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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1881)
Lr r 15 P y I! i J t rl Willamette farmeri Portland, oreoon, February i, lsal. good enough to almost constitnto a county of Itself, bonif titno in tho near future a railroad wiU'romi tlili hidden valley to crojs the moun tains. A wagon road will soon bo constructed for a cattlo trail is already modo. Tlii.i ro gion will lie a favorite ummcr resort for tlio fututc, and it is very probablo it contains sorao of tlie wonderful medicinal springs that ito aiiuueiant among tno mountains in Oregon. Wo havo described one ainglo fenturo of this foot-hill region, with which wo happen to ho acquainted, and the valley beyond It, hidden away among towering ranges, as a specimen of tho lands that surround tno Willanietto Vul loy on urcry side, and tho smaller valleys that ncstlo among tho range, Tho time v lit coino when immigration will push in and oc cupy all thesa lands, and when wo recollect that they border on n truly civiliicd and high ly culthatcd community, and arc, after all, not far from market, tho question arises, if thcra is not great Inducement to occupy them now, Tho people who teem to appreciate them tho best aro German ami Scandinavians. Theso foot-hi'l benches and valloys aro free to pro-empt a homestead, whrro not already settled upon, and w hero they full within tlio railroad grant au ollcrcd forsaloatlcasounhla iirico mid very c.aiy terms, as wo have stated t is doubtless true that a gnat extent of country that is clawed as mountainous, will La found well worth settlement, txcliuiatiou ami cultivation. Tlio piece of laud wo doi cribed so accurately wo purchased of tho rail roal company, which probably has many locations of equal valuo for sale. Tho samo is no doubt true of t o laud grant on tho line of tho Northern I'aiiflc ra Iroad from Kalami on tho Columbia lo Tacoma on l'ugct Sound, CATTLE IN OREGON. Historical Sketch and Account of tha CattlsJ Business at th Present Tim. I1V THOMAS. CIIU-M, or MALMI. Mr. Cros lias'becu a famous cattle breeder mil stock raiser in his time, and wo givo his viows w ith pleasure, but ho certainly cannot bo correct in his atsortiun tint cattlo breeders East of tho Mountains buy no impruv cd stock. We have fifriid there who own gieat birds and lake great euro to improve them. Hut Mr, Cross' statement may be, and no doubt is truo of tho great mass of stock men. It is true, as ho says, that the cattlo aro decreas ing in number and tho range is deteriorating also. As tho bunch gross is eat down more and gets shorter, cattlo lind it ditllcull to feed wheto lioth hursts and sheep do well. Alto, when hard Winters cnme.horscs and sheen naw away tho snow and do well whvro cattlo will die. This wiought a gradual change in thu uusmess in siock raising; ncnls ol nurses ami sheep incrcaso and cattle are driven otr in im mune bauds to 1 astir n buyers and, no doubt, it is true, that tho droves that amounted to I. 10.000 hcud in IbSO will never In) equalled again. Alio, it is true that stock men have kept to themsclvts in tho past tho exigence of imnieuso liodie of agricul ural lands, like tho CoM Spring country, in Umatilla county, which caiiiint bo longer kept for stock railge, but is being rapidly settled and turned over by tho plow. Tho plow has and will invade, tho wlieln hunch grass region, and stock mint leave. Wherever buiiih gnus grows wheat will do as, will, and while stock raiting will always I a great htisimss, and a gnat ana of country can bo utilized in noothe. way, practical agricultmu will supercede stock raiting as fast as tho rapidly coiitttuctinsr railroads bring available lauds within reach of market. Saiim, Ogn., Dec. 24, 1880. Editor Willanietto Farmeri In nntwir to your request, I will try and givo you tho early hlttory of tho impoitatinut of blooded cattlo luto this Stat". James WnUou, lato of King, Valley, lloiiton coun. ty, bnmght aenws tho plains a very few Hue ones in 181", purchased from James Ilrovv n, of Sangamon county, 111. Mr. King aim brought in a few good nuts about the same time, living in tho sumo