East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-10-06

NNullty lulI'
If you were living in some other
state than Oregon and read a descrip-
ton of Umatilla county, you would be
very apt to think, "That certainly
sounds good, but / am afraid it's too
good to be true"
If, on investigation, you found the
report was true in every particular,
and the facts not colored nor over
drawn in the least, you would begin
TO look around for purchaser so
that you could move to Umatilm coun-
ty. In the article which follows you
will find n brief description Of the
leading industries and resources OF
Umatilla county. The facts are stated
conservatively and all of the state
ments are easily capable of proof.
Umatilla county has long been
noted for her wheat. Each year her
fertile and seemingly inexhaustible
fields yield from four to five million
bushels of what has well been termed
the staff OF life.
The wheat yield varies from 25 to
40 bushels to the acre, although 1t Is
not at all unusual for quarter sec
ton OF deeply plowed, we'll worked
land to produce so or So bushels to
the acre. 1t will give an Idea OF the
size OF the industry to know that
! there are 140 combined harvesters in
use in Umatilla county, and that each
Of them harvest from 500 to 1900
acres each season.
The wheat farms range IN size from
a quarter section to six sections,
wheat ranches of 1000 to 5000 acres
being not at all unusual I'm the vicin-
ity of Adams, Helix, Athena and PEN
dleton. Few sights are more beauti-
full than to stand on the crest of some
of the rolling hills in the wheat-grow-
ing district and see the growing
wheat green as an emerald, bowlng
in long ripping waves before the
breeze, like the waves of some inland
sea or, later. when the rolling hills
are no longer clad in Natures livery
of green, but are cleaning with rus
set and gold, you can look in all d.
rections, and see mile on mile the en-
circling grain, heavy-headed, golden
brown. ready for the harvest. No
wonder the inland empire, or which
Umatilla county is the heart, is spoken
of as the granary of the west, and the
warehouses of Natures wealth.
The cost OF raising wheat is about
33 cents a bushel so that II 1t sells
for 60 cents a bushel, It will bring the
farmer net profit of at least 25 cents
a bushel. II his yield is 40 bushels to
the acre, he makes $40 an acre.
You can take the tax list and pick
out scores OF men who have come here
without dollar, and who have work
ed a year or two for wages and then
gone into wheat raising and now owr
large farms. have good bank ac'
count. and are clearing from $4,000
to $4,000 year. II you VIII go u
the grain buyers, they will give you
list OF over 100 Umatilla county far
mers who raise over 10000 bushels
Of wheat each year.
Though Umatilla county is famous
and Justly so for her wheat, she II
no less famous for her sheep, wool
cattle and other industries. for this u
not a one crop country. nor Is 1t thu
land of opportunity in one staple only
oregon cattle. sheep and lambs IRE
quently reach the top in the livestock
markets and for oregon horses, yol
will find Umatilla horses being riddei
hv japanese officers in Manchuria
English officers In South Africa, COW
boys in Alberta. and polo players II
the eastern states. Chehalis, tn
world-noted PAGER hailed from Pen
dleton.
Wool buyers come to Pendletoi
from all over the United States to Sc
cure our clip. More than 2,5OO,OO
pounds of wool were handled In tn
Pendleton district this season. Una
tilla county produces one-seventh o
the wool crop of oregon. During IN
season of 1906. Oregon sheep yielde
1S,OOO.00O pounds of wool, whic'
added s3.500,000 to the wealth o
their owners. Probably the sale o
sheep, bucks and lambs added a
much more to the states wealth, 8
Il can readily be seen how importan
an industry Is that of sheep raisin
and the production of wool.
JTmatilla county has as great al
versity of physical characteristics an
varying climatic conditions as 1t ha
of natural resources. Within he
boundaries one may bathe In the per
0etual SuilsIlle VI iiiiSpi'' S'"'''
and Hermiston. or breathe the resin
Gus ozone-laden atmosphere of Bine
ham Springs or Hidaway in the noun
tains. One may choose mountain
valley or plain. In the north the Ian
is rich and peculiarly we'll adapte
to agriculture and horticulture MI
ton and Freewater, the two principi
towns in the northern part of tn
county, are In the heart of the fru
district. At Freewater, there al
three fruit-shipping firms, whic
ship carload after carload of straw
berries. blackberries, peaches peal
and other fruits as well as melon
peas. potatoes and other vegetable
The district is composed of small Il
rigated farms varying in size frol
five to 90 acres. most of which al
highly cultivated.
Weston, Athena, Adams and Hell
are in the heart of the wheat raisir
area and are thrifty and prospero'
towns.
Pendleton Is not only the eoun
seat and the commercial center
Umatilla county, but 1t is the prime
pal city of the fertile inland empi
and is the trading center of that larl
district to the south known as the Il
terror country. Freight teams con