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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 1918)
-THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JUNE 23, 1918. 9 THE LAST OF THE CALIPOOIAS, A WHITE- SOULED REDMAN; PASSES AWAY FROM, EARTH Burial Placa Is Near Spot Where Stood Tepee in. Which He Was Born, WTtich Overlooks the Beautiful Scott's Valley, Three Miles East of Yoncalla. 'fs If' f I Jq&hpjZ. i?,z fftt : wV fS fiefart X?&coref on APocA: 1 BT R. A. BOOTH. THE skin of Jake Fern was a bit coppery, for he was a red man, but he left a clean record. H's white soul stole quietly away in the beautiful May imonth Just passed and joined his tribe!- in the happy hunting ground a future home existent in the belief of the American Indians. He was a fine specimen of physical manhood; he stood nearly six feet tall, broad shouldered, a fine face and an open countenance. No one was ashamed to be known as his friend. He believed he had lived to be more than 80 years old, but this ia. probably beyond his actual age. With his passing went the last op portunity to hear the tales of early In dian life, as it was known among the Calapooias, for he was the last of the tribe. He lived in the Yoncalla coun try, in Douglas County. The tepee where he was born overlooked the beautiful Scott's Valley, lying three miles east of the town' of Yoncalla. His burial place is near there on the culminating point of an oak and fir covered ridge that commands a splen did view of the hills and valleys where his people lived. The great white oak that marks the tribal council ground of his and other tribes stands Just to- the east, and equally distant to the west wind the murmuring waters of Elk Creek, that seem plaintive since Jake slipped away. It is not so much that there is one less living in the old neighborhood that makes the surroundings seem strangely weird and lonely, but because there is no longer a representative of a tribe that can never be reproduced. All that tt means cannot easily be expressed and can be felt only by those who in the early 40s became settlers in the Yoncalla Valley and its environs, and there became the neighbors of the primitive people and finally the succes sors in interest of the valley, hill and streams that furnished their . food, lothing and home. Spot Will Seem Sacred. When I ride this ridge again as I have done a thousand times I may not check my saddle-horse at the burial ground of my Indian friends. There will be nothing but loneliness there ' and I could only think of the close kinship of these people to nature and of the last adieu of the Calapooias. I won't expect to find the cheery lark or the chirping robin there and I will not want to listen to the native grouse or pheasant, for the one will hoot mournfully and the other's ' muffled drumming will be too much in keeping with the surroundings of the spot that will seem sacred to me. Of course, the crowsfeet and the lamb's tongue will bloom there Just as before, but I will not be there to gather flowers. More likely I would be listening for the voice of a departed people and natu rally then I would look ab-ve the mountain crest the silent burial place. I might see the eagle silently float ing away in the blue where I had so often seen him soar, and now he would seem ever encircling the pathway that marked the spirit flight of the good Calapooias as they successively fol lowed each other to their legendary an cestral home. To the limit of his understanding Jake played his part well and there was seldom a complaint. He treated his neighbors well and was respected by them. He was welcome at their tables and often chatted at their firesides. Ha wife died two years ago. She was an Umpqua. His only surviving child, a son, Samler, is therefore not a full blood of his father's tribe. Twelve children preceded Jake to the long rest ing place, so life was somewhat lonely for him during the past few years. Jake quite well understood the han dicap of his race, but he fondly cher ished their memory, and to some of his intimate and trusted friends he would speak freely of their customs, beliefs and traditions. Famllr Name Was "Fern." When the early settlers inquired his father's name the sire answered "Cam-a-phee-ma," but the word, not being readily spoken or understood by tne white brother, the red man gathered a fern and, extending it on his hand, re peated the name "Cam-a-phee-ma." From this incident "Fern" became the family name. Jake's father was the chief of the tribe. He was a stalwart Iudian, but, like the white man. was not without his troubles. It is related of him that when the first settlers came to the Calapooias' country that he had three wives, but soon a white man induced one of them to desert the chief for a paleface. This trouble was soon trebled, for the other two soon went away, but after a time returned. Dur ing their absence a white brother in quired as to the wives, but tne chief answered: "Halo klootchman" mean ing no wife. This gave a new name to the chief, who afterwards was known as "Halo." This chief and his family were not included with the Indians who were compelled to go to the reser vations in the late '40s. Halo lived continuously In his loved country and there he was buried. An