county ami valley. In "fttl (Joy. John I1, dailies imported qilito a liumlaT of very good Durhams from Ko i tucky, amongtt them some lirst pn'mium ani mals. About this timo a very good hull was brought in I Jtie county, called "Duke," mid was imrcliascti by Mr. Cogswill; he proved himself n lino breeder. About this timo a good Shorthorn row-was brought acrots tho Id.aius into l-ano county mid purchased by Ion. Mr. Wilkius, which proved to bun good acquisition to hit lit rd. Also, about '.VJ. Mr. John Welch and tho Hon. It. C. Otrr int. ported tho celebrated thomughhn-d cow "Nymph." and shortly after thcMmported the far-famed and celebrated joung bull, "tlraud Admiral," by ship amuiuC Capo Horn, and have the honor of making I he tirt importation by water. Mr. Welch purchased him from Mr, Samuel Thoin, Duchcso county, New York, and I believe Mr. Thorn's herd was the best ill the world. Alto, Messrs, Sol King and Moses Wright, of Itentnu county, imported a number of hue auim da and of good blood, about thirty htad of cows, heifers ami bulla, and they proved tosmselves all that could La dixJ, I think tho next importation was by my self, tho hull "Illinois" and the heifer "Jlell chiaua," around tho enpe. I puixhascd them from T, It. Sluars, of Menard, county, 111. Then comes tlio importation ol W. S. Lodd ami S. O. Kced, of quite n numlier of as lino bred animals an I ever looked upon. A man of oxperienco and Judgment would ask no questions as to w hero to do lictter than with these, l'robahly tho list importation was by Col. Younger it Son, from California. Their herd received much comment from tho press, and wcro much admired and very highly spoken of by thoo seeing them, and thoy show that Col. Younger understood his busi ness. They w ira In tho b at of show order, but if I am any juduc. thero was only one cow in tho lot that was a show animal. Soma of tho led hcifi rs sicincd to ba badly inbred. I rciuatkcd to Mr. Younger, Jr., when ho was currying onu of thcu heifers, "Sir, you can not ucoiiuneiid hir very highly." Ho replied, "She was jouiig mid would fill out." I made tho remark iiurimscly to civ o him to under stand that ihiro weru men in Oregon who cuuui ihmii out,iiic luuuy pan. isow it is not my object to run down any man's stick, but I deem it my duty to givo my viows as to tho hist cattle, so that those wishiuir to pur chase can start aught, as there are some uu lirincinled bnideis tint "havo cot lutt what you want," and sometimes bij sales aro also Homing imt a row, a iillml, a sell. Now- let us seo what this little Oregon Web foot has done. After giving ou a description of my manner of breeding, I will give you sumo actual wi ights - no sham, no buncombe. I found whin I wai V.xst that somo of their piemiuin cat lo weio heavier than ours, and at the H.UMO timo ours out-measured then. I refer to tho Chicago Stock Journal and Fat Stock Show, alto thu Smithlleld Market, in Loudon; wuaru equal and, I think, a little ahead of than, but it will ba seen by my breeding that I combined as good blood as was agoing. In 18)1 I purchased from Mr. Watson four good cows, mid ach season somo of his best hcifir caves. I had thtiii from every good cow ho had. I then prevailed upon Gov, dallies to tnko somo of his licit cows to the Lano county bull, "Duke," referred to above. mnl from ono of them I purchased from the governor n uuu can. i ntiii iiim until 1 ucctl id n change I then purchased from Mr, deer tho impot'ed bull, "(Irand Admiral." About that timo I purchased from Messrs. King .t Wright four of their best imported iow; then, to couple upon "(irand Admiral's" heifers. I imported "Illinois." Ho oil tee. I had nil tho earliest importations combined, as i also purciiascti a young imll troni Imported "Xviimh"nnil "Admiral." 