Willamette farmer., October 06, 1882, Image 1

UP
VOL. XIV.
HOP PICKINa IN PUYALLUP.
Late Estimates Running Higher-Large Profits
-The Pickers and Where They Come
From-How the Work 1b
Done Etc , Etc
The following is compiled )y us fiom tl.e
Tacoma (W. T.) Lethjtr, and is an iuteicstir?
treatiso on Imp culture. There are over or
quite 1600 Indices emp oyid by hop growers.
The immense mm of 40,000 will be paid for
labor.
Hop picking in Pnyallup Valley has ulout
reached its conclusion tor this year, and the
result is estimated at about ono million
pounds of dried hops. Tue yieNI exceeds the
expectations of the growers. It is thougl t
to be H'0,000 pouads iu excess of tie esti
mate madd several inonjths ago. This is fr m
600 acre", and the average is therefore 1,(160
pounds per acre. Not a lew yards run over a
ton tj the aero, whilo iu some fields thcie are
patches that grew 2,400 and 2,500 rounds to
the acre.. Mr. L. F. Thompson iralizcdfrom
one atio tlio la'ge amount tf 2,700 poundp.
The present market p ice is 55 cents, but
some of the product has bsen s M at much
lower figure, and yet it is supposed that it
the market is sostuine 1 until the entire ciop
is disposed of, the iverjgo pi ice realized will
not fall short of 45 cents per pound. Thin
Would indicate a gross income rf $450,009,
and deductiug from this the cost of pioduc-
tion, which at nine cents per pound would
amount to $90,000, the hop growers of Pny
allup Valley will have lift a net profit of
$360,000, w hicli is a large sum of money to
divide as profi's among 55 giowe s. Th re
has bom not a little xtitemeut up the valley,
and the large yiell and prevailing hih prices
havo attracted a goodly number of visitors to
the picking on week days, and also . to the
congregation of Indians in Pnyallup on Sun
day. A field of ripe hop t is well worth see
ing. A field from w hich the crop has been
'gathered is a scene of deB-ilation. Tho vines
of the untouched field have climbed to the
tops of the cedar poles, nearly tliruo times as
high as your head, and they stand in straight
rows equi-distant a tew feet. Thn dense
folisge corccals the pole and swells the bulk
of the plank to the diameter of a large barrel.
The hops do not appear iu clus era as have
been described in other places, but are well
distributed in a mass all over the vino' which
bears blossoms for nearly its entile length
from the ground to the top of t1 c pole. Iu
picking, the first thing to do is to I ring the
hops within easy reach of the picker. Where
Iudiau women and children are picking and
this is the case in all the yaials there aro
helpers in attendance who, first severing the
vine with a Knife, lift the po'o e'ear out cf its
hole, and with the vine still on it is placed so
that the lower end rests on the ground and
the upper in the fork of a forked stake from
three to four feet high. The vine is cut
about three feet from tho bottom, and the
lower portion unwound from the pole .and
left on he grourd, and come care is exercised
to prevent the sap from bleeding into the hill,
became the sap is said to be injurious, having
a tendency to weaken the hill or the roots.
