Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-02-26
Resources, Advantages and Possibilities Of

"Polk County, Oregon" is the it'll
of a 32-page booklet that, through tn,
generosity of the county court ant
the Dallas Commercial club, will rep
resent this immediate section of tht
willamette valley at the Panama ex
position. The object of the bookle
is to present to the contemplating
settler the resources, possibilities ant
advantages of Polk county, one of the
eight Willamette counties, in concise
and comprehensive style, eliminating
all fowery embellishments and deal
ing almost wholly with facts and fig
ures. The writer of the booklet, in
the foreword, says: "We firmly be-
lieve that no other place in the United
States offers as many inducements to
the homebuilder as the county of
Polk, possessing, as it does, a combin-
alton Of climate and soil that produces
wonderful results. We have seen
three crops from the same land in a
single season-two of vetches and
grain, followed by corn that matured
sufficiently for excellent feed We
have seen measured and weighed
eighteen and eight-tenths tons of best
quality of forage crops for the dairy
COW per acre. We have seen straw
berries literally cover the ground with
their luscious fruit which yielded the
owner at the rate of 81 500 per acre.
We have seen cherry tree produce
$50 worth of fruit in one season, and
pears, apples, prunes and other varie-
Ties Of tree, vine and cane fruits Weld
ing proportionately well. We have
seen the dairy herd feeding on the
green meadows practically every day
OF the year. We have seen the advan-
tages of poultry raising, the profits
from which are almost beyond belief.
All OF this, and more, on lands that
range in price from $50 to $3.50 per
acre. And the best part of the story
OF these record producers is that they
all believe they can do still better"
The Willamette Valley.
The booklet opens with the William
cite valley, to which four pages are
devoted, the purpose being to prove
beyond a question of doubt that the
vast area of fertile soil of which Polk
forms prominent and promising part
Is the garden spot of the Pacific
northwest. But let s take the story it.
self:
"Passing through the Willamette
valley from north to south and OBJ
serving the magnifcence of its preten-
,ious cities and towns, one must nat
lrally be impressed with the idea that
here is something of Il substantial
character back of them. And there
S. "A glance in almost any direction
'eveals practically the same corrobor-
ltlng picture: Fields of waving grains
'ursting in their fullness; commercial
richards of extreme productiveness
Ferries and small fruits of numerous
a1etles, nuts, root crops, forage
'lants, corn, hops, and scores of other
'roducts in all variety; while the
andscape is dotted with well-watered
asture lands where stock is fattening
n natural grasses rich in both milk -
nd flesh producing properties. 4
Across the vista of pretty farms a
iay be seen the sheltering mountain e
anges, clad in the greenery of virgin b
Drests. To the west the Coast range d
hat stays the force of ocean gale, yet C
ermits the welcome rain clouds to p
ass; to the east tower the Cascades t
nth their saw-edged, snow-tipped t
eaks, the source of the many pictur- '
sque streams that water the broad a
xpanse of this valleys floor. Be- f
Teen these timbered eminences, for e
distance of one hundred and fifty o
liles, lies snugly tucked away the q
willamette valley, the garden spot of il
he sunset land of opportunity, cap n
BILE of sustaining a greater popula- d
on than any other area of similar "
nstness on the American continent. c.
ndowed with fruitful soil, an ideal IL
innate, and scenery of rare beauty, a
lie Willamette valley appeals as eI
esirable place for home and profit. lN
ere the fertility of the soil wrests IT
ON Central Russia and that terri IL
Try Immediately adjacent to the riv- lc
Nile in Egypt their distinguishment Il
n possessing the most productive 81
nds on either hemisphere. The soils o.
the Willamette valley are equal to b.
~ demand that may be made upon
lem; and the day is not far distant
hen the vast acreage, now merely
ratehed, will, by more intensive
ethods, give forth added millions to
e markets of the world.
''With its approximately 100000
res, extending southwark from a
lint where the waters of the beau
full Willamette river commingle with
OSp of the nictureSnun Columhia