Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1875-03-27
ABOUT THE TERRITORY.
wHATCOM COUNTY.

, wHATCoM COUNTY.
The Immigration Society has handed
us an interesting letter written by q res
ident on the Swinomish, from which we
make the following extracts:
With the exception Of our tide and
fresh-water marshes, the land is all
timbered, some of it heavily but o great
deal of it is alder, willow, &C., not very
difficult to clear and very good quail
ity of land when cleared; but most of il
needs surface-draining, and to make it
as it should be for grain, fruit and veg
etables, itshould be under-drained. Sur
face-drains, here and there, will fit it
for grass. to which it seems excellently
adapted. Cannot give the amount " fit
for agriculture" but can say that there
is great deal more of it than is likely
to be cleared very soon. We have in
this neighborhood from 10000 to 49,
600 acres of tide marsh land which we
expect in the near future will make Swim
omish country not only wealthy, but cell
ebrated for its great yields of grain,
vegetables, fruit, and in fact almost any
soil product that will flourish in this
climate. These marsh lands all have to
be dyked, at cost of SIS 90 to SIS 90
per acre, according to location and
thoroughness of work. Most of the
dykes yet built are of too temporary a
nature and will have to be strengthened.
Still they have kept the water off the
most of the time.
Improved land $25 and upward, I'M
improved SO so to $40 90 per acre.
Nearly all of the marsh land is in pri-
vate hands. A little of it belongs to the
Northern Pacific Railroad. Not quar-
ter of it is yet under dyke. Some of it
is held by spectators and some by men
not able to dyke it. "'' '..--
PRODUCE.
Not much land here has had more
than one or two crops on it-oats, bar
ley and little wheat Mr.. Dodge has
about sixteen acres OF timothy and
clover (mostly timothy meadow, from
which he cuts about 80 tons of hay, or
about three tons per acre.
Calhoun Brothers last year 1874 had
$50 acres oats and barley. Their oats
averaged IS bushels (of SO fbs) per acre
and their barley II bushels. IS. Con-
ner had $500 bus. oats and 800 bus.
barley on Al acres or an average of
over &c bushels per acre. Calhoun's Is
acres of best oats gave $40 bushels. /
gave the best yields. Oats ranges from
40 to 100, and barley from 30 to go,
much of it has been badly put in and
much wasted in harvesting.
WHEAT. ....
Wheat has not been fairly tested yet.
The lowest yield I have heard of was
333 bushels, and the highest 734, spring
wheat. think winter wheat would do
better. Mr.. Dodge sowed little Full
Ter wheat (winter) last year, about Feb
ruary 1st-one and a half pints on about
two rods OF ground, and after having
some of it wasted by the quails and
horses, he had two and quarter bush
els, or over one hundred bushels to an
acre. He sowed that product last De-
cember, and he says it is looking much
better than the other, and he expects to
astonish people with the yield. This
and Corners vegetable gardens are as
fine as one could ask. ] never saw bet
ter anywhere.
FRUIT.
Fruit has been tried but very little
on the marsh. Dodge set apple, pear
and cherry trees three years ago this
Spring. They are bearing and have
| made ska, bert growth OF any ! -,hays
seen in the Territory. DIR. Smith. of
Tulalip, told me two years ago that lie
had the finest orchard (6 years old) in
Snohomish county on reclaimed marsh.
VEGETABLES E| t-
grow to the required Puget Sound size.
Tame grass does exceedingly well
here. Our stock range is not large, yet
some stock is kept with very little feed
and does quite we'll. Dodge, from
eight or nine COWS, made 200 lbs. OF
butter per cow. With tame grasses it
is q fine dairy country, I think.
TIMBER.
We have plenty of cedar for fencing
| ana roonng; shingles pz upper NJ; Sood
logging timber claims all taken near
the water. Plenty of them back little.
The mouth OF Skagit river is Just south
Of these fats, but as have not been up
the river I cannot give you much relia-
BILE information about it. 1t has good
name from those who have explored it.
COAL.
A new coal mine is about to be opened
about Is or 80 miles up the river. The
river is INSTRUCTED by a large jam. The
Government has had survey of it
made and hopes are entertained that it
may soon be removed. Samish tide
lands, q few miles north Of here, are
similar to these but not so extensive.
! a3~ THE PECULIAR INDUSTRY aa
atpresentis grain raising but any branch
| - 70 rs,1sp m oOs,f1 Ia eovvso1 nm nodra