, 1877-04-28
A Great wheat Country.

The extent of this country is not
yet appreciated. The open grass and
grain lands between the Cascades aud
Bitter Root mountains, and belonging
to Washington and North Idaho ter
ritories aggregate about 40, 900 square
miles o: %, 500, 900 acres. Full eight.
teen million acres are ready for the
p!ow to-day, and can without replen-
ishing be made, with proper culture,
TO average % bushels of wheat per
acre annually, equal to 10000, 900
bushels. Oregon, lying south of the
Columbia river, and tributary thereto,
has east of the Cascades much more
desert or waste land than has either
Washington or North Idaho. and yet
she has not less than 6,000,00 acres,
capable of producing An average Of
% bushels per acre, making one mum
dred and fifty million bushels more,
making a total of O0,000: goo bushels
as an annual prodact.
This does not include any estimate
Of Southern Idaho, which borders or
The Snake river, tributary of the
Columbia. All this wheat when pro-
duced can be transported down the
Columbia TO the sea board when the
canal and locks are completed at the
Cascades and Dalles. Suppose that
this wheat will command the price of
40 cents per bushel delivered in ware
houses along the river at each harvest.
and 40 cents is low estimate when
We have an open Eaylagtion TO the
sea, then the gross product of each
year 10 the producers would be two
hundred and forty million dollars.
We still would have remaining q
very large amount of land for pastur..
age and other cultivation. But sup
pose we only cultivate one fourth of
these wheat lands and derive there
from $50, 900, 900 bushels, We then
would have a. the value OF the annual
product for the producer the sum of
500 900, 600. With the Columbia river
open for free and continuous nsvigs.
ton from Lewiston, North Idaho, to
Astoria, distance Of little over five
hundred miles, wheat can be transa
ported readily for ten cents per bushel
even at present prices of labor, from
Lewiston and all pints below, aud the
carrier make q fair profit. This would
deliver our wheat at Astoria for fifty
cents per bushel, and al that price we
could always find a market despite
anv competitor from any other quar-.
ter Of the globe.
The carrying trade alone tor 150,-
600, 900 bushels raised would amount
to sI5,000,000 annually at that price.
Suppose the opening of the Cascades
and Dalles will cost six or seven mil
lion OF dollars, as some who would
deter from the enterprise have said, 1t
would only be but as drop in the
bucket compared TO the profits the
government and the country generally
would annually receive from the COM
pletiou of the WORK. Of course we
are speaking of the natural capacity
of the country and not of its improved
condition. But give us the population
and we will soon show to the world
that our capacity is not overated.
Give US the open river to the sea and
we will soon demonstrate .he fact that
wheat can be transported TO Astoria
at an average cost of even less than
50 per ton and the freighteEs make
money. The North Pacific railroad
would help Us much, but not so much
as the opening of The Columbia to the
sea. We want producers highway,
a peoples highway, if We would en-
rich the country generally, and make
it flourish and prosper and the people
Eappy.-IeNer.