Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-02-25
OLYMPIA, SATURDAY MORNING, FED. q. 1871
Resources of Washington Terri
tory.
at our risk.

tory.
There is very general interest mani
fest throughout the older States and Ter.
ritories for information concerning the
conditions of this Territory. arising from
the immediate prospect Of railroad commu-
nication with the East We do not wish
to saw a word which would raise false hopes
or end in disappointment to any ono i'm
migrating hither. To the agriculturist
the aspect of this country is far from at
tractive; it is as unlike any portion of the
old Northwest in its physical formation as
in its climate. We have before spoken Of
the salubrity Of the climate, the prodigal
production of game, both of land and wa
ter, and the inexhaustible wealth Of coal
aud lumber. We will now briefly remark
on the industrial elements. Like New
England, it is not intended by nature for
making agriculture its leading, or one of
its chief industries. Its wealth and popu-
lation must depend almost entirely upon
the improvement of its unrivalled CONNER
cial and manufacturing advantages. And
yet, with these leading industries in the
process of development, there is no mean
inducements to the argiculturalist in an
abundance of rich agricultural lands to
supply the home demand, and promise
of a profitable home market for his pro-
ducts. The small valleys are numerous
and surprisingly rich, and it may be re-
garded as a wise provision of nature that
the timber-the finest forests in the world,
which are to be the chief source of our future
wealth-are protected by sterile soil, which
will not pay the husbandman for clearing
and these timber lands, which cover the great
er portion the territory, are interspersed with
;alluvial valleys and bottom lands of surprising
productiveness Of every vegetable and cereal
for the sustenance Of mon and beast, and of
sufficient extent to supply the home demand
for years to come And then, when the pop
ulation of the country shall require more agri-
cultural lands for the sustenance of the people,
those lands which have in the mean time been
cleared of timber by the lumbermen, can be
made available by cultivation, so there will be
no time, in the far future, when this country
cannot proftably produce all that it can con-
sumo Of agricultural products. At the present
time farmers Of small means may spend their
time and labor probably in clearing up their
lands and making homes, with view to sup
plying the wants of a rapidly increasing ropu-
lation. There is now, and will he constantly
increasing demand for beef, pork, mutton, the
products of the dairy, and the poultry yard
at remunerative prices, and to the production
of which this country is peculiarly adapted by
soil, climate and vegetable growth. There is
no country on the face of the earth where the
more hardy fruits, such as apples, pears, cher
ries, plums, currants and straw berries can be
produced in greater perfection and abunda nce,
or in a shorter time. These fruits flourish we'll
here upon any soil which can produce and sus-
tain the native forest trees. The man who
sets out an orchard this season will have it in
full bearing by the time the Northern Pacific
Railroad is completed, and that will open a
ready and profitable market for all of these
kinda of fruits that will be produced in this
section. Upon the entire line of the road cas-,
of the Cascade Mountains, for sixteen hundred
miles, there will be large population without
other resources for the supply of fruit, in addi-
ton to the demand for the northw estern coun.
try, extending to Alaska, and the marine SER
vice.
Commerce and man ufactures, however, are
TO be the chief industries and main sources OF
wealth for this country. The elements are all
here in unrivalled abundance. In geograpbi.
cal position it commands a central point on
the commercial highway Of nations as the
shortest practical route aroLnd the globe
touching the commercial centres Of Asia, Eu-
rope and America, and hence will inevitably
control the carrying of q trade with Asia and
the Indies which has contributed more than
all others to the commercial wealth of the
world. For ship-building Puget Sound enjoys
advantages, SO manifest that Mr.. Seward, on
Arst visiting these waters, predicted that the
time was near at hand when Puget Sound
would be the navy yard of the world. West