Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-01-01
NO RECENT CROP
RECORDS ISSUED
Government Information Is
Seven Years Old. City And
County About As Slow.

IF the farmer or fruit raiser should
happen to feel disposed to acquire
some information from the United
States department of agriculture ana
should write to Washington, ID. u, Tor
a pamphlet for some real tacts as 10
whether farming is profitable in the
Willamette valley, he would receive In
due course of time bulletin No. 7O5.
This bulletin was issued July ~
1918. which would seem encouraging
for up to date information were it not
for the preliminary statement whieh
reads: "This bulletin is based on IN.
formation secured from the analysis OF
the year 1912 business, based On 2lS
general farms in Marion and Polk coun-
ties, Oregon, md a general farm prac'
tice study in the Willamette valley COW
ering a period of several years.
Anyhow, srpposing the farmer has re-
eeived the bulletin, he will peruse IN his
efforts to learn something new as TO
whether farming really pays. rom one
section he will read fhe folowlng:
"Between 1850 t.l.d 1860 most OF the
prairie lands in the Willamette valley
were brought under cultivation Even
as early Us 1844 there was surplus
wheat crop of 10000 bushels. ="
Now it the prospective farmer wants
to know SO uetl 4ng about soil in the
valley, the bulletin is there with the
following information The 2l2 iainS
which constitute the basis Of this study
are located On two distinct types OF
soil Salem silt loan and Salem clay
The Salem silt loan is locally known
as valley or prairie soil. The Salem
clay type is LEGALLY known as req hili
soil The hill soil is on rolling hills on
either side of the valley" The employe
of the agricultural department who DIS
covered that hills are on either side of
the valley and who so solemnly records
the fact, was probably in the civil SER
vice and his job was good for life
time.
As to whether the clay or silt loan
farms were the better, this report OF
things previous to l9l2-whieh would
be very little benefit to the purchaser
in l9l9-contains the following: 1t
viii be seen that the 6s clay farms av-
eraged S5 acres larger and had a real
estate value of $25 per acre less than
the silt loan farms. There was "a per
cent more of the farm area in improv-
ed or usable land and 1873 per cent less
of the farm area lying idle as summer
fallow on the silt loan farms than on
the clay farms. There you have 1t.
If YOU want to buy farm in 1919, you
have what the civil service employees Of
the department Of agriculture thought
about it seven years ago. OF all the
wonderful changes that have been made
in the valley diving these seven years,
the department has no official bulletin:
or at least has sent none for dlstrubu-
tion for those interes ed.
While the government is seven years
behind in giving information as to what
is going on in the Willamette valley,
| il may be said that neither Marion eoun
try nor the Salem Commercial club is
doing much better 10 give information
as to the radical changes that have
been going on in the valley.
If an Interested person applies to the
Salem Commercial club for pamphlets
as to present opportunities and as to
what can be raised in the valley, the
latest pamphlet the club can send is
ono issued about five years ago. There
is no up to date nor up to the minute
literature published that would give a
man back east any idea as TO what land
can be bought for in Marion county,
nor what fruit tracts are selling asr