The vine bein? thus brought within easy
reach of the pickers, the work of fathering
the hops begins. At this work are Indiai.s
of both sexes and of all ages old enough to
pel form the labor. The helpers are stionger
than the nst, and are provided in the propor
tion of about one helper to 20 pickers. 1 hey
are paid by the day, and a part of their lalur
is to handle the large cedar box-a into which
the hops are thrown, and ia which they are
convex ed to the dry house or kiln. These
boxes are of such a form that their sides con'
verge toward the bottom, and they aie there
fore longer and broader at the top than at the
bottom. The inside measurement at the top
is five feet 10 inches in length, by two feet 10
inches in width; the measurement at the hot'
torn is four feet our inches in length, by one
fo-jt four inches in width. They have fou
corner poet made of fir, two by two inches
The ridea are made chiefly of cedar boards,
one-half inch thick. They cotsist first of a
atrip at the bottom of one by four inch fir,
next cedar 10 inches wide, then another strip
of fir eight feet long projecting far enough at
cither end for handles with which to carry the
box, then another atrip of cedar 10 inches
wide, so that the depth of the box is 28 Inch
es meaaared on the slope. Two handle pro
ject at each end, and two persona are required
to carry the box, taking bold aa in (he case cf
. a wheelbarrow. Each box holds whan filled
100 pounds of uocured hops, which when
cored are rednced to the average weight of
25 pounds. The contents of a bop boa would
therefore measure 41,149 cubio inches, or 19
bushels, struck measure. For economy and
convenience in dealing with the latorers em
ployed, the growers hate adopted this as a
standard. This season they increased the
pay of pickers from 75 cents to $1 00 rer
box. Sonic pick directly into the boxe, lut
mrst of 'them prefer to pick first iuto basket
or 1 laukets laid on tho ground, by which thore
is some gain to fie piokcri, beoansa in the
first case that rf throwing the hops d'rectly
from the vines into the box. they ett'ln anil
pack more closely, requiring n greater quanti
ty of hi pi to make a full inianve. It re
quires an expert picker to fill two boxes in a
day. In Meeker k Co's yard oue old Indiau
woman recently made $3 in a single day. In
some fields the avenge per h 'lid is 1J boxes
a day. Expert pickers a vcrafe from 1J to 2
I oxes, ncc rding tj the condition of the hops.
Where the foliage is light, that is, not t)0
abundant, they can pick rapidly, but where
heavy, timo is lost, for the asonttat the
leavci of tlii fol 1140 must bo excluded, and
heme progtcts cannot be nolo so rapidly.
Where a box In? man grf 0 1 haves mixed
with the hope, it is ca Ud iliity. Some if
the more careless, wishitij, ti coiq 1 to a box
as night approached, throw 111 small branches
of the vine vv ith haves n id Imps, bat close
watch is sought to bo keptu,iiinit t isc fit nee.
Each yard has a foremau wl oe duty it is to
kirp an eye on the w 01 1, and teo t nt it is
well done. Tho foieman is generally a young
ludian 1 f nr re ii.tcl'igencd and tru-twoithi-nest
than the 10 t, but in some caics white
meu are employed in that rapacity. A part
of his duty is to receive tho hops from t' e
pickers and pay them. When an Indian has
filled lis box be sings out the foreman's 11 iu-j
who atcei ds, aud finding the hops clean and
the hox quite ful', he pays atfor it with a cr'
board check on which is printed the sum, $1,
and beaiing the s'grature -or init'als of the
hop grower. Checks of smaller denomira
tions are provided, such as 25 cents, 50 cents
aud 75 cents, used in faying for fractions of
boxes when work ceases at night. The6e
checks aie easbed upon presentation to tho
owner of the held, moie commanly on atur-
day night. The forcirai keepi a menu rat-
dum of the checks paid out by Mm. Upon
receiving a I ox he alls assistance and can ies
it to the ri ndside, or temporary thoroughfare
through the field, along which the wagon
passes collecting its 1 ad to be ) auled to the
kiln.
The wagon used is of an ordinal y kind,
coupled long, with a rack oil which the boxes
are placed crosswise. In come cas"S thd rack
has a close floor with a strip on either outer
edge to prevent the boxes fiom sliding off by
the lateral n.otion of the w agon. On one of
these wagons eight and sometimes more boxes
are placed and hauled to the kiln. Through
the Puyallup bop fields fully 2,500 Ind aus
are leathered. Tbey can;p iu parties in the
open air, pitchiug their tenta un the ground
allotted convenient to their work. Some cf
them have good canvas tents, and others have
patched up shelter of indiffneut quality.
