system in the farming districts. Many a farmer has sold his land, where it was somewhat remote from the town, for a merely nominal price, and gone to reside where he could send his children to school. It was impossible, as it was useless, to cultivate a mile square of land, where neither rail-car nor steamboat ever came to take away its produce. And as for stock-raising and wool-growing, it was not necessary to own large bodies of land, since there was vacant land enough, of the best kind for that purpose, in the foot-hills on either side of the valley. If every farmer burdened with a mile square of Lind had been able to give away half or two-thirds of it to good, intelligent farmers, who would immigrate to take possession of and improve it, the mere fact of their neighborhood to himself, and their assistance in all kinds of enterprises, would so enhance the value of his remaining half or one-third as to make it equal, in value, to the whole, unimproved and isolated.
Doubtless this view of the subject will present itself to the land-holders of Western Oregon, when the lands of the Railroad Companies begin to be sold; and although they may not wish to give them away, except where they have subscribed for the building of roads, they will be desirous of putting their surplus land into market at very reasonable rates.
We will suppose that we had set out to take a ride through the Wallamet Valley. Starting at the northern end, on the west side, we should take a look at the so-called Tualatin Plains of Washington County. Immediately upon entering them from the heavily timbered Columbia or Wallamet highlands, we are struck with the beautiful natural arrangement of the plains and groves. Small prairies, from one to six miles in diam-