1 will now civo you tho wcichtof some . . . . r . . . . leers raiicu aim fattened) Tlio "Orciron llaby" weighed a,0S0ll at seven years old; tins four llrst vcars ho run'in tho herd, on na tive grass) 1 then took him up and commenced feeding him; the second vcar ho gained 350 pouiiil; tlio third )(aronlyo0xunds. I then ahipnd him to San t'raneisco and showed him at tho SacTU'iiouto Statu Fair and sold him in San Kia!i)i.o for 8PO0; ho was a grade steer. I put up and fed with him a beautiful four yiar ohl steer, but perceiving that lie was done growing, I sold him for a Christmas beef in S.ili ui; ho weighed on thu scale i!,100tU, and weighed, mt, 1,-1'Jhttrt; now this is mak ing a little over IIS per cent, beef to 100 gross, and I lind that tho jinmiuin cattlo In Chicaro only made (17 ana a fraction. I also sold a Christmas lieef to A. J I. Johnson, 1'ortland. four years old, w t Ight on scales, 'J, 100; dressed weight, 1.400, And I shipped to Victoria fifty head of a lino steers as I ever looked Umni I drove them to Portland and shinned them by boat to Monticello; from thero I tlrov o to Oli inpia and then by ship to Victoria. Their average in t weight was 1 ,00011 ; five of them Hitting I.4001U eaih. Now, sir, had these cattlo Uen housed and fed as they ara in tlio Risteru Statis. thoy would have been much U Iter. I (co by tho papers that our cattlo vnrc hMily spoken of in Chicago, and when Ilut of tho Mountains last Summer I was plowed tosio upon tho range such im provement in cattlo fioui bulls of my stock, lint I tin afraid that the range is failing, and it ii my opinion that there will bo a scarcity of cattle ero long, at the supply is rapidly di luiuinhing and lomumptinii increasing. Yos atkwhoaruthoprincip.il breeders or stock men ? My opinion is that there is not a prac tical breeder or cattlo raiser in this State or cvin Washington TirritorybutLoddand Uecd, and they do not 'get the encouragement they ditervo. Cittlo limine it going like the pork butinoH, only wo cannot ship beef from the I'.ait, but 1 venture that those raising cat tlo in a short time w ill get well paid. There are large hi nl m K isti rn Oregon and Wash ington, but I cannot learn of any who are punhating improved hulk They reply, when asked almut n,ot doing it, "Our neighbors will get tho good of them," mid cattlo thus ncg lected will fast goto nun. You ask, what liupruv eintnt is liemg mado ? The general av erugo of cattlo is not near as good as fifteen j ears a.-o. You avk w hat It coats per head to rivte tin rn? This is ban I ti answer. It de pends upon the value of the lands they are kept upon; but I will Kay this, it costs much 1. m hero tha'i in Illinois, f r here thev an not 1 affected witlt heat and cold, and ara perfectly healthy, and 1 ventur Uw asurtiga tUt U farmers in this valley were to sow one-third of their land down to crass and postuioafow cattle and sheep, they would mako moio money than by raising all wheat. Mr. Edi tor, 1 am glad yon called upon mo for this ar ticle, for it is quite encouraging to find that wo aro fully equal in weights to cattlo Eait and in England. I only find ono steer in tho Smithfield Market in London hcaviet than "Oregon llaby," also one In Chicago; and my other steers mado ono pound more than theirs on lOOius cross ; this shows good blood and cattlo highly improved. I would liko if you would calf upon some one 1 jvt of the Mountains and let us know tho actual facts about tSe cattle business there, as to how th-y come out in collecting and raising, and to what extent the grots is failing. 1 deem It of the greatest importance to watch and keep up tno cattlo sunply ami not get too lar Lh-IiIiiiI; or, in other wonls, when prices are good havo nonototcll. It will lie observed that I havo omitted somo importations. I did not think them worth mentioning, as tho lmpoitr, Titer Saxe, wot not a Tollable man. Ono ani mal ho had, I challenged his blood, mid ho re plied "ha had tho beat of pedigice," pulled it uui anil i stopped nun, aim lie mnarKiu, "What dojouiall him?" and after giving him my views mid opinions lie frankly ad mitted that I was correct, and tuid, "Mr. Cross, they aro making that cross in Ko tucky, and you havo tho stock on your faun to mako it with, and can mako it proliUUo." Hut I admit that ho brought a few good ones; "Hannibal, ' puichoacd by Mr Myers, of l'olk county, is a coo-', ouei I'.'isha McDanicls cot n good ono also, but I do not hes'tato to say mat ms peuigrco was unniiairc. llal