They hail from all points of tlio comrass, and
represent nany tribes from down the Sound
and up the Sound, a d from beyond the
mountains of the Cascade Range, from a re
gion 250 miles north of the mouth of Fraser
River, or 450 miles north of New Tacoma,
and from 60 miles to the south. Here are In
dians from the Chehalis Reservation, south
west of Olympia on the Cbehalia River, from
the Skokomish at the head of Hood's canal
near the Olympic Moun'am, from Squoxin
Island near the bead of the Sound, fiom the
Nisqually Reservation on the river of that
name east of Olympia, from theTulalip Res
ervation at the mouth of the Snohomish Riv
er, from the Snohomish near the mouth if
the Skagit, from the puyallup Rcscrvatioi ,
within sight of New Tacoma. Aud in th's
year was the advent in bop-piekiug of a tribe
hardier and more robust than all above men
tioned. This season is the occasion ef the
first visit of the tribe known as the Fort Hu
pert India s of British Columbia. Last y tar
one of their number came, and making report
to bis people, they came in a ciottd about the
first of this month. Tbey are picking in one
of the fields of E. Meeker &Co., and are a
strong, healthy Uoking race. The experience
so far is that they are less easily managed
than Indians of the other tribe s, being self-
willed, obstinate and set in their ways. Here
they are, old and young, the same lavage ft 1
lows, though a shade more civilized, that on
the 12th of August, 1857, made a descent on
th home of CoL Ebey, the collector of cus
toms, and beheaded him. The colonel's resi
dence wss on the shore of Whiaby Island,
opposite Fort Townsead, They carried his
bead away with them, and it was never re
covered, but the cpUin of the Hudson Bay
Company's steamer Beaver afterwards discov
ered in their possession and clearly identified
his scalp, bought it, giving in exchange a bale
of blanket, and gave it to A. M. Foe, for
merly of Olympis, who t ok it to the family
if Col. Ebey, rheselnduna are not without
some skill in art; they nuke jewelry of silver
and accomplish some very good caning. As
rearing upon their hardiness, the circum-
PORTLAND, OREGON,
stances of a recent birth amorg thcrn may le
tel '. S:tt ng at ono of tho hop poles rotim;
on the forked s ake aeio a young Indian and
his wif", wit'i an infa it l.'ing in her lip.
They fat on tho ground f icing moll other, the
hop vine between ihem, both pickig, and
wire a good-1 oking pair. On Saturday, th?
16th iust., this woman picked hops all day
with her husband. After the day's work was
fiuUhcd, the tvvo went to their tei t and the
woman cooked supper. At !) o'clock, two
hoars later, her child was lwrr, On tho fol
lowing morning she aioie eaily and cooked
br nkfast. Throughout the day she did not
lin down. On Monday morning, beirjg the
next day, after cooking tin alt fast she took her
baby iu v arm wrapping, resumed her place
on tl-e grouud oppo.iti her husband, and
picked hips with him all day, and has not
mi Fed a day since. There wire no medicines
or stimuhi ts used, exept a littlo srawced,
which they think is good in such cases, a
small quantity if which she took in the form
of tei on Sunday moriitnt.'.
If the product of this season amounts to
1,0 '0,000 pouudt of cured hop, the r weight
when picked and dried wjould be 4,0 0,000
lounds, or 100 pounds to the box, 40,000
boxes of which at 1 would be 4l",tH)'J w inch
the Iadian will have earned in lies than a
month. They will probably leave half, or
inoro than hnlf. of this money in tho stores of
Puyallup and Now Tacomi.
Profitable Industry-
To the man who possxasoi the requisite
qualities of patience and determination, no
part of the United States affords bitter oppor
tunity to establish a permanent home, and to
accumulate a ccmpetcnce than this northern
The resources of the soil, the salubr.ty
of the dim it c and the gtogrnphical advan
,ae3it po3Sesesare the elements of superior-
.ty Prominent aiinn tho industries, that
. prosecuted with profit is that of stick
raising. Jt is one inai wyii not, soon uu uvw
done; that is peculiarly fitted to the cocdi
tions under which we find ourselves, and that
will bo as profitable as any other branch of in
dustry that one can engage in. In discussing
this subject, tho Seattle Posl-Jntelliuencer, of
recent date, has the following to say, which
pplies with equal truth to our own vicinity :
"Cattle raising for the market on bO, 160,
or 320-acre tracts, to be profitable, must be
tho result of what is known as high 'farming.
There is nothing niyst-riousinthescwo.de.
