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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.