Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-09-21
Wheat In the WahIamet Valley,
Oregon.

| All the cereals are raised here. but
you will see little OF anything except
wheat. which for halt a century has
made Oregon famous. In 1881, 1t is re-
lated, the first wheat was sowed at
French Prairie. in Marion County: and
that same field yielded thirty-five BUSH
els to the acre In 1879. Rich land that,
but equalled in many parts Of the west
ern valleys, where the soil is a dark
loan. underlaid by clay. The richest
acres OF course lie along the wooded
river-bottoms, in many of which can be
traced extensive beaver dams. Fhs
beavers. have long ago departed, but
their occapation, by making broad reach
es OF still water, 0vertlowing the low
lands, and permitting wide deposits OF
ialiuvium, has produced soil of extrsor-
dinary fertility. All 14sf
of wheat. the yield to the acre runs
from twenty to thirty-fye or more BUSH
els, full and heavy grain often exceed
ing by five to nine pounds the standard
weight OF sixty pounds to the bushel.
Land summer-fallowed and fa!l-sowed
is certain to produce twenty-five bushels
as minimum yield. In some parts of
this valley 1.-THE Wahlamet, where the
fields have been cropped continuously
for quarter of q century, they still
produce enormously. thus demonstrat-
ing the strength and permanent quali-
ties of the soil. The wheat of this re-
giOn is a plump, full berry, from which
flour of uncommon whiteness is madt.
Its excellence in this respect is SO fully
recognized that in the English markets
it commands premium of from three
to i've cents over the best produced in
California. Many varieties of wheat
are cultivated. The old white winter
wheat, originally introduced by the
Hudson Bay Company, is excellent iu
quality, and retains its hold on popular
favor. White velvet wheat is certainly
as good. and perhaps more productive.
Spring varieties of white wheat, as Chill
Club, Little Club. Australian, and 9TH
ers. are we'll liked and give good crops.
The peculiarities of the soil in the vari-
Gus counties mainly determine, however,
the kind of wheat which is used for
seed in different localities"
The surplus yield of wheat at present
is about 10000 tons annually in West
ern Oregoh-more than two-thirds uf
the crop of the whole State. This
amount represents about 100000 BUSH
els. much of which was converted into
flour here. This year the acreage and
crop will be little larger. There is al
every little railway station great ware
house, to which the farmer brings his
wheat for sale as fast as it Is threshed.
This Obviates the need of barns; and you
will see very few of these structures in
Oregon, except stables used for live
stock. All the wheat thus gathered in
the country warehouses finds its way
before the winter is over TO the wharvss
at Portland, the railway charging uni
form freight rate from all points. At
Portland vessels are loaded, and th-
grain or -four starts on its long voyage
around the Horn. Neither mildew nor
rust has appeared to any great extent.
and no failure Of the wheat crop has
been known since the settlement Of the
country. Owing to the dry
summers, the wheat is not affected hy
the long sea voyage to Great Britain.
whittier most of it is exported, and bv
the double passage through the tropics
incidental to Its transportation En-
nest IngersOll. in Harper's Magazine for
October,