Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1874-10-15

which might be interesting to many
of your readers.
CROPS.
The harvest is ended here, and l
can now give the results in Western
Oregon. The average of wheat is
about 80 bushels per acre, and of oats
about 81 bushels. The oats crop is
much under an average yield, owing
to the late cool spring, and intense
heat in July and August. The wheat
is very plump and heavy. The hay
crop was affected like the oats, and
hay is rather scarce at II dollars per
ton in the cities, and 10 dollars in the
rural districts. The. apple crop is
abundant; yet apples of good quail
ty are worth from to 1 2c. per pound.
The potato cropls under an average
Weld. All soft fruits are in abun-
dance with us. Taking all in all,
we are blessed with an abundant
crop this season, in Western Oregon.
HEALTH.
This has been uniformly good this
year, as it generally is in all years
here. In looking over the large con-
course of people, assembled this sea-
son, at various places and on various
occasions, the rosy hues of health are
visible upon the faces of nearly all
present. And those of our people
who come into "Web foot" from the
great sea Of grass, in Eastern Ore
gon, look the very picture of health.
This they call Home, as most of
them removed from Western Oregon
and went into the stock business
over the Mountains.
LANDS.
/ can say to your readers, that all
original land titles here are good.
All lands here have been obtained
under the Donation Law first, and
under various land grants from the
General Government, and under the
Homestead Law. There have been
no public land sales as yet in Oregon
and hence there is no land at pri-
vate only, except from this State and
from the Railroad companies. Under
the Swamp Land Acts, large tracts
are taken up by settlers at low rates,
and partly upon time at interest.
Within the limits of the Railroad
grants, lands are held at two dollars
and a half per acre, and only so acres
can be taken by any one person.
Outside of those grants the Home
stead Act grants 160 acres to each
qualified settler.
Lands are exceedingly low here,
according to quality and location.
Why is this? The reason is obvious:
There is too much land for the num-
Der of people here. just think of it!
One person to 800 acres. And
more than one-half of our folks are
engaged in fishing, mining, manu-
featuring, merchandising, commerce,
common labor in the towns, and on
public improvements in the State at
large. Every acre of our wheat
lands, if properly titled, will pay for
the land and all expenses in two
years. l have lived here % years
and never saw a failure of the wheat
crop IN Western Oregon. No man
need be a renter here-all can be
land owners, if they be sober and in
dustrious.
THE SEASONS.
have so often written about our
seasons, and so many others have
done the same, that we would sup
pose that most folks know all about
our seasons. We have two seasons
here, the wet and the dry. We are in
the climate of Asia, though we owe
allegiance to the government of the
United States; and for that we thank
God. The dry season sets in about
the first of May and closes about the
first of November. And the wet sea-
son embraces the balance of the year.
The trade winds blow from the
North during the dry season, and
from the South the balance of the
year. Before the country was dis
covered by the whites, the Indians
say that the Great Spirit arranged the
seasons to suit His red children. But
since 1882 the seasons have been
gradually changing to suit His tohite
children. We have fine copious
showers all through May, June, and
into the first half of July, and then
in the last half of September, October
and November. And all through
December, February, March and
April we have open weather at inter
walls. Snow but seldom lays on the
ground in Western Oregon, more
than eight or ten days, about New
Year. The rains are copious and
sometimes hard in the wet season.
We have no to1nddoes here, but high
winds drive in from towards China
and the East Indies at times in the
wet season here. The north wind de-
lightfully tempers the heat of the
sun, and renders the nights cool and
refreshing for sleep. And the ther-
mometer never or seldom rises to 100
degrees of heat in summer. And 1
have hardly ever heard of sober
man being sun struck here. If sun
struck he is sohisky struck first.
If persons will use waterproof
boots and overcoats here, they can
travel and work all the wet season.
And in the dry season the climate is
delightful beyond any thing 1 can de-
scribe. The air is clear and trans
parent, and the sun, moon and stars
shine with brilllancy untold. Per
sons can read large print by moon
light here. 1 will describe in future
letters tothe JOURNAL, why persons
come here and run away ho,cling.
DAVID NEWSOM.
Vinfnu News