The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-10-08
FROM OREGON.
MEADOW. Oregon,
Sept, -, 1891.

MEADOW. Oregon,
Sept. %, 1891.
ED. ADVANCE :-Havine just ar-
rived home after making q tour to tho
OCEAN, aud afterwards to tho foot hills
Of the cascades east of US, with the
family. I concluded short letter might
interest my old neighbors.
On tide water there are now three
small steamboats,, two screw propellers
and one side wheeler, aud not near
enough work for any ono of them TO
do. Times are very dull in the vicinity
OF Florence, and yet there are some Gu
terprises being urged moderately. They
sre constructing = road from where
they can land 0cean.~vessels to whore
they will construct the light house.
Tie wagon road wili bs sbout 6ve
miles long, and will cost over 5000.
Tie bids put in for it were all the way
from the above amount to, believe,
about $4,000. The government officials
are ut work at Florence and have 10.
gun the Improvement Of the bur. The
appropriation for this work is $50, ,OOO.
But not much will be done this year, as
the rainy seusOD seems to have set in
already.
The tish cannery is running, and on
ly uses u limited quantity of fish, and
pays only very low price. The three
saw mills are doing very little, all idle,
mostly. There is, however, some per-
manent improvement, going on, which
xm glad to see. Florence is growing
aud some of the ranches are being im-
proved. The grand old ocean, with its
laundering noise, its cool breeze, its
dashing waves, and its dense fUgs, re-
mains about the same. 1t is very in-
teresting to stand on the shore and
watch new corners and tourists. They
venture in on the sands looking for
shells when the waves rpcetle, aud Of
ten they are overtaken by more waves,
Snd get u good wetting. 1t is amusing
too, to SEE the sea lions where they
R*mbol i" their native haunts. The
young orchards all along between here
and the ocean are beginning to bear
heavily fruit of n fine quality. The
Goblin moth has not yet arrived west
Of the coast range, to my knowledge.
On our "trip" east through tho Will
liamette valley we saw many very large
farms, some connaining 600 acres or
more. Some of the occupants seem to
lH wealthy. Many Of them, however,
only make living. Some orchards are
dying, and the apples are mostly small,
inferior, and badly worm eaten.
found on this trip the apples which
grow far from human habitat ion and
in the woods" Tho were in tie fence
corners and brush had grown up about
them. They were very inferior, little,
hard seedlings. Across one Of these
big farms would he ''far from any hui
man habtatiun." The Oregon farmers
have this year enj"yed what they call a
very good harvest. Wheat is selling
1T about SO cents. Oats have fallen
from SO cents to 30 cents. For the last
year dried apples have been selling at
from 10 t. Is cents per H.. according
to quality. Is that indicative of u gnd
fruit country? There are many fine
hop fields in the Willamette valley.
Hop picking is just over. Hops would
have been very good only for the hop
lice which infested many Of the yards.
Hops have been quite u source ct rev.
enue for western Oregon. Picking
usually lasting ABOUT sixteen days and
gives employment to many hundreds of
families.
Ipromised in my last communica.
about our population and tho number
OF insane In this section. The popula-
tion Of Oregon is 3l3.767, Of Lane
county, 15, 1913; Of Eugene City, 3,95s.
There is room for 700 in tho insane
asylum and there was confined there,
some three weeks ago $50 perhaps sew
eral more now.
Mr.. Doane was working in Eugene.
l looked for him, but had not time to
go to him, when found where he was,
but lie has promised to come and see
mo. will be glad to see him, especial
ly if he was a relative Of Prof. NJ. A.
Doane, who died in Worthington. I
have frequently met Mr.. Buchan in
Eugene, but not very recently.
It is raining right along and another
six months of rain and slush may be
enjoyed 1t never rains here whtn It is
cold. Most of the rainy season here
the clouds hang very low, aud there is
much fog and scarcely any wind any
time and seldom any thunder and not
30 much diversification of sunshine
and clouds, as used tn be here, but more
cloudy weather. We expect no frost
here before November or perhaps later.
Had few days Of pretty hot weather
during the summer, but nights always
quite cool.
Bees have done fairly well here in the
coast range. Our bees have stored
away fine quantity Of clear, pure, ex
cellent honey, but mostly in the valley
the honey is very dark. and not good
being collected from tarwood, chinqua
pin, etc.
We have had q troublesome time thi.
year trying to save our little crops frou
the depredations of tho birds ani
squirrels. Most all our crops here, II
tho mountains have been nearly com
pletely destroyed, small fruit not ex
copied. -y..
George and Emma arc still botl
fAachinp and dOin1 verv we'll atil