agent of the Government ac companied by soldiers came to move the few Calapooias then remaining off the reservations and after feast and protracted conference tcld Halo that ho and his people must go. The prom ise, of houses, stock, implements and many blankets Induced all but Halo to give up their land and habits, but the resolute chief demurred. He claimed the right to remain where his ances tors had lived and there he stayed. When he said: "Nika wake kla,tiwa" (I will riot go), and repeated it with emphasis the agent said: "Then I must kill you." Death Threats Do Mot Daunt. The Indian was undaunted. He pre ferred to die.. there and be buried by his fathers and so informed Mr. Agent. Baring his breast to the pistol pointed at him, be said; "Shoot, I'm no coward 1 it 7'SAl and not afraid to die shoot! I will die here and be buried with my people who have lived here since the hills were fiist covered with grass. I do not hate the white man and have been at peace with him. I did not expect to die by his hands. I cannot overcome you for white men are as many as trees on the hills. Maybe the white man can do better than my people; I can do no more. But here I will live or die. I will talk no more. Shoot now, don't be a coward. You wait too long." There he remained with his family there they lived and from there were gathered to their fathers. It has been about a year since Jake and 1 had our last visit and being "klose tilicums" there was "hl-u wa-wa." He told me much that re lated to his people and something of tNeir customs and beliefs. We were sitting at the old council ground, un der the spreading white oak. He re lated how for many . years, as the acorns matured, it had been a custom to meet there for general counsel. The women and children gathered and pre paied the acorns for Winter use, while others trapped the trout and speared the salmon. And the deer, he said. wete as plentiful as the numerous cat tle that were then feeding about us. The deer were timid but not wild. They were neverpurposely frightened. n was tnererore easy to stalk within 10 to 20 steps of them and from this short distance the arrow was .swiftly sent on its silent, deadly mission. The game birds and rabbits were taken by si. a re and not infrequently the bear and cougar furnished meat and cloth- li g. Grizzly, Killed With Arronn. ' Once upon a time Jake's" grandfather crme suddenly upon a grizzly. Neither the Indian or the bear was disposed to give ground. The Indian was out for a hunt and his bow was strong and his qtiver full of arrows. Quickly aim was taken at the heart and with all the power that rigid, trained muscles could give it struck and pierced a rib. The beast sought the Indian and the Indian sought a tree. Around the base of a huge fir the bear chased the In dian, or the Indian chased the bear.levil approached from the East ior eacn weni in tne same direction each pursuing the other. The bear would stop to tug at the broken arrow and at eacii touch the arrow point tore anew at h;s lungs. During the race arrow after arrow was sent into the bear until finally exhausted it gave up pursuit and fell a few rods from the spot where the first arrow had struck i'. The Calapooias' code of conduct was untiringly taught by the father to the children. It was a custom, religiously enforced, for the father to sit each morning with his children about him. preferably in a circle, and instruct them in all that pertained to their conduct. Parental authority was ex ercised as long as the child domiciled at the parental tepee. Lying and stealing were particularly detested. FABRICATED TOYS ARE LATEST FOR CHILD OF TENDER YEARS Horses, Cows, Elephants, Zebras All of Them Are to Be Had by Putting - Together Odd Pieces of Wood. CHILD CAN .MAKE OWN TOYS. N OT long ago the first fabricated ship, launched with honors at one of the' big new shipyards. was acclaimed as an achievement of something that had hitherto been re garded as an impossibility. And now here are fabricated toys for the youngsters! Toys, not manufactured all in one piece at one place, but made up of many separate parts gathered together, if you please from all about the nurs Punishment was severe for violation of the rules that were recognized as right. For instance, if theft' was com mitted the offender was reprimanded severely by selectmen of the village and If persisted in two men were as signed to the task of execution. One would pinion the gulty one with his arms and the other would send a blade to his heart. Marriage was considered proper after 12 or 14 years of age and the families were generally large. True Rellsloa Is Held. Future reward was universally be lieved to be certain to all good Indians, but there seemed some uncertainty as to the fate of the liar or thief. - It's worth while to remember that the Calapooias believed it was necessary to build a character worthy of exist ence if it persisted after death. ' Save in the memory of the living ac quaintances there Is but little by which the Calapooias or other Umpqua tribes can be known. But the Indians are not the only ones to pass on. Soon the scroll of the early times and prim itive inhabitants as we have known them in the West will be rolled to gether. Our hope is that when the