Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-07-22

The writer took a drive one day
the past week for about so miles
through the Willamette valley In a
circle from Salem 10 Stayton, over to
Sclo and returned via. Albany, JEFF
ferson and through the prune district
10 Salem. This part OF the william
ette valley that is watered by the
Santlam river and It's tributaries Is
Indeed looking beautiful, and there
are splendid hay, grain and fruit
crops. The roads are fine, and many
improvements are being made in the
towns and through the country. We
must give Linn county credit for hav-
ing some very fine wagon roads,
made OF the ordinary river gravel,
put on properly, after the roads have
been graded up. The best country
school house we saw on the whole
trip was In district No. 10, Linn
county One good sign noticeable
was tho number of fine dairy barns
that are being erected.
improvements nt Turner.
There are two new concrete build
ins at Turner. One Of them Is for a
garage and feed store for NJ. A. Nice
ly, and anOtheE Is for NJ. II. Mil
ler's confectionery shop. A new
roof has been placed on the Touring
mill, and all the Balfour-Guthrie
companys buildings are being re-
painted. Fine new residences are
being built for p, NJ Smith and Mer-
chant Ed. Martin. We found the
latter, assisted by his wife. is man
aging a large general merchandise
business. The Turner state Bank,
which opened its doors January /.
1911, has deposits Of $4,000. and
Is rapidly increasing its business.
Glimpses Of West Stayton.
This station on the Southern Pa
clfic Is the headquarters of tho
strongly capitalized Willamette Val
Icy Irrigated Land company. D. NJ,
Mclnnls is conducting general store
over which is located the Commercial
Club. |, ID. Mulkey Is establishing
livery business here. A. II. Tram
Bile, recently from Dakota, Is estab-
fishing a chicken ranch, and win
raise all the fine breeds of poultry.
G. C. Baldwin Is superintendent of
the irrigation project, which Is ex-
tending It's operations in all direc-
lions. The Southern Pacific has In
cluded In It's budget for next year a
fine new depot for West Stayton. and
Ii making arrangements to operate
two trains daily over this part OF the
system.
Agricultural College Farm.
A large sign announces that here
is located the irrigation land expert
mental farm OF the Oregon Agrlcul
tural College This tract Is laid OF
In one-tenth-acre plots and planted
in different varieties OF kale alfalfa
clover potatoes, corn, peanuts, eel
cry, cantaloupes and rice. Thes,
crops, some with irrigation, and som,
without, and testing different varie
ties OF fertilizer, are under the dlrec
ton OF Prof II, ID. Scudder, Tn,
vegetable plots are IN charge o
Profs. Boquet and Powers, who ar,
making this model farm. A weel
ago Friday the FIRST water was turne,
on the crops and by Sunday every
thing was green and looked prosper
ous from the standpoint of vegeta
tlon.
Model Irrigation Farm.
The irrigation company has u
acres under the ditch planted to DO
tatoes, kOle, alfalfa and Russian
oats, They have been delayed II
the use OF the water waiting 10
galvanized iron pipes TO arrive Bot
on the college farm and on the mode
farm plots OF land are being worke,
with and without fertilizers and va
rtous kinds of phosphate and lime
al well as old-fashloned barn var,
manure are being employed Ii ha
already been ascertained that thi
easlly-worked black loan, with
gravel subsOil needs mostly lin
and phosphate The old way OF farm
Ing without restoring anything to tn
eOil has allowed the finer chemical
10 be washed out The soil is loos
and sandy, underlaid with gravel
and very porous.
Plans for Extension Work.
The present ditch taps the Santl
am river at Stayton, and carrie