The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-10-19
Letter from David Smith.
N
SPRINGFIELD, Oregon, Oct. 8.
e,

I-1I
middle of May till the 9Th of Septemlr
ber, at which time it began to rainand
has rained much since and is raining
now, for the last few day, in Oregon
style. Pastures are already good.
Where all vegetation was dried and
brown, there is now good, green feed.
If it would only quit raining now long
enough, it would be grand time for
the farmers to do their seeding. It is
true though, they may SOW any time
between now and June, if they hapr
pen toget fair weather and the ground
should be dry enough. Is
Crops were mostly good. Wheat,
oats and hay are the principal crops
raised here. Hops were good but the
early rains made it an unpleasant job
to save them. Wheat is worth 40 to
SO cents, hay about SIS. This year, as
we'll as last, was not so good for fruit.
as ordinary years, yet there are a good
many apples, and they are better than
for several former years, being less
wormy. Apples are worth from 1O
cents to 81, according to kind and
whom you buy from, eggs are worth5
20 cents, butter Is cents; chickens
are always high, because we have "a
many Methodist preachers here OH
the great Pacific slope.
Many people are still coming I'd
Oregon from the Estates" Many
are dissatisfied and return, and not
all of those who remain are satisfeds
How many would be glad to be back
if they could be situated as we'll
again as they were before they left
for the web foot country. A company
consisting of several families arrived
here few days ago, by wagon and
teams, became so disgusted with the
rain and mud, and the opening for
them, returned by wagon as they
came. 8
If we only could su5sist on climate,
we have it here. Such a climate II,
not excelled in the world. Never cold
never hot. Whilst YOU Minnesota
need Uveftcoa ana mt tens, W. would
be very comfortable here all winter in
our summer clothing and bare hands.
There are many things here differ
ent from what they are back in the
s|states." Our salt, and most of our
sugar, comes in sacks instead of barrels.
Our harness tugs are all of single
thickness, except those which come
from the Estates" Asyou pass along
you may see from now till June, from
one to five umbrellas in rack, made
purposely, on every porch at every
bodys house. Almost every one uses
the phrase ''back in the states" as
though Oregon was not yet admitted
into the union. They will tell you
how people did things "back in the
states" before they had the Hesperian
fever.
It is also amusing to hear them
name their money, they say ''bitts,"
2 bits, 4 bits, II bits, &c., a bits
so cents). I have never yet heard an
Oregon merchant say twenty five
cents, or fifty cents, &c. tits all bits.
A short bit is 10 cents, long bitt 12aa
cents. But in all my pilgrimage
I have not found better or kinder pro-
pie. Weare residing now seven miles
from Euguene City, in as good a
neighborhood, I think, as can be
found in any part of the country. Our
home is in the Great Willamette
valley. We are amongst great
orchards, hop-yards, dairy ranches,
large farms, &c. Beautiful scenery.
Times are and have been very dull
in Eugene City, and the surrounding
country and in fact all along the
Pacific. cannot understand how so
many people get along without i'm
ployment. 1t is true there are many
rich people here, but it is also true
there are many dependent on their
daily wages, and there has been but
little Employment for some time.
Times are as bad, if not worse, in Cali
fornia. Taxes there are too high, and
we pay much more for almost every
thing here on the Pacific than they do
farther east. Nearly all the land in
western Oregon is "spotted," Ii. e.) un-
productive, spots all over, and gravel
spots that will not produce. Many of
these spots are small, some of our
lands are very good, some very poor.