, 1862-03-22
A Few Suggestions.

WALLA WALLA, March 7th, 1862
MEssss EDToRs-SRs :--Some time has
elapsed since l wrote you last took up my
pen to write you during the late cold spell, but
my house being rather airy, the ink, by the time
l had fairly begun, froze in my pen; now that
the weather is a little giving and there is afpros-
pect of thaw, at some future day, 1 resume my
task, to hold converse with the barbarians below.
q mean no disrepect to the Mountasneer man
who is well nigh crazed on the subject of the
q Grand Ronde Wagon Road y The walls that
environ us III the east are having breach made
in them and the probability we shall soon be able
to get some news as to what the whole world and
the rest Of manAipd are doing.
You can inform your distant readers that We
are enjoying a pretty near approach Of winter
weather yets The farmers in this valley have
very little done towards putting in a crop for the
next harvest. The ground having remained dry
to very late day in the fall but little wheat was
in consequence sown, and the farmers have little
or no blowing done. The season is SO far adj
vanced that it will be too late to SOW fall wheat
u
That being the only choice left predict that very
little wheat will be raised the coming season, and
that our farmers will raise oats and barley almost
exclusively Corn has risen of late considerably
favor
The lateness of the season will, of necessity,
limit very materially the quantity of ground sown.
Some farmers who intended putting in $50 acres
of land have cut it down to 100 acres; Others
who meditated putting in 100 acres, now speak of
80 or 60, and so on. The scarcity of Seed too
will be another drawback but let our farmers
take courage, as the prospect now is that the
farmers will regulate prices of oats and barley
next fall The scale will now be turned the
whims and favoritesm of the Quartermaster need
no longer be regarded his pleasure or dispeas
ure can no longer rule out the honest farmer from
an honorable competition in their products of the
farm.
say, again, let the farmers be encouraged at
the coming prospect and redouble their exertions
to supply the demands that will be made upon
them at the close of the next mining season, and
by no means to neglect sowing reasonable por-
ton of spring wheat. Wheat will command a
good price, too 1t must be remembered that
wheat has advanced in the markets below; that
per consequence, the quantity that will be shipped
must be somewhat limited. The more grain that
is raised here the more money will be retained at
home. It viii ruin any country to import such
articles Of consumption as can be produced at
home as we'll Oregon has suffered immensely
from such causes SO, also, has California. say,
in all candor beware of such reyerses tor as sure
as fate, such consequences inevitably follow all
such indications Of business. Vast sums Of mo-
ney are sent off to pay the freights the articles
herein mentioned viz flour, bacon and preserved
meats of all kinds.
Too little attention has been paid formerly to
working the roads; hence the impossible condi-
ton of many of the roads leading out from this
place In some places plowing on the hillsi9es
is much called for, and in others little grading
would much improve the hills and make them
much easier, and thereby facilitate and induce
trade and travel. These little things should not
be considered SO lightly if we expect to build up
permanent city and keep pace with the numerous
rivals that are sprngng up around US, endeavor-
ing to suppant us and direct from US the adyan-
tages gained in our already good beginnings,
1t will take about three months to explode the
Grand Ronde humbug trail and wagon road. If
you or any of your readers haye crossed the
plains by way of the Burnt river country and have
noticed the immense chasms through which Snake
river courses the bluff banks on either side Of
solid basaltic rock, which continue from Burnt
river down to the north side OF the Blue Mount
aims, you would readily perceive the impractical
biHty of such road. There is Mr.. Meek in
Oregon, brother to the man cf'cut-oh memory
who, wishing to get free passage to the mines,
offers, for a certain sum, to pilot company over
said road, and act as viewer and guide for any
party who will comply with bis conditions. 1
think he is too well known to deceive many into
s..Ol. nnu-goose chase, ms protestauons or
mountaineer experience to the contrary notwith-
standing.
l venture the assertion that there will be few
who will be deceived by these selfinterested offers
Spectators are busy misrepresenting the Walla
Walla routej but these place-servers, thank for
tune, will "play out" this summer; but we will
have to encounter new difficulties in this wise
next season. One thing is certain, any person
who has travelled the old trails by Lewiston will
be hard to deceive. l pity the strangers and new
comers they know not whittier they go nor what
prompt the teachings of these new lights.
forgot to mention the fact that there is still
about f2,0OO bushels of wheat unoonsumed here.
Ofthis quantity about 5000 bushels is in second
hands, and the remainder in first hands, after de-
ducting what will be needed for seed think
this will approximate the true state of things
there is probably enough for resident consumr
ton the mines will have to be supplied from
abroad. SID.
POLITE CAND1DATE.-Madam is your husband
about
Lady.-Yes sir. He has gone to haul away
dead dog, and will be back directly.
Candidate. - Sheep killing dog, | reckon.