Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-06-21

y
few head of cattle, sheep and hogs
and "A large portion of the meat sup
ply of the large cities of western
Oregon is obtained from this valley.
The land is protective to a point not
met with in any land on the coast
On one farm in the vicinity Of Salem
wheat has Teen raised for forty sue.
cessivc seasons, aud during no year
of this time has the yield on this
land been less than twenty-five
bushels To the acre. All the
cereals DO well, while flax, rye and
hons raised in the Willamette valley
have q well-earned reputation in the
markets where these products are
best known. There is one peculiar
ity of the soil Of the valley that is
worth recording here. This is that
this soil il formed principally of de-
composed volcanic substances. siml-
lar in many respects to the soil Of
the best fruit growing districts of
Europe. 1t is this which makes
this land especially adapted to fruit
culture, which, added to the salu-
briOus climate of the valley, free
from severe frosts III winter, and
with an entire absence OF scOrch-
ing heat in the summer months,
makes this valley the best on the
coast for the raising of most all vari-
cites of semi-tropical fruits, prunes,
cherries, apples, peas, plums grow
particularly well, and the Oregon
prunc is not perhaps eXcelled in fla
vor the world over. Small fruits
grow on the virgin soil without any
special attention, and there has
never been known a failure of crop
Of this kind Of fruit.
Dairying Is one of the things to
which this valley is specially adap-
ted. Escaping the rigor Of severe
winters, and the feverish heat of
summer, cattle do as well here as on
any part Of the coast. This is some
thing that has thus far been neg
lccted by the farmers Of this section,
and outside OF butter and cheese,
made to supply the local market,
the valley is not as yet great ship
per Of dairy products. The posi-
bility Of greatness i'm this particular
line is here however, and some day
the Willamette valley will he the
largest DAIRY producing section OF
the coast.
Salem enjoys uneXcelled tpnspor'
rational facilities. The city is on
the main line of the Southern Pa
cilic, running from Portland to San
Francisco, fifty miles south of the
former place and also has the ad
vantage OF river transportation by
steamers on the Willamette both
North and South. 1t is this which
has made Salem one of the greatest
trading centers of the coast. The
products of almost the whole OF
Marion county find Il market al
Salem, and from this latter place
they are shipped to all parts Of the
world. In addition to the line al
ready completed road is projected
from Salem to Astoria, and also one
eastward across the Cascades
Strenuous efforts are now being made
by the citizens of Salem looking
to an early completion of these new
lines and the driving of the las
spike on these roads will add i'm
mensely to the wealth and standing
of Salem ms Il commercial center
The Willamette river is naVigabl(
nearly all seasons of the year fol
distance of some fifty miles south
of Salem, and this with the water
transportation of tbe smaller streams
tributary TO the Willamette give
Salem exceptional facilities for ship
ping 10y floating craft. Boats loat
mt Salem, and by II system Of locks
aud canal at the fails at Oregon City
this cargo can be iloated to the scs
without breaking bulk, This fac
regulates railroad freight charges t,
and from Salem, and is an import
) ant consideration in the continued
growth of the capital city,
Salem has the raw products tC
manufacture, and she has the powel
to run her manufactures, whicl
have already gained considerable
foothold in Salem,
Salem has two of the best houl
mills in the state, with n combined
, daily capacity of 1900 barrels. Tn,
, superior quality of wheat grown ii
the Willamette valley enables these
mills to furnish the market with
, the high est quality of flour made or
, the coast, and thi, flour finds ready
, sale In domestic and foreign mar
! kets. Salem has u large wooler
o mill, erected recently at n cost o
/, $4,000. Fifty hands are given reg
; ular employment here, and furnist
a a market for about 2oO,o 600 pounds o
: wool annually, Salem has gool
f foun dries, machine shops, lumbe
= mills, sash aud door factories, irui
canueries, pickle and Yinega
y works, aud many smaller industries
n of this nature, The annual amouu
4. regularly paid ont for wages il
A Salen, is over $780, 600. These wer
"a the figures Of last year, an increas
la OF 100 per cent. over the preViou