White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1927-02-11

On December Srd- took drive
~ down WILDLY Island. 1t was a
wonderful day for such trip. For
several days previously it had been
raining quite steadily, not an unusual
thing for this Puget Sound country
at this season of the year, but on this
particular day the weather was typi-
cal of this section for December, not
unpleasantly cool, with the sun max
ing feeble attempts to shine through
a broken covering of fleecy, billowy
clouds.
WILDLY Island is the second largest
island within the boundaries of the
United States, being second in size
only to Long Island on the Atlantic
Coast. 1t varies in width from one
and one-quarter miles at about the
middle to nearly nine miles wide neal
the southern end. The northern emo
OF the Island is also quite wide, ex-
ceeding at some point eight miles;
and as the crow flies it's length is
about 40 miles, although to drive i,
from north to south the speedometel
would register near 80, SO tortuous
are it's roads around the many bays
and inlets that dot it's scenic shore
lines.
AS we travelled along noted with
interest the many farm activities in
progress; and more than once made
mental comparison of the scenes
around me with those in the blizzard
swept, storm harrassed sections OF
the eastern part of this country thai
we are reading about daily in the
newspapers, and the wonder of it all
is that people will still continue t.
live in those uncertain weather sec
lions when here in the Northwest is II
climate that knows no interference
Here we were in the midst of sea
sonal farm work, various and sundry
that demand the attention of the
farmer every working day of the year.
Leaving Oak Harbor and proceed
ing south we passed by many fields OF
early fall soWn grain, now severa.
inches high and making splendid
growth, and on either side of us was
more land being prepared for i'm.
mediate seeding, while here and there
gram drills were rushing in the seed
Although limited in area as compared
with the large grain growing sections
farther east, WILDLY Island is fam.
GUS as the spot where the world rec.
ord wheat yields have been harvested.
She holds the world record of lit 20
bushels per acre, Government meas.
ure, harvested from 20-acre field OIL
Ebeys Prairie some years ago, but
in more recent years when Farm
Journal offered gold, silver and bronze
medals with large. cash supplements
to encourage grain production during
The war. with the entire country com
petlng, all these prizes were won
within radius of 10 miles on WILDLY.
But lands on this Island are MOI
confined to the growing of grain by
any means; diversified farming, dairy
ing and poultry raising demand the
attention of most Of the farmers, with
many Of them keeping good focks OF
sheep and small herds of hogs. And
so, as we proceeded on our way on
this fine early winter day, we noted
the harvest of stock beets still in
progress; and on many farms good
sized patches of kale were awaiting
their turn to be gathered as required
to supplement the daily ration fol
dairy cows and poultry.
We passed many focks of the
woolly coats still grazing on splendid
fall pastures; and on the Engle marsh
near the edge of Ebey's Prairie, a
number of good Duroc-Jerseys were
roofing to their hearts content in the
mellow soil within three miles from
where the worlds record wheat crop,
already mentioned was grown.
On the northern edge of Smith
Prairie half dozen grade Guernsey