, 1878-05-10
EAST on THE MOUNTAINS.

r,crywbora ln E,,,.n NH-.n-''"
that We -jve place q. 'a' following
rlrrc, 2onicuec 20 the " Willamette
Farmer
The Y4kim. valley Il mean m"
ror,iun belonging ,o the whites i
,haut thirty mile, long hy three
mile, wide. There are also other
valley, o:rousidorah,r -jl" ON either
side of the streams adjacent to me
Yakima. which might bc included IN
tho Yakima country The land Is
uriucipallv covered with ssge-hrnsh
and rye grass, with bunch grass on
the hills surrounding the valley. The
soil is highly productive, small gram
,rIits and vegetables growing to per
fection, though there is great scarcity
for everything man or beast needs
at the present time, except good
hav. This is owing to the fact that
last year was unusualIy " dry, that is,
hut little snow fell in the mountains.
The settlers here do not depend on
rain to insure crops, but almost ex'
clusively upon irrigation. Nature
has left but little for man to do, the
av Of the country being such, that
the melting snow in May and June
affords all the water needed to III
sure a large yield of produce
Wheat averages about thirty bushels
per acre, oats forty, other grain, in
cluding corn, does we'll here. Yaki.
ma City is the County Seat, situated
on the Yakima river, about SO miles
from the Dalles; this is llourishing
little town Of about 200 Inhabitants.
The people are elated at the pros
pect of railroad being constructed
through this country shortly. Should
this much needed road be built, it
will probably run through Yakima
City. The following are the ruling
prices at the present time: Wheat
sl.0O, oats, IS cts, potatoes, 70 cts,
butter 35 cts, eggs 10 cts, milch
COWS $40, yearlings 81. Horses rate
about the same as in the Willamette
valley. The health is excellent here,
climate mild and dry, at the present
time there is very little frost, and the
air is not near so cold as it is at Ore
gon at the same time Of the year.
1t SHOWS good deal on the noun
tains, but little in the valley, roads
are good nearly the year round. !
have conversed with many who like
this country much better than the
Willamette. Now as to the chances
for getting land, | would say, i'm
proved land is quite low, compared
with Oregon, 100 acres of land, all
fenced, box house, stable and other
cheap buildings, probably 40 or 80
acres in cultivation, the land as
good as the best on Salem prairie, can
he bought here, for $1,000. OF
course, location, amount and kind Of
improvements would govern the
price. There is yet much vacant
land, to be taken, and of equally as
good quality as any already claimed,
hnt it is not so easily irrigated,
though an outlay of two or three
thousand dollars would afford irrigat.
ing facilities for several thousand
acres of just as rich land as any now
cultivated. This tract Of sage brush
land lies within few miles of the
County Seat, which at no distant day
will be as large as Oregon City, if not
as large as Salem. The number of
bushels of wheat that will be shipped
from this country in few years, will
run up in the millions. Renters in
the Willamette valley could all do
better by coming here, in my judg.
ment. There are schools all all over
the valley, religious privileges, in.
Guiding Sunday Schools, can be en-
ioyed here. The country, in gen.
eral, is well watered, but sparsely
timbered, most of the farmers 90 to
the mountains for Are. wood and rail
timber, but few go more than ten
smiles; lumber Is SIG per thousand.