New-York tribune., 1883-11-04
WILLABIETTEVALLEY WHEAT
ARICH AND ABUNDANT HARVEST.
NOTES ON THE SOIL, CLIMATE AND COMMERCIAL
FACILITIES.

NOTES ON THE SOIL, CLIMATE AND COMMERCIAL
FACILITIES.
tFRoM A SPECIAL CoRRRsroEDgSr OF THE TRTBUNEl
WALLA WALLA, w. T., Sept 70. - Inc
Willamette valley stretches south for 100
miles from Portland, with an average width oil hiy
miles. 1t is the Oldest settled portion OF oregon
and until within a short time has been more promi-
nently known as a wheatgroWing region tnan any
other portion of tho Pacific Northwest few
miles from Eugene City, 13S miles from Portland
where spent two days. is the farm Of a gentleman
who received the highest award for wheat at both
the PniIadelphia Centennial Exposition and the
Paris Exposition Of 1873. Now he Is raising over
a hundred different varieties Of wheat EXPERIMENT.
ing with each. The Willamette Valley is quite the
reverse of the Walla Walla country IN appearance
In place OF the bare plains of the latter there are
green meadows Interspersed with patches oil trees
ard underground while the hills on either SIDE are
heavily wooded. With its brooks and trees us
fresh yernal aspect and its smoothly undulatlng
hills tho valley tells genial tale of rural and pas
toral peace aud plenty which ono fails to read ~
first sight in the mouotOnOus stretches and iron
mountain wall of the San Joaquin Valley in Cali
fornia Yet what the latter is to California, what
the Golden Belt is to Kansas, and the hed
River valley to Minnesota anl Manitoba the valley
of the Willamette is to Oregon.
met a pioneer settler on the train, one who
came out in 1914, and he explained to me tho
reason why the valley is not producing more at
present. After the gold excitement OF lo49 the
settlers in this valley found ready market In Can
fornia for whatoyer they could raise at most exor
bitant prices They made money rapidly, as IS
| always the case with those who wisely content
themselves with supplying the needs of mining
population and avoid catching the infection. In
| 1850 Congress passed donation law" confirm
ing ii les TO much Of the best and most easily TILED
| land which had been taken up by the early
! settlers under the Oregon provisional government
This law also granted to any new settler. male or
| female 32O acres of land outright. By these means
| the first cOmers acquired both wealth and Large
| tracts of land TO which they added by purchase
| Many of these tracts have remained In the Same
| hands since The owners, having sufficient means
| are unwilling eithor 10 trouble themselves VIII
cutiyating moro than small portion of their land
or TO sell to Others thus working an obvious oetrl-
ment to the best interests of the valley.
| haye spoken in other letters of the mildness OF
the climate west of the Cascade range in Oregon
and Washington. In this tho Willamette Valley
shares. My pioneer acquaintance told me that there
| WAS not month IN the year when farmers could
not cow with the certainty of reaplng. Last fall an
| unusually severe FROST which came Just after the
| winter wheat was sOwn, wrought havoc with the
| orop The farmers ploughed 1t up, resolved their
land in the spring and have gathered an acreage OF
tontv-one bushsls TO the acre. The winter wheaton
dinarily runs 10 thirty bushels The little mill at
Eugene City, which visited, was receiving 1000
bushels day fromiong professions of faru-wagons
and the wheat which saw was exceptional In the
size and plumpness of the berry. This wheat com
roods the highest price in the Liverpool market
ranging some five cents a bushel above seven the
wheat from wala Waa. The railroad on the east
sde o tine river-there ia another on the west side
,vas beginning to move about fifty car loads day.
The soil IN this beautiful valley varies largely
hut for The most part consists of rich loan, min-
! gled with allnVium, which has Deen IOunu wen
adapted TO grasses and to irult culture, eACePs
ncaches as we'll as to wheat But the last has maue
! tbe renoyn Of the valley and continues 10 Oe us
| chief production. ] think there was not p9tlOu
Of five minutes in the ride OF l3o miles o from
fields in sight. With the distant forests ana thc
groves at hand, the cascades ana DuIi5 a. a.
, | Sragon City, and the glossy hye-oaks III Wmcl
, | SaIem the capital, Is embOwered the rlue was
nIe0sant as well as suggestive. My talKs VIII
forn,ers and gran-deaeTs assured me that lhe val
io,. ,"oa siugularly favored by nature as an agll
cnIturaI OF pastoral region. But 1t was eNlueh, .
one-tmrd OF its capabilities have not Oeeh ucNGt 90
, oped despite the passage OF gehera'loh s'H'' "
Tbe Willamette Valley viii gradually enlarge 1t
snhere of uniform prosperity, but the East llinn
emnirep must change and develop WIN astOunilln u
2 Tanjdifv within the next few years once Wnea
5 fpom Waiia Walla was rehandled hye time
j ~ IA CD across Portland in drays. NOW
c fleu 5tI, from the nearest railroad st1
T goes tn tbe vharves at Albina, Thus In 4
self is much easy and sstaStorg tTSnsPfSri PPf ia
r 4ion will be another motive for the sWarmS Oh IN
e I.;nts I.Gn nonrinr into this country TO engage
wheat raising Perhaps in the t future tn the OWN 1nla am
empire" will possess Touring mS Ans 81 East%Srd s
tRe nHHb But at present it is only necessary to
cognzo the almost mtess fed presented tS b0uI IN u
y pncGc Nortbwest for raising wheat, and the Do9h
> aobo of The swiftly increasing produ
p tion in in tbe future can only be dmy imagined La
. wear the Oregon grain feet whose sailing eAIen 1or
ID ;r"n, Senfember 10 July, carried to foreign pol
u InIn Inat yaIned at So, ,O8O. 900, and -four wor
e $2245 1876 Who can tell the value OF the e. g1pS bS
W NV ,Titbout fhesitatinR TO cOncede any OtI
sect section higher rRnk in wheat production IN Il