summons come each will have some thing built in his character that may be worthy of a continued existence. A monument left by the Calapooias has been of much local interest, though little has been known of its real mean ing. It is a sandstone upon which is carved many Indian marks or hiero glyphics. Frequently Jake and other Indians have been asked for some ex planation, but the answer persisted in has been that it was Indian talk and did not concern the white man. In the talk of a year ago Jake gave me the legend. He stated that it was the first time that he had ever related it and he was much excited when the story was finished. Nothing but a long friend ship Justified the recital, Jake thought, but as the old men would soon pass on we would leave the story to our boys. It was like this: A long time ago, when time was counted by the thou sands of years, it being so long in the distance, the good and the evil per sisted in conflict even. as now. The Indians who had a code of honor that impelled respect for others' rights; whose standard of right compelled him to receive what he was willing to give; to share with his tribe the necessities of life and who had observed these rules of conduct and under all circum stances taught them to their children, represented the good. The Indians who were Indifferent to high standards of conduct and who were trespassers on others' rights and suited their ac tions to shifting whims, represented the bad. Carved Rock Marks Miracle Spot. The final struggle for supremacy was determined on the ground where the carved rock stands and here good, through the influence of the Great Father Spirit, overcame evil. The Cal apooias and their friends were left the guardians of-right and ever after have tried to keep the faith. The hosts of They were myriads. They nad gathered from near and from afar to attack the known champions of right. The evil invaders so far exceeded the local standard bearers of good that there seemed little use of a struggle in ordi nary battle. But the Great Spirit that ruled had taught them the rules of right and mads their hearts strong to defend them. Their observance had kept peace and brought plenty. It were better for the believers In the good to perish than to be overcome of evil. So the struggle was on to the death. The scene was Just east of Yoncalla. about two and one-half miles. The exact meeting place was on the low ridge that connects the high moun tains with the lower hills. The great chief of all the good tribes led, bravely. ery and fabricated into most delightful birdies and beasties bound to thrill chilaiart souls. Horses, cows, elephants, zebras, the long-necked giraffe, the dignified os trich all of them are to be had by putting together the odd bits of wood which ifc ta so fascinating to fit to gether. Tails, ears, legs may be added as imagination and fancy dictate and there is great opportunity for the youngster to use his artistic and -creative skill. his followers, believing- it impossible for them to be overcome. He was In the van of his people as he reached the summit of the connecting ridge and here his eyes were mysteriously opened wide that he might see and comprehend the power of evil and the numberless people that fought for it. The weapon in the hands of the greatly inferior number that supported him was of no avail. If evil won, the record would be written on the scalps of the good. The bow and the battle-as dropped by his side and his hands ex tended to heaven in supplication to the father of the good. The prayer was answered. The great chieftain became of great size and stat ure, while before his face the evil ones were turned to coyotes and then quickly to broken stones. Enough of the stones are still there to prove the legend, but through pity "the ground has covered the most of them. The great chief became as a screech owl, the holiest thing of all, and there was placed the great rock to mark forever the fall of evil, the triumph of good. The Calapooias made the record on the great stones and became Its guardians. Jake was a true son of the tribe. Peace to his ashes! Engineers in France Glad to Get Forestry Paper. .Slx-Twenty-Slx Appreciated. Writes Kranlc Llsatfoot to A. tt. Jacluoa. THERE is one link that binds the many men in the forest service to their old haunts in the states and to the Portland headquartera of the dis trict. Practically every man who writes back from France comments warmly on the "six-twenty-six," the mimeographed news of the forest service, which is published by A. Q. Jackson, of the United otates District Forest Office in Portland. Frank Lightfoot, formerly a fire guard on the Sluslaw forest, how with the 20th Engineers in France, writes a letter to Mr. Jackson thanking him for the news of home and the Western forests which he finds in that paper. His letter gives a very good idea of the work which American foresters are doing in France. "1 Just returned a few days ago from my furlough," he writes. "Spent a week in one of the most famous Sum mer resorts in the world Aix-les-Balns, Savoie, France. "By the time this letter reaches you we will have our service stripe (one for every six months' service). All will not get them, however; Just those within the war zone, which