The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-03-27

- - 1S5lI-A-1 M-ARSiH -,
there are saw mills; some mills are
built where there are no towns. Lum-
Der sells from 81 to $40 per M. Only
the better timber is made into lumber,
the poorer being made into stove wood.
I did not see any Touring mills in this
section. Flour sells at 80 cents per 40
ID. sack, oats S1.25 per 100 lbs, apples
40 cents per bushel, butter As cents per
brick" and ''brick'' weighs two
pounds; eggs rs cents per dozen. They
have nice potatoes for $1.3O per sack of
100 lbs. Cows and horses are about
the same as here. j. G. Varney paid
S35 for cow and calf, but some are
held at higher prices. Beef steaks 10
cents, and boiling beef cents per lb.
Corn will not do we'll here, as it is too
wet for it. l do not think common
laborers would do we'll at any point
visited. LAUNDERING or mining would
be their only chance.
Tracts of ten or fifteen acres, i'm
proved land, with buildings and fruit
trees, sell for 800 per acre; 200 acres
near Marsh6eld, billy, with about forty
acres OF good farm land, can be bought
for s1,5OO. Vegetables are left in the
ground all winter and gathered as
wanted. The same may be said of Aeas,
although the crop is so abundant that
they are a drug in the market. I
didn't see any mosquitoes on the trip.
From Coquille east, over the noun
tains to Roseburg on the S. P. railroad,
is about sixty miles. A stage runs
from Myrtle Point, ten miles south of
Coquille, during the summer, fare S..
Mail is carried on horseback during
the winter. I was in Coos county five
days and it rained about half the time,
as this is the rainy season.
I went back to Portland overland,
going to Marshfield by train, taking
gasoline launch seven miles to Jarvis
landing, then stage up the coast twenty
miles to mouth of Umpqua river. This
trip must be made at low tide, as road
runs along the sea shore. On the way
up saw seal in his native element;
these are not fur seals and it costs
nothing to look at them. Up the
Umpqua river it is twenty-eight miles
to Scottsburg. This river runs in
gorge of the mountains, with no valley
nor good land. I saw some Indian huts
built, but there was hardly room on
the bank for them to stand. At Scots
burg took stage across the mountains
to Drain, on the S. P. railroad, thirty
five miles. The riding was not the
easiest in the world, so another passen-
ger and took q cutoff trail to the
noon stopping place, which we reached
an hour before the stage did.
Took train at Drain for Portland, 100
miles down the Willamette valley,
which at Drain is about five miles wide,
but farther down broadens to fifty
miles, and narrows again near Port
land. This valley is thickly settlld
and produces all kinds of small grain.
Fruit is grown extensively all through
this valley. I saw some orchards of
ten or more acres.
The soil varies so much here that it
is hard to state the price of land.
Some of it is held at 800 per acre,
while other land near it is not valued
at more than $50 per acre. 1t seemed
a little queer in judging the quality of
this soil, for was told that some nice,
dark, rich looking soil which thought
would grow anything, had such a habit
of getting sticky in wet weather and
baking in dry, that it was not consider:
ed very good, while some yellow, clay
eY soil was considered the best; the
black ranks next, and the dark, which
J have mentioned, is the poorest.
I was told that in the vicinity of
Drain homestead land could be found
by going back into the hills \ few
miles. All through, among the hills,
are small valleys which could be
farmed. The hills are generally COW
cred with timber.
Near Salem, hops are grown quite
extensively. did not see any grape
vines, and do not think many are
grown through this section. The
buildings are generally neat, we'll
painted and substantial.
Logs are run down the Willamette
(down is toward the north) to differ
ent places, some as far a Portland;
but think they must be RATED, as
steamers ply the river, going oover the
twenty foot fall at Oregon City by
means of a lock. These falls furnish
most of the electrical power for Port
land, Is miles distant. The water all
through the country is of the best
quality, which is a great blessing, as I