Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-10-30
~ INpusTR1AL AwAKENING.

hold" and its best future lie in the
development of its herds and in pro-
motion of the industries which rest
upon the stock-breeding and stock
keeping. There have been reasons
why this fact which now appears so
plain, has been slow in impressing
itself upon the general mind The
pioneer period, which lasted practical
ly until 1868, when the first railroad
found its way up the Willamette Val
ley, taught us little in an industrial
sense excepting that the climate was
mild and the soil marvelously fertile,
and that anything planted in the
ground would grow if it had half
chance. The second period, which
lasted from 1868 until the early SOS,
taught us nothing, since there was no
commercial market for anything but
wheat, and therefore no motive for
experimenting in other forms of pro-
duction and no means of determining
relative commercial values.
1t was not until the completion of
the Northern Pacific Railroad, by
which we were brought into touch
with the commercial world, that there
was any motive for branching out
into a varied industry excepting upon
such narrow scale as was necessary
to supply the local demands, When
the era Of wider markets opened, tie
effort to meet the new conditions was
boldly made, but without anything
approaching a true knowledge Of the
limitations of our situation. We were
deceived by the demonstrated fertility
Of the soil, by the mildness of the
climate, and by the results of the sea-
son of special advantage, into the
theory that Oregon could beat the
world in almost everything We went
into fruitgrowing, and, excepting in
apples, in especially fortunate locali-
ties we did not beat the world; and it
was the same with a good many other
lines Of production. We found that
while in special seasons our prunes,
cherries and peaches were supremely
fine fruit, there could be no depend
ence upon the product year in and
year ont Oftentimes the rains per-
sist so late in the spring as to wash
the blossoms from the trees; oftentimos
they come so early in the fall as to
cause the fruit to rot at the pit before
it 10 ripe for picking, We found
that while our tenderer fruits fresh
from the tree are more lucious than
the fruits of California, they have not
the toughness Of skin and the strength
of fiber which enables them to stand
up" under long transportation in
other words, that while immediately
and intrinsically better than the
California fruits, they have not the
keeping quality which at this long
distance from market is essential to
commercial value
And in relation to general farm
production it da wnod " ON us at last
that in comparison withsthe agricul-
tural Middle West we are handicapped
by the relative shortness of our work
ing season. The rains last too late in
the spring and come too soon in the
fall to give time enough for the farm
er to do his work or the land to de-
velop its crops; and due to this fact
there are many things in which the
Oregon faImers must work at dis
advantage whenever he has to meet
the competition of other countries
there the working and crop season is
longer. For years the fact was cited
that Minnesota eggs, Illinois hams
and Iowa poultry sold in our markets
at prices our own people could not
meet, and the fact was charged
against the Willamette Valley farmers
to their discrodit ;and it was long be-
fore we realized that IL was not lack
Of industry or thrift on the part of
our farmers, but the shortness Of our
working season, which made competi-
tion difiicult or impossible during
part Of each year.
But the conditions which shorten
our working season and 90 put us at
a disadvantage in some-respects con-
tribute TO our advantage in others.
Much rain mikes much grass And
much grass is a certain foundation for
the stock business And for live
stock and its products the demand is
insatiate. Domestic animals thrive
in all the weathers known to this
country, and its long season of rain
puts no Limitation upon the labors
Of the stock business. The stock in
dustry is one in which our working
season covers or may be made to
cover every day in the year, and TO
which our moist climate is not
drawback, but on the other hand an
amazing aid. And under these condi-
tions it is not surprising that energy
and capital are seeking the business.
Within the past five years the num-
Der of cows in the valley has been
more than doubled. Lands long crop
ped to wheat with poor returns have
been given to pasture and have ad-
vanced in value. Forage crops, Of
which until lately even our most
progressive agriculture knew moth
ing, are being widely cultivated; and
as the capabilities Of the country for
feed production develop there is a
Aatural disposition TO multiply the
numbers and the variety Of herbs.
Il il found that there is more profit
in feeding the grain product Of a
NsTf.t.4stfa Valley farm than In