The Jackson herald., 1901-10-31
A Letter from Oregon.
HELIX, Oregon. Oct. 90.

about two and half years aud
have never taken the opportunity
to write to the HERALD, so will
try to give you a few items. 1
have been q subscriber to the
HERALD all it's life. 1t has al
ways been a welcome visitor with
US, and is read more carefully
since we left old Cape county, for
we always like to hear from
home. We generally look for the
Mlllerville correspondence first.
1 like Oregon all right and
think it better place TO make
money than Missouri, and on the
other hand anyone can spend it
as fast as he makes it. This is a
great wheat country, but raising
wheat is some what like gambling
when there is a good crop and
a good price the people make
their stake all at once; but with
poor crops ard low prices they
just about make living. A man
is not counted much of farmer
here If he doesn't run two or
three sections of land. 1t would
surprise some people back there
to see the amount OF money that
is paid out here for hands, horses
and other expenses on q harvest.
ing outfit. We run our own
header this season and headed
and stacked our grain for about
80 cents per acre. We paid n
cents each for sacks to sack it,
and 6 cents per bushel for thresh.
ing. 1t cost about S12 per day
for men to run a heading outfit,
and it takes from twelve to fifteen
horses. Some run two headers
and a thresher together and
thresh from the headers, while
many farmers are buying com
bine harvesters. They seem to
give good satisfaction, and only
require about five hands and from
70 10 36 horses to run them. The
wheat yield was good this year,
some as high as so bushels per
acre. We made about 30! bush
els per acre on 240 acres. Wheat
is selling at 43 cents per bushel
now for No. /. 1t has been down
rs low as 80 cents in the last two
weeks. If we can get so cents
per bushel we think we are doing
well. Still, some have two or
three crops. holding for higher
prices.
There is not much fruit raised
in nthis--Umatilla-county. Still,
some ranchers have fine orchards
of fine assorted fruits, and many
more could have fruit if they
would put out an orchard. Most
of them depend on buying fruit
and about everything else they
eat Clothing, groceries, etc.,
are about the same price as in the
east
There are quite a number Of
Cape county people who haye
been here and went back and
expressed their opinions about
this wild and woody west, as
some call it. There Is quite u
band of US Cape county folks
here yet. In fact, there are
many people here from all parts
of Missouri. We have people of
nearly all natlonalities here.
We are having some dry
weather and some are not going
to seeding until it rains, while
others are going right ahead
seeding ia the dust. People ride
in this country and do most all
their work. In fact it is q fine
lazy mans country. Last spring
saw q 5O-horse- power engine
pulling fifteen l4-inch pIcws.
They cut about Is feet at round
and plowed about fifty acres pei
day. There was about a section
of land in the field and they were
plowiEg it all iu one land. Th,
same engine is used to run com
bine harvester.
We are located on Vansycl,
canyon, twenty-five miles nortl
OF Pendleton, on the Washington
and Columbia River railroad, anC
if any of our old Cape county
friends chance to come this way
we would be glad TO have then
stop and see us.
w. FL. DAVIDSON.