The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-07
THEPALOUSE FARMER
Happy Over a Big Crop, With
Price of Wheat Rising.
HAULING THE GRAIN TO MARKET.
Buckskin Sacks Full OF $50 Gcidpieces
Much Of the Land Owned by
Rich NOn-Residents.

OAKEspALE, Sept. Especial. Harvest
is we'll under way and the yields ere aston
ishing the most sanguine. The quality of
the grain was never better, while 4he yield
per acre is nearly one-thIrd better than
was at first expected. Ii is no uncommon
thing for fields that promised twenty
bushels per acre to yield twenty-five and
even thirty bushels of good merc3iantable
wheat, which enters the market as
GA No. l." While this year is devoid of
phenomenal yields, such as SO to 100
bushels of wheat per acre. which can be
found almost every year in small fields,
yet the average yield is fair and tie coun-
try is found to be full of wheat. The
price, too, is better than was expected.
Wheat is now selling in Oakesdale for 81
cents bushels loose, or 81 cents. sacked.
This is better than was expected, and the
extra cents will bring many gold dollars
to the Palouse country.
Saturday was the first day that any con-
siderable amount of wheat has been sold.
On that day the strings of four-horse
teams reminded the people that the grain
season, the most important of the year, is
on. In short time the country will be
full of money, as the fall months, are the
golden" months of Eastern Washington.
From January to September 1 the mer-
chants expect to do a credit business with
the farmers. During the other four
months of the year the farmers pay all
their old debts and pay cash for all pur-
chases. 1t is common sight in tie fall of
the year to see farmers with shot sacks or
buckskin purses filled with $40 gola pieces.
At this season they are always happy and
good natured.
Landlordism and tenantry are becoming
quite common in the Palouse country as
a considerable portion of the co5intry is
owned by non-residents who rent out the
land or hire it farmed. They fnd}t pay
ing investment and none of these large
tracts are for sale. Among these large
farms are the lands of James Mcknight.
the prominent railroad attorney and real
estate broker of Seattle. Mr.. Mcknight
has in the neighborhoOd of 5000 acres of
fertile land in the Palouse country,
most of which is in wheat. d. F.
Anderson, of Rosalia, is tie res
ident agent of Mr.. Mcknight at.d rents
the land, collects the rent (Which is
usually one-third of the crop in sacks at
the machine) and looks after the Improve
ments. Mr.. Mcknight bought this land
from the railroad company in the ''early
days" before land became SO valuable as at
present. But at present prices t.1is land
pays not less than twenty per cent. inter-
est per annum on present values. 1t is
quite probable that few, if any, of this gen.
tleman's numerous investments pays a
larger per cent. in clear profit than his
Palouse farms. Marshall Field, the mil
lionaire merchant Of Chicago, also owns
about the same amount of land here as
does Mr.. Mcknight. Like the latter he
has resident agent in the person Of Il. H.
Morrison, of Fairfield, who looks after the
land and the improvements. NJ. Field
finds his investment very profitable one
and has no land for sale. His rents
amount to thousands of dollars Annually
and there are no expenses EXCEPT taxes
which are light. These gentlemen gener-
ally have house on each quarter-section
and rent it to the same man who, u'ith his
family, lives on the land and gives as
rental one-third of the crop liz sacks.
These lands are not all in one body but are
scattered over considerable territory
usually one section (6i0 acres) in a,ody.
The largest body Of land in the 5'alouse
country owned by one firm or individual
is the Burrell estate. the property of Wal
ter +. Burrell of Portland. This estate
comprises about 5000 acres, all of = hich is
in cultivation. J. II. Belinger, of: Colfax
is resident manager of the BurreI1 lands.
A part of this land is rented out, az in the
case of the parties mentioned above, and
the balance is farmed by hired help A
careful comparison OF results gives :. slight
preference in favor of farming the land in
stead OF renting it, a somewhat larger
profit being made by the former than by
the latter plan. The plan of Mr. B.lrrell's
manager has been to hire neigh boring
farmers with their teams to pillow and seed
the land and to let the harvesting and
threshing out by contract. Although this
plan proves the most profitable, get the
uncertainty Of getting men and teams at
the proper time makes the rental plan
preferable. This estate is one of the best
paying investments in the Northwest.
| often paying as high as so per cent. inter-
est on the original investment, wEile the
land has doubled in value twice Ia other
words, this land cost on an average less
than 50 per acre, and is today wortsl more
than $50 per acre.
Then there is J. II. Strow bridge, the
| millionaire leather merchant, of Portland,
who also owns land in the g7alouse
country which has proven a valuable in
vestment. He would not sell the land to-
day for five times what it cost HIM origin
ally.
Then there is the Comegys, VEolford
and McKune lands owned by company
of Oaksdale and Tacoma capitalists. This
firm has about 800 acres, all of which is
in wheat and will yield big inteeest on
the investment despite the fact thaU it was
poorly planted, owing to the manager hav-
ing hired irresponsible parties 10 T:repare
| the ground and SOW the grain.
Besides, there are many farmers who
own and cultivate large farms themselves.
Among these T. f. Huntley. Of Sunset,