The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1904-08-12
OREGONIAN IN ERROR
Estimates for Whitman County
Not Substantiated.
Estimate of Land Tied Up In Wheat
Larger Than the Total Area
of Improved Acreage.

published an editorial, headed "Wheat il
Washington" in which the California
paper quoted figures from the Portland
Oregonian The figures as given by
the Oregonian, and quoted by the Call,
are very misleading. In order that the
readers may more fully understand the
subject, The Gazette republishes the
Calls editorial in full:
Wheat In Washington"
Il the figuring of the usually reliable
| Portland OregOnian is correct as applied
to the grain yield in the northwest Whit
man county, Washington, the banner
wheat section, will pay wheat farmers
not more than 81 per acre, net this
year The cOunty's gross wheat pro
| duct IS estimated at TO- 900 900 bushels.
which ought to bring in 50, 100000 on a
| conservative estimate. The price per
bushel indicated in this computation is
accepted by the OregOnian as reason
able. Whitman county sparsely settled
would seem TO be entitled TO cOngratu-
| latiOns because of the large amount of
| ready money that will come to hand for
wheat. The OregOnian, however makes
| the showing text upon which it argues
| that the time has come for the wheat
| kings of the northwest to abdicate
| "CallfOrnla wheat farmers will be in
| terested in the facts. There are 450, 900
acres in wheat in Whitman county. The
| custom IN the PalOuse country is to sum
mer fallOw. Including the area in sum
mer fallOW the total extent of the land
that is tied up by the wheat crop of TO-
| 600, 900 bushels is 500, 900 acres in
round figures. In other words it's re
quires 100000 acres to produce a crop
that is worth $5,000.000. This is at
the average rate OF but Sc 25 per acre
gross. Counting in the cost of seed
labor, threshing. harvesting and sacking
| and excluding the labor performed by
the farmers and their families the next
income per acre is estimated at $4,which
is about as small profit as could posi-
bly, be derived from any method at ali
resembling intelligent agriculture. As
regards the season it is exceptional in
yield and the prices are quite remunera-
tive.
'ColfaX is the center Of the Whitman
county wheat belt. 1t il, so the Ore
gonian admits, prosperous city, with a
number of rich citizens, and it's banks
are filled with the gold Of the wheat
kings, but it was fully as prosperous and
had nearly as large a population a
dozen years ago as it has now. 1t has
reached it's limit of growth until some
of the immense wheat farms are cut up
and made to support larger pOpula-
ton than is possible under existing con
ditiOns.'
1.-The lesson that the Oregonian teaches
is an old one in California. This state
has Travelled along the grim road of ex
perience with profit. Wheat growing
will never be wholly abandoned, for
there are vast areas upon which wheat
can still be prcfitably cultivated, but the
cutting up Of large wheat farms in Cali
fornia has been followed by diversified
forming and prosperity has followed the
change. Orchards and vineyards with
canneries and wineries to handle the pro
ducts of the more prOftably devoted
acreage, beet sugar factories, rasin and
fruit packing houses and many forms of
allied industry have appeared. Large
towns and cities have sprung into exist
ence and are fed by the newer enterprises
None of CALIFORNIA; acres used for varied
products yield as little as $4
Figures Are Too Low.
There is considerable of merit in the
above editorial and 1t would be Of ex.
ceptional value if the figures quoted were
true. The wheat yield for Whitman
county for this year is estimated very
cOnservative!y at 100000 bushels
Figuring closely Sc, 900, 900 should be
realized from the crop, instead OF S.,
900, 900. There are not more than
$50, 900 acres in wheat this year, in
stead Of 100000. and the acreage tied
up bY summer failOw ia not more than
250.O0O, instead of 100000, as indi
| Gated by the OregOnian and Call. Those
| papers base their estimates upon the
| suppOsitiOn that there are SOC, 900 acres
| Of land tied up in this county by this
years wheat crop and summer fallOw,
| when in fact there can hardly be more
| than SOC, 600 acres so tied up.
The fallacy of the Oregonian's esti
mate of 10000 acres is plain when the
| county assessors books are examined
| Those books show that there are only
| 746,041 acres OF improved lands" in
| Whitman county. That figure includes
all lands devoted to wheat, oats, barley,
| rye, sugar beets, potatoes, orchards, etc,
| etc, and the Oregonian would have
more land in Whitman county tied up
with wheat, than the total improved
acreage.
If there are $4,000 acres in wheat
this year and 1O,OO0,000 bushels are
realized, the average yield per acre will
be 2Sh bushels for the land in crop
After deducting the cost Of growing, es
timated at % cents per bushel, the
farmer should find a net profit OF 50 81
per acre. By using the Oregonian's plar
of figuring, which, by the way, is goOC
one, it will be seen that the average
WELD this year will be in the neighbor
hood of 164 bushels per acre for 600, ,OOC
acres (25O,OOO acres of which is in sum
mer fallow), which should net s. 80 pei
acre. Admitting that 600, 900 acres sr'
tied up in this years wheat crop (un
doubtedly that figure is high), the peo
ole of the county should realize the mag
nificent sum of So 100000 net for thi
one product alone.
A Wonderful Country.
The point to be gained from the figure
quoted above is one of correction, no
, of criticism. The Gazette believes tha
the lessons pointed out by the Oregonial
!, and Call are good and that the agricul
tural people OF Whitman county woulc
do well to study the subject carefully
While there is a great difference in tn
margin OF profit figured by the Oregon
ian and the margin as estimated by Th