The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-09-30
N Frs
SPEAKS

The principal subject for discussion
today at the weekly luncheon of the
Realty association was on the question
Of subdividing the many large farms
in this community into smaller tracts.
appear and have paper on this topic
was not present. Charles Myers had the
following to say on what is now recog-
nized as momentous question in this
locality:
There has been SO much said and
that so we'll about this subject from
time to time. that do not feel capable
of giving any new points sufficient to
occupy your time and consideration.
ut it is agreed by all, | think. that
subdividing the large farms and max
ing nice, attractive homes for ten fam
lilies or more where but one family
now holds forth. is a matter that is
coming home to us stronger every day.
Draw a straight line north and south
through Walla Walla and practically
all the acreage you find lying east of
that line is used at the present time
and has been used all there years for
the raising of wheat, is adapted TO in
tensive farming in the strongest sense
of the term
The soil is of such a character that
artificial irrigation would not be nee
essary to raise most successfully near
ly any kind of crop that is grown in
the muchly vaunted irrigated districts,
with the exception o falfalfa. My own
experience ha staught me that both
fruit and vegetables thrive excellently
on the foothills and compare in every
way with the stuff grown on irrigated
lands with the one exception-that is
the products of the foothills are in my
and solidity. Especially is this true
of winter apples, which because Of
their added flavor and harder nature,
are better shippers.
IF this line of argument is so, ask
the doubling Thomases. why then has
not all this valuable land been cut up
and put out to orchards these many
years past? The answer you all know
two Well 1t is difficult for the new
conner to understand this, however but
when he is here sufficiently long to
study conditions, he too knows why
Just the other day wheat farm a
few miles east of the city changed
hands for $3.50 per acre. The farmer
who bought it owns land adjoining and
he desired to increase his holdings so
that he could raise little more wheat
each year. Now. it is almost impos-
sble to find a better piece of land any
where, one that is so we'll adapted to
diversified or intensive farming or
fruit raising than that particular tract.
Yet it is a safe bet that as long as
that farmer is alife that land as well
as his other holdings will not be used
for any other purpose than that of
raising wheat.
THE trouble is, gentlemen. that our
farmers have had wheat on the brain
so long and have prospered so well.
thanks to the suspicious seasons year
up any line of agriculture, and from
their point of view. you can't hardly
blame them. They are satisfied to let
well enough alone.
When these lands are sold from
800 to 5000 per acre, the new own
ers intend to put them to other uses
than that of grain raising. fully real
izing that by intensive farming and
fruit raising they will be able to get
from five to ten times the returns from
each acre, and every year. too. This
change will be gradually wrought out
from this time on, and it won't be
many years when, looking to the east
of Walla Walla, we will no longer see
large fields alternating with great