The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-10-13
A Trip to Puget Sound.
VIII.


kind offices to procure for me a free pass
from the officers of the railroad. Although
| was in hurry to return home from trip
which had already exceeded the limits had
set for it, yet such gracious offer and such
an opportunity of examining that interesting
district, We're not to be refused. Therefore
| gratefully accepted, and l take pleasure In
acknowledging many courteses from Mr..
Otis Sprague, from S. A. Abernethy and
other officers, as well as employees of the n.
2. Railway Co. While in the office of the
land department of this company had oc-
casion to admire some of the productions of
the section through which the railroad passes
up the Puyallup valley. Among these l
measured oats over six feet in hight and
and slender that they would be eaten by
cattle clear down to the roots. Such grass
has been known to produce the incredible
amount of four tons and even upwards, to
the acre. In glass cases are also seen many
specimens of various minerals, and especl
ally of the fine bitumnous coal of the mines
which | am just going to visit This col
lection. if steadily added to, as will proba-
bly, be the case, cannot fail to become very
instructive 1t might become the nucleus
around which the future museum of Tacoma
may gravitate and grow.
The train for Carbonate starts at | 40 P.
NJ, taking us at first through the wet,
marshy bottoms of the Puyalup river. The
land of this valley is all alluval and very
rich 1t was deposited by disintegration
and washing of the Cascade range during
past centuries, the river carrying down the
debris and gradually filing up an arm of the
Sound, which evidently used to run at least
fifteen or twenty miles farther inland than
it does now. This process is still going on,
and will continue so long as water will run
down hill, SO that Commencement Bay will
undoubtedly, after many ages, be slowly and
gradually filled up by the silt, unless man
can devise a process of preventing it by max
ing the slime accumulate on the flats already
formed; this can be done by dykes. Some
residents of Tacoma assert that the filling
process is already perceptible since the time,
some ten years, when they commenced re-
siding here. | apprehend that tine same
| filling up process is going on at Seattle, and
wherever streams enter into the Sound.
The town of Puyallup is situated about 10
miles from Tacoma; as above stated, it is
situated in valley of great fertility. All
| the fruits of the temperate zone can be here
| raised in perfection, except peaches and
grapes; also all sorts of vegetables. Indian
corn is not success here, on account of the
cool and moist climate. But hops are
grown in great perfection and prosusion
| Indeed no soil or climate could be better
frr tlar .
sequently large portion of the country
around Puyallup and also farther up the
| valley is devoted to the raising of hops, and
and this is the most important agricultural
interest of the Puyallup valley. Very few
persons realize the magnitude which the
raising OF hops in this valley has already at
| tanned. Among other extensive hop raisers
is mentioned the name of Mr.. Van Ogle
who has sixty acres of old hop ground and
who has added fourteen acres more this
year, making seventy-four acres. He is said
to have harvested an average of 500 lbs.
hops per acre. and as hops have brought this
year from fifteen to eighteen cents per
pound. it follows that Mr.. V. 0. must have
received about $3.50 per acre, of which more
than one-half, perhaps two thirds, is clear
profit.
A passenger on the cars gave me the fol-
lowing graphic sketch of the hop picking
time: "When the season for hop picking
arrives. said he. the canoes of the Indians
look like small fleets on bay or river. About
two thousand persons are required to do the
work of picking. and the Indians flock to
the hop district from every quarter to get a
chance to earn some money. and they con-
slider this season "a .heir harvest time, which
it is in reality. Their mode of living has
qualified them for the work of picking hops.
They come to the hop yards with all their
earthly possessions, including not only their
squaws and pappooses, but their dogs, cats
and even hens and roosters. They pitch
their tents within convenient distance of
their work, and it is sight to see the
women carrying pappooses on their backs,
they and the children doing all the work,
while the noble warrior himself, disdaining
labor, is not too proud to take the wages
earned by them, and struts around with
great dignity OF manner and condcscends to
drink or gamble away the earnings OF the
let us say it in sober truth-better half of
his BOSOM But who could find fault, Is
he not big Indian Is he not natures
nohleman."
am sorry that it is not in my power to
give accurate statistical information con-
corning the hop culture of the Puyalup bot
toms. 1t is supposed that the hops exported
from this valley bring in return not far from
$3.50, 000 which would indicate that about
fifteen or sixteen hundred acres are cult
waited in this staple. The price has been
good this fall being from Is to II cents. and
the indications are that it will 90 higher