The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-20

rich placer mines Of Montana, the old rcadD
and trails passed directly through the R1s
louise country. Packers and freixhters -
noticed and admired the wonderful growth
of bunch grass that clothed the Palouoo
hills, With the deeadence OF the Montana
mines came the recollection TO these men
of this exceedingly beautiful grass countrys
with its bunch grass clad hills. the verduf0
80 thick that the ground could not be seem
Some al them voted II the. very heAu~idnAl
OF cattle coun;ry~-the finest graatu1
range lying out of doors. None Of theirs
then thought It At for farming. a. the ele.
walton was believed to he too high. tho
springs and autumns too frosty and tho
growing season too short BY 1870 the Pa
louise country was 4 great cattle raneqs
Ssockmeu had taken up ranches. mostly o.
the bottom lands along the larger streams.
while their cattle ranged the grass-cla6
hills far miles and miles about. The win
ters hay was cut from the hills. and littto:
spots of ground were planted to oats AM
barley and the grain harvested for fes6
The idea OF raising vegetables or fruit wAo
unthought OF. as /; was not believed they
could be successfully grown. Then some
adventurous wight concluded to exc
pertinent. and planted a likely looking
bit OF meadow to wheat. and was astou-
fshed by yield from his grain field OF over
forty bushels an acre. He tried the expeft>
mens again. this tine his grain field an.
crnachtng well up on the hillside. the stook-
man concluding that Ii his hill grain al
not yield sufficiently to be threshed IL cou10
at least be cut for hay. This second years
experiment proved an eye-opener. Again
the bottom lands yielded forty huahels An
acre. but great WAS his surprise and grati~
ncation when his hill land yielded over
fifty bushels an acre The news was too
good to keep. He had to tell II, and Within
few years farms took the place OF stock
ranches in the western part Of the county,
and the cattle men were compelled to move
further east toward the mountains and
range their herds on lands that even then
and for several years later were regarded
as altogether too cold to raise anythiuDs
more than grass. Gradually. In the course
OF years. farming operations were extended,
and by 1875 IL dawned upon tho people here
that the Palouse country was one Of the
great grain-growing regions of the world.
All that was now needed was the advent
Of railroads In anticipation OF the compile
ton OF the Northern Pacific many settlers
came. settled on land and engaged In farnA>
ing. dairying and stock raising. A great
deal OF grain was raised In the two south-
ern tiers OK townships and hauled ovee
crude roads with steep grades to Snake
river. where the steamboats, Of the old Ore
con Steam Navigation Company and rival
companies took It down the river. over tW0
kNt tN4SSs w AWHt10ufA 70 DC tO3uSl IUkO
ships and carried 10 Liverpool The coma
plrtion OF the Northern Pacific to :
junction with the Oregon Railroad.
4 Navigation Company at Walluta.
and the building Of the PaIouso
junction or Connell branch 10 Coz
fax. Pullman. Garfield and Farmington.
gave an impetus to farming operations.
With an outlet for the grain product OF the
country. the farming population Increased
in number, the area of land IN wheat muI-
tiplied many fold. and within ten years.
from 1875 to 1855. the wheat yield Of tho
Paiouse country Increased from perhaps
10000 bushels TO 100000 bushels.
In 1850 the census OF the county showed Il
population OF nearly 230Oo. Since that TIM
It has constantly grown. and now II Il pre-
dicted that next years census will ohoU
fully 5000 prosperous pcop.e here Not
withstanding this very considerable pops
iation. Whitman county has no town ~
any considerable sixe-not to exceed Onos.
fourth Of the people living In towns.
Climate and Temperature.
One Of the first and most important Queos
tions asked by people in the kastern states
Is about our climate. concerning which
hardly too much can be said. The Generae
belief that latitude determines climatic con-
ditions is shown to be erroneous by weathee