The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1895-04-08
OREGON AND WAsco.

0eclQeQly interesting. InSy are Iull OA
hope for the state, and all indicate that
the turning point in Oregon's history
from the old days of spending to those
of saving, has been passed. When the
Willamette valley was first settled, nat
urally from the remoSeness from mark
cts the chief industry was stock-raising,
because the hocks could be driven to
market. This era did not last long, and
as the prolifcness of the soil became
known and markets available, the stock
man gave place to the wheat-grower.
The example set by Californians of
growing nothing but wheat was followed
just so long as prices were high. The
soil responded so generously that even
this farming was done in slip-shod
and slovenly manner. But steadily de-
clining prices, heavy store bills, fol-
lowed by mortgages given to obtain
temporary relief and lasting annoyance,
caused the more thrifty of the farmers
to turn their attention to other crops.
With thousands of acres of stubble,
with abundant pastures, and no incon-
siderably supply of mast, the farmers
up to the time mentioned had not taken
the trouble to raise hogs, because to
keep them out of the grain fields re-
quired good fences, and, though such
material was certainly plentiful enough,
good fences required considerable work,
and work was not what the farmer of
those days was looking for. There were
too many deer in the woods, and the
fishing was too fine to be neglected for
the prosy employment of mauling rails
and laying up worm fences. The wheat
crop was raised, hauled to the river
bank, and turned over to the merchant
to apply on the store account. 1t was a
season of big prices, big crops, big store
bills, big spendings, and big deficits at
the end of the year.
Those days are gone forever. Shift
lessness has given place to thrift. In
stead of importing bacon and ham,
shoulder and lard from the East, we are
supplying ourselves and finding small
quantity for export. Instead of car
loads of butter coming from Iowa, we
are making butter to ship. Instead of
eastern or California eggs, the Oregon
hen is gladdening the farmer with her
lay. catchy song, with jingle of coin
in it, coin from the east, where the hen
fruit of Oregon is finding market; coin
from Manhattan, the home of the Stuy-
vesants and the Van Renselears, to pay
for eggs laid within sound of the Pacific
to feed the 400 in the metropolis on the
Atlantic. Our cattle are going East by
the train load, our sheep are sent by the
thousands, and a constant stream of
Oregon potatoes are following them to
feed the spudless of the East. We have
learned thing or two by hard knocks,
and the result is surprising US.
There are some other places that are
going to be surprised, too, in the near
future. One of them is California, and
the others are some of the eastern states
that have been buying California's fruit.
She is going to have rival, and one
that will make her hustle to hold her
supremacy. Wasco county is going to
assist largely in accomplishing this re-
suit. 1t is the best fruit county in the
state, and therefore in the world. You
just mark our words that inside of five
years Wasco county apples will be
known all over the United States. The
winter apple is king. There is never
too many of him. Side by side with the
vaunted oranges of California and
Florida he bids for popular favor, and
brings the highest price, bushel for
bushel. The apple is on top. He is
going to stop there. He was the king OF
fruits in Paradise before the fall, the
choice of the first lady in the land, and
the first gentleman. Wasco county is
his home because it is the nearest Para
disc of any spot he ever found. We are
raising him numerously. Three years
from now we will ship 100000 bushels
of him. Ten years will see the figuers
up to near the million bushel mark.
We know that outsiders will think we
are trying our lungs through our Easter
bonnet, but we know what we are talk
ing about. The young trees are grow
ing, beginning to bear. Hood River has
thousands of them, Mill Greek has other
thousands. Mosier and Dufur and g.
Mile are up in the front ranks, and
thousands of more trees are being set
every year. Six thousand trees are go-
ing out in one orchard near The Dalles,
and every nrecinct and neiQhborhood in