The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-03-30
The New Empire of the Pacific.

Twenty years hence nearly all the bread-stuffs
for export from the United States will be pro-
duced in the country West of the Rocky Noun
tains. The exception will be in the surplus pro-
duction Of corn in the Mississippi Valley. Ohio
has ceased to be Il great wheat producing State.
This crop is yearly diminishing in Illinois, in
Minnesota the production this year was only
about as much as in California, where we had
one of the dryest seasons ever known. The
agriculture of all the vast region West of the
Rocky Mountains is still in its infancy. Some of
the great Territories are not yet producing bread
stutfS enough for home consumption. That was
true of Oregon a few years ago. Now there is a
large fleet of wheat laden ships sailing from her
principal port every year. Utah territory, with
the exception Of Il little spot about Salt Lake.
made no show of agriculture products. Now
the best potatoes found West Of the Mississippi
river are produced in Utah, and sent over to
California IN large quantities for consumption.
Fruit culture has been pushed beyond the Sierra.
The great apple orchards will be far up the
mountains on either slope. The culture of the
grape, and the wine interests will probably be
West of the Sierra, although it is just possible
that we have not yet found the Lest soils for the
production OF wine grapes. The maximum of
lumber production has already been reached in
States east of the Mississippi. The Eastern tim
Der belt has been explored, and most of the
land reduced to private possession. The timber
belt of the Pacific coast, north Of Oregon, covers
an area clear up to the north limit Of Alaska, or
as far as the climate will permit. No impression
has been made upon the forests of Alaska, and
the timber resources Of Washington Territory
will last a long time.
The facts worthy of special note are, that in
all the vast region GU this side of the Rocky
Mountains, from Mexico to Behring's Strait, the
production of great staples is yet in its infancy.
In particular places mining may have been car
RED on to the limit of production. So of wheat
cultivation and the production of lumber. But
Tor one exhausted mine there are a hundred
which have not been fairly opened and for one
acre of land where a maximum production has
been obtained, there are a hundred acres which
have not been brought under cultivation. The
great cedar forests of the northwest coast have
hardly been touched and it is only near the
water edge that much impression has been
made upon the forests Of fir. Then we have
hardly two millions of population, including
Indians, IN the country usually denominated the
Pacific Slope. If twenty millions, or one-half
the present population of the Union, were set
down on this area it would not then be thickly
populated. We have not settled Alaska at all
on the north, and Arizona on the south contains
but a few thousand.
In a single month during the present year,
twenty million feet of pine and fir lumber, mostly
from Puget Sound, entered this port the amount
OF redwood entering during the same month
could not have been less than six or seven million
feet. y few of the lumber cargoes are sent
abroad. But most lumber for export is sent
direct from the port of shipment.
All this industrial development is the product
of less than two million people. They have
dotted the coast with a few small towns, have
built one large city, and laid the foundation for
many others. The Empire of the west is waiting
for population. 1t comes slowly but surely.
California is pushing up coward a million. The
Territories are filling up and within 4 quarter
of a century there will probably be ten States
this side of the Rocky Mountains. These States
will include an area of the most important min
eral, wheat and lumber production. Every large
and fertile valley will be made accessible by rail
road, and every great belt of mines will be
reached in the same way. 1t has taken twenty
five years to get the leverage of a great indus
trial empire but it is attained at last.-LocaZ
Item.