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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1881)
In our State, with a wide prairie country nil around ft tlit stretches North ntul South for ,'oity miles without a bicak. It reaches Kick tho mountains almost, runt lieyond it Is tho region of foot lillli ntul mountain valley which aro unrivntoit. Tho branching streams of tlio Santiam reach from tho mountain whero they form beautiful valley that nru actually superior noil to tlio prairie portion. Hack of Scio, in tho valley nindo liy tho forks of tho South Santiam, is 11 choicu country that will buihl that placo up with important Initio since it is reached by tlio iinrnm' caugo rail road. Hrowmvillu mid Lebanon, nlio touched by the narrow gauge, liave a giv.it country between tlicin nml tho mountains, mid back nf Lebanon is tho Sweet Homo Valley that reaches far into tho Cascade ltange 'I hem is a prosperous woolen mill at ltmiviisvillo, mul water powers nro nun I almost anywhere, us tliry can bo c.-iily eondueto I fcxini tlio moun tain stream by canals, a it thoci-o.itS'il.iii Jeirerson nml Alb my. Mini is n magnificent county ami possesses tho two railroads tint we found in Mnrion mul tho rivor much of I litsyu.tr. Alongthou. tu it. it. wuiiiMAiiMiiy. inn eent,nliciIil,niiilllaiscy,rui,inionguieiivcriii-o Aliiauy, I'ciiria mill iiiivinMiirg. i.um is con sidered tho great ngrwiikural county in Wc.it ern Oregon. M.-u-inu ami Lano will rival it, but linn m ill tuiikibly nliv.iy lead in favora ble seasons. Wheat growing is tho specialty licro, hut tlio census tallies snow tint oilier in terests nru not neglected, .Much stock is owned in Unn, and ns good stock ns in most parts of tho State. Albany has an excellent water power and a flax mill them utilizes flax filler, grown in Mini county, for tho manufac ture ofall lands of burn twine, which is a commencement wo may hope to seo develop into n great industry. While wheat is tho product raised for export in tho Williinotte vtJJcy, wo also export heavily of wool, besides fping oats, hay, vegetables and fruRa of all LANK COMTV lii situated at tho head of tho Willamette val ley and reaches from tho Cascade mountains to the ocean, with an area just about equal to both Linn and Marion, which are the next largest of the valley counties. Ivaio lias a moro diversified character than any other couiity. Its prairie tenches are very exten sive and equally fertile. Wo hive visited, in the Kastcru portion, tho farm of our esteemed fried Hon. M. Wilkius, president of the State Agricultural Society, where he and his sons row grain, raise long-wooled sheep and levon cattle and have a maginticont farm that both lies on the prarie and climbs the foot hill. We have also visited the great grain f aim West of Kngene, of Mr. ficorge Ilclsliaw, one of tho mostsuccesifulof Oregon farmeis, and whose reliable cjpciirnco we have often recorded. Our friend John Simp ton lives over on tho waters of Simlaw, which enters the ocean, and other friends of ours live South of Kngene whero tho succession of hills and valleys wo glide past as we travel by train afford charming risUs to tho delighted ye. I.nno county possesses every variety of surface soil) mountain and foot hill prarics and smaller vullcysj whilo over towards the coast there is no doubt that much good land invites settlement. I-ane county, as tho land table shows, possesses nearly thrco millions of acre in area, only two-tilths of which ha been surveyed, while but a little over one bail of the surveyed land is settled upon. No doubt it has a great proportion of mountains in iu limits, for it has for its border tho Call poos ltange that crosses from thi Cascade mOMtains to the Coast ltange, and forms the (little between the Unipqua valley ami the WffWuctto. Tho chief town is Kugene City, a beautiful place, a good point for trado, and destined to lie an educational centre, as the Stato University is located there and is mak ing very successful progress. Junction, liv ing, Springfield, Ores well, (ioshen and other point havo importance. Improved farms can be purchased in this county at reasonable prices, and a county that has so much unoc cupied land naturally otlem opportunities for the stock grower as there nuwt bo a great ex tent of out