Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-12-28

ideal st,mmer. From April to NOven-
Der one long, glorious, splendid success
sion OF sunny days, when life seems
just to flow like Il peaceful, quiet, hap
py stream: the beautiful summer
land OF the poets dream The realiza-
ton of it is found in Thurston county.
The long delicious twilight extending
to 8 or 10 o'clock in the evening, sue
ceedcd by Il cool night, through which
we sleep in perfect comfort with abso-
lutely never the shadow of discomfort,
makes summer night the perfection
of human bliss.
THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF the topography OF this county may
be summed up in few words. Along
the eastern line of tRe county lies the
rici,- bottom~fands~ the Nisqually
river, gradually rising toward the west.
Yelm prairie, on the east side of the
river, is about five miles long by two
wide. Chambers prairie lies about four
miles southeast of Olympia, while
Hawks prairie, Tenalquot prairie
and Bush prairie, lying in the middle
and southern portions OF the county,
are all of similar size and quality
Mound prairie, the largest in the coun-
ty, is about fifteen miles long and two
wide. 1t derives its name from a large
number OF mounds scattered over its
whole surface and Il central one
rising to the height of one
hundred feet. Twenty feet above the
base of this mound is large spring of
clear pure water, which fertiliZes the
broad rich fields. Lying between and
around these prairie lands are magniti-
cent forests of timber, through which
are many streams that never fail.
What a field is here for the energetic
settler! The prairies furnish grazing
at all seasons and the bottom lands
rich fields for cultivation, while the
timber Of the uplands will in few
years be source of unbounded wealth.
They furnAh fuel and lumber for the
needs of the settler and the surplus af-
fords a revenue. Then the soil OF the
uplands, after the timber is cleared
away, yields rich returns to the farmer.
Along the valley of the Deschutes,
which empties into Budd's Inlet at
Olympia, many settlers have in the
last few years found fine homes and
rich farms. The Black river rises in a
small lake, about three miles from
Olympia, and runs to the south and
empties into the Chehalis 1t is a
broad fertile valley, which is being rap
idly settled up, but where hundreds of
good farms are yet to be secured.
WHEAT is THE STAPLE
Agricultural product ofthe Territory,
as we'll us the county, and its superior
quality has made it famous. The ber-
ry is full and heavy, often exceeding by
five t. nine pounds the standard
weight of a bushel. The yield per
acre is from twenty to fifty bushels,
according to the care with which it
is cultivated. Oats yield very heavily,
especially along the shores of the
Sound and the river bottoms. Like
wheat, the oats exceed the standard
weight, and forty to forty-five pounds
to the bushel is not infrequent.
THE CULTURE OF HOPS
Is rapidly coming into favor with the
farmers of this county. The crop is
always large and and has never been
known to be attacked by disease. The
crop is simply startling in it's quantity
and quality when compared with that
of the Eastern States. A serious
drawback to the increase in cultiva-
ton has been the lack of help to Sc
cure the crop at the proper time. In
dians are largely relied on to pick the
hops. The average yield per acre for
the last twelve years has been sixteen
hundred pounds.
VEGETABLES
Of every variety can be grown here,
and with far greater ease and larger
results than anywhere else in the
country. There seems to be no limit
to the size they may attain and the
flavor and quality is unsurpassed any
where in the world. AS for fruit it
seems almost incredible that apples,
pears and smaller fruits, berries, grapes,
etc, grow in such abundance and so
rapidly. Many varieties of fruit trees
bear the second year after planting.
The cherry and plum attain MAN.
moth size and and are delicious in
flavor. Pears are large and fair, like
the California pears, but much finer
favored and juicier, the quality of
this fruit as well as of apples being
nearly equal to that grown in the Mid
die States. Language fails to describe
the strawberry OF this region. There
is no way in which the peculiar rich
ness and delicacy of this magnificent
berry may be conveyed, except in the
actual experience of eating it fresh
from the garden. OF the apple, that
king of all fruits, it may be said that in
flavor and quality is closely resembles
that grown in the Middle and Eastern
States while in size and external beau
ty of color and smoothness of skin, it
far surpasses it. The apples grown
here are all fair, smooth beautifully
colored, without spot or blemish. The
trees will bear in from two to four
years, according to variety, and are
so prolific that they are many times
in danger of destruction from over
bearing. This country is destined
to be the great fruit growing re-
gion of the world. Fruit-raising is
already one of the most promising in
dustries and farmers generally are
planting trees constantly.
BLOODED STOCK.
Of all kinds are being rapidly introdu-
ced into the country. 1t is a fact that
there is great demand for superior
breeds of stock and that it no longer
pays to raise common breeds. The
climate is particularly favorable for
stock-raising, the shortness OF the win
ter season requiring that the stock
should he fed but few weeks in the
year Grasses of all kinds thrive but
timothy is the staple for hay.
THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES
of Thurston county are yet in their
infancy, owing to the lack of railroad
communication. 1t is at present con-
fined to the manufacture of lumber
and the industries established at
Olympia, which are treated of at length
elsewhere in this edition.
There are Immense mines of coal in
this county of good quality and as yet
practically undeveloped. Only one
mine is at present worked. 1t is at
Bucoda, twenty miles from Olympia
on the Northern Pacific road. During
the past year seventy-fve thousand
tons of coal have been taken from this
mine and the daily output is now two
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