High farming on a stock farm means putting
tho soil in such condition, by means of drain
age and fertilizer)', as will make it productive
to the utm st. It means an intelligent selec
tion of breeding stock, the erection of shelter
for the cattle iu time of storms, the reserve of
a sufficient amount cf hay, grain and rcots to
tide over any unforeseen failuio a f llic jastuio
field. It means the utilization of all that the
slip-shod farmer allows to go to waste the
blood, the bones, the offal of tlaughteied ani
mals, the refuse of the kitchen, the very chips
of the household woodpile. Governor Newel',
in his frequent addressis to agricultural fairs
and other public gatherings, never tires of a'
lulling to the fact that white clover is indig
enous to the soil of Washington Territory;
that it grows spontaneously wiicruvpr the sun
light sifts through the shade of the finest
trees. And dwel ing upon this fact, the Gov
ernor grows enthusiastic over tho poisibilities
of this section as a dairying and stock raining
section. He is entueiy right. We allude
briefly to two instances in point. On the farm
of Mr. Hicklin, and about 14 miles west of
Olympia, we saw a meadow of clover and
tiirothy about a year ago, which, Mr. II, fis
sured us, hsd yielded an average of four tons
of hay an acre for nine years without resecd
ing. A few miles tieyond we visited a dairy,
the pjsture field of which embraced 100 acres,
sown to timothy sod clover it kept 65 cows in
prime condition throughout the milking sea
sjr. And the proprietors of the dairy told ns
they believed 100 cows would do equally ss
well as the 65 on the same tract. Theso in
stances might be multiplied indefinitely. We
do not, however, need 10 muih to advise our
readers of the capacity of our soils as to ad
vise them to turn their attentiou tu their pro
per utilization, to urge them to begin 'high
farming,' and the raising of fat cattle for mar
ket. Western Washington can discount the
sage brush and bunch grass regions east of the
mountains in the matter of raising fat and
juicy beef, if our people will only take bold of
the matter properly. Western Washington
ought to raise sit its own beef and be au ex
porter besides." AUorian.
"Didn't yo'j tell me, sir, you could ho!d the
plow !" aaid a farmer to an Irishman whom be
had taken on trial. "Arrah, Le aisy now,"
said Pat; "bow the deuce can I bold it and
two horses drawing it away from met But
give it to me in tbe barn, and be jsbers I'll
hould it wid anjrbcdy."
FRIDAY, OCTOBER , 1882.
m:ws itkiis.
Bedrock Drniocrat t I.otv Sisley, of Connor
crick, was m town last week with a fine lot
of stvett notitie, raise I on his lanch. Ono of
tho potatoes weighing over tin en p niniK Is
there snything that cannot bo raited in Biker
county)?
Yamhill HiiUter: Mr. (accra'0 Myers of
West Cliehalem, threshed an ncrn of buleyon
hit farm on Wappito that vieldett 122 luish
e's, machine meisu e, and tho mens'iiv ovo
run threo ond a half ptundi to the bush. 1.
Who can teat it t
Wall Walla Slutttmrtn : 3 tee Day, ol
D iyto", was in tho citv yesterday, aid jiiyes
ns bis experience with the F.fe wf eat, whirli
it en much sought after in Minno o'a, and of
which Mr. 1'illsbury wro'e us (nine days ago.
Mr. Day tells us that tho uplands of this pait
of the Territory will produce tho vory b Bt
quality of this main. It enlarges somo in the
head, ncd, iu the bottom land", becomes !o33
lnrd and flinty than in the uplands or in Min
nesota, but it dors not deteriorate in any
hurtful degree. We aro told that from this
wheat a grado of Hour is obtair ed which it 33
per ceut. betle than that pioduced by tho cir
dinary grain: that being 22 while the Hard
Fifu is 55. The growth of this wheat would
necessitate the machinery used 111 Minnesota,
which is mcatlv dillerent from that uted here.
The Haul Fife goes through 110 processes be
fore the finer crade of Hour is ready for the
market.
T.kfi Pnnntv Ihtimlnrr : Oinrattl & Guc
r.-u intend driving some 1,2)0 howl of beif
cattle fiom tho northern pirtnf the county to
Ban Jose in a lew weeUs. Mvi-rynoiiy 111 me
upper couuliy is busy at tho fall roieos,
whijh will w'nd np 111 this va'lcy about tho
fiiat of October. Mr. Conrat'i tell ut that
stock cnt'lo have been sold out to close that
tlio pi ico hat risen ab ive their actinl vluo.
tttid that he aud his partm r will most likely
btingalaige diivo from tho Sacramenti val
ley next spring.
