The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-08-28
County and City Official Press.
Tuesday. August 20, 1877,
WEALTH IN THE MARSH.

Swampy and OVERLOOKED lands are
generally the last TO be tackled because
they generally require some engineer
ing discernment and capitsl-either
money or lsbor-for their improve
ment. Yet every country eyinces that
the men who grow rich the quickest in
farming, ara those who have the apprc-
citation and sagacity to settle or this
kind of land. There il 40 extensive
district OH the Pacific coast that pro-
duoss 90 heavy crops per acre as the
dyksd Swinomish marshes in Whatcom
county, unless it be the rcclaimed :uls
marshes Of Sacramento and San jon
quin in California.
The Olympia Transcript furnishes the
subjoined account Of the marvellous
richness Of q drained farm in Stuck
valley. (Which lies partly in King aud
partly in Pierce couhties) 10 which We
will only append. by way Of preface,
that largo amounts Of the same char
actsr may still bs found by the settler
aud secured by the taking. in this and
other counties Of this Territory. Speak.
ing Of the Stuck river claim. cur ex
change says:
"Mr. William Forest hf. not thu
largest area under cultivaii. n. but be
has probably the best drained and
most productive tract of ITS slze on the
coast. His meadow consists Of six
acres. which is closely p"Stured during
Winter and Spring. when the sheep are
removed tn allow the grass to grow
This year they were taken of the
9th Of May, and on the 5th August
there was cut 81 tons of timothy hny
Of the best quality. being All averag,
Of five tons to the acre. grown in sixty
five days. Had he need for more hay
tho second crop could be cut. Iii.
stock have all the hay they can eat the
year round, and ~ crops never fail in
the Stuck valley there Is no neces
sity for laying in mere than q
year's supply. When settled the land
in the muck bottom underlying it. Thi,
has been drained in the most approved
manure. by one large ditch leading into
the river which is intersectsd by cross.
bitches 200 feet apart. over which The
fences sre constructed and bridge.
placed under the gates leading from
one lot to another. The task Of ditch
ing this land seemed almost Herculean
To man then over sixty years Of age,
but an incident which occurred during
the first Of his ditching served to stim.
ulate him aud proved the extreme rich
ness Of the soil. One very hot day a
quantity Of the soil was thrown out OF
the ditch, and when he returned from
dinner where he had been detained
longer than usual, the old gentleman
found that the excavation was tho
roughly fy-blown. This was afterwsr l
frequently repeated during several years
that the work on the bitches was con-
tinued ind has been witnessed by many
ut his nsighbors. The quantities Of
vegetables grown upon this farm are
truly wonderful and exceed in proper
ton that OF the hay crop. Last year .
pole Afty feet high was planted in the
hop yard aud . vine ran within fifteen
fest Of the top Of it. aud from which a
box OF hops was gathered. The farm
10 within four miles Of Meeker's station
on the Puyallup coal road. There are
plenty Of such lands on Puget Sound
only waiting to be improved TO make
farms equal to the best In the world,
and yet people continue to complain OF
hard timss."