range, tub ivutAiirnK VALLKV. Take the whole l'acilio Coast from Alaska to Mtsuco and there is no equal area that possesses so many genuine attractions and ad vantages a the Willamette valley. We see nothing of its peculiar beauties aa we come up the river from I'ortland for the first twenty five miles. Portland itself is hemmed in by a mountain wall that separates it from the Klysian field of Washington county, to the ettwardi the Eastern reirion of Mnlthomah county belong more to the Columbia than to the Willamette. Washington county, with it lovely "plains," is fenced off from the main Willamette valley by the range of Chehalem hills. Yamhill to tho West and Marion to the Kast, open up, to the traveler the great valley with it charming variety and ever changpig landscapes. The valley proper i 123 mile long, North and Sou, iroin the Ma that guard tlio Nelialem on the North to the Cak'pooi mountains on the South. It safely average forty mile in width for that sVirtsiirs), and possesses unusual fertility. TWwstasllitoUn.U.sad bnsUUtUis well iiAjm&TrtE frAi&.hfti VoYuIaVd, OithOOVf, frfcWuAhY i. Xto. wooded nnd watered, for tho mountain that hem it in send down from each rnvluo healthful streams to refresh it. 'I ho succession of hills nml valleys combines every idea of beauty in landicapo, nnd I'Mcu itself could not olfcr mora perfect native charms. The mountains that Inline tho valley with n ruggid setting mo in themselves beautiful, but ns if to crow lithe landscapes with supernal charms they aro wntchc.l over by snowy j-e.iks, whoso mantles change with the teutons, but never fail to posset through nil the icavm nitniiu insplr- nig pittrucv tliatean lie Hen nnd felt but never toll, Tlieio is no mom beautiful rutin try in tho win 11, none lumo permanent in iili.iiM.ilnH tfttli mm., r.iffttn nt.,1 l.talitiif .nit ill.IIIV.tll l I til IIIUJ t.1 lUtttlU ttllit 131111 "Wilt As if tomaku its excellence complete, tho 1 temperate climato that excludes vicissitudes , of heat nnd cold, cccpt nt long intervals nml for rhort pciiil nl'o iu-iilvi certainty of , crops by iiiununtty fixiin drouth. Tho region is lie iltliul ns well iid iViliirhtful. It is co near tho ocenu that pvodtnts licar a fair price. (ileatcrtio.wClgitiii tucx.ilea hoiiioilwnand, mid ns sunn us in:.nuf.i':lmici enn bo estab lished that hiiniu iloiii.ni 1 will incronso, mid the itbiiudaut nvitcr jioiie.s, that equal any thing Nuw I'li'dand inn i' ic. will somctimo makcit riinl Sutv J'n t n I's iii.innf.ictiirins This may V- m tho future, but ft pro'iierny, enimut bo doubted. 'Iliu native wealth of this i alley lie not only iu soil nnd climato, mil i icru nro ureal unui'icintKii resource. I Wii tin not appreciate the viluo of tho forest mai eioiiio ino mouni-iuis nixiunn usi iieus oi iron me offer untold wealth in year to como, and tho manufacture of inm hn nlrcady com meiicvil nt Oiwegn, mi tho Willamette, eight miles nbovu 1'oitland, wheio n furnace has Ik-cii tuniiug out a very superior quality of pig iron for u inuulier of ye.-us past. This oro is said bo found in a continuous deposit that mccU the C4umbia near tho vicinity of St Helens. The mountains have gold nnd silver, copper and le.nl, in different places along tho Cascades ltange, and in timo those resources will bo made available Hut theso aro not necessary to present prosperity, nor do wo ex pect to, realizo thorn iu our day. Tho man who seeks a new country naturally desires that it shall offer Inducements to his children and their children. Tho ono diagro-albo fact tobo urged against it is that sometimes the rainy sc.vuns are protracted, but tho immi grant froin Kobraska or Minnesota generally prefer rain to snow nnd ice, and rejoice when his stock can Winter with little or no caro from him. Wo bclievo stock should bo fed sonio hero in Winter to keep them in thrifty condition, but only nta trifling expense compared with many Northern States. The rainy seasons insure good crops nnd constitute the most healthy season of tho year. We liavo only to refer to the census tallies for ex plauatiou of the product of this valley and it teveml counties. WAK.lT CULTUIir. IN TIIF! WILLAMETTE. It has at least f!,000 square miles or over 3, 000,000 acres of good soil and only two fifth of this is in any sort of cultivation