lie dealt in lint-clam stock and been hoiiuablo, ha cou'd have done well, but his ropu was too long, and, as tho old adage is, it hung him. 1 will answer friend Mlntos article on grasses at my carliist convenience, as great men will dilrcr. REPLY OP THOMAS CROSS TO HON. JOHN MINTO'S ARTICLE UPON GRASSES). Ill the first place Mr. Mluto says orchard grass is tu erior to vilvet grass for Jiay is his ixpcriince, but does not tell us what expo I ience he has had. I havo tried each and ditlir with him very materially both as to hay aud pasture, but ilo not like cither of them for hay. Ho admits it is good upon mountain fern and mountain ranges,' also admits it keepi green under a greater degree of frost bui thinks thero is a mistake about its being called "Texas Metquito." Let us now consider that C. V. llurkhart of Albany scut to Texas and got somo mctquita grass. He gave some to S. Gv Itcid where I saw it growing and be lieve it tho tame identical grots as tho velvet; and further, I was at Mr. l'attcrsou's, in l'olk county, and ho gayo me a pint of scid. Ho said a friend of-his brought it from Texas. I sowed it by tho side of my vilvet grass and it was the sune. I could discovir no difference. Now, Mr. Editor, I think comes the serious mistake of Mr. Mintoi ho sajs he cannot but beliovo there is a mistikoin calling this soft meadow or velvet grass initouite, and placing its nativity in tho dry plains of Western 1 exas, and indicates why tho mis take may bo almost a misfortune to the grat ing inUn-sts of this coast, and further says, ha has studied till grass closely aiuco about a year ago ami that his n marks about its character led him into a a considerable corrca pondeii'Hv in this State, with people East of the momicains, and his studies gave him the following result) 1st. Daimmess in the soil was an ettential condition for its thriving will) Slid. Either as a hay or p isturo plant under nun itvuraoic circuinsianct s n win scarcity rank as lecond rate in auv resiiccti 3rd. On dry soil, under a dry atmosphere, it is not even mini rate in auy respect! 4tli. J-or mak ing gross on damp or swamp lauds it it second only to red top. Mr. Editor. I Will hero I-iva mv rrnirma fnr having answered Mr. Minto's rcmaiks. In tno nrst puce, wo differ in every nspect upon this grass, and we havo both been Eat of the mountains during last) ear, 1880. I give it as my orinion, to those living there, that tlio velvet grass would grow aud do well amougtt their bunch grass, aud have sent to Messrs. Chapman X I)uulap, aud Eddollrotln rs, so no seed for them to try. I will briefly give my experience! I sowed it first about twelve vears ago upon brush and rtd-hill land, with orchard grata and others, and the orchard gSts ft uow done and the velvet is vet a lino stand. Last spring, iu March, it viva an ex cellent pasture. 1 have neirly ono hundred acres iu and have ploughed up some pasture, I next sowed it iu a wet bottom, and, as Mr Minto saj s, it likes damp land. For an expo nmsnt I sowed some in thick buck-brush aud It took well and it now a foot high and the brush it so thick the stock cannot get to it. Mr. Minto is well aware they have it upon the Clatsop i laius, ayd that it is the only grass upon these dry, sandy (Jains that will mature and mako hay. I have tatd it w ill carry wore stock than any other grata; I will give a little proof, 1 sowed, twenty-h've acre ear my stock barn two years ago, and last spring it carried 900 wea that I had op Iamb isifctosvtrtMiahanasvt. AftwUkiag iUn ofT I mowed it, and about Aug. 1st, I took from my band of sheep, 100 buck lambs and put in samo field; ai it had mado rapid growth they throvo finely upon it, and aliout the first of October I took them oil' as I wanted it to grow up and get good for my spring lambing, but being aw ay from homo It proved too lato to tako otr my lambs. I now havo fifty young lambs, and I took out somo of my lata owc lambs, making tho numlier eighty, and they aro now upon tho samo twcnty-tivo acres. I put them iu tho barn at nights and feed them tho velvet hay; thero is a slight sprinklo of clover in it, how evor, and