast in Calapooia Mountains, in Last rive Years Has Produced $700,000 in Tree Gold and Much Silver, Copper and Zinc. ''- -t B ! t - ' I Y' C"4 fAwi-tf? Ec?'o7 Co??3$rg 27-?ys BY ALFRED POWERS. COTTAGE GROVE, Or, June 28. (Special.) Cottage Grove is noted for the longevity of Its citizens. More than a twentieth part of its population has passed the three-score-and-f lve mark. . Elbert Bede. editor of the Cottage Grove Sentinel, recently began a col lection of the photographs of all resi dents over 65, and already in this-remarkable . gallery '-there are. 125 pic tures, with 50 yet to be taken, of "gray-haired boys and girls," many 70 and 80 years old, and one 93. Health and , long life, however, though surely sufficient provocation for a town, have not alone made Cot tage Grove the second town in Lane County, a lively country village of 2500 Inhabitants, but to health has been added wealth in manifold forms min ing, lumbering, farming, f rult-ralslng, dairying and stock-raising. Practical ly every resource of the state is rep resented in the district adjacent and tributary to Cottage Grove. The town has every economic reason ' for exist ence and growth. It has the advantage, also, of not being embarrassed by the proximity of other towns. Eugene is 20 miles to the north and Roseburg Is 60 miles to the south. MlnlnV Close At Hand. Cottage "Grove is the only gateway of the well-known Bohemia mining district, 35 miles southeast in the Cala pooia Mountains, a region from which during, the last five years 1700,000 in free gold has been taken, and which also produces much silver, copper, lead and zinc The Black Butte Quicksilver Mines, located 18 miles southeast of Cottage Grove, its nearest railroad station. Is the one important mercury mine that has been developed on the Pacific Coast. The crest of a ridge which attains an elevation of 1750 feet, has massive outcroppings continuously for a distance of 7500 feet, and speci mens of ores run from 30 to 70 per cent mercury. Four miles northwest of town large deposits of mineral paint have been discovered. In and around Cottage Grove there are 81 sawmills with an aggregate pay roll of . 850.000 monthly, while 200,000 acres of' standing timber are tributary to the town. Creamery Output Large. The Cottage Grove' Creamery, owned and operated by R. S. Trask, made 10, 000 pounds of butter in May. The creamery has 130 patrons whose com bined monthly checks amounted to more than 82000 last month. The im portance of dairying in this section is shown by the fact that one man's monthly check frequently amounts to 8300. The 8100-cow,' the cow that produces $100 worth of butter a year, formerly regarded as a. sideshow marvel, now can be found in almost every pasture. There are several cows around Cottage Grove that produce $12 worth of but ter a month. The celebrated Lorane country Is to Cottage Grove what Pleasant Hill la to Eugene. It is '10 miles west of town and Is drained by a branch of the Siuslaw- River. - The valley is six miles r Xiv rJi. . , lsm? v -V' " tSk,ifc .: : . .VS. I -4fi6 3 ; ; ; si:xr2ST' long and from one to two miles wide, with a. minimum elevation-of 800 feet. Here are sawmills, two cheese factor ies, - and Union High School No. 2, of Lane County. Large tracts have been planted to orchards, one pear and apple orchard containing 1000 acres. Sheep, horse, hog and cattle-raising, as well as. general farming, are still exten sively carried on, though orcharding gradually is encroaching on these in dustries. Town Has Many Enterprises. Cottage Grove has all the ordinary enterprises of a town, . some in dupli cate, some in numbers two banks, two newspapers, two furniture stores, four hotels, five livery stables, a moving-picture show but Cottage Grove has reached a stage where considerable space is required for an enumeration of all its shops. Two places it has with more-than local reputations: the Armstrong Studio and The Cottage Grove Sentinel. - If one hasn't time to visit Row River, Silk Creek, the Coast Fork, Lorane, Mosby Creek, or Bohemia, it is a de lightful compromise to go Into Mr. Armstrong's studio, there to find in thousands and literally tens of thou sands of pictures an almost infinite pan orama of the Cottage Grove count rv people, mills, mines, farms, cattle, sheep. hogs, orchards, hills, rivers," roads and forests. Mr. Armstrong has lived a long time at Cottage Grove and he has lov ingly and thoroughly explored It with his camera. And who that has heard 'of Cottage Grove has not heard of The Cottage Grove Seutinel, edited by Elbert Bede? Mr Bede yes, he bane from Minnesota speaks remlniscently of his career leading up to work at. Cottage Grove. He first set pi In his father's print shop in Duluth, Minn., ' and tells of the first week's work of six sticks for which he demanded $1 a stick, but compromised on $1 with instructions to buy himself and brother a new hat. His name first appeared as editor at 16 years of age on "Fine Poker" at Pine City. Minn. He had a varied ex- perience on Minnesota weeklies and dailies before coming to Oregon two years ago. He Is the only editor of a country weekly on the board of visi tors of the School of Journalism. He is 32 years old and In appearance his width might with advantage - borrow from his height. In a single year's time, with Mr. Bede as editor. The Sentinel, born anew from the old paper of that name and steadily keeping its rejuvenescence, haa come to be locally and generally re garded as one of the-best, .if not the best of country weeklies in the state,