we are lucky enough to be In. "I will try and tell something about our work here. We have done extremely well considering conditions. When we came td this place there wasn't even a camp ready for us. We arrived late one night; marched a half mile through the dark and rain, carrying heavy packs, barracks bags and uns. The second morning following we went to the woods to work, and have been very busy since, excepting Christmas and Sundays, cutting brush and cordwood and posts for barb wire entangle ments, falling timber, cutting and hewing railroad ties, and building narrow-gauge railroads Into the forest. with branch spurs extending from the main track Into different parts of the forest. All the material is hauled over this track to the road and loaded on auto trucks and hauled to the rail road two and one-half miles away. "I have charge of building the rail roads at present; also of some of the other work when not busy building railroads, we .have a tie mill runninrr night and day now and expect to have a mill ready to saw large logs .in an other two weeks. By large logs, are eant those about two or three feet In diameter. Occasionally one is found measuring nearly four feet at the butt. but it tapers off very fast. Oak is the prevalent timber, but there is auite a lot of beech also. "This forest has been cut over a great many times (about every 18 or -0 years), but always on the reserve plan. They mark the trees that are not to be cut. ' The brush and trees that are cut sprout up again in a year or two and soon grow large enough for firewood. In fact, most of this forest is covered with a dense undergrowth of brush and small saplings. The small brush Is cut and bound in bundles about a foot in diameter and six and one-half feet long. It Is used both for fuel and for artillery roads over swampy ground. Last W inter we stayed in a lares stone building in a small town and walked two and one-half miles to work. We had two weeks of snow about five Inches and some cold weather one day as low as IS degrees below zero. That was the worst hardship we have experienced. When the snow melted our feet were wet and cold every day; later we got rubber boots. The weather 11 the way through has been verv similar to Western Oregon. ' Now we are camped in a field at the edge of tne lorest, just above a canal an ideal camp site." ITALIAN FR0NJ INSPECTED General Crozier Passes Week Ob serving Military Centers. HEADQUARTERS ITALIAN ARMY, June 1. General Crozier. of the Amer ican ordnance department and member of the advisory war board, has spent a week of observation along the Italian front -and at the various large cen ters where artillery and munitions are produced Besides seeing General Diaz and the Duke of Aosta. he visited a number of the corps and division commanders along the mountain and Piave fronts, going into the trenches and among the men, discussing the many questions of equipment and supplies and specially observing the resources in guns. His impressions on the general conditio i of affairs were entirely favorable. The production of artillery in Italy has been greatly Intensified within re cent months and the present equipment of light, field and heavy guns is prob ably as good or better now than it was before the reverse of last Fall. The great Industrial plants of Genoa and Milan have doubled and quadrupled their output in guns, trench mortars, rifles and machine guns, the produc tion of mortars Increasing seven-fold during the year. Similar extensive development has been going on in the production of mines and armor for naval construc tion and in the output of airplanes, 90 establishments being now equipped to turn out complete airplanes. Y. M. C. A. IS IN HAWAII Activities Will Soon Be Exetndcd to All Forts and Army Posts. HONOLULU. T. H., June 10 Army and Navy Y. M. C. A. activities will soon be extended to all forts and Army posts on the Island of Oahu. An ap propriation has been granted by the Central Council for the purpose and sites have been selected for com munity houoses at Fort Kamehameha and Schofleld Barracks. Three Y. M. C. A. secretaries will be stationed at each building. They are: F. R-. Dudley, from Fort Rosecrans; F. H. Blesse, who had charge of athletic work at Camp Kear ney, and C. L. Glenn, also from Camp Kerny. The Army and Navy Y. M. C. A. now possesses as its home in Honolulu the Old Royal Hawaiian Hotel, a $200,000 building, where the soldiers, sailors and marines of Uncle Sara are made at home and provided with recreation. 