they are doing as well an sheep can do. Tho lambs aro fat and I think it grows nearly at fast as they cat it; it is a very gravelly picco ot ground. I am still seeding and expect to sow 100 acres this season, Texas mesqute, or velvet, or meadow grass, or what any ono may pleato to call it, It is my pi t grass; I am satisfied it cannot bo equalled. Tho Hon. F. Jt. Smith, living ono mile sonthof Salem, has tried it a number of ycors f torn need I gavo him, mid ha is well pleated with it. I saw an articlo iu somo pa per this season, from somo gentleman living in Yakima, laying ho had fivo hundred acres and it hail douo well thero. I find my articlo is getting too lengthy and in conclusion i say to all interested! give it a trial. I will send seed to auy ono wishing to try it to seed ono acre, by them tending stamps to my for sack and mailing, with iu stiiictiont to sow, and if ou liko it you can get enough seed from It to seed a big farm. I rave tiii-d nearly all grasses and it mid tho Ei.gluh blue gnus aru my grasses, but under st: ml me I do not recommend it for hay. I am sorry to dilrcr with my friend, JohuMin'o for ho Is an ohl-timo friend ono I esteem highly, ho is candid and honest iu all ho says, but, did I know nothing of this grass, after leading his articlo I slmuld not try it, and iu tny mind I should boa gi eat lour, for it is t cry common for gnat men to dillcr. I forgot to mention that some say that their stock do not like it. I havo studied that and probably they let it grow too big, as it vines and lying upon the ground it rots, and of course will iu that caso rfva an unpleasant smell, but I havo had no stock rofiuc it. I have had it in my gulden where it was not lat oil and was so thick on the ground tliat tho under grass was all rotten it wants pasturago veiy closo. I iioma.i Chosn. I ! I Value of Eastern Wheat A subscriber of tho Faiuikii writes from East of tho mountains to say that ho consigned his wheat to a homo iu this tity that reported sales at 31.30 a cental. Wo of court o cannot say what tho wheat was worth w ithout know ing its quality and tho date upon which it was put ukiii tho market. So much Ilattcrn wheat was blighted by tho hot weather and failed to fill well that it grades No 'l, No. 2, and No. 3, uud tho price named would be suf ficcut, say on tho middle, of November, for a poor article, but if it was really good Eastern who it we do not think that $1.30 has been a fjirprko for it :.irivoinont1'niwm. The house named by our friend has a hih reputation for all liu rcantilu oxcclh ncies. ' i The Cata Dropped. Detroit free I'nu. Not even a law cr, however skill in cross examination, e-.ui mako a w ilniss tell tho truth, provided the wit nets wishes to evado it. It is imp- stible to put a question u such exact lauguago that it w ill demand the desired an swer, linked, nothing is more true than tho statemei t of Talleyrand, that language is in tended to cover up one's thoughts, and no ue ever practiced tho principle, contained in the statement inoro thin Talleyrand himself. It was uccctcary on n certain occasion in court to compel a witness to testify aa to tho way in which a Mr. Smith treated bis horse. "Well, sir." said the lawver, in a sweet and winning smile a smilu intended to drown all tuiimioii as to ulterior purp set how docs Nil-. Smith ceni rally ridea horse!" 'J ho wituets looked up innocently, and aplicdi "dencral'y a straddle, tlr, I believe", . The 1 iw cr atked again i "Hut, sir, w hat gait does he ride!" The impel tumble wituc.s anawin-di "Ho i.ovcr rides uny gate at all, sir; but ISo wen thu hovs ride every gate on the farm." Tho lawvirsaw that he was on the track of a Tm tar aud his uext question was very in sinuating, "How does Mr. Smith ride when he is iii company with others! I demand a clear. an swer." . " ""Will, sir," said tho witness; "ho keeps up with tho r st, if his horso is able to, or it not. he falls behind." Thu lawjer was by this timo almost beside himself, and asked, "Aud how does he ride when he is alone!" "Idim't knew," was the replyj "I..waa never with him when h was alone,1' and tharsj ika cat elroppocl.
