The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-11-10
ClatsopCOunt Fertility Some
thing to Marvel At.
RICHEST SOIL IN THE WORLD
Our Butter, Vegetables and Cereals
are Unbeatable, and are Pro.
duced With Little Effort.

Mr., w. ]. Ingalls,, one Of CIabsop coufl.
tvs beast- known farmershas some strong
IDEAS about the qualifications OF the coun-
try he lives In for his particular line OF
business, and talks of them In no un-
certain manner In an interview yester-
DAY with an Astorian representative he
said:
The tide land and bottom land ajong
the streams in Clatsop county cannot be
beaten In the United States for growing
any species Of fruit and vegetable which
can be cultivated in our climate.
Nave lived In the county for more than
Ten years, and though ! have been over
the greater porbion Of tine bottoms It con-
tains have never yet seen any hard pan
earth. Up at the head waters OF the
Lewis and Clarke, where the banks are
out twelve feet deep, the soil from tho
bottom OF the cut to the top is all the
eame-magnifcen black loam formed by
the deposits of decayed vegetable matter
which have been washed down from the
forests for centuries. While the tide
lands are not proportionately as rich as
the bottoms, thedr fertility would open the
eyes OF many thriving Eastern farmer
We have been raising nearly four tons OF
hay to the acre on this land every year
for the last ten years, and expect to be
able to get the same returns for the
next ten years. We don't want irriga-
tion In Catsop county, but, even II we
did, all THAT need be done Is to open the
tide boxes. AS far as the bottom lands
are concerned, II Is am absolute fact that
our farmers have no use for manure,
except for gardening purposes. The hay
grows as big and rank as we can handle
1t without any artificial work on the
land.
''Catsop countys dalrylng interests are
growing In importance every year. The
paSbtmage Is fine, green and juicy, and
when our people wake up little more
to THE Importance OF this industry the
returns will be wonderful There is no
better butter put UP anywhere in the
world than we are raising right here to-
day. l was born and brought up in
Franklin county, Vermont, the banner
county Of the United States for butter,
and our product tn taste and color is
equal to anything I ever saw there. Our
paettrage is splendid. You can go and
clear the brush OF any of our bottom
land SOW in the OATS and In "a year or
less 1t will be covered with white clover
that come in naturally. have never
heard Of any sickness or epidemic among
our stock. The COWS thrive and do
we'll.
''The bottoms will produce from 200 to
100 bushels Of POTATOES to the acre, ana
with less care than most of the states
cam obtain half THAT quantity. Thee Is
no stone or hard substance OF any kind
In the soil. The yield OF oats are ex-
good, indeed l have never
heard Of such uniformly fine crops We
newer tihresh our oats, but cut them for
oat hav exclusively. On the I'd of June.
In 1894, when cut the growth, It was 7 It.
In height, with heads from 10 to 70 inches
long and laden heavier than any oats l
ever saw. 4 have taken So sacks of tur-
nips off one. tenth of an acre of this
land-anh THAT means over $500 to tho
acre in turnips alone. All varieties of
potatoes do well. We plant them right
in and don't touch them with a hoe AT
all. Hay. oats and potatoes are our
most prolific growths, though every spe-
cies of garden produce does exceptionally
well, and the pasturage is good all the
year round.
"Apples pears and every kind OF fruit
suited to THE climate grow healthy and
in profusion. The growth of The trees
is very great and they need more trim
ming here on this account than In many
other places.
'"T'here is a very large area of THIS fine
land In C1atsop county still undeveloped,
and q great deal of undylked tide land
that could be turned TO splendid adj
There are fully 6,OO0 acres In
me vicinity OF Young's river, and much
more Than That near the Lewis anu
Clarke The county abounds in springs
fine water, and anywhere one
an get the best he wants by digging a
veil from fifteen to eighteen feet deep"