The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-19
BEST PLACE TO FARM
Philosophical Conclusions on
California by an Expert.
WASHINGTON A SETTER CLIMATE
Things as They Are, aud Not ss They
Are Doomed to Be, With Banjo
Accompaniment.

was resident manager OF the Oregon In
provemen, Company, and built the coal
bunkers. and conducted other great enter
prises. among Others starting the city of
Anacorfes. was at the Raiaier-Grand last
night. on his way home to Iowa, from
Southern California, by way of the Cana
dian Pacific. HIS old friends who meet
him during the next few days. will find
that ne hasn't changed one whit. He has
the same sturdy health ard vigor. and the
chm. with It's great grizzied beard, wags, If
anything, faster than ever. While he was
taking at the Rainier-Grand last night. ne
took up banjo. one that has Travelled
with him ever since he was a pickaaln-
ny. as he puts 1t, but the banjo notes
we're Ike a funeral march. compared with
the rapidly of his enuncistion. He had
his right hand bandaged in a red flannel
rag, but that had nothing to do with II.
He can play with his left hand, and with
his eyes closed. but he can talk with his
mouth to give compton fits to the best
photograph that ever was made.
Yes. am back gain''-plunkety.
PUNK. plunk-"take a seat: how are your"
kerr-T-r-runk-'1 an disillustioned.
have BEEN searching for some place whe-e
Gcd had focused all things that are good.
l find He dcesn'; do that. | went down
to California with a sort of notion that (
j found a place that somebody wanted to
sell because he mus. although 1t had sll
the delights OF life embraced within its
limits except work, one of those places
were everything grows without labor, and.
Ike interest, grows while man sleeps. 1
would take ii in. / thought perhaps money
would buy that sort OF thing, where, In
addition to climate. the finest on earth.
man might have beautiful farm. where
every hing grows OF itself and live at TIE
Coronado hotel.
at Is all more or less of a mistake
pink. plunk more or less of an error.
z he walnut trees there have a mean trick
OF running a tap root until they rel n
water. ana then they die: the almonds
make crop when they have a mind to.
every three. four or fiye years, just as they
feel like =, and the chances are that then
they won't give enough TO pay for wait
ing; the fruit trees have a tendency to
bad company ard Ice: and it they MAKE
up their minds 10 be Industrious at all. the
frost nips their industry in the bud, as Ii
has this year.
II found people there were satisfied that
the country was all plank, plank,
plank plank-''but that oranges were rot
just the thing. So they were tearing mp
Grange orchards tina. had been established
for many years. and setting out lemons.
II IS just the country for lemons. AT the
same time. 1t is only fair to say hat
some people there are tearing up the ien-
on trees and putting in French prun4s.
There's nothing Ike prunes when you have
the climate. and that part of the country
is full OF climate. But then. prunes are
irunes. and some fellows there fms it don't
pay to grow them. and that the citross
fruits are 10; worth the time one has to
spend on them. To these people fruit
growing and nut culture is all a mistake
and the only thing one can be sure of
profit In is olives.
II did find. however"-pranE. PUNK.
plan. pl:-plunk-"several small
ranches where they had all these things
under proper cultivation. and a proper
philosophy with them. But these people
discovered by keeping close cases that al
falfa woili make hay three or four times
a year. providing the soil was right and
they had water enough to food 1t, and that
alfalfa was the right crop. II is, too. II
there Is anybody within short range to sell
Il TO. for shipping il on the road they have
down there IS OUT of the question.
~ boiled this experience down TO the
conclusion" -prang, prang. prunk-"that
would hunt place where most of he
people owned mills and nobody raised al
falfa, and there | would raise alfalfa. Bus
then | thought. taking Il sftogether. $50
an acre for the raw ground. 500 an acre
10 level Il so you could food 1t, that it
was paying a pretty darned high price for
grass when | knew places in Iowa for
$50 an acre that would not only raise grass,
hut corn and oats and other things. Prob
ably II fellow meant TO farm straight
ard honest that is a good proposition.
But II he was another kind of a man. ar.
took an invoice of the products of he
country. the mos, desirable location for him
10 farm would be a sea-beach room In the
Coronado hotel, because il the man IN !
capital enough 10 farm in California he
vGuld have enough to live at the Coronado
hotel, and could get his farr- products for
onato IS a moro agreeable place to farm
in than on q ranch.
Now. that eXhausts the productiveness
of California. But they have climate in
California '-plinkety, pink. plank. pink
prlnE prong--"and great deal Of 1t. The
climate is IN evidence at all the hotels. on
every fcor and in every room. You have
/; with your morning cocktail and your last
several nigh,caps The climate is quoted
IN averages II reads: The average eli
mate yesterday was - degrees That
means that at noon yesterday II was 81
| degrees The average temperature for
last month was 57ia degrees That means
that the noon temperature for every day or
the month averaged that. NJ Los Angeles
the average temperature really worked out
this waV--Si degrees nj noon. IS 10 ~ at 6
IN the evening. and between those latter
( figures in half-hour chunks for the balance
/ OF The twenty-fnur hours.
Il was IN san Diego one week I was
assured hy people intimately connected
with the climate business. so II must have
been straight, that had experienced there
the hottest iay that had ever been known
| in san Diego. and the coolest day m the
! memory Of the Oldest irhahitant and tn.
: worst storm that iaG ever blown In from
the Ftrifc The temperature stood Ne when
/ e; there. tw0 days later IL had ironpef
20 $
Il have the same practical knowledge II
farming ~ All It's hranchss hat
/ characterized the immortal Gre-jev.
! lfe advised his friends when ,hev
| planted pumpkins 10 take the tree variety.
/ 81 tAa, the sun could get all aroand hem
arf there would not ne a rotten spot y acre
tse vine pumpkins rested on the VET sosl
! From this practical knowledge : would
+ say 10 = man was searching climate 10
Z farm r In @ ligh, way. to raise friit. IN
+ = chicken ranch. sros whear ami yofa-
I toes ana enjoy agricultural life tn iis
/ MANY FORMS he should select the state II
! Washington
+ mean - say. without any cxagzara-
! don That there Is better climate IN
! W1= insfen Than IN au5 part - California
! 81 better climate 20 1--we Ia AMI 4 better
/ eiimgte tc GROW thi1Es 81 Also. II 4 man
I raises Ins hing Pc has = much better
( cham ta ss' 10 here a. rrCa. than he
has thrrc lie can raise = short dls.aa~,.
7 from th~ -oast. berries fir1her Iu. a-ac- *
I avf Vri@rcs ap thr country litie. aurles
! and every variety ~ fr3it ~ FAR better
quality thln can t~ raised in California
! The tNnsr~ a. better IL IS nof 50 er.F,-sf-
| ing s1t ta~ Variations Of the tenirerat ire