Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-07-20
Western Washington.
BY BX-Gov. wM. 4. NEWELL.

BY Bx-Gov. wM. A. NEWELL.
The following article appeared in
the mammoth edition Of the Washing
ton Farmer, and embraces such . con.
else statement of our many resources
that we reproduce it entire:
am complimented by your request
to contribute two column article
for the forthcoming mammoth issue
of the Warrington Farmer upon the
resources, advantages, developments
and future prospects, of Western
Washington" give cheerful com
pliance, Notwithstanding the limited
space allotted for the consideration oi
. subject of such broad dimensions
and importance. will be obliged to
avoid amplification, and to confine
my writing closely to text.
Western Washington comprises that
portion of Washington Territory which
lies westward from the Cascade noun
tains to the ocean, constituting two
fifths of the entire Territory, and con-
tains more than twenty millions of
acres. This region borders upon
British Columbia on the north, upon
the Pacific ocean on the west, and
upon the Columbia river on the south,
constituting the Puget Sound Basin.
Its surface is variously level, hilly or
mountainous, consisting Of many
prairies, table lands, plateaus, alluvial
river bottoms, beaver dam, swamp
lands, and salt water tide fats. Seven
millions of acres, naturally free from
wooden growth now cleared by labor,
or yet to be cleared, will produce most
prolifcally natural and cultivated
grasses, wheat, rye, oats, barley, fax,
hemp, broom corn, hops, onions, to-
bacco, peas, beans, sugar beets, and
all other kinds of vegetables grown in
temperate latitudes. A very large
portion of the hilly and rolling land,
when denuded of timb,r. is adapted
also to the production Of the articles
enumerated, as well as fruits; apples,
pears, cherries, plums, prunes. nectar
ines, melons, cranberries, and other
small fruits. No enemies of grain,
vegetables, or fruits have yet appeared
to mar their perfection or diminish
the crops; excessive drouths rarely
prevail, and the gathering season for
fruits, grains and vegetables extends
through an unusually lengihsned pc
Rod. Frosts are almost unknown TO be
destructive Of vegetation, and it is by
no means unusual for farmers to leave
the moro hardy vegetables in the earth
until they are required for use.
The quantity Of fruits and vegetables
grown upon . given area il quite BE-
yond belief, save to the observer, far
surprising that Of any other region
which has ever fallen under my notice.
Ten millions OF acres are covered
thickly with forest trees, chief aud
most abundant of which are the var
ious species Of FIR, red, yellow and
white; cedar, red, and white; hem
lock, spruce, oak, elder, alder, vine
maple and cottonwood. The average
dimensions Of q full grown fir, which
attains its largest growth in y thou
sand years, is Eve feet in diameter,
and two hundred and twenty-five feet
in hight; they maintain quite .
uniform size until near the top, when
they taper of to = bushy spread of few
limbs which incline downward. The
wood il Of = fine grain, elastic, tough
and for certain purposes well nigh in
destructible. The average yield Of
lumber from each one Of these trees
il five thousand feet. Many single
trees have cut thirty-five and forty
thousand feet. "Cruisers" report
many sectious-six hundred and forty
acres-which will yield from twenty to
forty millions Of feet. The wood il
adapted for al hard lumber purposes,
especially for ship building from keel
70 peak. The ship yards Of the world
draw unifermly upon u for masts and
spars, and the lumber finds market in
al parts Of the world. Our waters are
mover without deep sea steamers and
ships for conveyance, coastrwise and
foreign. Until within few years al
timber from logging camps wAs drawn
upon tramwsys. by ) dozen or twenty
huge oxen to . single log, to it, desti-
nation. At present system Of iron
railways, operated by steam, penetrat-
ing the gulches and ascending the
mountain grades, convey long trains
to the streams and deep waters Of the
Sound and seas, whence they are
towed in immense booms to the mills
for conversion into lumber. Mills are
counted by the hundreds. large and
small, the largest, lately consumed by
fire, but soon to be replaced. At Port
Ludlow, which was four hundred and
forty feet long, thus enabled to cut
lumber of one hundred and twenty
feet; the capacity was one-quarter OF
. million feet daily. Many large es-
Adjustments are located upon Gray's
Harbor and Tacoma. A syndicate il
reported soon to build new mills on
those waters which win jointly have q
still larger capacity. Hemlock, spruce
and cottonwood have equally large
growth but in less supply, cedar being
larger than any, but not of so tall
growth. measured one stump on
the Skagit river which had . circum'
ference Of sixty-three feet. There are
many such trees. The cedar is con
verted into siding and shingles. Two
millions feet OF lumber are turned Oul
daily from the rnills; yet the daily
growth upon ten millions of acres fal
surpasses the consumption. Elk in
herds. deer. hear. black and cinnamon