The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-01
RAISING OF WHEAT.
Profitable Industry of Eastern
Washington.
LARGE YIELDS TO THE ACRE.
Valuable Bulletin Written for State
Board OF Trade by DIR. n. G. Bla-
lock, OF walIa walIa.

The article is written by so high an au-
thority as DIR. " G. Blalock, of Walla
Walla, president and executive commits
sloner of the Washington Worlds fair
commission. DR.. Blaiock gives some of
the results of his years of success in wheat
growing. This years crop he estimates at
from 5000 900 to Is, 100000 bushels. The
average yield per acre for 1890 he puts at
23.5 bushels, though yields of from 40 to
% bushels are common. In closing he
touches on the other grain crops of the
state. The bulletin follows:
lnasmueh as the Warrington farmer engaged
In raising wheat has ali the year to seed and all
the year TO harvest, he can cultivate an area
which would require the labor OF ten men In the
VIII at fields OF the East This in connection
with the high average yield per acre, permits
the industry to be pursued with great profit.
1t also admits OF surprising volume OF produc-
ton in proportion to the extent of rural popula-
ton.
In view of the great capabilities of the soil for
the production of cereals, and in view of the
Tact that only asmall part of the agricultural
lands of the state 10 under the plow, none can
estimate with any degree OF accuracy the
wealth bringing possibilities of the state OF
Washington in this direction, though experience
has demonstrated that the wheat fields are GER
tain TO yield TO the state annually many millions
OF dollars in clear profits There has been much
difficulty in obtaining reliable stats les con-
corning the wheat crop of the state. Washing
ton has been accredited commonly with hav-
ing produced 2l,Oo0000 bushels of wheat
in 1890, but these figures are an exaggeration.
The secretary of the state Board of Trade COL
leeted figures showing the yield, aside from the
amount held for seeding, to have been in the
neighborhood of 13,0o0,0J0 bushels. Figures
collected by the secretary of the Spokane Cham
Der OF Commerce were but slightly in excess of
this. endeavored TO obtain the exact amount
of the yield, and, considering the amount held
by producers for seeding, / have reached the
conclus on that the crop of 1880 il properly es-
umated at from l3,00O,000 TO $4,000 900 bushels.
The crop OF 1891 is about the same in amount.
Wheat is produced both In Western and East
ern Washington, but the eastern part Of the
state contains the great belts that yield for the
export trade. Three distinct districts contend
for the palm of superiority. One of these is
known as the Big Bend country This 10 located
In the geographical center of the state, and de-
rives Its name from the eccentric course of the
Columbia river, as it forms the northern, west
ern and, partially, the southern boundaries OF
Douglas county The soil and climate are finely
adapted TO the production of ali cereals and
success has attended every effort Of the farmer.
While there has been large immigration to this
district during the years 1890 ana 1891, produc-
tion has not been carried on to 1.-THE of the
limits of the capabilities of the district. This il
entirely owing to the absence of ready means of
transportation. The railroads had neglected
one of the richest portions of the state.
Now two or three lines are being pushed
into these cereal fields and the progress of de-
velopment before long will be unimpeded.
Another district, and the one which has pro-
duced the greater volume of the wheat crop of
the state is the Palouse vail y. The Palouse is
q tributary of the Snake river, and with its
hran ahas ali limos il of
whose yearly yield of wheat is from 1000, 600 to
100000 bushels. Garfield and Columbia coun-
ties, in proportion 10 their size, show the same
capabilities of production. South of the Palouse
valley 10 the third whea. belt, known as the
Walla Walla valley, much of which has been
under cultivation for many years without the
slightest exhaustion of the soil. These three
districts have much in common in climatic con.
ditions and in the character of their SOIL so that
what may be said of one would readily apply to
the Others.
The wheat raising soil of Eastern Washington
is like that of Italy, which for a thousand years
and more has been obedient 10 the husbandman
Washington soil is in like manner inexhaust-
ible. For forty years some tracts have yielded
annually forty bushels of wheat to the acre and
no compost has been used. The soil is from ten
to one hundred feet in depth, and contains
those salts AID silicares essential to the profit
able cultivation of cereals 1t is a sedimentary
made up of sandy loan, disintegrated basaIt
and ash. 1t is quite porous, readily drinking in
moisture and giving IL out as needed and al
lowing the salts TO rise TO feet the growing
crop. This nutr.ment seems to replenish ITSELF
and as long as there are people on earth TO feed
Washington will be looked upon as an unfailing
source of wheat supply.
Climatic conditions from year to year are not
variable There is certain TO be enough rain in
the autumn to bring up the wheat, and there ls
enough in the late spring and summer to cause
the grain TO mature without being scorched.
There are on the average three weeks of snow,
and the deeper the snow the better are the
prospects for an abundant crop. There is
considerable area of wheat land yet uneulti-
waited which is sufficiently supplied with mos
ture 10 insurer poiitabe cultivat on. Not over
10000 or 10000 acres of this arabic land are in
cultivation, and there is about as much more
lying unemployed. Vast tracts in addition
need bnt slight irrigation to make them as rich
the fields which or years have brought
would prove profitable in many of
the present grain heds, as they would
insure an abundant crop every year, where now
summer following is expedent The problem
of water supply is not at all serious. The grain
belts may all be supplied from mountain ra!ikes
not far distant, and artesian weld gging has
met with wonderful success. | might m,ntion
the artesisn wells at Pullman, in Whitman
county. The first well was bored in the summer
of 1889, and seven others are now flowing one
supplying the entire city water system. The
depth of the wells varies from seventy-four to
us feet and the water rises about forty feet
above the surface of the ground. No diminu-
ton of flow has been pereeptibie as succeeding
wells were bored. and thu flow averages LOO
gallons per minute from each well.
Perhaps il would be well for me TO explain
how IL is that the Washington farmer has all
the wear to seed and ali the year TO harvest
During the summer the ground is covered with
a layer of dust This layer is not tn OK, but il
is sufficient to cause the soil beneath 10 retain
its moisture Wheat sown in this dust in the
latter part of June, July, August aud Septem-
her will spring up only alter the autumn rains
have set in. II is generally considered that from
september Is to December l is the best time for
seeding, though wheat sown in the summer and
AT any time in the winter or early spring will
ripeu at the same time, ana / have known of
wheat sown in every month of the year. This
ia an advantage which the Eastern farmer. linn
tied in his seeding time, can thoroughly appre
eiate.
necessity for haste in harvesting, nor does the
wheSt have to be stacked. A week, month, or
even six months makes little difference. Wheat
standing after ii is ripe suffers no loss for the
crou never straw falls The stem is strong snd
the her tough, and though the harvest season
begins about the LIST OF July the machines are
in the fields until December, and occasionally
the crop is Left standing until the following
spriue Several varieties OF wheat are sowed,
though the blue stem predominates- Other pop
Mar varieties are the red eha Scotch Fife, little
club and Chile club Experiments have been
made with some varieties of hard whezt, and
satisfactory yields were obtained, but the wheat