The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1873-08-13
Letter from oregon.

AOe'0O III PNAliO VI pOPdl"IlOIs 10 tdO
first. we claim, in the God-given
grander of her landscape, and the
sublime beauty of her scenery. In
the words OF the native Oregon poet,
Joaquin Miller =
"see once Columbias scenes. then roam no more;
No more remains on earth to cultured eyes.
The cataract comes down. broken roar,
The palisades defy approach, and rise
Green moss'd and dripping to the skies.
The canyon thunders with its fill of FOAM
And calls loud mouth'd, and all the land dehes.
The mounts make fellowship, and dwell at home
In snowy brotherhood beneath their purpled dome"
From the time l arrived in Port
land, April 5Oth, up to the present,
there is no land or cline beneath the
sun that can rival the beauty of
Oregon. No wonder the rays of the
setting sun linger so fondly around
such scenes of beauty before sinking
to rest in the great ocean. Since I
came here, the climate has been all
that could desire; the air is pure
and bracing, with almost perpetual
breeze from the ocean. The strong
trade winds are broken by the coast
mountains, and our breezes are gen
tie and refreshing. | have slept but
two or three nights in Oregon with
out fires, and never without heavy
covering. We have no extremely
warm weather in this part Of the
valley; about midday we have a
few warm hours, but not so hot as in
Tennessee, and then we have the
consolation of knowing that so GER
tain as the night cometh, we will
have cool and pleasant hours for
sleep. We have had almost as much
rain here as you have in Tennessee
up to this time, but the roads are
now beginning to get a little dusty.
They say we need look for no more
rains until October. [ am told that
they have wet winters here, and
presume that they do, as this is call
ed the ''webfoO5 State OF course
we cannot expect to have sunshine
always, and would advise no one
to come here until l have expert
enced more of "webfoot" life. /
would not live anywhere between the
Mississippi and the Rocky Noun
tains. | shall either make nay flu
ture home in East Tennessee or in
Oregon. have traversed the entire
length Of the great valley of the
Willamette, and have culIed flowers
from both mountains. All the arabic
lands between the coast and Cascade
mountains is termed the Willamette
valley, and is about 175 miles in
length and 60 in width This is
called the garden spot of Oregon,
and in fact of this whole coast. Du-
ring its thirty years of settlement
and cultivation, it has never failed
to make good. remuneratiye crops.
1t is a source of never failing sup
plies during the great failures in
California This is a better watered
country than even East Tennessee.
Unlike the Western States, her
waters roll swiftly DER pebbly bot
toms. / think this is the finest fruit
State in the Union; apples keep the
entire year, in the ground, like Irish
potatoes. Wheat. oats and barley
are the principal crops; corn does
mot grow we'll here-when matured,
does not average more than waist
high. Wheat is the great staple Of
Oregon; its average yield per acre
is said to be from 20 to so, and often
rising to. 40, sometimes so bushels.
Oats yield from 40 to so bushels per
acre. The wild oats grow in great
luxuriance here, which makes good
| hay when cut before maturing.
1
Wheat is sown during every month
in the year, but very little is sown
during June, July and August, in
consequence of the dry weather.
Harvest comes off in August. Wheat
sown prior to the first of June is
harvested the same season. They
have the improved machinery here
for heading and threshing the grain
in the field, as in California. The
farmers are now getting ready and
employing their hands for the next
months work. Harvest lasts, gen.
orally, about one month; the wheat
and oats being cut at the same time.
The wheat here has much stronger
straw than in Tennessee, and will
stand for months after maturing
without falling down. Wages are
higher here than in the States any
ordinary hand gets one dollar and
upwards per day, in silver, for any
kind of farm work. Greenbacks are
not current here. Oregonians are
generally wealthy and liberal. They
have never known the hard times,
financially, that we have had in the
States for the last few years. Five
cent pieces are not current here, ex-
cept for postage stamps. No single
thing in the stores is priced less than
ten cents, or s'bit,'' as they call it,
and count it twelve and a half cents
/ There is a greater contrast in the
habits and customs generally of the
people of this coast and those of the