, 1890-07-24
GARDEN OF SPOKANE
One OF the Richest Agriculture
Regions in the State of
Washington.
A Brief Tour Among the Thrifty
Farmers OF White Bluff
Prairie.


the Columbia river to the Cascade
mountains, lies the Garden Of Eden,
accidentally misnamed White Bluff
prairie. With Mr.. j. Il. Lockhart,
who owns n quarter section OF that
incompatible soil, q REVIEW repre-
sentative drove out Monday, ex'
pecting to find barren waste,
whereon the rocks and the gravel
would blunt the ploughshares that
Tubal Cain wrought with hammers
from swordblades. For the impress
sion had gone forth that there was
no agricultural land worthy of the
name in the immediate vicinity of
Spokane Falls. Fields of black
green grain, even before the timber
line was passed, soon cast a doubt
over this popular theory, and when
the open prairie came into view "
grand panorama was presented to
which neither pen nor pencil could
do ample justice.
A WHITE BLUFF RANCHER.
The first place visited wac that
Of Mr.. j. o. Roy, five and half
miles from the city. Mr.. Roy has
there 2iO acres of land that would
captivate an Eastern farmer. He
settled on this place eight years
ago, when there was no city of Spo-
kane Falls to speak of, and when
Mr.. Lockhart was clerk Of the dis
trict court of this county, located In
the courthouse ut Cheney. The
land office was then at ColfaX, and
it was a part of Mr.. Lockharts
duty to assist the settlers In making
their filings. This he did so obliy-
iDgly that Mr.. Roy concluded to
help him to make some money.
He had gone to Cheney to attend to
some matters pertaining to his TIM
ber claim, and when he had fin
ished, he said to Mr.. Lockhart:
"There's l60 acres close to my
place that you ought to buy"
"All right" was the reply; "ify you
think IL Is good, I'll take It,"
The rancher who had home
steaded the tract had sold IL, and
the purchaser had lost faith in the
country aud wanted to let go. Thus
1t happened that Mr.. Lockhart oh
tained his valuable piece of ground
and became an enthusiast over
White Bluff prairie.
cows LOST IN THE DAT FIELD.
Mr.. Ray is q bachelor, and his
neat cottage was uuoccupied when
the visitors arrived. Making a cir
cult of an oats field with the buggy,
few lusty shouts brought the
rancher out into the open.
"What are you doing?" was one
of the first questions asked.
"Looking for my cOws,h the
rancher replied. "I turned them
into the oats field yesterday morn
ing, and can't find them any
where"
The visitors stood up in the vehicle
and scanned the forty-acre field, but
no cows were to be seen. The oats
as the hairs on the back of Belle, Mr.
Lockhart's registered bird dog, who
bad been taken along for exercise.
Later on the cows emerged from the
oats field as fat and as sleek as If they
had been stalled for the fair. They
might have remained concealed in
the rank growth of grain until the
reaper came, but after their pro-
tracted feast they were forced to
come out for water.
FLOCK OF PRAIRIE CHICKENS
arose from field of mixed rye
and oats, planted for grain-hay. Mr..
Lockhart, who had brought along
his gun, expecting to get II shot at
a squirrel or q gopher, could scarcely
resist the temptation. Mr.. Roy had
given him permission TO take q
couple of the birds If he chose, but
they appeared so tame and so like
domestic fowls that he lowered the
gun and withdrew the cartridges.
There are about twenty of the old
chickens in the flock and nearly a
hundred young ones, and they have
never heard the crack of gun.
They never should.
TIMBER CULTURE.
Mr.. Roy has eighty acres that he
obtained under the timber-culture
provision. Upon this are five acres
of trees, including box elder, blue
elm, walnut and n few lOcusts, all
thrifty and promising. The trees
are now five years old, and consti-
tute delightful grove, In the midst
Of which Is a meadow of trees about
four inches high that have grown
up this season from the seed. Ad-
Joining the grove Is an orchard that
Is a marvel. Trees only three years
old are literally breaking down un-
der their burden of fruit, and twice
the owner of the place has been
compelled to go through the orchar
and pick off half the young fruit, in
order to save the trees. This opera
ton will have to be performed again
within a week.
Mr.. Roy has 100 acres In a high
state of cultivation, and has turned
over considerable acreage of bunch
grass this summer for u test of fall
wheat. His oats Is taller than a
man, and timothy heads cut at
random in the meadow measure
over six inches In length. Potatoes
and othT vegetables are doing
splendidly.
1000 ACRES OF GARDEN.
In this remarkably rich portion OF
White Bluff prairie are about 1000
acres Of garden soil that can not be
excelled anywhere. Among the
occupants are Mr.. Roy, Mr.. Lock-
hart and Messrs. William Morin,
Peter Snyder, George Etue, Henry
Etue and ]. A. Perl.
Mr.. Perl has delightful place,
four and a half miles from the city.
He came out little over year ago
from Pottawatomie county, Iowa,
bringing with him his interesting
family, his Jersey cows and his
chickens, all of which are thriving
finely, and he IL one of the happiest