Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1906-02-07
The Bread Basket Of the World.

Inc DTedO DdSkCt VI tuC vVOTIu.
The following description of Adams
County is given by w. F. Riemen-
schneider in the Homeseeker:
Adams county, which is spoken OF
as beingithe bread basket of the world,
borders on the famous Palouse river,
lying west of Whitman county, south
OF Lincoln, east of Douglas and north
OF Franklin. 1t is in the heart of the
great Inland Empire, and while it is
among the latest settled in the state
of Washington, it is also one Of the
richest in the Pacific northwest, and
has many advantages which cam OF
be found in other countries. The
annual rainfall is sufficient to produce
abundant crops and it is very COM
mon thing for Adams county farmers
to harvest crops which yield from 80
to 40 bushels per acre, and even so,
and the soil is OF such nature and con-
dition that tools will always scour and
farmers plows are always bright
This alone is feature which is worth
many dollars to the farmer each year,
as he can do several times the work
here which he can do in other coun-
tries, where these conditions are not
found. Not only is the soil of such
nature that all tools will work easily,
but being OF volcanic nature, it pull
verizes very easily, and gang plows
are used almost exclusively, rs a two
bottom pillow in Adams county will
not require any more horses to keep
up steady gate all day than one
bottom OF the same kind OF pillow in
many other countries. For this reas-
on one man can farm as much land
in this county as two or three in 9TH
err places, where soil handles heavy.
The land lays very level, making
it easy to handle the large machinery
used in this county. Farmers now
are beginning to use the combined
harvester quite extensively, which
cuts and threshes the grain and puts
it in the sack at the same time, aud
all this does not cost any more than
it does to harvest and stack the grain,
where those wonderful machines can
be used.
In many other ways Adams county
has advantages over other countries,
as we have very mild climate, short
winters, and the thermometer seldom
registers below the zero mark, and it
is not very often that the ground
freezes more than few inches. Farm
ers may be seen in the field at work
in nearly all months in the year.
This alone makes Adams county an
ideal place for the farmer, as he can
work in the field until late in the
fall and again early in the spring.
Farmers usually begin their spring
work in the month Of February, and
have their spring seeding finished be-
fore the snow is OFT the ground IN
most wheat countries. This is won
derful advantage to the farmer in
this county, as the wheat natures
before the heat OF summer, which
often damages grain in other coun.
tries.
Adams county, unlike many other
countries, is adapted to growing both
fall and spring wheat, and most all
farmers SOW part of their wheat in the
fall and part in the spring. In this
way one man can do almost as much
work in the way OF putting in crop
as two men where these conditions
are not found so favorable Not
alone Is this an advantage in seed.
ing time but also in time of harvest,
as the fall wheat is ready for harvest
ing from ten to fifteen days sooner
than the spring wheat, which gives
the Adams county farmer wonderful
advantage overthe farmer who has to
wait until all OF his grain is ripe be-
fore he can begin his harvest.
While this country is yet new, land
is not as high in price as in old
countries where farming is not as
profitable as it is in this county, and
the man who comes here to make hi.
home can soon find himself climbin :
the ladder of wealth, and will join
with his neighbors in stating the fact
that he has never been in country
where he could make so much money
in 50 short a time.
The January number OF Wheat, a
monthly publication by the Ritzville
high school students, is again in evil
dance and ia renleta with hr;abt