11 ji I " JMIIMIb lliffl Iwailll wnWffl 1 . DEAR FRIENDS: My letters are written to you from one to two weeks before they are printed, so I cannot know what the weather will be whenayou read what I write. We had such lovely weather early in the sea son that many gardeners, especially our inexperienced war - gardeners, planted much eff their garden too early. Then that long, cold, wet spell came on. stunted many vegetables that were nicely started and gave all our gar dens a decided setback. Aphis devel oped on our rosebushes, peas. etc.. and became a fearful pest in the country, where they did thousands of dollars worth of damage to fine grain crops. one grower getting 12 bar eels of aphis off one field In fighting them. Then it came off Summer all at once and our plants were so delicate with the cool, wet weather that the hot sun was very hard on them. We have cul tivated them carefully, over and over, and have been looking day by day for that "good soaking rain which is promised us by the wise ones, before the usual dry Summer weather sets in. While we are troubled about our war gardens, let us not forget that the hot. dry weather is death to the aphis and is rapidly cleaning them up on the farms, so it will Increase the food pro duction of our section even if our gar dens do not do bo well. But If rain does not come soon, we can begin to water our garden, and should do so. So today we will discuss the best method of doing this, which is not sprinkling with the hose, but Irri gation, which is a very different thing. Irrigation In General. Irrigation "the operation of causing vater to flow over lands for nourishing plants" had its origin in prehistoric times. It was practiced extensively In Egypt 2000 years before Christ (just think back to people irrigating their gardens 4000 years ago!) and great systems of canals and artificial lakes were formed for this purpose In the great original locations of the human race in Mesopotamia. Persia, India, China, etc. and they still exist in use in all these countries which have not entirely lost their ancient prosperity; later It was, and Is. very extensively practiced in Southern Europe, particu larly by the Romans. I have myself seen irrigation canals in Mexico over 300 years old. In the United States it is used mainly In the South in irrigat ing the rice fields and in the West for general watering and "reclaiming" of lands that had been called arid and worthless for agricultural purposes. In Colorado, Utah and Southern Cali fornia hundreds of miles of canals and ditches have been constructed in ad dition to the mining flumes used for irrigation purposes, and as a result wide tracts of desert have be-n turned into a productive farming country. It is very Important also In Kansas, where the water Is obtained largely from artesian wells, and in Arizona, where we have all read of the wonder ful Roosevelt dam, and in other im mense projects in the West. Our State Engineer says that the water resources of Oregon are perhaps greater than that of any other state in the Union on account of our im mense snow-capped mountains with their steep sides and fertile valleys below, and the great precipitation from the ocean on he coast and in the coast range, the greatest amount of water falling at Glenora (135.3 Inches annu ally) of any place in the United States. Portland has an average of 45.1 inohes of rainfall annually, but only about three inches of this falls In Summer, so that irrigation is very beneficial here at that time, as in all the Willam ette Valley. At presenX. less than 5 per cent of this section has provision for irrigation on its farms and gar dens. The Rogue River and Umpqua valleys have between one-quarter and one-half of their cultivated land Irri gated; Central and Northeastern Ore gon a little more, except ' Hood River a:id Harney counties, where one-half to three-quarters of the farms are irri gated, and Lane and Malheur counties, i . the extreme southeastern part, have three-quarters to nine-tenths of their farms irrigated. If your garden Is generally level you can run one small main ditch and opening off from It four or five small ditches which run down parallel like the tines of a fork. When you are watering small vegetables growing near together, one little trench down between two rows is sufficient if the water moves down slowly and sinks in the soil. But for larger plants farther apart, you get more direct use of the water when you run two little trenches, one near each row of veget ables. If your ground is quite sloping you can put dirt obstructions every little ways, or run your ditches wind ing back and forth across the row. Always have your ditches made be fore you turn on the water and stay right by them to guide the water and see that it does not break through overflow, etc., and to plug up mole, etc., holes, if it gets to running down them. Irrigation of War Gardens. While talkers and writers of all de grees of information and experience have been united all this Spring In ad vising and urging against watering your garden with a sprinkling hose, that does not Imply that proper water ing by irrigation during the heat and drouth of Summer is not desirable. It is very handy to have the hose to use in this way, as it is so easily carried to every part of the garden, applying the water Just when and where desired and only applying It. In desired quan tity. This latter is very important. Never allow the hose to run water full force, with the water rushing, but shut it off to a small stream that will sink into the ground and creep forward gradually. Never try to water much of the gar den at a time. Irrigate your peas one afternoon thoroughly. Make your lit tle trenches and let the water soak in by each row and spread around by ab sorption all night, and surely hoe them the next morning as soon as the ground is dry enough so it don't stick to the hoe. leaving the surface rough and loose. That afternoon irrigate your let tuce and radishes; let the