River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-23
Wisconsin Best For Business
A LETTER FROM E. ROEsE, AT
ASHLAND, OREGON.

1t is now over two months sine e
we left Wisconsin, and during that
time we experienced all kinds of
elm attic conditions, from the
balmy zephyrs of the Sunny South
TO the frigid climate of the frozen
North. Since December oath this
particular part of Sunny Southern
Oregon" where the pine and
palm meet" has been enveloped in
heavy blanket of the beautiful. -
On January 6 there was a heavy
snow storm and blizzard that would
put even North Dakota to shame
Over nine inches of snow fell, and
at the present writing January 13)
they are having excellent sleighing
Things are practically at a
Standstill-there are no improve
ments of any kind going on except
at Portland. Going from Portland
to this city we saw thousands of
bushels of apples, in orchard after
orchard, going to waste. The
fruit industry is over done; the
production is greater than the
demand, and has been for some
time back The heavy freight
rates are a great handicap. The
rate from Portland to San Francisco
is nearly the same as that between
Portland and St. Paul. The
raising of alfalfa and stock is the
most productive industry in this
western country at the present time.
There are many things in the
western country that are excellent
the climate, fruit, flowers and
mountain scenery. These are very
nice for those who have no vocation
to follow for a livelihood, to enjoy
and to admire, but for the man
who must toll at manual labor to
keep the wolf from the door, there
is but meager existance for him.
Labor can be secured at your own
price, and there is large surplus
in every coast town. All lines Of
business are oyer done; its the
same in any line you. wish to
investigate. At the present time
there are about ESQ vacant houses
in Ashland; 800 in Medford, the
much advertised city of the Rogue
River Valley, and it is about the
same in every city, according to
size, in the coast country that we
have visited.
Good old Wisconsin has many
conditions that some people don't
like, but when its comes to the
business end of it, it can turn out
more cash to the amount of capital
invested than any of this coast
country that it has been our
pleasure to visit. It's factories and
enterprises exceed anything here in
a dependable way. The advise of
this Badgerite, for the young man,
or middle-aged, who has the
Western fever, and contemplates
migrating to benefit himself
financially, is to remain in the
bread and butter" states of the
Middle West He can make more
clear money there in one year than
he can in this country in two,
unless fortune happens to smile on
some venture or investment that
h m ay have made. This is
a splendid country to live in,
providing you have enough of the
filthy lucre" to exist on the
remainder of your days.
"The young man who can gather
enough cash together to buy 40 or
80 acres of Wisconsin land can
become more independent than he
ever could in this part of the West
on a forty-acre orchard tract. A
good dairy farm will bring in more
ready cash than will fruit farm,
year in and year out.
AS for ourselves we do not expect
TO make our home in the West
permanently-we expect to
eventually make our permanent
home in the Middle West again. 4"
A. E. RoEsE.
Ashland, Oregon, January l3, 1918.