Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1915-11-30

give them jolt similar to that given
Hood River q number Of years ago;
and Grants Pass will be the center
OF really rich section OF Oregon.
Taxation Becomes u Burden
With "a per cent OF the land area
OF Josephine county exempt from
taxation, It is easy to see that farmed
land aad town property must bear
the heavy burdens OF taxation. Cul-
tivated land Is assessed high--aver-
age for the county. s56.6S--while
the non-tillable or timber and noun
tain land averages $3.50 per acre.
Some OF the land is very heavily
timbered with yellow and sugar pine,
and complaint is heard that the as
sessment is too low In comparison
with cultivated areas,
The Oregon 4 California railroad
grant lands consist OF iSs,iTS acres
and lie in the best parts OF the
county, A determined effort is be-
ing made to have the controversy
over the lands closed so that the
county can collect taxes from that
land and thus divide the burden
which has too long been carried by
citizens who live here.
Take the matter of roads a. an
lilluminative example OF injustice In
taxation. About 55 per cent OF the
land area Is in forest reserves, In
addition to the grant lands. In all
this great timbered belt roads OF
some sort must be provided for set
tiers-for travellers do not penetrate
Josephine county very often. The
county for 1915 had tax budget
Of $4,000 for roads and bridges. OF
nearly SO for every acre OF cultivated
land. None OF the highways have
been paved, but long stretches Of
main thoroughfares have been
graded and graveled. making a IL
month road with good wearing quail
ties. A great deal OF work has been
done on the Pacific highway and or
the stage road to Crescent City. Cali
fornia,
Selling Tokay Grapes
Grants Pass growers are showing
Tokay grapes OF excellent qualit,
and color. Ever since the day wher
A. H. Carson proved that Tokay.
could be grown on the hillsides mer
have been planting vineyards. until
this year ten full carloads OF grapes
were sent to New York. The pacl
was excellent and established the
lTokay as standard commodity II
Icompetition with California Tokays
Next year the crop will be consider
ably larger, as new yards will be com
ing into bearing. The opportunit.
to develop vineyards on the cheape
hillside land seems to be excellent
The growers need to organize to con
troll the situation.
Utilizing Sugar Pine
A box factory at Grants Pass em
ploys about 20 men and sends on
800 or more carloads OF boxes an
nually. Market is found as far soutl
as central California, for the pin
box is high grade and selling agencie
|, prefer 1t to the spruce or even tn
cottonwood. Large areas OF suga
pine cover the hills 10 to 30 mile
from Grants Pass, and the lumber
hauled by team from the forest t
the box factory. A sash and doc
factory also consumes large shiE
ments OF pine. Other plants ar
needed.
D Sugar Factory May Come
Recently farmers and busines
I men alike have been seriously cor
sidering the advisability Of CROWN
sugar beets to supply plant whic
1t Is proposed by the Nibley sugar II
terests to establish at Grants Pas
Tests made here show the beet as on
OF the roots which will grow abur
dainty and carry the required cor
tent Of sugar. AS requirement
the construction OF the factory 1t wa
necessary to have 5000 acres Of Ian
contracted for the culture of the bee
Apples and Dairying
Apples are grown all over the va
ley, but the production this year wi
not exceed 100 cars. Farmers
those who propose to make sure
success-are going into dairying o
small scale along with the cultur
OF apples, thus giving opportunity
crop the land and sell the corn {
alfalfa as milk at profit. In tn
county the number Of hogs is II
creasing, as Is the number Of cattl
Goats numbered only 1,011 an
sheep 592, according to returns mad
to the assessor.
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