The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-06-04
FROM OREGON
WHERE THEY RAISE EIGHT
HUNDRED Blu. POTATOES
TO THE ACRE,

HUNDRED BU. POTATOES
TO THE ACRE.
EUGENE, OREGON,
May 25th, 1891.
ED. ADVANCE: This "far famed"
Willamette Valley stretches over q
territory l3O miles in length and from
ten to fifty miles wide, reaching from
Portland. where it has an elevation of
SO feet above sea level to five u lies
above Eugene City. where It's altitude
IL about 375 feet. Some parts of it, es-
pecislly along the streams, are heavily
timbered, but the larger portion is open
prairie. The soil is mostly clay loan
largely mixed with sand, some parts
being quite sandy; while Others are
principally clay. A portion of these
spots where clay prevails, are low, flat,
and wet, and are avoided by buyers Of
grain or fruit lands, as they are more
1T for grass than anything else, and
where tho public road crosses "adobe
spots'' IS they are called, if not turn
piked and gravelled are almost impas.
sable during winter or the rainy sea-
son. Sometimes, the lower parts of the
valley are overflown; aud when heavy
snowfall occurs in the during winter,
melted by spring rains this overflow is
disastrous to those living on these fats
0n6 khou u 70 bo i~k
or the foot hills for safety and their
dwellings are sometimes destroyed by
the fury of the current or dashed to
pieces by floating timbers; this, howev-
er it is said, has only occurred once
during the settlement of the valley.
which dates back some forty odd years;
but more moderate ove' flows occur to
the lowest lands near the river, nearly
every spring, without doing any seri-
Gus damage. The timber In the valley
is mostly fir and soft maple, with some
cOttonwo ond few other varieties
ON unable to name at present. OF the
different kinds Of grain raised here it
Is not worth while to speak at any
length, as that is pretty generally
known. All the grain have seen is
OF very ine quality, the berry being
large, plump, and of a clear, bright
color. The whest is much lighter in
color than eastern wheat, and is mostly
soft wheat. and yields from 25 to 40
bushels to the acre. Barley, am told,
yields from 50 to 50 bushels of very fine
grain to the acre; and looking at a
field Of barley in head am inclined to
believe it, as it looks more like a field of
rye. the heads being very near even and
fully six inches in length. The yield
Of oats in bushels is nothing extra, be-
ing generally from 40 to 60 bushels to
tfe acre, but the berry il very plump
and heavy, weighing from 40 to As lbs.
to the measured bushel, light oats be-
ing unknown, so am told. The oats
raiser here has to contend with wild
oats. and it is only by the most thor
ough cultivation and the proper time
OF seeding that thy can be avoided.
Though not troublesome to any great
extent, they are noticeable in the most
of threslled grain, and are utterly
worthless, as nothing will eat them.
Flax is grown to considerable extent
but as nothing in comparison to Min
nesota. The yield, 1 am informed, is
from Is to Is bushels to the acre. Hay
is all grown here from the seed as there
is no wild hay. Tame grasses do we'll
here, and some very fine fields OF both
timothy and clover are to be seen, but
the principal hay grown here is cheat
(chess) which is sown every year. This,
however, is not the chess that is the
pest of the farmer of the Atlantic
States, but is q very small. oblong seed
having the appearance of some kinds
of wild grass seed. There is no gener-
al market for the seed, as it is of no
use, except for sowing. The crop yields
from two to four tons to the acre, and
Ands ready market at from $40 to $40
a ton here, and from Sis to $50 per ton
in the Portland market. Volunteer
crops of hay are more frequent than Of
grain and more of both than is prof1ta-
bic. and they are only INDUCED in by
those who are disposed to take the
world easy.
A portion of the early settlers fell
into. habit of doing things the easi-
est way, reversing the old adage, and
mot doing to day what could be put off
till Tomorrow" A large part of the
land is poorly farmed and l have been
told that as many as eight successive
crops have been raised on the same
piece without plowing. To this class of
farmers has been given tho title of
''moss back" and to apply this to an
old settler who is thorough going far
mer stirs up his ire, and he resents it
forthwith. The "moss back, "however,
is not q man to be despised, by any
means. He is an easy going, good ma
tured and kind hearted, generally. and
always ready to accommodate neigh.
Dor, even at some expense. providing
too much physical exertion is not re-
quired. His easy going, kindly maD-
ner Is good contrast, to that of the
one who in his mad rush for gold
tramples his fellow man underfoot that
he may grab the almighty dollar for
himself.
What this country needs most at
present is men Of energy who will take
this soil and cultivate it In thorough
manner, aud with such believe it can
~be made to yield wonderfully; a compe-