Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1844-11-08
IN aBER A6.

| fifteen miles above Vancouver tho mountain DC.
come love- r on both sides. and gently decline into
! wide valleys covered with fir timber. spccios Of
/ pine. The mock of land between tho Wa,lamet-
TO and Columbia about five miles across, Is rich
bottom but overnows ovcry summer by tho rise
in the Columbia, which rises just like tho Missouri.
! highest in June and July.
The Willamette has high, but single ridge OF
mountains on the west bank, and on the east bank.
! for several miles this wide valley is covered with
! fir and cedar. When you coma along The rvcrs.
YOU will therefore see nothing inviting except
beautiful streams and most splendid timber
/ W hen you ge, TO Linnton, you take through
immense body of most beautiful FIR. cedar. and
other timber. ten miles TO the Faaty Plains,
(prairies.) which are certainly the most beautiful
you They consist of succession of
small prairios about three miles long, and from
one to two miles wide. These plains. they
ioio Gssitcd, b7e- away the Southwest. ur.
III they connect with the wide and beautiful coun.
try upon the Yam Hill River, which runs into
! Willamette, bovc the falls some twenty milos
towards the sea. This Yam Hill Valley runs
within fifteen miles of tho sea. The Fal,aty
Plains arc almost surrounded by ridge of noun
iains, in the shape Of horse shoe. tho open end
toward the Yam Hill country. These plains Ito
rs handsomely you would have them, just rol.
ling enough TO carry off the water, oro rich, and
have gravel or stone.
The soil is black, on q clay foundation. Tho
timber comes up TO the very edge of tho prairie.
SO tina. in five stops You be of tho prairie
and IN tho tilckcst, t0lest. most beautiful timoor
You Tho trees mostly fir from
very small saplings to one and half feet diamc-
ter at the foot, and about hundred 10 ono
hundred and fifty feet high. and straight
Pine timber generally is. Along all tho li,tIo
branches that from the prairie, is plenty Of
ash and white oak timber, which makes excel.
lent fircwood, &c. These plains are covered
with green grass, rich tho blue grass.
which is green all winter. You break up prairie
here, with yoke of oxen or two horses
The hills and mountains upon tho border of tho
prairies in this country covered with grass.
fine range could be imagined. and which
can never bo exhausted. Tho whole Wallamet.
tc Valley, three hundred miles wide, is about such
q country have described to you, and moro
of il Is ye! unoccuPiod by any ono
Farming 49, perhaps tho most profitable of all
business dono IN tins country. 1t is oasy TO
open farm here, as you have such fno timber
for all purposes. You plough all winter and all
summer if you choose. In fact you plough
all the year. They actually SOW wheat here
from 18th Oct. to 18th MAY, and mako rs much
per in Missouri Irish potatoes grow
hero finer than any whero in tho world, perhaps.
! saw five acres of land sown in wheat in May
last, which produced ono hund red and ten bushels.
1t you SOW late. you put in moro seed. Corn
be raised, but not vol wheat. You can
raise enough for all purposes, you noed mono
except for bread.
As to the climate, it is the finest you ever snw.
Winter commences in December and ends in Feb.
ruary. This has been about as wet a season rs
they have had. Tho rains commenced in worry
gcntle showers about tho Is of November, and
during the balanco Of November il rained about
day in eighth December it rancd about ]
day In 8, and in January it rained showed
about evory other day. In February, about tho
first. we had slight SNOW, which melted as it fell.
and ono slight rain succeeding it tho next day,
and the balance of the month tho most beautiful,
clear and warm weather inn ginablc. The 26th
! November VIC had small snow, which Como
/ In three days. In December we had very little
snow; but what melted rs it fell.--ln January We
had good deal of snow, oil Of which melted it
! fell, except about six inches deep which
| lay about three days. The ground had scarcely
| been frozen an inch deep this winter. Tho rains
| horo always very light, mostly drilling
rain, and they very warm, and net like the
cold fall and spring rains in Missouri
] would rather have weeks rain than two
days | believc can do tw ice the
work hero in tho winter that he in Missouri, &
if he is mechanic no can work every day. The
:, rains now past and thograss is growing fno-
| ". Flowers arc opening. ard | have been in-
formed by William O'Ncii and others, the best
Of authority, that strawberries have boon in bloom
all the winter. know | them tho first
| Of December last have lived since 2O.h Of JAM
uary in log cabin, floor of loose plank, laid on
sleepors high from the ground, with only boards
/ nailed on the cracks, and have burned much less
wood. and not suffered half tho cod as would
have done in Missouri. They never daub the
cracks of their houses here.
/ American are worth here from fifty to
seventy-fve dollars. American horses from fifty
to seveutv-fiye dollars Oxen from seventy five
to one hundred and twenty-five dollars per yoke.
This is the finest country for raising cattle you
ever saw. They keep fat all winter. Butter
sells at twenty to twenty-five cents. And what
did not expect find, this is good country for
hogs At all events, You have here plenty of
grass, roo. they call wappato. and also plenty Of
white oak mast. 4 first rate market can be had
here for any and every thing and you have mover
seen business more brisk. Times arc first rats.
and every body busy. The manufacturing power
is unsurpassed in the world. There are mora
fine mill sites than you over saw. Such water