water sink in as before and hoe in the morning. Never irrigate more at a time than you are sure you will have time to hoe carefully the next day. Your garden might far better not be irrigated at all than left for a crust to form over the ground, as this cuts off the air supply and chokes the plants to death. Just as it gives the sun a chance to pull out every bit of moisture that is stored away in the soil. When you stir the soil you protect this by your dust mulch, which acts like a soft blanket spread over the moist soil, letting in the air, but keeping out the heat of the sun on one side, and the moisture of the soil on the other. All plants take the nourishment from the soil which makes them grow by means of their roots, and the roots can only take "liquid nourishment." Every element entering into plant food must be dissolved in water before the plant can drink it in. These mineral salts are then taken into the circulating sys tem of the plant, and the excess water given off by the leaves When you water the leaves of a plant you do not give the plant nourishment. You might as well turn your hose on a thirsty man who begged you for a drink. The roots of small plants naturally go down six to eight Inches in the ground, and larger plants, like pota toes, go down one and a half to two feet In search of nourishment, so in applying water It must be applied In sufficient quantity to penetrate down where the tiny end rootlets, which suck up the moisture, are. After you have irrigated, dig down before you hoe and see how far down your water has gone. It will all depend on two things: what kind of soil you have and equally as much on how carefully you prepared your seed bed last Spring before you planted any of your garden. If you left it lumpy and unevenly worked below the surface, .or if your soil is clayey, you will need more wa ter to wet it down. A sandy or grav elly soil lets the water right through. Dut aoes not hold It. The Ideal soil is a soft, evenly-prepared loam, where there is sufficient vegetable matter, or "humus" in the soil to suck ud the water like a sponge and hold tt. That Is one great reason why manure is used, grass and all vegetable matter should be plowed under, etc. By ex periment with your soil as you have it now you will learn what is best to do this year, but remember about this in preparing your ground for next year. In watering your gardens do not use the hose in sprinkling, and do not let the water overflow your little ditches and flood the surface soil. Do not let the water run rapidly (as has been said), as it makes a hard, im pervious bottom layer, puddling the ground as you used to do for mud pies, and the rest of the water flows over this without sinking in. Changeyour channel if this happens. On the other hand, do not soak your ground so that water stands around the roots of your plants, as this smothers them. They must have air as well as food. Just like yourself. They should be irrigated at long Intervals, when the leaves begin to wither. some plants never more than once. Our county agriculturist says he would never irrigate corn at all here, and potatoes only as they first come into blossom, when the potatoes are setting. If you irrigate them later they start a second growth. Last year's rain in September made the knobs on our potatoes and damaged the crop 50 per cent. He says that "in even our poorest soil there is plenty of plant food available if we use plenty of work to get it out." Do Not Sprinkle the Garden. Do not sprinkle your garden with the hose for the following reasons: First, it puddles the surface of the ground; rain does not do this so much because the air is humid for some time and evaporation is not so fast; however, the ground should always be stirred all over the garden after every rain. Second, you get practically no moisture to where the plants can use it. because you cannot put on enough that way to wet the ground down any depth. Third, applying water at the surface brings the roots of the plants up in search of it, when they should be growing down deeply. and always stunts the growth of the plant. Fourth, sprinkling scalds the plants and checks them In growth, particularly when ap plied in hot, sunny weather. We must remember that our city water comes from the melting snows of Mount Hood, and when applied directly to delicate plants in the heat of the day it acts Just like a frost. I saw a fine crop of tomatoes ruined this way, and peppers, cucumbers and other vines must al ways have their water warmed, as it is. by the warm soil. In irrigation. The only helpful use of the hose in spiinkling is in washing off the dust from the leaves If they become coated with It. Then he water should be turned" on at night very lightly. Just washing the leaves and not wetting the ground more than necessary. To day we are ready to set out our celery plants that we started In our hotbed early In the Spring and nothing that we grow in our war gardens has a closer relation to irrigation than cel ery, as it is one crop that does not come to perfection without an abund ance of water. GroTrlng Celery. All garden or field crops are divided into two classes, those whose seeds are sown where the plant It to grow; and those whose seeds must be