Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1872-02-10
PUGET soUEp YARIERs' CLUB.

The February mcet:n: Va, wei. attend
cd, AMI the fine mill weather brou.h
out an unusually large number of ladies
who cnt an additional charm to the pro
ceedinss. Hon. q. &. Hewitt occupied
the chair
Mr.. Woodard lad lis usual boquet OF
the Sccretary's table. 1t was not at
extensive collection, but it was a winter.
floral offering that tells the story of cur
mild climate far better than words can
1t contained gilas, mock lilac, wall flower
daisies, towering cabbage, ancmonc, tn,
white blossom and i've varieties of wild
flowers, eleven kinds in ALL
Temperature for January, 1872, from
4th to 9TH, at noon, Is degrees above zero
in the shade Did, 33 degrees above zero
at noon; 25th, % degrees above zero at
seven o'clock in the evening
The letter from Il. NJ. Mccker was a
notable one, as Offering premium of five
dollars in coin for the best five pounds OF
butter, not less than three months old
Competition invited from any part of the
United States or British America. Butter
to be exhibited at the annual fair in the
fall.
The notices in the New York and Phil.
adelphia press of the fruit and vegetables
sent for exhibition by Gov. Solomon were
read by the Secretary and we'll received
The following very interesting commu-
ulcation was read from a friend in the
Chehalis valley;
Chehalis county was first settled in the
i year lS5l-'52 by j. l.. Scammon, G. f.
Porter, VIM. OLcary and three or four
others. Mr.. Scammon located at Monte.
sano, now the county seat; OLcary set.
tied at Gray's Harbor and Porter at Elma
being from 10 to Is miles apart, and nc
means of communication except by canoe
or Indian trail. In the fall of 1854 James
Smith took q claim at what is known as
the block house, being at that time the end
of the road, and very bad one at that
about thirty miles from Olympia and about
the same distance from the mouth of the
CheAais river. The county now has a
population Of over four hundred; assessed
value of property SlS7,S90. There arc
about fifty improved farms in the county
1t costs from Sl5 to S25 an acre to clear
the brush and timber off; but after it is
cleared, there is no better land in the
Territory. Crops of all kinds do well, such
as wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, rutabagas
and all kinds of garden vegetables. The
dairy business is the chief employment Of
the farmers. Nearly half of all the butte,
brought iuto Olympia comes from the
Chehalis valley. Among tho most prom
nent butter makers are the Campbell
brothers, John Metcalf, Andrew and Jane,
Smith, and several others. They milk
from Ii to 30 cows each the cows requr
ing no feed except the wild grass which
grows on the prarcs in the summer, and
in winter they are fed on hay and a few
rutabagas. Beef cattle is another staple
Of the county.
In the Chchals bottom lands three tons
of hay to the acre is the average yield
wheat, from 80 to so bushels oats, so tt
Is bushels; potatoes, 300 to 500 bushels
and rutabagas, ZOO to 1900 bushels &c
the acre. As an example Of what can be
done, we will give the amount of grain
and other products raised on one farm
James Smiths farm consists Of 500 acres
500 prairie and 800 timber. The prairie
is only good for pasture, being gravelly
He has 100 acres cleared off the timber
land, having cleared % acres during the
summer and fall of 1870, at cost of S2j
per acre. He sowed in wheat without
blowing on the I'd of February, 1871, and
in September following thrcshed 1,30C
bushels, which sold for s so per bushel.
Alfred Hill, A. A. Isham and S. S
Ford have had the same success as Mr.
Smith.
Sheep and hog raising is also followed
on smaller scale; there being no improved
breed in the county, so far. Apples, pears
currauts, gooseberrics, and all varieties Of
fruit arc in abundance. There are school.
at Montesano, Elma and Sharon the Other
districts are sparsely settled, but emigrant.
are pouring in and schools will be cstab
lished as soon as population warrants
Roads are generally good and lead in al
directions through the country.
Mr.. Hines stated that ditch of IL rods
four feet deep, had cost him 70 cents pei
rod.
Mr.. Jones gave some information about
| mowers, evergreen ana shade trees, anC
said that in ten years We will be cutting
down our beautiful maple shade trees
They have too much shade and grow to-
fast. In an open space where it can grow
and expand, the maple is beautiful tree
but not in q town and close to buildings.
Mr. Huntington agreed with Mr. Jones
We enjoy the beauty of these trees at thu
III
houses damp and cold in the season wher
We want all the light and sunshine tina
can be had Medical men warn us not t.
shade our sleeping rooms roll the curtains
clear up, and get all tho sunshine into
your house you can. la French hospitals
feeble children have sun baths daily
Sunshine is life to men and animals as vel
as plants. We cannot get too much il
winter
Mr. Jones was chosen a committee t,