Biker Coiiulv SeriJIft Tlio ai.umiit of
public bnd, which pissed from the control of
tho goverr,mnt during tho year ending with
last Juuc, was 15,699,818 acre, or nearly as
much IjS the combined areas of Delaware and
Rhode ltl nd. And for thia land tho govern
ment received onlv S8.36I. 091. or about half
a doll .r nu ao e. The entrances under tho
homestead law were 6,317,729 ac es. Nearly
3.000.000 acres wero taken in Dakota during
the year, but only 698,091 of tho amount wus
seld for cadi.
Baker County Jl ecirlle : Sid Brown, 0113 of
the owiiTS of the ooal mine iu Butter creek,
Umatilla county, reports that his company
has threo well delimit ledges; the first and
uppeimoit one in tw ami one-h-ilf feet t! irk,
the next two feet aud ono third, or lower
mnxt, two and one-halt as far as developed,
but at they have not as yet struck the upper
casing they expect the thickness will rcacli
something over that when it is struck.
Giant Countv A'fim: Through the kind-
nets of John Fisk we havo eaten somo gripes,
tho jroduec of the Fisk & Rinehart place
Grapet are scarce here, and only editors and a
ffvv other favored individuals 111-1 expect to
eat them.
Yamhill Jteyiater : Tho Yamhill Milling and
Manufacturing Company am pushing work
lapidlyon their mill st the railroad b idge,
near tlio mouth of the North Yamhill river.
The mill, w!iiutunipli.l.il, will be tho most
extent ive and favorably located milling insti
tution on the west side out of Portland The
foundation is laid, and the mill will be in run
ning order about the first of November. The
North YxinhU liver has been cleared of drift,
so that logt can 1 0 run duwn from tho moun
tains. 'I he co-npany has already 3,000 000
feet of logs ready to run, ami will lmve
1,000,000 feet more by the first of NovhuIm r.
Tim mill is centrally located and of eay
access from all farts of tho county, and will
havo a switch from tho mill to the lai ivail,
so as to ship lumber to any point, up or down
the roaU. Messrs. rowell, lull, Daniel anu
Shipley, the men composing the firm, aio cu
ter prill ii(, clever geuth men, and mean busi
ness Tbey desirve great credit fjr their eu-terpri-p,
which it bound to prove of great
value to this county. Wo need a hundred
more such men to dovelop the vast reiaouives
of o'd Y'amhilh
Grant County ATeirs i Doc. Anderson sowed
three pounds of Russian Whi'e oats on hit
place at Stein Mountain thit iai'ii Alt'-r
fecdiin: a flock of blackbirds for touiu tunc, the
crop was harvested and yielded 281 pounds of
clean seed. It might be well for tome of our
John Day tanners to try these oats, need may
be bad in San Francisco, or obtained of any of
our merchants, who will send for it if le
quested to do so.
Lake County Examiner 1 John Harrington
biought us in a tack of potatoes yesterday,
which in themselves are the best lllutratiou
of the capabilities of ihe floou Lake valley
soil. They are, in fact, the finest lot we have
seen anywhere, and re cab-uUicd to impress
the immigrant with the idea that fir produc
ing vegetables the soil of this villey will beat
the world. Mr, Harrington has about twenty
tons more of the same kind.
PrinreilU Ntvt: On last Thuradsy Bud
Thompson and Frank Pine delivered to buyers
100 bead of beef cattle. The cattle are in fine
condition, and will be driven to Portland
via the Barlow route, Th-band w s chiefly
composed of young steers and dry cows, and
brought (30 for cows, soil 135 for threes and
fourc Monroe Hodges delivered some at the
same time.
Lake County Examiner: A field of ten
acres of oats, raised by M. T. Walters just
below town, was threshed on Thursday, ard
turnel out 856 bushels of grain, being upwards
of 85 bushels to tbe acre. The recent rain hail
wet tbe stack pretty badly, and a large per
centage of the grain paiseii over in the straw.
The ground from which this large rop was
1 raised was broken for the tint time this year,
and ill 1 not havo to be irrigated. T .0 p -ople
here, fiom tho above yelil, aro justiheit in
tlrnking that thoy havo th- lineal: grain coun
try in the wor d, and t lis will lie prove I to
the satisfaction r everybody when the N &
O. R. R. brimn us a market that will justify
our farmers in dnvoting sheir attention to the
r.us ng oftrain in large quantities.
