The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-07-03
STUCK ON THE COUNTRY
What a Professor of Agriculture
Thinks of This Country

| "A iuiOl, iiiouSot, SlCdu Cult Wcil set
up young man was noted on the streets
several days last week, unobtrusively
yet carefully looking over the town.
Nor were his observations confined to
the town. He made excursions around
the valley, and out to the higher bench
lands surrounding the town. That
young man was Prof. w. B. Kjosness.
who has had charge of the agricultur-
al department in the Prescott, Wash,
public school for two terms, and made
such a record for efficiency in his
special line that he is retained for
another year, and will continue to be
retained so long as he may desire to
hold the position. Prof. Kjosness has
made an enviable record as an in
structor in the school that is so for
tunate as to command his services.
At the state fair last year Prof. Kjos-
ness pupils won the championship
among all high school competitors as
graders of cattle. and at the large
county fairs, including the Spokane
| fair, his pupils captured prizes to the
value of $135 for the best graders of
| the several varieties of wheat grown
in eastern Washington. This know
! ledge of the pupil demonstrates Prof.
Kjosness proficiency as a teacher of
every branch of agriculture, land con-
sequently gives weight to his judg-
ment upon the subjects of farming and
stock raising. The young gentleman
paid this office a pleasant and alto
gether too brief visit while in town,
and during that visit freely expressed
his opinion as to the adaptability of
this part of Okanogan county for gen.
eral agriculture. He was greatly sur
prised at the opportunities that exist
here for successful and profitable
dairying, farming and stock raising
and spoke of the future possibilities
of the county in those industries in the
most flattering terms of commenda-
ton He recognized the exceptional
opportunities for fruit growing, but
would subordinate fruit growing to
stock raising and dairying. In his
opinion the chief source of profit to
the farm owner in the future would
be through dairying and the raising of
a higher grade of cattle and hogs
He considered the conditions here to
be ideal for either or both of those in,
lin ct rios ubi1n nj
splendid possibilities for fruit was of
the opinion that the time would come
when those two important features of
farming would engage the attention of
all owners of land very largely.
Prof. Kjosness called attention to
the Russian thistle and mustard that
are spreading to an alarming extent
in the valley and on the higher lands
and urged immediate action to elimin-
ate that menace to the farm. He de-
clared that some concentrated effort
must be taken to eradicate the weed
nuisance, or the growth would be-
| come so rank that no head way could
be made against it. He cited the
work being done in Walla Walla coun-
ty by farmers to kill out weeds, and
the good results that have been ac-
complisehd On farms of even one
and two thousand acres the owners
have been able to down the dangerous
growth 1t has required work and pa
tience to make head way against the
thistle and mustard, yet it has paid in
clean fields, cleaner grain and more
of it.
Praise and commendation of the
country from such source was
pleasant to hear, and encouraging
in what it promised for the future in
the way of increased population, and
a prosperous and contented pOpula-
ton at that. So favorably impressed
with the country was Prof. Kjosness
that we would not be surprised if he
should eventually invest in this i'm
mediate neighborhood and cast his
lot with Orovi'le The addition and
example of few such intelligent and
capable settlers as Prof. Kjosness
would do more for the material ad-
vancement of the town and country
than any other one factor.