at the present timo. Only a little over one-tenth of the area of the valley (330,000 acres) wo in wheat in 1S70, and when tho possibilities are put to the test it will bo seen that the pro duction of this valltiy can lie vastly Increased. H become very evident that while it is possi bio to put in wheat nlinoit tho vear round, tho most satisfactory cultivation for preserva tion of soil and actual profit comes from Summer-fallowed and Kail-sou cd land, which is certain under favorable conditions to yield SO to .13 bushels, and fieqticntly m much as 43 bushels per acre. It i safe to expect thirty bushels, and the profit from one good crop is more than when annual cropping it followed. During lato years Chinese labor has been used largely to clear land of small timber and brush to toiv to wheat. Many thousands of acres hive been cleared by white a well a Chinese, lalior, and production increased there by, Mr. Dclos Jefferson, about four year ago spent $'.! an acre to clear laud, had it well plowed in the Full and again in the early Spring, and had 4'2 bushels to the aero for the first crop, which he sold or could have told nt 1.03 a bushel, no he paid for all hit clearing, and moro, too. Ho lives in a tim beicd stretch five miles from Salem, lloalso showed us a field that he slashed and burned, sowing wheat in the ashes among the stumps, which he brushed over only, without plowing, and got thirty bushels to the acre. These in stances are within our knowledge and may be reiuaritauie. in ino rvii mill oouiuoi oaium, two years ago, we cleared oak grub land at a cost of U per acre, plowed in November and toned in March, white club wheat, and got twenty-four bushels to the acre, which was told for SI. 00 a bushel, so it paid for the clearing, for cultivation and ?J.x an acre for rent of the land. Through this vallov cultiva tion is often indifferent mid the yielJ is ditto. Good cultivation brings good result. The men w ho rented splendid farms to own tlium averago ysid it pulled down by poor farming. in a few year time, jiaid for out of the earn We have many fanners who make wheat.ing. The Northcut brothers are now wealthy growing a success. Some year ago we asked I fanners on Frvucli l'rairie, and we remember (ut herniation of Mr. J. II. Fostsr, owner .when they were renters, not very many year of well known flouring malls which he ha run ago. The usual mode, when a cash price is for twenty years at Aibany, and learned tliat not agreed on, i to rent for a tliare of the for thirteen year he had averaged to pay Linn crop. Where tho owner funrishe team and county fanner 73 cents a bushel lor their seed he get half, and the renter has two gtain, tail be said hundred of them bad third of the crvp whew he own hi team grown rich at it During the past ytsu Vb sad furnishes Um tssd. Ins man who Ukts nverngo yield of this valley was as great aa wo liavo ever known it in tliirty years, or nearly so, and while land will deteriorate If cotitiuu- ally cropped without rest or fertilising, still it Is true that lands cropped for 2,1 to 41) years yet yield well when well trented. The clay formation of this valley secures permanence in the soil, nnd when wu hear of n piece of land on Flench I'rarie that was first cropped by a half-breed fifty years ago, and lias since yielded nearly or quite 1,000 bushels to tho nciein n half century of continual demand, b ing nblo to respond with thirty live to tho ncro after n Summer-fallow, wu must conclude that tho soil of the Willametto valley is to lie 1 1 ttmitlilnil ti)i I'sis fiiiti lnilM til at atl.l tmlll in jfhiiivh 1'iit n iuiii j xvtsi o r.vn t.f nil's till it I the present year, wheat has licen SI, 00 a bushel, mil with reasonable freights would now bo S3 to IX) cents, but freights to Kng- Imd nro now l!0 cents a bushel, owing to our largo rrop and scarcity of tonnage, and prices throuuh tho valley have not nvrmuetlTA cents. Wheat farming Itns certainly been profitable licm in the past, and will bo sure to be iu tlio futuiu. VAttlKTIEN Of WIIRAT. What is known as tho old white winter wheat was originally brought here by tho Hmlson Hay Company, nnd is of first quality mid hardly has any equal iu popular favor. i White velvet wheat is proved to bo fully as good nnd perhaps moio productive. Spring