Corvallis Gtistttc At the time of going to
press we learn tho amount of gram stored in
the sevir.il warehouses 1 f this place in lound
numbers to bj about2l5,000 bushels; of which
J. A. Cautnorti received 125.000, T. J. It'air
OJ.OOO, ai d D. Cl.ik at S.muels 30,000 bush
el Bak r City Ktve'Mr: The grain cop i-i
Povvibr river valley, though not r good as in
some prcviout years, n generally very iai-,
and tho pric s aro much bett' r than forinoily.
r.vtry pound ot surplus gram mint a reaiij
maiket here nn I at home. Tho railroad com
paniis buy all tlicycan.
Jacksonville Times: George A Jackson of
Sam's valley, who ra;sis about ihe finest
nuloiH in this section, p o;o ci manufactur
ing several hundred gallon! of arup from
them. Hu tried tho experiment list year aud
fouutl it s lcci'stful, an excellent quality of
syrup being tho r suit.
Bak r lietville: Onenuiii.g up I'vles' Can
yon last week wo noticed a lot of hemp grow
ing in a fio'al owned by an eldeily gentleman.
Ou inquiring wo w era informed that tho stalk
grow well ami, with prop r ciro, will piolucai
iare yield . Hem t,ruiv ing may bt-'como one
of the main industries iu tbit county, at borne
tutu re day.
AsJiland TiMuyn Robt. Wnntr brought
us a largo bunch of client-nit burrs, filled with
nuts, lait Saturday. Thoy grow up n J: O.
C. Wimer's place i-i tho northirn pirtof town.
Chestnut trect arc raio hero, but thoy thii 0
well, and at they aro of rapid growth it is
strange that our peojle do not plant more of
them,
Ashland fidimja; Mr. Gotsoher, of Jooph
ino county, who hat bo 11 at Shovel creok on
Klamath for some time, returned homo this
week, an 1 while in Ashlau i showed us a -var
elub and sc cral pipes of a curious pattern
which he had foutiJ i 1 cievicosof tho rocks
011 tho hig-i ililTt above tl.o K a-nath no r
Shovu cieek. Tho place was apparently 1111
old Indian senulchrc. aud the war club and
pipe-, all made ot stone, may navo oeeii lying
theie for centuries, or nissihly nny have been
p!a:id there with dead Indians of a later datu
than tho stouo age, who had piesurvul theee
relict of that epoch as valuable tiuasuics.
Piinevillo New, The rito in the price of
lieef Ill's greatly added to the wraith of this
c uutry, and tv ir-o w Iu havo stuck ta the
business, and firmly hold for tno top price,
are now reaping their toward in a rich harvest
of g lid. Many cattle, two yrar-olds aud up,
were sold last winter and spring for from $18
to S-0 per head, whilo to day the atmo would
readily bring $30 $35. Upwards of 5.000
m-ad ol ln-evei havo been driven away lrom
this section this summ-r, tho average price
piid being g20, acenkuinz $100,000, wh'cli
has been distributed among tlio st uk men of
Uclioci and Jteaver, and they in turn scatter
ing the money tlm ughout the country, thut
mkinz niojey comparatively pleuly. consid
ering that much more bos been received from
4ther sources'. Within the Paul two week
$30 has been paid by two or three different
buyers, and inquiries concerning the pronan
ility of gittiug more eveu at this advaucod
price are nunirn lit. It is believed that this
nigh prico will rule for a number of years, in
which event the cattle men will bo amply
repaid for their years of hard labor iu this new
country
Baker Citv Reveille; The natural and other
resources of Baker county aro lining developed
almost evcy wooVi, and the fact is gradually
being established that it lathe peer of any
county or country 011 tho Pacific Coast. It is
now qui u well known tint Baker county
produces tho finest tUvoiud fruits audi at
titrawbu-rici, ra pleniet, currants, gooeole
res, apples, 1 eauies, quince!, aprirots, pons,
plums, hu.'klolerriu!, etc.; alo that wheat,
oats, bailey, corn, potatoes, squashes, beets,
pumpkins, onious, lettuce, reaa, beans,
1 ad ia lie , etc., etc., all yo whore 111 abundance;
but no did iiotsupposi tho sweet pitato. u
native of the soil and climate of Arkantaw,
would gio he-e; but it does, as some of our
citizens know lio purchase I somo very line
ooes 01 Mr. nitsioy, trowu ly nun on ins
ranch near Sjako river When thi railroads
now in piocc-st of rapid cniwtructiou shall be
com pic toil aud running at they will be 111
about a twelvenonth thut connecting our
people with the outside world there will Imi
no healthier or more desirable country In
which to live than Baker county.
