Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-03-27

nntere sting Description Of a Ihrisins
City.
From the N. Y. Graphic
N.etIled among the hills Ia the finest
.cricuitural district of the Pacinc slope
IA the thriving city whose name forms
the title to these lines. u.
Snrrnunded on all sides by fertile
lands. Il has sprung from q mere hamlet
a. board shanties few years since 20
: thriyin0 city Of considerably over
snn1 inhabitauts. Fine and substantial
hIocke Of brick, stone and iron ere rap
idIv replacing the temporary aoodes OF
hnsinesa. and the principal streets OF
TODAY present as pleasing view 70 tne
eve az any city on the coast.
WaIla Walla Is the natural CONNER
cial city of the vast region lying pc
tween this Rocky Mountains ana We
Cascade range, and this grand district
"a rauidly filing up with Immigrants.
Tbeae come from all sections o. Inc
Fact and are Of the most inteiligenl
ami embarrassing Glasses. The surplus
Grain for market in 1881 from this sec.
finn of the Territory amounted TO about
10000 tons; the past year. 49,; nas il1'
proved as favorable as was ah,is'pa ssaS
as the dry season came carry anu ias.ex :
until October, and only about one-hal'
the crop looked for having oeen mar
vested, yet the quantity exported 90 Iof
the wear was fully double that OF 1921.
During tho six months following .ae
last harvest the Oregon Railway ana
Navigation Company transporter 70
market about $1,000 tons OF wheat anu
6our fiom the Upper Columbia region,
and AZ much more was transported at
other times during the year. Inc
amount 80 shipped but partly represents
the product, as O great quantity II re-
nuired TO feed the 10000 or more Ia
borers employed on the various railroad
enterprises. as also To provide food for
the community and the large number o.
immiprants, and seed for the increased
rnItiyation everywhere visible. Inc
nopnlation Of the Upper Columbia IN
creases fully rs, 900 annually and creates
q demand for bread correspondingiy.
This increase of population will pillow
Al least 100000 acres OF land to be pnt
INTO wheat, which will rsquires30D,0cD
bushels Of seed. These items VIII
Afford some idea OF the amount re-
0uired for home purposes, aud help to
snow the vast product. The greater
snch home demand the better, as II will
be- the means Of q surplus product IN
due time that will astonish the word.
When wo take into consideration that
many Of the wheat farms, or ranches, as
they ara generally termed, produce from
thirty to fifty bushels OF No. wheat per
acre. and that the land office here has
at its disposal something like 2,oO9,O00
acres of government land subject to pre-
emption, and that the Northern Pacific
Railway has about /, O00,000 acres more,
making altogether 3,000,O0O acres OF fine
lands, at least eighty per cent. OF which
& composed of fins wheat land, one can
readily perceive the great advance the
district will mako in tho near future.
Such a thing as a failure OF crops has
not been known in this district for the
past twenty three years, or since the oTl-
ovation of the soil by tho whites. The
year 1882 stands as q partial exception
and has had no parallel for drouth since
the pettlement of the country, yet II
stands az u fact that in every Case where
the land was given good cultivation the
product was well up to that of other
years. This goes to provo beyond dis
pute that even In season Of drouth
large crops are sure with no better at
tention than any thrifty farmer would
beJtow in any event.
The season usually opens in February,
that being the month in which farmers
do their spring piowing and seeding.
Sufficient moisture falls during the win
ter and spring months TO insure the
drops. The summers are dry and the
harvests are never interfered with by
rain.
Fruit Of every kind does well-apples.
peaches, pears, plums, grapes, chsrries
and all kinds of~small fruits and ber-
ries can DO produced in great abund-
ance.
The city Of Walla Walla has made q
remarkable growth in ths past six years,
the assessment rolls showing an increase
Of something like 400 per sent. The
city is protected from fire by we'll or
eanized department ,consistina of steam
era, hook and ladders and other useful
appliances.
Within the past two years gas com.
pany wan formed and the city has since
been supplied with good gas, though the
cost, owing to high freights on coal, has
been excessive CSC per lO00). The CON-
pany expects to largely reduce this cost
IN the near future. when they shall be
able TO obtain coal more reasonably.
At present Walla Walla IL connected
with Portland and the seahoard by the
railway and boats OF the Oregon Rail.
way and Navigation Company, and it is
expected the present season will witness
the completion Of = limo Of railway by
this enterprising company that will
connect the city N Dayton. Grange
City and allthe vac country north of
Snake river. It is also expected that
within three years connection with the
East will be had by two routes, one hy
the Union Pacific over line to DO built
from Walla Walla TO n point on tho Uu-
Ion Pacific in Utah and one by the
Northern Pacific through Montana,
The Northern Pacific will afford aon,-
munication with Puget Sound. With
these ndded means Of access to all
points In the outside world large reduo-
lions IN freiRhts will be Ind that will
greatly increase the net value Of wheat
and al other articles of export, and
lower the cost Of everything that has to
b imported. The past year Of 1882 was
quits q busy ono in the line OF building
operations, fully $250,000 having been
expended In the construction OF new
business blocks and residences during
the year. Il is expected that tho gagre-
gate Investment In this line for the wear
TO como viii surpass that Of any PREV.
Gus year. Il Ia expected that the aecre.
gate amount of money paid on real %.
tate transfers for the year 1852 was bui
tribe short Of $l,000,OQ0.
The standing Of the city as a mer-
camille center has greatly improved
etnoe the increased transportation facil,
ities brought about by tho material re,
duction Of freights TO and from the
city. The period of general stores has
long since passed, and instead are found
large h0uses doing business on
moro extensive and metropolitan
basis. The increased number OF stores
and consequent competition has natural.
y resulted in lower prices, SO that resi-,
dents nra able to purchase about ali
clasaes Of goods at lower prices thar