planted under special conditions, such as seed beds, hotbeds or forcing houses. Cel ery Is always a seed-bed crop, and sometimes a hotbed or forcing house crop, according to the time when the grower wishes it to mature. It re quires a cool. rich, very moist soil, in excellent tilth, where surface tillage Is maintained throughout the whole season. Although good celery may be grown on high ground by means of extra care and attention, it usually grows best in rich, moist, bottom lands. Reclaimed marshes whose soil has been pulverized and fertilized are Ideal cel ery plots, because there the moisture Is sufflcie.it during the heat of Sum mer. The climate of nearly every sec tion of Oregon is suited to growing celery. It needs a long growing sea son, cool nights and no very hot or very cold weather, so that the climate rieht here in Portland is generally Ideal for it. and Indeed. It Is largely grown around here, the picture of the fine field of celery shown In an Oregon Agricultural College bulletin being trken In Beaverton. The local demand for celery far ex ceeds the supply and many carloads of It are Imported, so If we war-gar-dtnera raise our own celery we have the added satisfaction of knowing that w e nave relieved the car shortage Just that much and "used home products" as our Government asks us to do. Celery growing is more a matter of "knowing how" than an extra amount of labor. I will try to condense here fiom Oregon Agricultural College bull etins and other sources, very plain and specific directions for raising celery in our war gardens. Celery grows best In medium sandy loams, but very light sandy soil will not do, as It will not hold the mois ture. Bottom lands, muck soil, and particularly the rich "beaver dam" soil are especially suitable, but we can grow fine celery on our clay loam soils right here in the city. If our soil Is well drained, as most of it is. and we are very careful about cur irrigation. Celery cannot stand exposure to very hot sunlight and In exposed places In hot weather growers often shade the crop. The site of the bed should be selected with great care so as to pro tect it from hot or dry winds, and to make It convenient to water, as cel ery requires a great deal of moisture. The soil must be so finely prepared that It will hold moisture well, and only the strongest plants set (out in the garden. Setting Ont the Plants. In a prevous article the method of sewing the seed and caring for the young plants in the time of transplant ing was fully describe. The plants should have been transplanted once or twice (to change their natural tap root system Into a fibrous root), and their tops should have been sheared off to induce stocklness. Now select the very best and strongest plants which shcud be six to eight inches high and set them out very carefully some even ing, clipping off the ends of the roots. Set them preferably in cloudy or rainy weather if you can find such a time. Heve your rows 24 to 3 feet apart and sec your plants 6 inches apart in the row. Set them Just as you would strawberry plants, with the crown level with the surface of the soil. No trench method of setting should be employed. It is very important to compact the soil thoroughly about each plant as set out, and if you set them in a nearly square bed you can keep !t moist easier than by setting in one long row. Be very careful that your plants do not dry out in transplanting, and they should be well watered at this time, the best way being to pour water at the bottom of the hole, let it settle seme, put some dirt over it and set ths plants on top. covering witn dry dirt. Soon after transplanting Into the gaiden light cultivation should begin to keep up the dust mulch. Hoe care fully and pull all weeds near the plants by hand as it Is very Important that the roots of celery should not be dis turbed, and the soil may be stirred only at tho extreme end of the tiny rootlets, and if fertilizer is applied it must be placed at the same point. Make liny trenches or ditches between the rows and work in your fertilizer there Well-rotted stable manure Is one of the best fertilizers, but it muse " be well-rotted and worked into the soli. Unlearned wood ashes are also good. As celery needs potash and nitrogen, small applications of nitrate of soda are verv valuable for starting the piants at first and commercial fer tilizers ma be used later. In watering the crop great care must be taken to see that applications are made at the right time and In the prop er amount, which are both governed by the kind of soil you have. The plants must never lack moisture and yet they must never stand In a water logged soil. Thorough waterings must be given, preferably at long intervals, rather than shallow ones at frequent intervals. (This rule applies to wa tering all plants, as well as to celery.) Make little ditches close to a row of the plants and let the water run slowly down these, soaking Into the soil rather than running off. The soil must be wet down to the bottom of the roots, and you will be surprised, until you are used to it, to see how much water it takes to do this, and will then un derstand why sprinkling with the hose does so little good. Irrigating should be done at night and the water allowed all