Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-04-21
THE HILLS OF OHIO.
A FEW LINES FROM our MIS-
SlONARY, j. r. CHAPLIN.

SIONARY, j. r. CHAPLIN.
/ His Address is Among the Hills of Ohio
he Institutes Some Interesting Comparisons
between the Soil Capabilities of Ohio and
this State
ED. STANDARD:
have been spending several months
In the hill counties of OHIO, and my
observations have caused me to COM
pare Ohio with our section of the I'm
ion, The lands OF Ohio, like the lands
OF Washington, may be divided into
three portions-the "bottoms," the
valleys" and the "hills." BY the
bottoms, we mean the river flats.
These are all rich and productive.
The" Big Miami" the Little Miami"
the " Scioto," the Walhunding" the
"Tuscarawas" and the "Muskingam,"
are all rivers that cross the State from
north to south and flow in to the
Ohio. Their flats constitute the
greater part Of the rich bottom lands
of the State. Compared with them in
Western Washington, are the Che
halls, the Humptulips, the Puyallup,
the Snohomish, the Skokomish, the
Satsop, the Deschutes, the Skagit, the
Samish, the Duwamish, the White,
the Black and Green, and score of
others. The river bottoms of Western
Washington exceed those of Ohio in
area by nearly one-third; in fertility
they are quite the equal OF Ohio bot
toms, and in their wild state are worth
more for their timber than Ohio lands
were.
BY valley lands we mean what we
call "up-lands" in Washington; that
is the second bench above the rivers,
more or less rolling, but too level to
class them as "hills." These lands of
Ohio are not as rich as the lower lands,
but can be worked at less expense and
make good farms. They vary, how
ever. in quality from very good to al.
most worthless, and upon the whole
are not as productive rs our uplands.
In Ohio they raise corn-great crops
on the bottom lands and fair crops on
the valley lands. In that particular
We are not Gin it" with Ohio, but we
are more than even on the fruit crop.
Farmers here can make no certain
certain calulations ON fruit. Their
crop fails at least three times in five,
and it is the universal regret of the
State.
/ spent few weeks in East Tenn
essee. this winter, and the people there
are making a desperate effort to boom
the State as a fruit country; but l
could find no one who had ever seen
any good apples grown there. They
are banking altogether on faith, and
after one hundred years of failure are
still hopeful, and are actually locating
thousands OF people on the plateau
lands for the purpose of growing fruit,
Notwithstanding the fact that all have
failed before them. When l heard
them talk of the wonderful possibili.
ties OF Tennessee, as fruit growing
State, and noted the fact that not
single fruit tree could be seen, l
thought of Olympia, with its apples,
prunes, pears, cherries, plums, ounces
and small fruits in every yard and
said to myself, at is the very best To-
cality in all this country, or in the
world, for home" Now word about
the "hills." i have been inspired and
delighted in crossing this part of the
country at the landscape view. 1t is
beautiful beyond description and l have
gone out upon some peak $500 feet
high and looked across the country
and thought in my joy of the grander
view that will some day appear when
the hills of Washington are improved.
The picture here would be perfect if
we could see here and there some
lofty peak covered with ice and snow,
like our own grand old mountains,
and then turning from that sight,
could look down among the winding
valleys and behold the shimmering
surface of our beautiful Sound. The
people OF Washington are surely not
fully alive to cur advantages, or the
SiSSnSAS anu hiChCIo COulu Uot Ue
found there. But Washington is a
country for people who have evolved
so far above the tad-pOle that they
h@ve obtained a soul, and we must not
Expect Others to appreciate our para
disc. Our hills are covered with a
wealth of timber quite the equal in
value to the improved hills of Ohio,
and when that is removed will make
as rich farming lands rs do these hills.
Altogether Western Washington is
more than rival for all of Ohio as IL
farming State, and its superiority as II
commercial center no one doubts.
POLITICAL.
Now, Mr.. Editor, am in a guam
Diary and ask for help. Why is it that
all through this very center of the
wool-growing part of Ohio, the Demo-
Gratis are largely in majority? The
G. o. p. has always claimed to almost
break its neck to help the wool-grow-
ers, but the naughty people of the
wool-growing counties of Ohio can't
see it that way, and for reasons.
]. X. CHAPLIN.
Port Angeles Tribune Times of the 18TH
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