vnrietic of ihito wheat, such as Chile Club, J.ittlu Club. Australian, ami others, nro pop ular mid reliablo. A red French wheat, intro duced some years ago by the Salem Mills l'loiiring Company is an excellent varicty,but red wheat nro not generally ns valuable for export, as it is tho eculiar whiteness of Ore gon wheat ami flourthat commands a premium in l'nglish markets. There are many varieties of wheat experimented witlu Wo havo tried Golden Crown Club with good success, ns.nall grain but heavy ivhito wheat. Tho popular varieties hero aro not thono we read of in Uistem journals oKcnnst. Ninety day wheat took a first prim at the Centennial, and it is claimed that Whito Itussiau wheat yield very largely nnd in a valuable variety. There is a dillercnco in toll in different counties and wheat from some sections it pronounced bet ter quality than others. The settler willtoon learn from his neighbor what their experi ence ha been as to best varieties and best cultivation. Ono thing is positivo, tho Wil lamette Valley grow wheat that is a perfect berry in all respect and commands a fancy price the best imco paid in tlio woild'a most exacting inasketa. inrrEiir.MT rociisEx to follow. The emigrant who come hero desirous of a home in a well organized society and good country, blessed with groat privileges, will naturally look to tho Willamette Valley. If ho has money this is a favorito country to lo cato in. I Jind of alt grade of cultivation and improvement i in tho market and land agent in I'ortland and all other town have farm for tale. Take the best fanning land of Washington, Yamhill or Marion, and improv ed farm may be priced at $10 an acre, and prolably tho improvement w ill liavo c ost half the sum Take the average fanning laud of the Willamette and prices range from SIS to $23 an aero for good farms, perhaps not in the choicest localities. A man can como hoio with S1.000 to SIO.000 and select accordingly. A small farm well tilled will not refuso a good living to a family; timber and brush land can bo had, or land that is part timlier and part prairie, or all prairie, and paid for according ly. We know of a section of land in Marion county that could bo divided into four good farms, and half of w hich could lie cleared at a cost of S3 00 an acre to grub up the scattered haul on it, and all of it is cood crazinc land. or can easily bo made so. It has over $300 worth of improvement on it and nuite an amount of land ia cleared or doc not need clearing! it ia rich valley and foothill soil, good wood and water, and can lie bought for fc.1,000 We don't doubt that plenty of land is for sale at from $3 30 to $3 00 an acre that will soon lie worth $10 to $13. This section of land is only 13 mile from a railroad depot by level road. We own till land and wish to tell it at that price. It i situated in the foot hills and was part of tiie rnihoad grant. Wo rejie.-it that there is plenty of laud for tale here and Die immigrant has his choice to locate a homestead or preemption on govern ment land iu timber districts; or in the moun tain vallvva or foot Isllls, or to pick and choose from gooj improved farms that will cost from $10 to $10 an acre, according to location or surroumaiis. The census table show that thousand of farms are rented, and this suggest that any good practical fanner can rent a fatm in the Willamette Valley and unite it pay well un der ordinary circumstances. We have know n a fann and manages it well has no trouble to find one to rent when ho wants one, and iu the mean time ho may locate a hoiuestad of bis own if he finds oneitoith having. Tlio cost of wheat fannnig in nvcmge years is not to exceed $7 30 nn acm for all expense of plowing, harrowing, seed, harvesting, haul ing nnd threshing, nnd wo call the rent of tho land to pay inkiest nn its value $'- 30 moro. This makes a total of SI0 an ncro at tho most liberal calculation and covers all the lalior rendered and cost incurred. As tlio nvcragu prico of wheat is nearly n tlnlair a bushel and the nverngo yield twenty bushels nn ncro with only ordinary cultivation, it w ill lio seen there has been a good business, if not n very profita ble one, in w heat cultuio. Wc havo wild with good cultivation, nnd it o mean it. men who do not farm well don't cucceed better hero than clsoiihero. There Is much poor fanning lono here, loo much, mid it doesn't pay nnd never will, IV Til r. TOWNS, Tho professional man, merchant, mechanic or laborer, cnu select hi homo in I'ortland, that W'ill soon havo n bundled thousand popu lation, where ical estate is rapidly rising, to that a residence lot, well situated, 30x100 feet is worth $1,3000 tn $;i,000, or ho can can choose among ft hun-lied country towns that nru favorably located, or ho has the country to select fiom, To Ihi plain nliout it, the man who come In Wvslcni Oregon or Washington williout money needs n linn will nnd murcles that won't iv.idily tiie. 