The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-03-14
EASTERN WASHINGTON.
Mrs, Martin Thinks That 1t Is
Among the Finest.

~ The EUlIOh. COulu uOO uClp
smiling when l read in The GAZETTE
a few weeks ago, Mr.. Robinson 5
opinion Of farming in Washington,
stating that they only farmed ten
acre lots and did not have big
farms like in Minnesota Now; I
fear Mr.. Robinson judged the whole
State of Washington by what he
saw in the Sound country, and as
there is a little jealousy existing
between eastern and western Wash
ington, [ being a resident Of the
former, cannot sit mum and not
take up my pen in defense of my
section of the country.
AS I understand, Mr.. Robinson
passed our door over the Great
Northern, en- route for the Sound.
I will say that anyone riding along
this draw where the railroad runs,
as is the case most everywhere
they run through the poorest part
of the country, their ideas of this
land would be very poor indeed.
But let them take peep over the
mounds of Scabrock and their sur
prise is indescribable. The coun-
try, however, is in it's infancy, as
having talked with ranchers that
came here eleven years ago, they
tell me there was not then a foot of
ground in miles and miles around
that was broken, and not a fence to
be seen. Now, it is a rarity to see
quarter section not broken and
fenced. Ii you chance to see one it
is owned by an easterner. AS to
farming on small scale, there is
not person in this part of the
country farming less than a half
section of land and most of them are
farming two and three sections each
year.
Yes, a rancher here would laugh
to see the Mir nesota farmer going
to town a distance of IL or IA miles
with a jag of wheat. Here one
never sees less than four horses,
and in some cases six, with two big
wagons driven by one man with one
line. This looks very strange to
tenderfoot fresh from the east.
They use in harvesting the combind
harvester and threshing machine
To run this requires five men and
thirty-two horses. These 80 horses
are driven by one man with one
line, and the harvesting and thresh-
ing are done by one crew. Harvest
begins about the first of August
and the last of the grain is cut by
the latter part of October. This
could not be done in Minnesota, as
the grain will not stand after it is
ripe, as it does here.
The grain is put in two-bushel
sacks on the machine and dropped
in piles of three along in the fields.
Some of the ranchers gather them
into one pile in the middle of the
field and cover them over with
straw. Others leave them until
they are ready to haul to market.
most of them storing their wheat in
the warehouses. The grain is left
in the sacks and shipped, the farm
ers paying six and seven cents per
sack and being locked one pound
for each sack when selling his
grain, when a bail Of LOCO sacks
only weighs 800 pounds. This is
where ''the former pays the
freight, as usual. There is no
blowing done here in the fall of the
year, as it is too dry, but a good
rancher summer fallows half Of his
land each year.
AS yet they are raising nothing
but wheat, most of the farmers not
even having a garden: and what
seems the most shiftless to me is
that they do not keep mich cows,
even though each farmer has large
bands of cattle running, but come
to town and buy creamery butter
shipped in, paving 35 and 40 cents
per pound. Eggs were 25 cents
per dozen all winter-and chickens
do we'll here. Ny near neighbor
had hen hatch II little chicks Feb.
I'D and they are doing fine.
AS to climate the fall and winter
seasons would be hard to beat ]
gathered butter cups on the hills
the middle of January and there
| has been no snow to speak of. but a