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About Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1903)
10 THE HEPPNER GAZETTE, THURSDAY. JANUARY" 1, 1903 , . ' ' 1 i i i i Alfalfa Cirowing. The introduction of the alfalfa plant was a boon to tbe stock grower. Along all tbe creeks and wherever water ran be obtained tbe land is put to alfalfa which produces an immense yield of choice feed especially for cattle and sbeep. In favored eeotioos three crops are cat in a single season and the yield is from two to six tons to the aore. On the hill and plateau lands rye, barley and wheat bar is grown which also yields well. This bay is nsoally stacked in long ricks in tbe open air. Mirny of these stacks can be seen that have stood for two or three years, showing that the stockmen always keep wall supplied with feed. While agriculture is encroaching rap only being outclassed by Umatilla and Sherman oonnties. This wheat is grown in a sparsely settled oountry aDd only tbe choice wheat lands are yet in onltivation. Tbe wheat district proper is in sontb weetern portion of the oounty, extending from Hardman in the foot bills of tbe Western spar of the Bine Mountains to Douglas in tbe extreme western portion of the county, comprising a compara tively narrow belt of plateau lands, tak ing in tbe Eight Mile, Goosebery, lone, Douglas, and Lexington districts. For tbe orop of 1902, the wheat acreage was greater than ever known in tbe his tory of the county, and consequently tbe crop of tbe pat year was tbe great est ever harvested. The average yield of laud. This I got from tbe government Three years g I bargained fo another ball section, giving 3(100 bushels of wheat for it. I sowed tbe land aod ruined tbe wheat in two years " Oiber instances of this kind could be related. Daring tbe past six months there have been many real estate trans fers in Morrow conDty; Most of tbe laods sold have been wheat lards lu the lone and Douglas wheat districts. The purchasers have been principally from Sherman county. Sherman is a great wheat country, and tbe fertile plains that are producing icamenne crops are now worth $20 per acre. Morrow emmty baa the same charactr r f soil. and ap parently just as good land, but the rec ords show prices of from only $6 to $8 . 1 - t ;. idly upon the stockmen's territory, the fact tbnt there is such a large amount of tributary rnnpe lain! p.nd a large amount of tbe f-'ot bill lands that are too rough for cultivation, tbe f-tock business will be an industry of grent importance in Morrow county for runny years to come. On tbe rough hinds ami bills which seem to be barren, bunch gross thrives and these hills furnish goo i ptisture for thousands of hoofn. Stock countries everywhere are pros perous, for the contraction of ranges by 1 was a little below tbe nvtrnpe, making about 15 bushels to the acre. Farming here hs not yet recched a big1) standard. Very few, if any farms are in a high stftto of cultivation. The tendency is to get over large tracts with as little expense aa possible. Sumtner fallow is worked little if any, and as it has been remarke I, in plowing in some plncs only the high places are hit. Some of the stubble grouud is sown witboot plowing and sor iicbn 1 in with a spring tooth harrow. Eat good or. ps per acre for tbe chr ice tracts that have ch mged hands iu Morrow. The shrewd Sherman county buyers are Inking ad vantage of this condition of affairs. Some of t:H hnd tbut was purch ugel in large triiets It aa already been cut npintopmall farms and sold for $10 per acre. Morrow county land values will keep on increas ing un d the real vh!uj ig renc!.ied and be 00 an equality with other good wheat producing t-ections of the state. Soil Vi-ry 'TliHc, Tbe soil here f)jui!j mixed with a vol- Wc T. RATTEN Has opened a new Blacksmith shop opposite the city feed yard. GENERAL BLACKSMITH Having had years of experience, my work speaks for itself, and I ex pect to stand on my merits- as a workman. HORSESHOEING AND WOOD WORK I mak a specialty of shoeing horses, any and all kinds, from fresh off the range to work horses, roadsters and racers. My shoes are carefully shaped and fitted to the horse's foot. Repair Work a Specialty. w.kWiawMiH.j;i)'J.i:"'mi,wrj 1 f . ' ... v, ft : "t;; w"" .PP W Iji IWJt Hi W'JMgWaLf rwWll7T'yWW p.. i 9 Inventor and Maker of the Celebrated He ppner So clcll e Boinp; an"oldraDffe rider, I learned the trade from actual experience as a cowboy. My saddles are made from the best material that money can buy, and built by the most skilled workmen iJiif,..