The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-11-11
LETTER FROM OREGON.
WALTON, Lane County, Oregon,
naf0boe % 1909

OVsOOCA %Vs SOOVs
EDITOR ADVANCE: With your kind
permission 1 will try to answer many
enquiries. / have not sufficient time
to answer all communications by let
ters. Permit me in the first place to
correct = mistake in former letter
concerning the height of fir trees. 1t
is only the tallest of them that will
measure 400 feet high and about ten
feet across the stump. 1t is surpris-
ing to see the pile Of lumber, rails or
wood one of these trees will make. l
would gladly trade ycu a few hundred
frs that would average four feet over
and 250 high for a few acres of Mime
sofa fine grass lands. But will soon
have plenty of grass as L have several
acres already sown to timothy and clo-
yer which would about hide u shoe
now. They told me it was worth Il
hundred dollars an acre to clear land
here and many would come into this
beautiful valley of the Siuslaw look.
ing for homes. and going back would
say man would wear himself out be-
fore he could get farm open. Now
very many pass going to the ocean and
wonder how we have 50 much cleared
and such buildings since May 8. My
level land is timbered with vine maple,
hazel, alder, soft maple. etc. Many
men bought lands all densely covered
with fir. 1t is dark under these trees
in tho 1,cinhfnof Anvo and Sinn
of the big mill used to say, the sun has
thousand years. There is more rail-
BILE, being heavily timbered and steep.
but crops are all good but potatoes,
which were poor crop, very fine and
large but few in hill. They say fruit
there is an abundance, and very fine
fruit too. We have had two loads of
apples hauled home for winter. Now
we have been enjoying our wet season
for two or three weeks. 1t will last
till May perhaps. We have had one
wet day and it is liable to rain Il show
er or two any day and beautiful wealth
er intervening. The climate here is
all one could desire. No wind. Seldom
breeze enough to move the foliage on
the trees. We seldom hear thunder
and it sounds weak and distant.
lightning is never seen l am told. In
the hottest days of summer it is pleas
ant, being cool in the shade and cool
at night. The mornings and evenings
are no colder now than in summer, and
they say it will be like this all winter
except a few frosty mornings. We do
| not expect frost before December
They plant and SOW any month in the
year. We SOW the brown winter oats;
my own is up and beautiful.
We have had jolly time with the
salmon fish for week. They are now
! running and can he seen on the gravel
bars with their hacks out of water
Their meat is red. They weigh from
Is to 50 pounds and are fine either
fresh, salt OK smoked. They come up
| from the ocean twice Il year.
In politics we are about half and
half, the big half republican. III relig-
ion? We are about Il. NOrthingtOn,
excep+t Catholics we have none.
Hay is worth about $40 per ton. One
ton is enough for to S head, depend
ing on chance for pasture. Flour is
worth 81 per ld.. oats 50 cts. pota'
toes 60 cts. Goods and wares are high.
| Nothing now for common laborers to
do. We have u school district organ
lied; will have school next summer
without Il family in it like some we
left in Minnesota. In this county
there are several county papers print
ed, all poor things, compared to the
ADVANCE. Whom the mail comes to
hand l take the ADVANCE first and
read it. even before some Of my private
correspondence. These Oregon papers
cost $3.50 in advance or $500 if not
paid in advance. We like this climate
and country. Our children enjoy it
too. Walter has caught several rae
coOns with his traps on the river. Our
farm being on both sides of the river
we have a good large canoe, and the
family enjoys that too. There are sew
eral families here from Minnesota. All
say that Minnesota is the finest section
Of country in the world only for its
cold and windy climate. The most
that come from your state go back.
We enjoy the country. the climate, the
society, The fruit and our fine fire.
place, which takes #. wood. In con
clusi0n, I wish the ADVANCE in its
bold. forward, upright course, and its
readers, a bright future.
| Dawn SMITu