The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-01
ON PALOUsE FARMS.
Neither Flowing Nor Seeding Has Yet
Been Accomplished.


RosALrA, April 2a-[Special. Never in
there been as much wet weather as at
present. The spring is the most backward
known for twenty-three years. Seeding is
generally done by May 1. but this year no
seeding will have been done bv that time,
and not more than half the blowing will
have been done. The weather is not only
wet but cold and snowstorms arc fire.
quent, but the snow melts almost as rapidly
as 1t falls and the ground is never white
more than few hours at a time. Farm
ers are unable to pillow and are anxious to
begin work, for they are already more
than month behind, with no prospects of
an early abatement Of the rain or cold
weather. The ground is SO wet that
should the rain leave now it will be at
on the highest slopes, and even a longer
period will elapse before the soil can be
turned on the fiat land and in the bottoms.
Seeding will not be finished before June /,
at least one month later than usual. and to
get done by that time the farmers will
have to greatly increase their working
force.
During tho past week rain or snow has
to pillow on the hills on Monday have not
been able to get back into the fields since.
The roads-well, there are none. The
comm on highways are bogs. over whichft
is impossible to haul any kind of load.
and nearly all the farmers drive four
horses to an empty wagon. In Latah on
Sunday the Posr-INrELLIGENcER CORE.
spondent saw farmer driving six horses
l., - 10 L,,st,
of grain, and he had all he could haul.
There are places in the roads where a
horse will sink in TO the soft mud up to
his TANKS. Travel has been almost en-
tirely suspended in the country.
The farmers, however. are not discour-
aged in the least. and ali still prophesy
that the present season will produce the
largest crop ever grown in the Palouse
country. In conversation with b. +. Cop
len, OF Latah, a few days ago, the Posi-
lNTEILfGES CIR correspondent asked Mr..
Capien if he did not fear the cold, wet and
backward spring would interfere With the
planting of crops and cause short yield.
Mr.. Copien, who Is one of the oldest set
tiers In Eastern Washington, replied:
No; We wall have the largest crop ever grown In
the Northwest. This spriHg is exactly ike the
Columbia county, near where DAYTON now
stands. The spring wa, late aud cold and seed
ing was rot completed till the last wee. in
May Farmers were blue and discouraged for
they feared they would not produce enought
grain Tor home consumption ana a failure
nseant suffering IL those days. bought Ted
OF oats IN june and people all laughed at me
AMI said could not get my seed back TIE
outlook was anything bIt brigat yet tAreshed
seventy bushels Of oats per acre from that field
l saw fields O, wheat that In the early summer
did no, look as II they would yield fifteen bush
els per acre. the crops OF which threshed an
average of sky bushels. Tha, year there were
tie biggest crops ! ever saw, but expect TO See
them duplicated this season. On the contrary.
am .ubilant expect TO see The Union Pacific,
Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads
all taxed to the utmost of their carrying eapac-
isy iii handling the grain that will be produced
this year.
Mr.. Coplen's views are shared by all old
settlers aud talks with dozens of farmers
have failed TO discover one who does not be-
iieve the present season will he the most
prosperous this country has ever known.