-,' ' -, the Bdvenl of settlers outs dowu tbe are grown. I euppiy which oacses a demand at prices i:aj' Fanning. ! that Bre profitable to the man who has j Tbe cbaraofer of the soil ninlcs farm j stock to sell. While the grower makes ing easy. The soil is loose and light and j money , it is also necessary for him to ; eacy to plow. The same amount of labor fa ic ash is loohe ai'd 1'gbt and very r'rh , containing (jra'u producing qual ities. Farming opi r itions have proven that the toil improves with onltivation. Twenty-Five Years Experience in -kSaddIe Making- My trade extends all over the United States, os cially in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota. Nnlnv.ska and N. W. territory. No catalogue. Drop a Card for Photographs, When cultivated and exposed to the act ion of the elements the original charac ter of the soil changes and beoomesmore productive. Tbis soil has a wonderful faculty of holding moisture. Hands I'm id Ilitfli Wapes. Natural conditions here are favorable to grow wheat oheaply with the excep tion of hired help. For the past year hands have been very scarce, and while pay out much money in oonduoting the business. Stock (.rowing IHwtrihnlrtt floury. Many men are employed iu taking cire of the stock, putting up feed aod the necessary details conneoted with eaoh branch of the It dnstry. For tbis work, growers are able and pay good wages. For sheep herding, men are paid from $35 to ?40 per month in the sum mer and from $30 to in the winter. This is about the average, however, some herders are paid more. Tbe sheep shearing season which com mences dnring the latter part of April and ends in the latter part of May, fur nishes employment for a number of peo ple. Shearing is skilled labor. Prioes paid for shearing are from eix to seven cents per bead. Good shearers tarn off from 75 to 100 bead per day. With some picked crews with favorable conditions 100 ebeep per day is tbe minimum. These men make from ?5 to 33 per day during the shearing season. With the large Dumber of stock hand led and the great amount of wool shipped it would appear that Morrow county is only a stock country. The county is not only a good stock country bat a I great agricultural country as well, (ireat Wheat Country. For the year 1902, Morrow county produced 1,200,000 bushels of wheal. A great many people even in Ibis eonnty do oot realist that of tbe many wheal ptoda:iog 00 unties of tbe stale of Ore here will cultivate a larger area th'in in most farming districts. The soil cer tainly contains great wheat producing qnalitios. During the past yer, ?olui -teer wheat, that is, wheat that was shat tered upon the grouud, produc d as Liy h as 18 bushels to the acre without any cultivation or a dollars expense, except that of harvesting. About 1,000,000 bushels cf tbe crop c f 1902 was exported, the local demand re quiring tbout 250,000 bushfh. The bulk of this crop was so'd early io the fall at an average of about 52 cents per bushel, which brought a fair return tf profit. Farmers state that wheat can be grown here at a small profit at "0 cenls per bushel. lnrrHlnK I. mid Vnlnrs. It having been thoroughly demonstra ted that this is a great wheat country has had a tendency to greatly increase land values within the past two yes re. Less than five years ago, land was sold at from $200 to 8100 per quarter section, and buyers were not numerous at these prioes. Today this land 19 worth from S800 to 81500 per quarter. The following news item clipped from the regular isue of tbe Gazette of Oc tober 23, will give an idea as to tbe in crease in land values: "County Commissioner Ed. C. Ash baugh has aold his fine wheat farm of 640 aores in Eight Mile, to F. P. Vaughn for $0000. In speaking of the tale, Mr. Ashbaugh said: I landed Id Eight Mile 14 years ago with 35 cents Io my pocket. Land at that time in this dis trict bad little or to value. I traded a I &&efrb4fe9e1fe lj FT . . . , ' ZT 2 L " I jz In connection with tbis Hotel is tbe :: :: :: :: 43 foi. Morrow elands third io tbe list, .f 30 cay use for ajmsa'a right on 320 acres PALACE : BAR Tbe finest Establish ment of the kind to be f.tund in Heppner. A full Hue of :: :: :: :: :: Wines, Liquors and Cigars kept constantly on hand. Sample them and be convinced. :: :: :: :: :: Old Liquors a Specialty Palace Hotel. PHIL METSCHAN, JR., Prop Why not patronize the best and help support a a business tLat will help you. Heppner enjoys the distinction of supporting the Largest Hotel of any Town of its Size in the West. . . We have had a good patronage the past five months and will continue to make improvements in the future. We have recently'ordered a lot of new E and will not have an undesirable room in the house. The tables of the Palace Hotel were never better. "Courtesy" is our Motto TOE53E5 AND FDBHTBB 4 and we will take pleasure in administering to the comfort of our guests.
