The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1881-07-01


mate; an increase of about 100 per
cent In seven years; truly a marvel
Gus growth.
The construction of railways, ,rele a.
sing Los Angeles county from its
isolation, was largely instrumental In
bringing about that result, Not one
railroad passing through the heart of
the country, mark you, but lateral
branches diverging from the center,
aud making all parts accessible to
seekers of new homes. shall advert
To the needs of Benton county IN the
same direction before closing.
Let me give one instance of
ssresults'' in Los Angeles county, in
passing. When | visited Santa Anna
in that county, in 1874, that place
was cross reads with a blaeksmlth's
shop, tumhle-down inn and small
store. There were not fifty families
in n radius of ten miles, exclusive of
Anahierm, which was city to itself,
converted into such by muscle. indus
try and irrigating bitches, out of a
cactus patch. Well to-day Santa
Anna has two school houses costing
from $4,000 to $1,000 each, churches
costing as much, if not more, fine
stores, two newspapers, water works,
etc, while within the radius men,
toned above, there are from 1000 TO
0,000 people, and the whole country
is u garden and series of orange,
lemon and temperate zone fruit orch
ards, vineyards aud grain fields.
And yet these same people had to
construct irrigating bitches at great
expense before their lands were worth
anything To them. You and your
readers know that nothing Of that
sort is necessary, especially in the
Yaquina Bay regisn. So much FOR
that branch of the subject. Glance
for a moment at the amount of ter
ritory in that section. cit is, at q
rough estimate 81 miles from the en-
trance to the summit. For ten miles
at least, on each side OF the Iaquina
river from its source to the Bay, the
country Is bouud 10 pour lis products
into that natural receptacle Here
you have $40 square miles, 10 more
than there is in santa Cruz county,
| Cal, with its population oil 10000,
and three or four flourishlng towns.
/ took the federal census of that coun.
ty in 1870, and traversed every road,
trail and bride patch on Its plains and
over its hills, and assert that taere
is as much land available for agricul-
tural purposes in the Yaquina Bay
region, exclusive ofyour eastern slope
of course, as there IS in Santa Cruz
IcouRty. Let Us look at the character
of that land. In region Of thi.
state to which lam very partial, Cla;,
| sop county, (for the clatsopians arr
among the cleverest of earih's peo
ple,) was told that after the fores
growth was deadened, and the tree:
cut down and burned up, aud the
land cleared, the land was still wilC
and required to be tanned by cultiva
ton. 'rhe air aud sun are potcn
factors in the elimination from new
soils OF deleterious Ingredients. The,
cannot get TO soil which has been 70
ages, and still Is, overshadowed b,
the dense foliage Of the forest growth
of Oregon. How stands the ease OF
the Yaqnina. Forty years ago, o
thereabouts, furious sea of flame
swept through the country and dc
stroyed leagues OF forests. For forty
years the air and sun, the fog, dew
and rain haye been working tut tlIs
chemistry of nature For forty year
growth after growth of fern and brusi
have sprung up with each recurring
spring, grown rank during the SUN
Iner, faded in the autumn, aud madi
into IN Incompatible mulcli by th'
storms and raiIs OF wintcf, have
added to the fertility of the soil, unit
doubt If anywhere except in th'
dellas OF the Niie and Mississippi o.
some equally favored region, there
can be found tract OF land Of equa
fertility. These forest fires have fit
ted the lands for utilization from II
TO 20 years in advance of what goult
have been the case had the prinIeya
forests remained intact, let the time
of their occupation date from when
eyer it may. do not merely reas
on from cause 10 effect, but speaE
from actual oEse walton of result
achieved. This forest fire, which a
the time seemed disa- trou5 no doubt
and which, TO this day tvsn, is re
. gretfaily spoken of by well m~anin,
men who indulge in dreams of wha
might have been splendid saw mil
. Esites, has in my opinion material,
modified the climate and the rail-
saIl from the summit to the sea ant
for 80 or 40 miles wide.
Not TO dilate upon the subject. thi
forest fire has made Yaquina Bay ant
It's surroundings what will be In tel
years tie garden spot of Oregon
Look at some of the results of In,
W -rk in that section. There is m,
friend Jackey who went there ten o
twelve years ago with nothing bu
STOUT arms and "A determined purpose
lie now owns three hundred ANT
wenty acres of land, has supported
4 wife and raised a family OF or
children, has orchards, cows, ant
whatever else is necessary to cum
fort and ease, and gives hi guests rip
blackberries Of perfect growth am
favor Ia November. and garnishes hi
Christmas dinner table with strawber
ries and cream.
In the matter Of pa Jturage. 10 ii
at some hillside. as you 20 up or dow
the river. Sec that space of or Il
acres green as an emerald In Noyem
Der, while allaround it the dead fer
sprawl limp and lifeless, but still no
unsightIy for all that. You will learl
on inquiring .hat it was only neces