The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1898-07-01
OUTING NO. 1.
sopAyrLLE. June "a.

soDAyELLE, June "a.
The first part Of the trip on my annual
outing was very different this year from
that Of 1897. Then there Was . great
crowd Of people at The Albany depot.
Ten cars we're in readiness for departure
to Lebanon, and perhaps 600 free-silVer-
ties and anti.free-siIverites we're anxious
TO hear the great apostle OF free. silverism.
Before the train started and while on its
way there was constant hum OF voices.
Last Wednesday there was no crowd at
the depot, and no scrsmbling for seats
IL the car. There were nine OF us at the
outset, two women and seven men. At
fret not word was spoben by any ofur,
and no one could have told that We were
not all mutes, il he had not pat as TO the
test. When we were near Tsllman. the
silence WIS broken but not by the orig
inal nine. The train stopped for no ap-
parent reason, but there was on. Twoe
women came aboard. They evidently
had not seen each other for some time
and felt that they could not lose O NOM
ent. Then there were ten mutes until
we we're near Lebanon, when one man
called the attention of another 20 some
thing outside-perhsps Q fine field Of
wheat. Thss was the only instance In
which any Of the passengers except one,
seemed TO take any interest la the part
Of Willamette valley through which they
were passing. That exception had once
been q farmer and had not lost all his in
terest in farming. I think it il quite
probable that some Of the farmers would
not have felt complimented, If my
thoughts had been put into words In
their presence. Two fields were adioin-
ing each other, or they were on opposite
sides OF the railroad. In one field was q
good crop of clean and beautiful wheat
In the other was an inferior crop Of
wheat, cheat and oats, with some uncer-
tainty about the grain Gown in some
parts OF The field. The cause of this diff
ferepee 10 natural inquiry. Toe fields
we're close together, and the cause of the
difference could not have been in the soil.
L. is reasonable, therefore, to suppose
that il Tas in the farmers. One had
evidently cultivated his land veil and
eowed cook clean seed The other
had evidently scratched the ground with
Q wornout plow and soRed tares among
the wheat. Hence the difference.
There was also difference In the ap-
pearanee Of the ields Ct oats. In some
there was fne crop already well head
ed In others the blades or stocks we're
not much more than ak inches in height
and looked as IL they we're going TO sit
and Shoot" as some one has put IL. The
difference in this case was perhaps the
result OF earlier and later foging; and
this may have been duo to the nature OF
the soil where the felds we're nos adiac-
ent. will leave the explanation to the
farmers IL they think one il needed.
Methods Of iarmiog have changed since
was boy-farmer; but cannot resist
the conviction that all the farming be-
tween Albany and SodaviIle is not first.
class. Ny private opinion is. thar some
OF the farmers would get better returns,
II they cultivated fever acres and did
nrst- class farming. But this IL . di-
gression, as Demostbenes would say, and /
perhaps come Of the farmers will say in
regArdso the matter: "You do not knoz
hall As much as you think you do" !
Eill therefore bring nv scribiement to q |
Pune;um stans, for the present.
CABLES.