'Micro is not ft dearth of mechanical lalior hero for mechanics nro abundant, though tho building of railroads will rovilutinuii'o tim laW market and give occupation to thousands iu building ip new tonus nnd new country houses, ns well a in couttnii-tiiig the mads nml their equipment. Wo tspeiiK liiom from tho agri cultural standpoint than otherwise. If wo had manulactui-ing estaUishmcnts well under way, of courso the county would liavo in ducement for nil kinds of lalior, All the town have shop nml factories in n small way and somo of thorn havo foundries nml mnchiiio work. Finishing wot k, such ns doors, win dow, mouldings, etc., is found everywhere, and the ahiiiulanco of ltunber nt low price make building Inexpensive. Tlio wage of ordinary mechanics range from $2 to $3 a day, masons and bricklayers ask more. The city of I'ortland is full of workshops. Hero we have n number of foundries nnd Iron work, and thrco cttablitlnnetit mako furni ture. Our friend Ira F. I'oucr has an exteu tivo furniture factory on the river bank iu thi city, where ho manufacture nil styles of furniture to tattify a demand that comes from far and near. Ho ramo hero since 1870 and opened a second-hand store, nnd hat grown into a business that Is n credit tn himself as well as to the city and Stnto, Wo instance Ids success to show how live men thrive here. New industries are springing up constantly and the cntcrprinng inechanio who is (qual to the occasion can find ojfiiings and mako hi way here. TltANSrOHTATION IICM.ITIF.S. The Willamette Valley it abundantly tup plied with transportation. Tho Oiegon Hall way and Navigation Company has u lino ot a fine steamers as tail tho ocean, running every five day between I'tirtlaud mid Sail Francisco, and have tun moro now iu courso of construc tion at Chester, Pennsylvania, They aiu all new iron steamers, fitted with every Known convenience and improvement. They have, a large fleet of barges and elegant river steamer running on the water of the Columbia and Willametto rivers; they on n the lock nt tlio fall of the Willametto, and aro now construct ing a railway from l'oitlaud to the Upper Columbia. This corporation, with million at their command, have ruvoliitionired the pro iiect of the country in tho short timo of fif teen months and their enterprise, which teem unboundcil, is based on full confidence iu the future of the country, and knowledge of it undeveloped resource. Wo tliall trace their operations here and in ICasteni Oregon more fully hereafter. The Oregon and California Itailraid hat been in operation longest of all mid ha a diiect line 200 mile in length no tho luist side nf the Willamette, past Salem, Albany and Kugene, and across the Culiiooia rango to ltoteburg, in Douglas county, and has always contemplated the continuation of the road to connect with tho Central Pacific at tho Ore gon line. It hat alto a road leading west from Portland through Washington county to Forest Orove, then turning south through Yamhill, Polk mid ltcntou counties to Cor vallis. The map show the rood completed to Junction, w Inch is not the caax, but a junc tion with the oist line, iu thu upper part of the valley, will bo made in thu near future, Theso roads are owned by German capitalist who have alway treated the public will and have done much to advance thu material inter ests of Wctrn Oregon, The Oregon ian ltuilway Company, limited, baa made an energctio comiiiciHemcut for a system of narrow gaugo roads iu this valley. This company luu it origin in Dundee, Scot land, and Scotch money lit built it road and stand ready to extend them another year, Iststysar taw Uis roininsncsintat c4