Walla Walla .StatftiMnt Mr. G. W. Rob
er s, who iiMu o 1 Sixth, betwo 11 Main and
Alder streets, has fully determined ou a fruit
drying and fanning es ablishment. Ho hu
been gutiauieed all the tminUnce required
from business in a of (hit city and will at
once proceed to put his plaua into excutioa.
The necesaary fixtures will be x nt for at once,
and he will have built exp'etaly for h'S ue
u large drer, wlii.h will be iu place late this
fill. From the present outlook, both here at
home and the reasonable prospect for a
Washington Territory snd Mrntana traale for
drie 1 and canned fruits and vegetables, no
other enterprise promises so wellae that to
which Mr. Roberts is giving his sttentioo.
He desires us to say that ho will have every
thing in readiness for operation in a few
inontht, and thereafter our farmer friends will
find at bis establishment a prompt-paying
market for all fruits snd vegetables used iu
tanning and drying. He lias been assured s
borne market for bis goods, which will alwsys
have tbe advantage of being fresh The en-t-rprite
of Mr, Roberts should be fostered in
sn earnest, practical way by every business
man and fruit grower in this valley. Its oper
ation will iiece-ssi ate the employment of labor,
the distribution of 111 mey, aud in all ways
contribute to the best interests of Walla
Walls.
NO. 34.
THE SPOKAN COUHTRY.
Tho Xorthwett Trihuw, jubished at
Cheney, has an iuteiest ng coi r. Bpondonce
from the Cotto.ivvoud d strict, vh ch lies near
tho junction of tho Spokan and Columbia
livcrt, northwest of Cheney, almut 30 to 50
miles. Mr. Tho'iics L;dgewood, i.ow a lesi
d.'iit of Cjttonvviod deatriul, confirmed all
theso s'a'cincnts to us at JJpikan Falls, tho
ofier day. T'le lemailtablofait iu eonnicti-'ii
wit'i thee r pt is that they were gtown in a
ca-on hen no rami of umsi qnence fell from
eed time to harvest.
The enrr spoiidcnu"ef erred to is dated Sept,
18. n d t.iys: -
Tne pat week hit been iiuukul by crpious
mint and tho final wiud up of tho dry sea on.
Tuc soil is m line 10 ditiou for' the plow, be
iug mi ist and mellow for several inclus in
depth.
fho advantage of fall nrrillug hat ben so
tin rou ,'hly deini'iidia ed during 'bo past s a
si", that our ftrinrt will avail themselves of
the (lescnt o,ipuit ility t town large acrtago
of w inter wheat.
Wo open our eyes with amat'incnt at the
prjdiginus crops reported frjin Wnl'ft Walla,
when if tho truth vino Known this whole
roil dry can bo nindo to do iwrnji, or i-ven
bett'r(-s-our s il is 6itt r und r the same
conditions that etist to il sum such crops
theie, ('. r., summer lallovviug, thorough culti
vation, fall sowing. fii. It seems to bo con
cede 1 by everyone that tlm season of 1SS2 is
unprecedented 111 tho upp.'i- country for dry
vv 0 v'.her, yet iii.tc.nl rf 1. a ling to general dis
couragement nud a partial depopulation of the
country aa would undeniably 11 suit in meat
now oun'rie!, it has inapt ed tho fullost
co fidenco and uuiiliiuud t'.ie greatest hopes
of all.
Ihe thro il in; saton is drawing to a oloso
and Muisra. Ilartlett & Lamb, with their new
''Minnesota, Chuf," havo bad a monopoly of
the liiisiin-HH in thi lection. H-dinv I append
a few figures obtained fiom Charley May, the
urhaiio tallyistund book-kto,er of the u'.ove
rir.n.
