The teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1876-1878, 1878-01-19
To His Friends East.

from his acqualn tances east, making
enquiries about this section of country,
writes letter for the Watchman
answering these letters generally. We
quote as follows from this letter about
the northwest
The climate is healthful and on the
whole, desirable the summers are not
very hot; usually we have few hot
days, not many, the nights are invariab-
ly cool and pleasant. The Winters are
milder and shorter than in the east, a
warm wind, termed the Chinook wind"
gives us this result, the Winters being
thus governed by the wind, are as vari.
able, occasionally giving us Winter
when the pillow can be run almost the
year around, other Winters stop it from
four to eight weeks. Rain falls princi-
pally in the Spring and Fall, there is
seldom much, if any during harvest. A
farmer has the largest part of the year
to pillow and seed in, 50 that by the use
of gang plows and improved grain seed
ers one man can put in very large
area. At this writing, Dec. 3D. farm
ers are still blowing and sowing.
The best land is the bottom land
along the streams and the foot-hill land
lying along the Blue Mountains for
distance of from $50 to 200 miles, ex-
tending from some distance below
Umatilla to the Spokane there is per-
haps no better wheat land in the world
than this foot-hill land. The width of
this fine strip of frst-class land varies
very much, say from 10 to so miles, of
course all of it cannot be cultivated, this
is simply general description. The
further from the mountains after GER
tain distance, the poorer soil, until fin
ally it is worth but little, except for cat.
tie, horse and sheep range, for which it
is better adapted than the foot-hill coun-
try because the snow fall is less, so that
stock could get at the grass. There is
large amount Of fine wheat land outside
OF the belt referred to and even the
poorest soil which is of a light formation
yields heavy crops when irrigated.
The country is we'll watercd and has
good water.
The great bulk of vacant agricultural
land, however, lies northeast of here.
along the mountains in Columbia.
Whitman and Stevens counties and is
being settled very fast, but as there is
such large amount yet to be settled it
will be some years before tits all taken.
The general opinion is that the upper
country, as it 10 called here, will in
few years contain the bulk of the popu.
lation. The mountains are covered
with fine timber, principally pine, tama-
rack, tir and spruce. Saw-mills, located
IN the mountains, furnish lumber at
from $40 to Sl2 per thousand, at the
mill. Most of the wood and rails come
from the mountains, still there is good
deal cut along the streams, principally
cottonwood. Wheat is the staple and
yields on the best land from twenty to
as high as sixty bushels per acre and in
few cases even higher, the average is
about thirty-6ve bushels. On light
soil the yield is less, average perhaps
one year with another, twenty bushels.
Other small grain does equally as we'll.
OF course barley and oats yield more
per acre. Corn is not raised much, pro-
duces we'll, but not so we'll as in the
Western States, on account of'phe cool.
ness OF the nights. Fruits of all kinds
40 remarkably well, so do vegetables.
with the exception of sweet potatoes,
which are raised but are not first. class.
l think this country is about the sur.
est OF any, to. yield a bountiful crop
when once seeded. There never was
known failure of the grain crops, the I
same can be said as to fruit and yegeta.
oles. We have no worms in apples, {
curculi to ruin the plum crop, no in.
scots to injure grain. Fruit trees hear !