Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1891-01-07
THE STATE OF WASHINGTON.
An interesting Letter From an
Old kevadan.

The northern country is now attract
ing more attention than any other sec
ton OF the coast, and a great many Of
our readers are especially interested
in Chehalis, in western Washington.
Hence we copy the following letter,
written by Geo. NJ Smith to the Genoa
Courier II will be remembered that
the country described is that in which
Laws, Yerington, Jones and Stewart
are engaged in railroading aud general
development:
CHEHALIs, Dc. 80, 1920.
The distance from Chehalis TO the
coast as the crow flies is between forty
and fifty miles, consequently We have
considerable rain during the Winter
months aud occasional showers in
Summer-sui1iciQn to grow tue best
crops | ever saw, and almost anything
will grow here, except corn, and that
is raised for table use. 1t is the boast
OF Lewis county tAat her crops mover
fail, and | ana quite sare there was no
failure this year. Immense crops of
wheat, oats, timothy hay and all kinds
Of fruits and vegetables were harvested.
One OF my neiahbors raised 30 bushels
OF potatoes on one-tenth OF an acre of
land, and another 100 bushels on one.
half acre They are worth 90 cents
bushel-eyerything is sold by the
bushel here. Wheat brings is cents,
eats 90 cents and hay $40 ton in bales
Eggs ara worth 40 cents dozen and
butter rs cents roll.
Timothy hay attains a magnificent
growth. | saw many fields Of it las,
Summer where the heads stood as high
AZ an ordinary stake and.rider rail fence.
The heads, too, are very long, Many
of the farmers in the Chehalis Valley
cut three tons of this bay to the acre,
thus turning off the land 500 to the
acre in ONT season. But the greatest
profits were made this yesr on tho hop
crop. One man realized $4,000 from
less than twenty acres. But of course
there is great deal of expense at
tachsd to gathering and curing this
crop.
The price of lands cannot be given
accurately, for the reason that the
prics varies greatly IN accordance with
the proximity to market. Land around
Chshalis has increased in value twenty.
five per cent. in the past four months.
This 10 probably on account Of the
great activity in railroad building.
Improved and partially improved lands
are selling all the way from $40 10 $500
an acre, and unimprovsd lands bring
from $l5 to $75 an acre, according to
locality and the quality Of the soil.
All of the unimproved lands are cover.
cd with timber, but some lands are of
course much easier cleared than others.
On land whore there is thick growth
of large timber it takes a very great
amount Of labor to make much of q
showing in an agricultural way, al
though some Of the most productive
farms in this vicinity we're once COW
cred with dense growth of fir and
cedar trees. But where the land is
covered with small trees aud brush it
is much easier handled. The would.be
farmer takes his ak in the fcrspsrt of
the season and levels everything to the
ground. This costs him from ST to
so an acre. Then, in September or
October, he sets fire to the whole con.
glomerated mass and when the flames
die ont his land is before him. HIS
first crop lie sometimes large one, and
consists wholly Of logs which the fire.
failed to consume. Whea he has relied
these together and burned them he
puts in crop among the stumps and
begins his agricultural labors in earn
est, Fruit trees are get out and hay,
grain and vegetables are harvested Just
tho same as though the stumps were
not there. In from two TO four years
the stumps rot out and no longer mar
the appearance OF the land.
The greater portion of the large tim
Der here ls fired, white aud yellow
although there is a great deal OF cedar.
Oak, ash, soft maple, cottonwood,
cherry, willow and crabapple and ether
common varieties of wood. Lumber
is made Of fir and cedar-we have no
pine trees nor sagebrush, hazel brush
-. l.. al. u