The lnroat crop in thisdiitiict wai ratco'l
by llojca IJrjt.., iie.u- Liu-ii'j, alii cousiated
chielly of eats. They cut a lare part (and
tho heaviest of thnir grain for hiv; of the bal
ance, about half has I eon thushctl, which
yielded -15 biisheL par ucre 11 al-weighed 40
pounds per bimhcl. It it beli veil by good
judge 1 that tin ir crop would yield 50 bushels
fier acre nit around. Tlio jsiyco hoys will
lave a lniye quan'i y left oftcr tilling their
contract ut C imp Spokan for 3,000 bushels at
$1 90 per owr.
Tho SPdond lirgett crop wan raited by
Bowen Bros , ami gave the tollo 1 ingiiverues:
Oatt, 51; barley, 37; and wheat, 21 bushels per
atT't
Mr On Oleum had 20 acres of win at that
yielded 23 bushels pir itciu.
Joo Lor iBon had 62 bushels of liaflry 35 of
rat , and 31 ol w-'ictt per acrr.
Cnar'et Welling hml nearly IS00 bushels of
oats fruin land partly bit kuu lait spring and
part tlio prcccciiii;,' mil, that made 50 bushels
to the aire. "'"
Some of the heavioit croni aro not vet
tlui-shed. It muat bo Ixirno in mind that
these figures represent the fir-t or sod ciop
(with the -exceptions noted below) and also
that every farmer cuts moto or tits grain for
hav, and, aa a general thing, the heaviest part
of his crop is thus used, Mr. I'smxin's I arloy
was froin'sicniiil plowing. Boyce Bros, had
17 acres of inttoi tHitsamo kind ol land, that
was fully six feet till and would undoubtedly,
yield 05 or 70 buslids per acre. Howeii Bros,
had nro aero of barley on upland that was re
plowed uofoio sowing (merely for tho cxperi
11 cut) that was estimated at 75 hindieU and
was by all rdds the heaviest yulil in the
county.
Superintendent Stivens informed mo that
ho xprcted to get 10 bushels a f wheat and 60
of oats pir acrr,
Mr. Join (lla.ebrouk hid a small "patch"
1 f oitt raised fiom a ed sunt him lay Comreae
man Bren's, that av i.iged 7 feet high.
J. C. B iwru has bluu grass, red clover, and
white clover, so a 11 last spring, and every va
riety is as fine as I ovi r saw in ( liuuis. He
hi no has a quartir of an ncri of timothy swn
the tirat wujk of June that it all lieixled and
will averago 2) fret hili, and would make cot
li sa than I J tons p.-r acrr,
1'rovious to this (cas.,11 It has he-en supposed
that this icgidi vvrs spcciilly adaptej to
wheat railing, and that tlioothtreeieals could
ii'. t bu profiitably raised, but witi the experi
encu of the past season, it is safe to assert that
tbeid is im part of tlio l'acitio iiat where a
diversity of 01 ops can be more successfully
raised than in the "Big Bend :oiii,tiy."
Ihave just had u conversation with Mr.
Jewish Cole, the intelligent Postmaster of
Brents, from whom I have gleaned mtiiy in
teresting points in reg- id to the 'r .ps of that
vicinity. Brents is 30 inibs w.st tf Cotton
wood, in the heart rf th 11 g l!-rd country,
aud we were deeply gratified to learn from an
aiithenio source that the same evidences of
prosperity which bctoki 11 a splendid future
tor this section, are just as visible sod striking
in that locality. Mr. Cole gave me three in
stances where wheat made fiom 20 to 25
bushels per acre, and a field of fall wheat mads
between 30 aud 40 bushels per sire. The
potato crop is very fine out there, and melons,
squashes, etc., are large and perfectly matured.
KVery thing out theie as well aa here has
e caped tl.e frost up to date, exept on the
lowest groun . Several pirtifs near Brents
sre trying alfalfa, with a promise id the best
suceets Prof. Stevens told mr if a Held of
alfalfaou Cold creek that was fully knee high
and very thick. Mr. Cole thinks the best
tract of laud in this country is about twenty
miles wist of HreuU, near the (Jrsnd Coulee.
It is thought to be 500 or 000 f.et lower than
Brents, is wholly exempt lrom frif, sod the
bunch grass glows so rank that stveial Cali
fornia settl-rs secured twenty or more tent
w ith a scythe. That would be a teiieua un.
dertaking here',