walla walla is so named from its abundant supply of water. many little streams run over the surface and many more under ground. this valley is noted for the richness of its soil, which is decomposed lava, and its wonderful climate. this delightful climate is shorn of its harshness by the magical breath of the chinook wind.
the principal crop here is wheat. a walla walla ranchman never thinks of planting anything else. the soil is so easy of cultivation that all he needs to do is to plow the ground, sow the wheat and go fishing until it is ready to harvest. wheat brings him wealth and prosperity.
every year one-half of a ranch is allowed to lie fallow, but an illinois farmer would rotate crops instead. the fallow fields, however, are kept perfectly clean and free from weeds.
during the rainy season the soil, which is rich in potash and phosphoric acid, stores up moisture sufficient to mature the wheat. only three pecks of wheat are sown to the acre, as the grain stools very much.
the average farm contains six hundred acres, but there are many ranches of from a thousand to fifteen hundred acres.
for cutting the grain the old-fashioned header is used, also the ordinary reaper and binder, but the combined harvester and thresher is the king of reapers. it is drawn by from twenty-five to thirty mules, cuts the grain, threshes it, sacks it, and dumps it on the ground ready for shipment.
wheat averages from twenty to thirty bushels to the acre. some years the average is much higher. in 1898 wheat went sixty bushels to the acre.
the price of land runs from thirty dollars to sixty dollars per acre. comfortable homes and green orchards dot the landscape. the orchards, however, must be irrigated. the blue mountains supply plenty of water for this purpose.
at the experiment stations established[226] throughout the semi-arid regions of the west, investigation of the excessive alkali in the soil is being carried on.
in many regions of california and utah large tracts of irrigated land are practically non-productive because of the presence of an excess of alkali. investigation has proven that this is due to excessive irrigation. when water is applied to the soil it brings to the surface when it rises, the salts.
in seeking a remedy for this evil the experiment stations have demonstrated that in most instances crops do not require nearly so much water as is usually applied to them. working along practical lines in the solution of this, to the west, great problem, the stations hope eventually to show just what quantity of water a given crop in a given locality requires.
the establishment of this truth will save much land now under ditch and extend the area of irrigation by demonstrating that more land can be supplied with water from the available supply.
in montana, idaho, washington and the semi-arid districts of other states experiments are being carried on in the line of forage plants.[227] in these states success has been quite satisfactory with the cow pea, which is usually planted with oats. red clover flourishes as well here as in the east.
success in farming depends upon a thorough knowledge of soil, climate and rainfall. the farmers are coming to depend upon the experiment stations for much of this knowledge.
agriculture was early practiced in this valley, the walla walla region proper being part of the old oregon country. the hudson bay company established posts at the junction of the walla walla and columbia rivers, at fort vancouver on the columbia river and at fort colville in the colville valley, north of the present city of spokane. with these people agriculture and the fur trade went hand in hand. in 1828 seven hundred bushels of wheat were raised at fort vancouver and in 1829 seventy acres were under cultivation at fort colville.
