The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1911-07-28
A MENACE TO FARMERS.

r. V. Allen one of the old settlers
of Lincoln county, now living at Dav-
export, spent day in Oroville the lat
ter part of last week He attended a
meeting of civil war veterans lately
held at Wenatchee, where he met COM
rades from Okanogan county, and con-
versations held with them relative to
this country induced him to make a
trip through the county. From here
he was going down the valley to Brew
ster, stopping en- route to visit ac-
quaintances, and up the Methow valley
to Twisp. He was very favorably i'm
pressed with OrOville and the imme-
diate surrounding country. Mr.. Allen
followed farming in Lincoln county for
a number of years, and is well posted
on the conditions as they exist in the
agricultural sections. His report of
the present situation and outlook is
not the most cheering, although he did
not say word derogatOry to the coun-
try. The fault does not lie in the soil.
for better wheat and grain lands are
not to be found anywhere. The trOu-
BILE is due to the conditions that miti-
gate against success in farming in
that part of eastern Washington. For
many years the tendency has been to
farm large tracts, and individual hold
ings have increased from year to year,
with the result that the small farm has
almost entirely disappeared, the land
gradually getting into the hands of the
few. This condensation of ownership
is unfortunate in more ways than one
as the land is not as carefully and
thoroughly farmed when handled in
large tracts, and it has marked ef-
feet upon the prosperity of the smaller
towns. When the country was new
and each 16O acres contained aud sup
ported a family there were many con-
sumers on the land. AS the small
holders sold out end moved elsewhere
it has gotten so that several hundred,
or thousands, acres are owned by one
man, thus reducing the number of peO-
pie the towns depended on for sup
port. At first this change made little
difference ir the quantity OF the grain
produced but an enemy in the shape
Of a noiyous weed has made its ap-
pearance. almost taking possession of
the land, and has greatly reduced the
producing capacity of the farms. This
weed is what is known as the Jim
Hill mustard" cne of the most seri
GUS mnnaces to the tarTei OF the Biz
Bend in the way of worthless for
cign growth, that has ever made its
appearance in The state. Mr.. Alien
says that the mustard in very many
places has taken complete possession
of whole fields. almost totally destroy
ing crops, and adding very materially
to the cost of raising grain, as much
time and labor is spent every season
in a fruitless effort to eradicate the
evil. Farmers are at loss to know
how to rid their land of the nuisance,
and if the spread of the mustard is not
checked in few years the land will
be practically worthless. There is
hardly any evil but some good comes
out of it, and the Jim Hill mustard
may prove the rejuvenating of agricul
ture in Lincoln county. Naturally, it
is far moro difficult to handle and keep
down the weed on large tract, and
from sheer self preservation the large
holders will be compelled to cut up
their land into small farms. BY that
! means the mustard may be stamped
out, as it is much easier to keep clear
small holdings, and it is only by united
effort that the annual loss from that
source can be reduced to minimum,
and possibly the weed stamped out en-
| tirely. Even in the face of this heavy
handicap, Mr.. Allen states that large
crops will be harvested in Lincoln
county this year.