Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-03-20
ABOUT THE TERRITORY,

part Information reiatlng TO their res
pective vicinities, responses have bsgur
to come in, which will be published il
the order they are received. We pre-
sent this week an article prepared by
one of Cowlitz county's prominent and
most reliable citizens:
CowLrTz COUNTY, March IL, 1875.
DEAR S1R.-Cowlitz county is one Of
the tier of counties lying on the Colum-
bia river, of which Kalama (the south
ern terminus of the Northern Pacific
Railroad in Washington Territory is
the county seat. The surface of the
county is for the most part hilly, though
some of the bottom lands, along the
Cowlitz, Lewis and Columbia rivers,
are very rich and fertile, and will com
pare favorably with the lands in any
section of the country. Most of the
good land is already taken, though
some good hill land could yet be had
suitable for farming purposes. Those
having means to purchase land, could,
without doubt, find desirable locations
here, and the price for improved lands
ranges from FIVE to forty dollars per
acre, according to locality. The kinds
of timber are fir, cedar and ash, and
hundreds of acres of land have been
entered for the timber alone. Wheat,
oats, potatoes and hay are principally
raised here, though other kinds OF
grain and vegetables, peculiar to the
temperate zone are cultivated, though
in smaller quantities. Wheat will av-
erage from rs to 80 bushels per acre;
oats, so to 60; potatoes, $50 to 800, and
hay q to 3 tons per acre. Nearly all
kinds of farm produce has ranged low
this season--Wheat, rs to 80 cents per
bushel; oats, IS to so; potatoes, 40 to
IS; hay So to $40 per ton (timothy
baled); beef, 4 to 6 cents per pound,
and pork 6 cents. Some few farmers
are engaged in the cultivation of hops
with very fattering prospects. Farm
ing, logging and salmon fishing are the
specialties. Farm labor ranges from
$25 to $35 per month; logging, $40 to
S75; fishing, $40 to $50. The fishing
season commences from the middle of
April to the first of May, and continues
for three or four months. Apple trees
flourish we'll for q few years and then
succumb to the blight, but pears and
plums thrive as we'll here as in any
portion of the country, and small fruits
do we'll. The number OF wagon roads,
schools and churches will compare ia
vorably with any new country, and the
same may be said ofmail facilities. The
railroad runs through this county about
twenty-five miles, with q daily line of
steamers from Portland to Astoria, af-
fording ample facilities for the trans
portation of stock and all kinds of pro-
duce to market. The climate is very
healthy, and the most serious draw
back to the farming community is the
high-water in the Columbia river dur
ing the months of June and July, re-
sulting sometimes in the destruction of
the crops in the bottom lands, though
such is the case with the bottoms along
the Mississippi, Sacramento. ETC., etc.
Another serious obstacle to the settle
ment and development of the country
is the fact that many of the farmers held
from 800 to $40 acres of land each, I'M
der the provision of the donation law,
and hence much of the best land is in
the handr of a few, and cannot, as o
rule, be bought at reasonable rates.
KL1cKrAT ILEY.-The following in
teresting letter written by Mr.. H. Cald-
we'll, appears in the P. G. Advocate Of
the 18th inst: "I have seen in your
paper reference to the size of different
valleys on the Pacific Coast, but why
Klickitat valley should be entirely ig-
nored, when much, smaller ones are
mentioned, / do not understand. This
valley, lying east of the Cascades and
west OF the Dalles, is twenty-five or
thirty miles in length and twelve or
fifteen wide. 1t is one of the best grass
valleys on the Pacific Coast. Beef
cattle raised upon it are the latest, and,
] am informed, weigh more to their ap-
pearance than any cattle driven into
market from any other point. Be-
sides. this valley produces grain in
abundance. The great difficulty in the
past has been that some men have been
here who wanted to get a living with
out work, by mounting their cayuse
horses and riding after stock. Such,
failing to make preparations for Winter.
lost much of their stock. More or less
cattle die every Winter for the wantlof
proper care. Snow began to fall here
on the 10th of November, and contin-
ued for few days. or until it was FIVE
and half inches deep. !, In ten days af-
ter that the snow was oil gone. After
that no more snow appeared until jan
uary 5, 1875, when il again began to
fall, and continued for several days,
until it was fifteen inches deep, and the