, 1877-03-10

tht 'lUl 'tI u'alpp .aIN' III l'I'V' '""'H
ton. Ma on and the other counties
around the head of the Sound, the river
ot;om, aud the upland marshes are fer
tile. the rest is valuable umnIy for pas
turoge or the timber found upon it, yet
with care aud manure will prodnce rca-
sonabIr crops.
On the western side of the Sound
there are no long river valleys, or rivers
flowing into the Sound, yet there are
many small streams and separate tracts
ot good bottom land. The settlement
on Chimncum creek, back of Port Lud
low, is one of the wcalthiest in the Ter
rtory. The, have made their money at
the dairy business.
As to the products raised on the land
in the Sound basin, all the land affords
excellent pasturagc Us soon as the tim
ber is removed.
The high lands are perhaps the best
adapted to the growth of apple, pear,
plum, cherry and other fruit trees, winch
trees mature very early and bear great.
er amount of fruit per tree than any
where else in the Union. With the OK.
ception Of the semi sterile plains at the
head Of the Sound, the heaviest timhercd
lands have the poorest soil, while the
tide marshes, when reclaimed, produce
the largest yield of oats, barley aud root
crops Of any land in the world. The
fresh water marshes, or river bottoms
above the tide, the upland beaver marsh
es, being next in value and atfUrding the
largest return for capital invested of any
Bands in the Territory. This land will
grow to perfection everything grown on
the tide marshes, costs far less to sub
due, and is especially adapted to the
dairy business, growing ofgrass, etc.
There is very little difference in value
between the ordinary bottom lands and
the more fertile high lands, such as are
to be found in Whatcom county and
some portions of King, Snohomish San
Juan, Island and some other counties OF
the Sound country.
The only preference to be given to the
bottom lands is that usually they have
more hard wood timber, consequently
are usually more easily cleared than up
land, yet they labor under the disadvan-
tage of being subject to overflow still
there is corresponding advantage even
in the overflow of the river bottoms.
The rivers are all short, with the excep.
ton of the Skagit, so that the overflow
is in winter, fcrtilizing the soil and rarely
injuring the crops.
The Skagit drains Mount Baker and
other very high mountains, and is high
est in summer, yet Overhows its bottoms
less than any other river. Its rise is so
gradual and regular that damage can
usually be prevented by dlkes. In fact
the Skagit valley presents the greatest
body of valuable land, that is to be re-
claimed by a judicieus system Of dikes
and levees, of any part of the Territory.
Perhaps there are as much as one hun
dred and fifty thousand acres Of made
lands of the Skagit, most of which needs
more or less diking, and small amount
of clearing of timber These lands,
when well improved, will nearly
all produce as much as sixty bushels Of
wheat, rye or barley, and seventy five or
eighty bushels of oats per acre.
The rise of the Snohomish is high and
very sudden in winter but slight in
summer. While there are not much over
ten thousand acres OF land to be diked
in the Snohomish valley, yet there are
some five or six times that amount of
river marshes, overflowed in winter, but
above the summer overflow. These
lands have but little timber on them,
only require draining and clearing off
the brush and then are the premium
grass lands of the Territory, averaging
upwards of three tons per acre of timo-
thy hay.
Indian corn can be raised, yet is not a
standard field crop, because when such
crops of wheat, rye, barley and oats can
be secured, few feel like experimenting
with corn.
Next to grass and grain the great
boast of the Sound is its fruits and veg
etables. Perhaps no part of our Union
furnishes so many wild raspberries,