Page:Route Across the Rocky Mountains with a Description of Oregon and California.djvu/145

 generally, through the country, when turned up by the plow, make very much the same black, rich appearance, they mostly bear in the Mississippi Valley; some doubt, however, their being as durable, as there seems to be a great absence of lime. Near one third of this valley is timbered, and the timber is mostly good, and as it furnishes great manufacturing, as well as agricultural privileges, it would be capable of sustaining, were every portion of it made to yield to the best advantage, a population of nearly a million of souls.

The Unqua Valley is, perhaps three-fourths prairie. The Rogue's River Valley, two-thirds, and the Clamuth, four fifths.

In many places through these several valleys, the prairies are of convenient size to be eintirely settled and cultivated; in others they are so large that it will be inconvenient; but as the neighboring mountain lands, are, with few exceptions, thickly clothed with the finest timber in the world, they will, in time, all be brought into cultivation.

North of the Columbia, and West of the Cascade Mountains, there is, perhaps, not more than one third of the country that is not timbered, and much of it stands so thick on the ground, is so tall and large, that it will not only make lumber most abundant in the country, but it must long, if not always, be capable of furnishing immense quantities for exportation.

The valleys, through this portion of Oregon, are smaller than they are, South of the river; here the country has more broken, mountain, waste land, and consequently it cannot sustain so large a population. It is thought, that considerable portions of the timbered land between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific, both North and South of the Columbia, is good for cultivation, though mostly, if not always, much inferior in point of productiveness, to the prairie lands.

The Cawlitz Valley, North of the Columbia, like the Willammette, South, furnishes, perhaps, the largest valley of land, suitable for cultivation, between the Cascades and the Ocean; but on the North, as well as the South side, there are many other smaller valleys, besides these, capable of sustaining considerable settlements; which will, altogether, in time, when all that can, is made to yield, furinsh agricultural products, sufficient to sustain a population of some millions.

And through this whole region of country, many of the hills and mountains, will furnish the best, and healthiest pastures for sheep; and there cannot be a doubt, but that hundreds of thousands of these useful