The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-07-14
STATE NEWS.
Interesting Items Culled From Oregon's
Leading Newspapers.


Robert Steel, OF the Luckiamute, spent
the Fourth of July In Corvallis. says the
Times. He is the Polk county farmer
who grew the phenomenal crop Of over
1900 bushels of barley on thirty acres OF
ground, more than 1888 bushels to the
acre. The field was formerly a huge
pond, which was drained by Mr.. Steel
with q ditch to the Luc1iamute, in a big
bend of which river 1t lies. It has pro-
duced six crops OF barley and the lowest
average OF any season was 60 bushels
per acre. In harvesting the big crop OF
last year two weeks were required In
cutting 1t with q binder drawn by Ave
horses. and after the grain was cut the
shocks SO nearly covered the entire
ground that the wagons in hauling 1t
could not pass between them. The mar
ket value of last years Yield from 30
acres was about 81 800. The crop of brew
fng barley on the field this year promises
well, and will be much benefited by the
rains on the 4th and 9Th.
Oregon City Is evidently having about
as much Of the insurance fight as AS
torla. The Enterprise says: ''The IN
surance WARRIOR the past ten days or
two weeks the insurance war has been
on In dead earnest In Oregon City, and
rates have been slashed right and left
In one instance the rate was cut 76 S-S
FER cent, but the usual rate OF discount
was fifty per cent. The curt rates was
inaugurated by the special agent Of the
Phoenix and Home insurance companies
and the agents OF the other companies
were instructed to meet the reductions
In great measure. The result is tn
70 " RI n
and renewing policies arranging rebates
and writing new insurance. It is not
expected that the present rates will con-
tinue long, and the cut-rate slash-ng Is
likely to end any day. Although rates
will probably never be as high again as
they have been in the past
The creamery at Barlow, says the OBJ
server has been q surprise to the farm
ers OF that vicinity who believed that
there was nothing to be gained by the
establishment OF such an institution, and
that they could make as much money
from butter the old way as they could
by selling milk to the creamery. Some
experiments proved that they could make
"a pound of butter from about 85 pounds
OF milk, while the creamery made the
same amount OF butter from 20 pounds
extra from 100 pounds OF milk, which at
selling price was at least 35 cents. This
was a gain OF over 10 cents per hundred,
provided the creamery Is run on the plan
OF other creameries and the farmer would
have his skim milk returned to him.
That little difference would almost keep
a family where there are over half u
dozen COWS mIlked.
II Is only o few years since that alfalfa
was introduced and became a factor In
the hay product of Crook county, says the
Prineville Review. The cold backward
spring seasons and rigorous winters OF
this locality caused its success as a for
age plant to be looked upon with sus-
picion. Yet gradually It wended its way
southwark from the war lands along the
John Day river, until II is now grown In
divers places throughout the county.
Generally speaking, irrigation Is essential
to its successful growth, yet in many
places good yield Is obtained without
the aid OF artificial moisture. Having
been tried I'M almost every locality in
the county, II is now generally admitted
to be the coming crop Of this section Of
the state.
MRS. ]. e. Redmond, who lives with
her husband on the old Mmlkey place.
about three miles this side of Olex,"
says the Fossil journal, took strychnine
on the morning of the Fourth. about
o'clock. and died a few minutes later.
after informing her husband that she had
taken the poison. She said the day be-
fore that she expected to die on the 17th
anniversary OF her marriage, which took
place on July 4, the day she died. She
had been consumptive for several years,
and few there are who will be found to
blame her for putting an end to her
suffering when she became assured that
no other means could save her from a
lingering death. Mrs Redmond was
highly respected lady"
MIR. J. p. Pearson, the well known
dairy and creamery man who has had
charge OF the Auburn creamery for the
past two years, has accepted a like
position to the large creamery at Coos
Bay.
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