The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-09-01
County and City Official Press.
Saturday. September /, 1877.
PUGET SOUND GRAIN LANDS

Our exchanges are filed with mar
Vicious accounts oil the fertility and ex-
ubersnce Of the grain fields beyond the
Cascade mountains. in the COUNTIES Of
Walia Walls, Columbus. Whitman.
Yakima and Stevens. Examples innum
erablc are cited Of farms turning CT
90 and go bushels Of wheat, and 20. so
and so bushels Of oats to the acre.
Yet. though all these statements are
strictly true, and, indeed. not yet the
half been told, it does not follow, as one
might be led to thiHk, that the farming
land Of Washington Territory is con-
fined to the east side. and that the
agricultural settler must cross the
mounts aims aud get away inland some
hundreds Of miles distant from market.
Mr.. ID. Kellogg. who has just re-
turned from trip down to Whatcom
county. gives US some interesting data
Of his trip theresbout. He states that
the region Of the Swinomish flats is
the richest district of its extent in the
world. Immediately back Of La Con-
uer Ave large steam threshers are at
work turning out 800 bushels of grain
each pr day. From LAConner as far
- the eye can reach, the ground is bur-
dered with crowded sheaves Of oats
and barley standing high as ones
shoulder and heavy AS shocks of maize
on western prairie. The fields this
year, many of them. turn out IS to 80
bushels of barley and a. high AS l25 to
1870 bushels of oats to the acre. which
beats anything on the coast that we
have yet heard Of
The farmers on these fats and neigh
boring rivers have some special advan-
tsges Navigsble sloughs penetrate all
the farms. along which the grain is
piled aud threshed and thence taken by
the steamers aud schoonerS moOred
along side. SO there is little expense for
transportation. Look at our report Of
prices for grain in this market. and at
the yield per acre. aud then consider
whether there ought to be any money
in farming on Puget Sound. Dyked
land pays rental to the owner Of $40
per acre. which is said to be 40 per cent
per annum on the cost Of improvement.
One hundred and fifty thousand dollars
will 90 into the district Of Whatc IN
county this Fall ~ the proceeds Of this
years crop. the bulk of which will go
to extending improvements and enlarg
ing tho limits Of reclamation Calhoun
has already $4,000 worth OF machinery
in operation on bis farm aud his is only
QUE farm.
Mr.. Kellogg says there is room for
10000 farms in the Skagst valley alone.
which is oheaply aud easily cleared.
much OF it being brush land net heavily
timbcred.
He reports that rich vein Of iron
has been found u short distance from
the Skagst coal ledge. This coal out
crops only half mile from nsvigable
water Of the river aud has been found
by assay to contain more carbon than
the PuyAllup coal. The workmen are
still pegging away ct the jams in the
Stillagusmish and Skagct. without any
government hslp at all-and will be
ready to tell them good-by at the next
freshet. Tie last obstruction to the
occupation Of those great valleys will
then b. out Of the way.
All these facts point to great future.
and the fact Of special Significance to Us
is that Seattle is the grand central hub
the natural point Of delivery and
supply for the whole region. Nay not
apathy o. negligence ON the part of her
wsrders suffer the soeptsr to be wrestsd
from her grasp.