Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-08-01
THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY.
Its Extent, PrOductiveness and In
surpassed Salubrity.

CdplltI ClGN OF OFegOn, is IN Jne
western part of the state of Oregon,
between the Cascade and Coast
ranges of mountains. 1t is fifty
miles wide and one hundred and
fifty miles long and contains six
thousand five hundred square miles
of the best farming, fruit and stock
lands on the Pacific slope.
Its mountains abound in all of
the valuable minerals. Its
forests supply, annuity, millions of
feet of the finest lumber in the
world, which forms an important
source of revenue, as well as furnish
ing employment to hundreds of men
and making a market for produce.
1t must be remembered, also, that
these numbering camps are located
in the mountains on either side of
the valley, thus furnishing market
and also supplying lumber to all
parts of the valley alike. In some
places the logs are run down the
streams and brought to the cities
and there sawed up. This is the
case at Salem.
The large growth of timber in Or
egon, is one of the wonders to east
ern people. The hazel which in
eastern states is a mere switch,
grows here to be four or five inches
in diameter, and the common elder,
of which boys in the east make pop
guns, grows here to be a foot in dia-
meter, and the great cone-bearing
trees grow to be two hundred and
fifty feet or more in height.
The farmerin Oregon has a widely
diversified employment. The Will
lamette valley is, perhaps, the most
natural wheat growing country in
| the world. Wheat has been raised
for forty successive years on the
same land, with never a yield of less
than twenty-five bushels per acre
and frequently fifty per acre. 1t has
been sown in every month in the
year and a good crop obtained.
All kinds of tame grass grow lux
uriantly.
AS stock and dairy country, the
Willamette valley has always ranked
among the very foremost, and the
high price of butter caused by the
demand from California and the
mining and numbering camps of
Oregon and Washington Territory,
makes the dairy business very profit
able.
AS a fruit growing country the
Willamette valley is destined to take
the first rank. Apples, pears, prunes
and cherries grow to an unusual
size, are of the finest flavor, and bear
prolifically. Ten acres of land set
in fruit i'm the Willamette valley
yields a larger and more certain in
come than a quarter section stock or
grain farm in the Mississippi valley.
For instance, one acre ofprunes Zone
hundred and sixty trees) after they
are four years of age, will produce
on the average, two and one-half
bushels to the tree. Two and one
half bushels of green prunes will
make, at low estimate, forty-five
pounds of dried prunes. For three
years past Oregon dried prunes have
averaged ten cents per pound. Al
lowing two cents per pound for dry
ing (the usual price, one acre Will
: realize S725. 90 net with but little eX-
pense incurred in production. This
estimate is not only low but is being
: verified each year at an advance ON
these figures.
J United States mortality statistics
show Oregon to be the healthiest
state in the Union. There cannot
be said to, be any prevailing diseases
! in the Willamette Valley. Es-
= pecially is 1t free rom thaI class Oh
diseases called summer complaints
and of chronic diseases, those Of the
nervous system are benefited most
, by the climate of Western Oregon.
In fact for all diseases caused or ac-
companied by nervous prostrauon,
the climate of the Willamette Val
ley is almost panacea. Many
people come to Oregon on account
of i'll health and a very large per
cent. are benefited by the change.
One of the inducements to health
seekers is the opportunity for
recreation. Pleasure resorts in the
mountains, on the beach and at no.
ted watering places, are within easy
reach. From any point in the Will
annette Valley a few hours ride on
the train takes you to the Pacific
49, II, 70 ,rott varfab M live iU