The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-10-31
AN OPEN RIVER.

The most experienced pilots and en-
gineers on the Willamette river, are
emphatic in their statements that we'll
directed work at the right points will
keep the navigation on the Willamette,
from Portland to Harrisburg, free and
unobstructed throughout the year.
Just such a condition of affairs is
what is to be most earnestly desired in
every part of the valley, and especially
the cities along the banks of our noble
river.
Every place is equally interested in
securing this end. There has been ap-
preparations made for the purpose, and
probably after the fall rains have swol-
len the waters SO that there is fair
boating stage a snag puller will be sent
up, and the appropriation duly expend
ed in laying around in genuine junket-
ing trips, and not one particle of last.
ing good accomplished.
Some means should be adopted to
secure actual and needed work with
The appropriation SO that it be not
frittered away. The most sure means
to accomplish this desired end would
be for the business men, through the
boards of trade in the cities on the
banks of the Willamette, to appoint
committees to look after the matter; or
better let the representative business
men of Salem, independence, Albany,
Corvallis and Harrisburg, through
their boards of trade, send delegates to
some one of the places designated, to
form river improvement board, to
hunt up, watch and solicit the faithful
expenditure of the appropriations for
the same purpose and to give no rest
until the object is accomplished.
This committee could accomplish
for the Willamette what the water way
committee is accomplishing for the
Columbia. Let our Albany board of
trade take initiative steps in the mat
ter and work 1t up. 1t means prosper
ity for us and all the others.-Albany
Herald.
LOOKS LIKE BUSINESS. Of
incorporation have been filed with the
Secretary of State by the Corvallis and
Benton County Prune Company.
The incorporators are E. R. Lake,
Robert Johnson, J. R. Markle, S. M.
Stock, M. S. Neugass. Capital stock,
$4,000. The purpose of the COM
is to purchase land, plant prune trees
and dry and ship the product. The
company have already purchased l55
acres of one of the Thayer places situa-
ted on the o. 2. railroad five miles
north of this city, and are arranging to
at. once plant the entire tract to Italian
prune trees. This is. an enterprise
which the citizens of Benton county
will be glad to see inaugurated. The
adaptability of this state ior the pro-
duction of prunes, the extent of the
market and certainty of good prices
are well known, but the farmers have
not entered into the business as rapid
ly as the conditions would seem to
justify, for reasons probably best
known to themselves. In this vicinity
the prune orchards are small, limited
in number and have not begun to bear,
but in two or three years will make an
excellent showing. The most profit
able orchards. however, and those
which will mostly affect the value of
land in the community will be the
larger ones such as that to be set out
by the newly formed company. Ore
CONS possibilities in fruit production
can not be overestimated, and while
her people, generally speaking, are un-
accountably slow in avalling themselves
of the advantages spread out before
them, it is certain that they are now be-
ginning to come into the correct move
ment.
A FINE ENTERTAINMENT are
here, we have seen them, and we take
pleasure in pronouncing the Merrill