The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-02
FARMING IN THE PA[OUSE.
SCARCITY OF COMPETENT WORK.
MEN BEING SEVERELY FELT.
Corn Is BEING Raised With Hand
some Prohfs-Diversified Farming
Has Come TO he the Prevailing

COLFAA, Aug. l.--There IS still a Dig
shortage of harvest hands throughout the
Palouse country, and were 1t not for the
fact that harvest is nearly one month
earlier than usual there would be much
uneasiness lest the grain be damaged by
fall rains before il can be harvested
Wages are advancing. and header wagon
drivers are In demand at s. to s225 per
day and board In past years this kind
of harvest work has been paid but S1.25
to $3.50 per day, and there has seldom
been scarcity of help. All other wages
are proportionately high. The price of
cutting grain with headers has advanced
from sl.25 to $3.50 per acre. and may go
to si.75. There is a scarcity OF headers
in the country about Colfax, and people
who hire their grain cut are getting I'M
easy.
Not day. passes but farmers are seen
on the streets of the towns and villages
hunting for men to save the crop, and
seldom finding one. There is a scarcity
OF all kinds of laborers, and even the
hobo, who never works, is seldom seen
There Is too much work in the country to
suit this class. and the story that they
are seeking employment will not go now
Putting in Corn.
Corn is becoming one OF the crops OF
this country, and in travelling through
the country one frequently sees fine fields
Of corn which farmers are beginning to
produces more feed per acre than any
other form Of 'roughness' grown In this
country: but II has a, Snlg been within he re,
corn can be grown here. 1t has been
learned that an ideal way to
rs.d fslo " t ths which
try to make wheat raising successful Is
to pillow the ground in the spring and
plant It TO corn; This is cultivated thor
oughly during the summer. and all weeds
and other foul growth killed or. In the
fail the corn Is removed by cutting the
stalks Sta close 70 the ground Il Is hauled
sheep and horses. Considerable corn Is
thus produced. In addition to vast
After the corn is removed the ground
Is sowed in wheat. and big crop IL pro-
duced next year. The ground is kept as
clean as by the old methods OF summer
following. and instead of losing the use
of the ground a large crop of feed Is
grown. This can be followed successful
sdav Ss Fl erGps
correspondent was shown field of forty,
acres of corn near Diamond. ten miles
,s t of c9 bcS on the farm Of I Roy
bushels of corn, and several tons of fod-
der per acre. Across the road from this
bushels s'I per acre the a' wheat e Occupies s
land on which corn was grown lasteyear.
and was planted after the methods given
above. This method of raising corn on
stock industry. Mr. Stilson has sur
rounded himself with a nice herd of cat
'roughness' about the farm that would
otherwise be total loss. These cattle
are almost clear profit. and strange
argument In favor of diversified farm
ing.
Diversined Farming.
Diversified farming Is gradually becom-
Ing the rule rather than the exception in
the Palouse country, and livestock IL
t.ttv In L.. RAww
Cattle. sheep and hogs are grown more
extensively than formerly. and are add
Ing neat sums to the profits of the
farmer Fruit raising is also becoming
an important export. and tho value of
this years fruit crop In whitman coun-
" Is estimated AZ a nuarter of million
dollars. There Is profit In fruit grow
ing. Along the Snake river fruit men
are making fortunes since the establish
ment Of markets for their products
From $50 to $500 per acre Is received for
"A single crop OF fruit. varying in amount
according TO the kind OF fruit and the
amount OF care and wisdom bestowed
ping Bartlett pears to 81. Paul and Chi
cago and getting rs and IS cents per box
for them after paving freight and com.
pear trees to the acre and the trees
yield an average OF five 4o-pound boxes
70 The tree on U1n e 1sI, but eighty trees
$500 per acre for a single crop of pears.
Peaches and cherries pay nearly as well.
tomatoes are prontanie crop TO raise
along the Snake river. One grower says
he can get 700 boxes of tomatoes from
an acre. These bring him a net price OF
30 cents Der box. or x2l0 ner acre There
Ia much less expense with tomatoes than
with fruit. The same grower says he
makes about $500 per acre from hts
prunes.
r F. Davis. wealthy retired farmer Of
Linn county. Iowa, made trip through
this country during the past. week. and
spent several days among the fruit or
charfs along Snake river. He was de-
lighted with the prospect and appearance
OF general prosperity. When he saw vast
piles Of wheat of the crops OF 1903 and
1899 stored In the warehouses where IL
Is held by farmers for higher prices. he
said: THAT IL an unnistakabie sign OF
prosperity. When farmers are not COM
PEELED 90 sell but can hold their crops
from one year TO another awaiting bet
ter prices, they are undoubtedly PROS
porous. This Il a condition seldom seen
In country new as this" Mr.. Davis
has decided 20 return to this state next
Fnff - n fs .ss,tk 49,