The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-10-15
FROM OREGON.
EUGENE, Oregon.
September 80, 1891.

EDITOR ADVANTAGEOUS are. in
order, but even an artisan must fail
In his efforts to construct without IN
adequate supply of material, so you
will pleaes pass m, p rfections BY
while | change the subject. 1t is said
that "time tlies," whatever that means
is not stated, but it: is obvious that
there are no flies on time here for he
travels with u swiftness that makes it
impossible to get but an occasional
hold Of his coat tails as it were and
make q momentary use of them to jot
down q few facts left in his varied
wake Of sunshine and shadow. Sum-
mer is past, in name only; our dry sea-
son wss broken about tile middle OF tile
present month by a several hours
steady rain freshens up everything and
making it seem AS il the year had
whirled around and made another be-
ginning, forgetting in its haste to pick
up Old B"reas and fondle him awhile
on it's lap. Atmospherical quietness
reigns throughout the year, as the air
is never lashed into fury by "angry
winds" that so often ruffle the temper
of the eastern haymaker. BY and by,
however, when winter begins to send
out its scouts of dense fog and follows
them up with that excessive moisture
known only to the North Pacific coast,
and the moss begins to start on the
backs of those who have not been
warned Of such dangers, they will fall
into dissatisfied condition of mind and
their growls may be heard clear across
the continent contradicting every
statement made in favor of the country,
and as time goes on ard the moss takes
deeper root apathy overtakes them and
they become more quiet. they are non
progressive in every sense of the term
and they often check the wheels of
local progress until the track is sanded,
80 to speak, by the grit of the progress
siOnist. A large number of this class
live on the foot hills or the mountains
and make biennial visits to the valley
for supplies Of bacon and -four and in
some cases fruit where some unprinci.
pied dealer victimises them for which
they denounce the whole State in gen.
eral and the valley in particular; other
wise they are quiet inoffensive and
good natured people. Until within a
few years this class of people held the
balance Of power in Oregon, keeping
her In the old, slow going, conserva-
tive ruts, but she has shaken off a good
many of them, and is gradually kick
ing loose from the remainder. No one
thinks of contradieting these people
in their statements about the country,
any more than they would of trying to
stop the braying of an ass. Theirs are
those crops of the volunteer sort yield
ing FROM ten to twelve bushels Of wheat
to the acre, forty per cent. of which is
usually wild oats, and farms are COW
cred With tar weed, fern, dog fennel,
and everything else of the sort that
hourishes where neglect and shiftless-
ness rule. This Is one OF the worst
countries to produce foul weads ever
saw. and it will continue to do 90 until
this mossback farming is thing of the
past. On the other hand however, to
change from the animal kingdom to
the vegetable. one finds much to ad-
mire in the shape of moss among the
forest trees in the foot hills and noun
tains. On the under side of the limbs
from the body Of the tree to the outer
ends of the limbs q fine silken moss, OF
. greenish color hangs, from several
inches to several feet in length, giving
the tree wierd, shaggy appearance
but withal beautiful. This is found in
greatest excess on white oak trees. Or
one occasion, while roaming through
the forest, discovered . bunch OF this
moss of such unusual size and length
hanging from an upper limb, that
took the pains to secure It whole. BJ
actual measurement It was SIX feet and