Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-03-26

hls ravOr on wheat shipped to Liverpool.
There cannot be much said about
farming in western Washington, for it is
not q farming country. There ls almost
no land in Washington west of the Cas-
cade range Of mountains that can be
titled, aside from what is found in the
small valleys. The White river valley,
is perhaps the most valuable. Land in
this valley during the boom, when hops
we're worth Is cents per pound, sold az
high as $500. an acre, in small tracts.
There was large profit in hop culture
with hops selling at the above price,
and land was in demand. but hops have
fallen to less than the cost of picking
and baling saying nothing about the
COST Of raising, and in consequence land
values have had q much more serious
decline than We have experienced. Hops
were quoted in Seattle at 3 to 4 cents q
pound. There is no wheat raised IN
Washington west of the Cascades that
can be ground into -four. The wheat
does not harden go that -four can be
made from it. Oats do fairly we'll in
this section of that state, though I
noticed that they did not bear as high a
price as those produced in the eastern
part of the state. The farmers in the
valleys of western Washington are in a
far worse plight than the farmers of
Stutsman county. Hop culture has
been the main reliance and they are
situated very much as we would be if
we were selling our wheat at 20 cents
per bushel, half the cost of production.
They are going to be obliged to turn
their attention to some other crop.
Corn cannot be raised in Washington or
Oregon any better than in North Dakota,
in fact doubt if it can as we'll. Cattle
have Efoot rot in tho valleys of western
Washington and the first question asked,
if one has a COW to sell, is ''has she foot
rot?"
There ls no rain to speak Of in Wash
ington west of the Cascade mountains
in the months of May, June and July !.
The rain fall ls in the winter months,
and 1t IS as excessively dry in the sum-
mer as it is excessively wet in the winter.
Now word IN regard to California.
Southern California is a good place for
tourists and lnvalids. There lie very lit
tie money being made from other
sources. The absence of cold weather
in the winter months is the great re.
source Of southern California for, to
escape the cold of other sections of the
United States, a great many flock to
southern California in the winter, and
invalids and semi.invallds seek this
equable climate for home. 1t is the
money that is constantly flowing into
southern California, from the tide OF
travel, that enables large proportion Of
the people to remain there. do not think
there ls much money being made from
the cultivation of the soil in any part of
California. The San Joaquin valley,
(the best grain valley in California; pro-
duces Z to bushels of wheat to the
acre. The part of this valley devoted to
the cultivation of raisin grapes cannot be
said to be IN prosperous condition when
they are selling raisins for ~ to 2 cents
per pound. could not learn that there
was anything being made from the culti-
vation of oranges and lemons. No
doubt man can be found here and
there, who is favorably situated and q
good manager, who has made something
raising fruit, but many have not.
If this communication seems to have
9 pessimlstic tone, l reply, no other view
correctly represents the condition of the
agricultural classes and the extreme
west is no exception to other sections Of
the country. 1t seems plain that one
can safely prophesy that the con-
dition Of general business will not and
cannot improve 80 long as the products
OF the farm 60 into the market at cost.
With 60 per cent Of the people Of the
United States engaged in agricultural
pursuits, and this large class scarcely
able to sell the products OF their farm at
cost, bow can the remaining 40 per cent
expect to be prosperous?
H. M. TABER.
Simon s. Hartman, Of Tunnelton
West Va, has been subject to attacks of