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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1908)
INVESTORS' AND HOMESEEKERS' EDITION SECOND SECTION jtuwimtg PUBLISHES rULt ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORT PAGES 9 TO 16 fff I 111 AAA, COVERS THE MORNING FIELD CN THE LOWER COLUMBIA 33rd YEAR, NO. 47 ASTORIA, OREGON, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23, 1908 Finest Baiiry Coumttiry PRICE FIFTEEN CENTS to tihe World ..... tr ' i ... ' z'Z& "" iVi.A'1 tS9;r MKADOWS LOOKING EAST FROM WARRENTON. 3 3 DAIRY FARM DR. BARR, CRAY'S RIVER. PIIOM a brief description of the physical features of thnt section of I Oregon lying on the south shore of the Coluiiihia ami near tho P oiflo Count the thoughtful reader w ill not fail to discern that conditions here are very favorable for the success of the live stock imlnsirv There are extensive range well covered with native grasses; there are well-watered valleys; there are large areas that can be put into pasture at a reasonable cost, ami there is a mild climate that enable stcck to roam in the ojien country during the winter months. In abort, every essential requisite for carrying on stock-raising with satisfactory results may be found in all parts of this district. The valleys of the Nehalem, Young's River and the Iwis and Clark in Clatsop county, equal any dairying lands in the world. Along me oroau valleys ol the last two rivers are a number of dairy farms which supply Astoria and the towns of the county with milk, cream and butter. Some of them have ordinary stock and some of them have fine tock,but they all find conditions most excellent for marketing their produce all the year round. Among the dairy farms having fine stock are the Clover Nook and tho Sunflower dairies, located on the east bank of the Lewis and Clark river, and owned by 0. I. Peterson, of Astoria. The ground stock of Clover Nook consists of fine registered Jerseys, while the ground stock of the Sunflower dairy consist of the famous Dutch Belted Cattle, the only stock of the kind in tho state, and one of three herds on the west coast. These have taken first prize at the county and state fairs and have aroused great interest because of their beauty and the amount of milk they furnish as compared with other stock. Sunflower dairy is aliout five miles from the center of Astoria. The Lewis and Clark River, deep enough for large ships, runs along one side of the farm, which consists of 164 acres, and the county road skirts the other side on the east. The farm is formed from the richest soil in the world that of tide land which has been dyked and drained and ia good for any purpose. It will raise any kind of vegetable, fruit or grain crop. Three crops of clover may be raised on it yearly and for pasturage purposes it is practically unsurpassed. It is perfectly level and has several natural snriiurs located in different parts of it, which may be used for keeping milk cool in cans . .. ... . ana lor watering the stock, although the river water is quite good for uio latter purpose, 'the grass is green on this soil all the year round and it grows thickly and rapidly, making very fine forage for dairy stock. Eighty head of cattle form the dairy stock of the farm anil they produce at a low estimate from 120 to 160 gallons of milk per day. The wholesale price of the milk in Astoria, because of the luck of more dairy farms, is 60 cents a gallon wholesale. The buildings on this dairy farm are the fiuest in Clatsop county. The residence would do credit to a man of means in a large city and tho barn, which is quite new, is one of the largest on the coast. The upper portion easily holds 100 tons of hay. It is 140 feet long by 80 feet wide and has Btanchions for 75 head of cattle. Tho latest patent devices for keeping the stock in the stalls, where they lock themselves in, are in evidence in au parts or the lower floor. Two large silos for green feed stand in the center of thn lar h- A machine shop, improved devices for separating cream and bottling ' anJ n iwi everything that modern ingenuity could devise for the convenience of such a great dairy as this, are installed in every position where it will do the most good and save labor. A. C. Miller is manager of the farm, his assistant beinir Harrv Spicer. With t.hn other men the big dairy is run like a huge machine, its modern improve- menw maKing this possible. This dairy is the best sample of what may be done in this line in the valleys of Clatsop county. It combines beauty with convenient utilities, both artificial and natural. Beautiful shade trees spread their .' IT .; ... ;'4 t hi i SCENE ON JEFFERS' BROS. DAIRY FARM, LEWIS & CLARK. waving boughs over grassy lawns, in a large park which is set aside from the active portion of the farm. Two substantial bridges span smnii streams which pass through the park. The view from the sul stantial county road, the approach to the dairy farm, and the splendid view on enterting the grounds invariably causes exclamations of delight and enthusism on the part of the visitors. Another feature of this farm is its historic associations. It is almost directly opposite the spot on the river where Captains Lewis and Clark camped for a winter over 100 years airo. These fnmmia or. plorers passed over this farm on numerous occasions and probably never imagined that it would eventually be the beautiful dairv farm that it now is. Land values along this famous stretch of "bottoms." - f VMVll for many miles along both sides of the river, are amazingly low. ' But, they will not remain that way long, when the county is filled with new comers anxious to enjoy a share in the general prosperity and richness of this section. The lands may be had at nresent tnr a tenth nf thdm m ----- v m i- auwU actual value, which will be realized within a very few years. The bottoms along Young's River are also very productive and good for dairying, trucking and fruit-growing. Corn may be raised for stock and this has been proved during the cast summer, when both the Lewis and Clark and Young's River bottoms, have produced ji fine quality of forage of this kind in spite of the mat moisture: Which -n. ables three crops to be grown during a season. Other parts of the county are excellent for dairvinsr ' Prrvlnetji nt the dairy farm are in excessive demand and as the towns and cities grow the demand will be that much greater. .There will always be a big market, in fact, for all produce raised in the soil n.l nrnrlnotinn. J- - vn from stock. As the production arrows the DODuktion will irmw although the prospects are that the population will easily keep ahead in the race. The range days for stock have passed and stock-farm'mff ia Hip mnst profitabe investment of the modern farmer. Conditions in nd nrmmd Clatsop are open for stock-farming of a superior kind and the natural advantages are unsurpassed in the west. In other localities stncWn are constantly anxious about the maladies thatrom time to time attack their animals. Disease germs are in the air and epidemics are likely ta break out at any time. Nothine of the kind is vet in Oivsmn nfl the strenuous regulations enforced by the state government, to preserve mese neaitny sanitary conditions, it is very unlikely that any disease peculiar to stock will gain a foothold. The low is unfavorable to the propagation of disease germs and annoying animal pests. 7 But favorable as the conditions are for the raising of stock in Oregon state, the latter does not yet produce the stock necessary for local demands. Oregon markets will be looked to for all time to come to supply demands in Alaska and the Orient. There is not likely to be a time when the beef, pork, mutton and dairy products of th will fail to find a ready sale at remunerative prices, and there can hardly be placed a limit to the number of opportunities for inaugurat ing a siocK-growmg enterprise; nor to the possibilities to which such an enterprise may be developed. The prediction that Oregon would in time become a ereat dairvin state, made some years ago. is proving true. While the industry has had a steady, if not rapid growth, in the years gone by, the past biennial period, and especially this year, has seen a remarkable increase in the products of the dairy. Some of the dairies which heretofore have Ann a large business, report this year that they have increased their hiisinmsi by from 60 to 70 per cent, while the dairyman, the one who produces the milk, has had an unusually profitable season. The market has been firm and the prices paid have been higher by considerable than in any