The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-04-20
What Shal! VIC Raise?

up farm in the timbered portion of
this country, and who has but few
acres of land to cultivate, the ques-
ton of what crops will pay the best,
becomes subject OF considerable i'm
portance. For prairie land, this ques-
ton is easyil answered. Small grain
crops, averaging as much, and more,
perhaps, under favorable circumstan-
ces, as on the timbered land, while
with hay and root crops the difference
is greatly in favor of the timbered
land. Some Of our small farmers,
here in the timber, raise wheat and
oats for market because those crops
require less labor than potato and
other root crops, which can be turned
to such good advantage raising pork,
or fed to milk cows. Possibly the
farmer realizes more for the outlay
during a single year, but does it pay
in the long run? 1t is we'll known
that wheat draws more on the sub
stance of the soil, especially on our
high timbered land, than almost any
other crop. A continuous cropping
with wheat will run down our best
hill land in few years, unless kept
up by means of fertilizers.
Our country is afflicted with class
of grumblers who think if they can
not raise good crops for succession
of years on the same land, without
manure, and as is often the case,
without proper cultivation, that the
land is of an inferior quality; or, as |
have heard remarked, without bot
tom;" and they will cite you to some
far distant country where the land
never wears out, or in other words,
has been cropped fifteen or twenty
years with wheat and still produces
as much as ever. But this point do
not wish to argue. do not think
this country as good for raising grain
as some other countries, but | do think
that with good cultivation, proper
rotation of crops and an occasional
dressing of manure, that there are few
countries in which the farmer realizes
greater or surer returns for his labor
than in this. This timbered land is
hard to clear and if it pays to clear it,
it pays to keep it up, particularly so
to the man who depends on the pro-
ceeds of his farm for living. 1t is
important that while he makes it pro-
duce all he can every year, that he keep
it in good condition for the next year.
No intelligent person will disapprove
raising wheat here, but it is losing
business in comparison with the larger
profits to be made on other crops.
We cannot successfully compete with
prairie countries in the grain business,
and SO long as Oregon and California
produce such immense quantities, we
had better turn our attention to some
thing else, and raise wheat only for
home consumption. While in grain
raising those countries have greatly
the better of us, we have an equally
great advantage over them in some
other branches of husbandry. For
instance, dairying, or raising sheep
and hogs, in fact raising stock of any
kind, is preferable to marketing our
produce, and thus, while the proceeds
are fully as much at the start, with
proper manipulation of the manure,
our land is increasing instead of de-
creasing in productiveness.
The decline in the price of beef in
the last few years has had its effect.
Stock raisers are generally keeping
fewer cattle, and turning their atten-
ton more to raising horses, sheep and
hogs, which is - it should be. While