The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-10-10
Phs d'ORE1LER DIVISION or TIE n. r.
RAILROAD.
The sor. Of conntry ]. Ia.erasel..

The sors Of country Il Haterssels.
Mr.. Philip Ritz, OF Walla Walla,
addressed letter last year 10 the
Hon. Alexander II. Stevens, describ-
Ing the pecnllaritiesof the great plain
OF the Columbia, through which this
Division Is soon TO be constructed.
This letter was printed for general
circulation. The following Is an ex-
tract from tho letter:
This great blllowing sea Of rolling
hills covered with bunch grass,
stretches out on to the south 10 the
forty-seeond parallel, the southern
boundary Of Oregon, on the north 10
tho British Possessions, and eastward
to tho Blue and Bitter Root Noun
tains (oifshoots Of the Rocky Noun
tains) embracing scope Of country
$50 miles north and south, i'y $50
miles cast and west.
have gone over this great 10 iy Of
wLeIt country In several directions,
and have estimated IL carefully by
townships, by sections and by acres,
and having left out fair proportion
for rough land suitable only for graz
Ing purposes, and estimated the wheat
at low average for that country, ]
find tho ultimate capacity Of these
great pialns, for the production OF
wheat, to be fully 100 900, 900 bushels
per annum. Farming has but just
commenced Ia this country yet, last
year there was 100000 bushels
Of surplus, and 10 show the capacity
OF tho soil, IL Is only necessary to
state that Il Is not uncommon FOL
large fields TO average forty, City, AMI
even sixty bushels per acre, In some
instances one hundred bushels pei
acre have been grown. This yield
may seem lncredltable TO many, bu
nevertheless IL Is tIct, and whist I.
more remarkable, there has not beer
failure of crop for twenty years
where the land has been put Ia prop
er cultivation, anG seeded In goot
season. Auo;her very remarkable
fact about tho soil is that the same
fields have produced uniformly tho
same great crops for twenty years Il
succession without any fertilization
This led to an Analiz alton OF the soil
which shows II is 10 BE- compO-ed ol
the very elements thst will produc
the most perfect crop Of wheat Il
abundance and la unlimited succe,
sion.
The soil is very largely made up Q
vo lcauic ashes and carbonate of limt
the proportions beingalmost the sam
as the great wheat fields Of Cali, ant
the Island OF Sicily, and the countr,
bordering on thebay of Naples, which
has been the granary lnr the South
ern Europe for ages, and has furnish
ed Rome with wheat for more tha
1000 years. these fJcis with mIlt
and heaithiul climate. render thi
: country of great commercial import
ancs.
Tho Northern Pacific railroad i
running from the mouth OF Snak
, river to Pen d'OreilIe Lake wouI,
pass directly through this great whea
belt, and won! | supply the one grea
need, fuel AMI lumber, which coul'
{ bo brought eheaply over the grea
: coal and lumber country of the Puge
Sound basin on returning trains.
This extensive country Is well Wa
tered aud at presenteovered with th,
e nutritious bunch grass, making it
Il very desirable country for raisin
t horses, cattle, and sheep; but it is a
6 most unknown TO commerce, wher
8 II it had railroad facilities, theI
i could be found homes and employ
y ment for more than 100000 person
> from the overerowded countries {
= the Btlantic States.
l. In this brief article ! shall bI
glance at the mineral wealth of tn
+ northern part OF this country, whel
n there are great deposits of lead ore 1
: pure that the Indians at times han
:. mer 1t out into bal,ets, and in ever
' ton of it there is more or less silve
Z There are also extensive and ric
= gold mines, that will be worked whe
8 machinery can he taken into til
country; also inexhaustible forests {
valuable soft pine"
Hrsa A uaAnau