The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-03-24

a typical sage brush prairie. The sur
face is for some mile broken by bluffs
and knolls, then gently undulating
and finally nearly level and appeared
from it's general features, just the
place for grain farming. The brown
patches everywhere, however, show
the presence of sage brush, a half
weed, half shrub, that will thrive
where nothing else will grow. Form
erly there was bunch grass in this Sec
tion but heavy feeding by herds years
ago has pretty much destroyed it.
The 12O miles from Wenatchee to
Harrington crosses what is known as
the dry belt which extends north and
south, through central eastern Wash
ington and gives a good view of the
country. At the little stations some
small patches of land have been brok-
en- up and now and then small band
of cattle and horses may be seen, but
for the most part the attempt to util
ize the land amounts to but little more
than occupancy. This tract of coun-
try through Douglass and Lincoln
counties was inside the Northern Paci-
ic grant and one-half of the land went
to the company by the terms OF it's
grant, the other half remaining in the
government and the State. Some of
the best tracts have been taken under
the homestead act and the railroad
company has made some sales, es-
pecially near the east line of the dry
belt, but still nearly all the lands in
these counties adjacent to the Great
Northern road, are unoccupied.
The soil is OF volcanic matter and
when brought under irrigation, or
where the rainfall is sufficient, produc-
es most abundant crops and fruits of
all kinds, the question of crops being
only a question of water. As to the
rainfall it is very capricious in the dry
season in the dry regions, the altitude
of section being large factor in de-
Gliding whether or not there will prob
ably be enough water, the rainfall be-
ing greater at the higher elevations.
For example, Watervile, the place to
which Mr.. and Mrs. w. D. Martin
haye just removed, has an elevation of
$500 feet and has rainfall sufficient
for ordinary crop purposes, while at
another point having an elevation Of
say 1,5OO feet, nothing can be grown
without irrigation. The result is that
all lands of the government and rail
road company on the same bench as
Waterville are taken up.
From Harrington to Spokane the
country improves'in appearance and
seems in places very desirable, being
under better state of cultivation, as
the city is approached, but in it all, at
the best there are good many 'scab"
patches of ground covered by broken
stone, and unfit for cultivation. Taken
together, large part of what is known
as the big bend country which lies
north of the line of the road and south
of the Columbia river, is we'll adapted
to general crops and stock raising. All
of this land has more or less sage
brush and requires four good horses
to break it up and the roots can gen.
orally be cut with the plow if it is kept
sharp. In places it is necessary to
cut off the largest with a grubbing
hoe but this is not usual. One can
hardly conceive greater change in
the general appearance of the country
than by breaking it up and clearing
off the roots. The wheat interest is at
the front in Washington just now, by
reason of the very large crop and high
prices of last year, and lands with a
reasonably sure rainfall are selling at
high prices. 1 think, too, this indus
try is stimulated by the favorable con-
ditions of climate for both sowing and
harvesting.
Say the farmer wants to SOW 100
acres in wheat, be can divide his risk
and at the same time divide the work
by sowing half to fall wheat and the
balance. in the spring. In this way
one man can do all the work and have
time to spare to other labor. Coming
to the harvest the Washington farmer
has the greater advantage, enough
am afraid to almost make him shift
less. He need not harvest the crop for
month or two after it is ripe if it does
not suit his convenience. The straw
grows tall and by reason of a large