night to become absorbed. Then the next morning hoe the ground over lightly, covering the little trenches with dry soil, so the sun cannot draw the moisture up through them. Level cultivation must be used and no dirt thrown up against the plants. Organic soils will not need more than two or three irrigations during the whole season, but the lighter sandy loams will have to be irrigated oftener. You can Judge by the looks of the plants. Never irrigate unless you are sure they really need water. Incessant cultivation must be kept up all through the growing season, and some hand hoeing will be neces sary to kill weeds and . to break the soil crust around the plants. Some times there Is trouble with plants going to seed, which Is caused by some kind of a check in the growth of the plants, frost, crowding drought, etc., in the seed bed. After they are set in the field they should be carefully tended so that nothing shall hinder them from making a steady, vigorous growth. " The essentials to success in growing fine celery are a very rich, soil and plenty of water, but care should be taken that the plants are not disturbed when they are wet or the ground is damp, as to do so Increases the liability to injury from rust. Blanching Celery. In order to keep the stalks of celery white, some artificial means of shad ing it is used. Sometimes the dirt Is drawn up around the stalks, but that is not safe here, as it rots the plants when it is wet any length of time. Blanching with boards Is best for us. Boards a foot wide are usually used, of any length convenient. Rough boards, or any kind are used, and they can be pieced with cleats.- When your celery plants are aboht 14 inches high set up a row of these boards close up on each side of them. The boards should be almost vertical, two or three inches apart at the top and leaning toward each other very little. They should be set Just touching the base of the leaves and held together at tho top by wooden cleats or short pieces of lath tacked across the top every six feet or so. A little dirt should be thrown against the bottom to keep out the light. It will take 2 Vi to 3 weeks to blanch it. The White Plume should be a clean white, the Golden Self Blanching a light golden yellow when thoroughly blanched, and the plants should not be taken out until they aro free from their natural green color. All your celery should not be blanched, at one time, except In the late Fall. The boards can be taken down to see the condition of the plants, and they are ready for table use at any timej when blanched. Boarding is the sim plest and most economical method blanching and best for our climate, a the stalks shoot up in search of lig the leaves fill the spaces between km boards and exclude light from the stalks. Great care must be taken in warm, wet weather that the plants do not rot at the heart because of too great moisture, but that Is not likely to trouble us here. If you expect to raise celery every year, it will pay to buy good inch thick boards to use, that will not warp and crack. Celery is grown both as an early season and a late crop, depending on location. On higher lands (like most of our gardens) it is either an early or a succession crop, following early cabbages, lettuce or other short-season crops. On rich bottom lands it is a whole-season crop, as the land there Is too wet to be worked early in tho Spring. Some growers raise two or three crops of celery In a season from one plat, the later or main crop being" planted between the rows of the earlier crop. Celery may be set out here as late as the middle of August, if good plants are used, but the best results aro usually obtained from setting about the middle of June to first of July. Tho most desirable time depends on local climate, it being desired to bring tho plants to maturity during cool, moist weather. Where two crops are raised the first plants are set earlier than this, and the soil must aid to preserve the moisture wjiich Is natural to the) lower levels, but amateur gardeners will probably only try to raise one crop. The Xew Celery Culture. Celery is sometimes grown by what Is called the New Process, which cre ated quite a sensation, and books were written about it a few years ago. The process Is simply to make a nearly square plot of ground as rich as pos sible with fertilizer or well-rotted manure (fresh manure must never be used with celery), and then to set your plants In It only six or eight inches apart each way, so that as the plants grow they fill up all the space, ex cludes the light, and so blanch each other. If the soil is very rich, and there is abundance of water, the plants will blanch well and the product be very white and handsome, though some growers think it inferior in quality, but others do not. This is one case where the hose caa- be used freely to supply the necessary moisture, as the ground is so shaded by the leaves it cannot dry out. I want to write to you soon about dry farming, which seems to me even more important than irrigation, and about the care of different vege tables while they are growing, as well as saving seeds, etc. 'I wish you would write or telephone in a request for any special Information you want. Sincerely yours. l'OUK GARDEN NEIGHBOR.
