The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-17
Highest Leavenng Power-U Report Aug 1889
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ABSOLUTELY PURE
ABSOLUTELY PURE

marsh prairie. There are 10000 acres more on
the Chehalis river intermediate between brush
tide marsh aud river bottom land, which must
be diked and drained before it is fully i'm
proved On the ocean coast north of Gray
harbor to and including Neah bay are 10000
acres tide marsh, over one,third OF which rs Is
Fuca are 200 acres: on Hood canal and on the
west side of Puget sound 1000 scres, and on the
east side of Puget sound there are in Pierce
county $500 acres; in King county, 80 acres;
in Snohomish county, 1000 acres; in Skagit
county, $1,000 acres; in Whatcom county, 1000
aeres; in Island county. 1900 acres, and in San
Juan county eco acres.
In the state Of Washington there are 100000
acres OF open tide marsh prairie and from l2OOoO
to 10000 acres of spruce and brush tide marsh
lands West of the coast range, not over LOCO
acres are improved, but upon the Puget sound
tide mash lands up TO 1885, $4,000 had been
spent upon $50 miles of Gikes in Skagit county,
$4,000 on 81 miles in Snohomish county, and
$4,000 10 miles in other counties In the
older regions dikes are constantly being i'm
proved made higher, wider and stronger, and
on Puget sound, about $50 miles OF dixie have
been built at a total cost OF $4,000 Some of
the recent dikes are immense levees. many miles
long, wide ard thick enough to form solid
wagon roads. Quite recently large sums have
been spent proftabiy on tide marsh lands in
understanding as well as diking; this secures
cheapness and facility of cultivation, makes
all wears successful seasons and largely in
crenses the yield OF each year
Tide marsh improvement began about 1864 by
a few veEturesome settlers IN both Snohomish
and Skagit counties. The difficulties were
many and the progress slow for five or ten years,
but as soon as the era OF experiment was passed
the progress to wealth steady and rapid.
Now nearly every tide marsh farmer is not only
out OF debt, but growing rich, and most OF them
are already so. In lsS5 the Departments OF agri-
culture published Report on the Tide Marsh
Lands of the United States, wherein ii was
officially stated that reclamation has nowhere
been so popular and uniformly prohtaole rs
with the pioneers on the shores oil Puget sound.
1t further said: perhaps no other farm lands
in the country have for q series OF years yielded
: so large returns on the invested capital as the
( diked lands of Puget sound.
1t would be difficult to make q stranger under
stand how much il would cost to improve these
lands. Every tract has to be estimated by itself.
With the first settlers small tracts were enclosed
by small dikes. Still the cost was very great.
Now larger areas are enclosed by longer and
stronger dikes frequently at a less cost per acre
than when poorer dikes were made Then to
dam single slough often costs more than TO
dixie the rest of the farm. On the average it
costs $50 an acre TO dixie and drain an average
tide marsh farm. Ii costs as much more TO
fill UP holes and sloughs and fl the ground
for cultivation. If spruce or brush marsh ii
costs from. $50 TO $50 per acre to clear. I'm
proved, this land for farming purposes is
worth from sl00 to $500 per acre. At the lat
ter price it will yield a large per cent. on
the invested capital. Unimproved tide marsh
lands are valuable for pasturage. When simply
diked their value is greatly increased When
cultivated, the first thing raised usually is oats.
Afterward, hay or grains, vegetables and fruits
Nearly all tide marsh land in skagit county ia
under dixie, and about two-thirds of it in Guilt
walton. Snohomish county has over one-half
under dixie and about one-thjrd cultivated. Not
to mention immense crops sometimes secured
on single tracts following are actual total re-
suits of good and bad farming for large areas of
Skagit county tide marsh land in 1888:
On 1880 acres were produced 1850
tons OF OATS on 1880 acres were
cut $40 tons of hay, aud 600 acres, mostly in
meadow, pastured !, 735 cattle, 755 horses, 1856
hogs and $50 sheep In many instances from
farm of 160 acres of well improved diked tide
marsh there will be sold yearly 10000 bushels of
oats. 100 tons of hay and 900 worth of dairy
products, fruits and vegetables In addition
large number of cattle, horses and hogs will be
fed, and all farm produce that can be profitably
consumed on the place will be raised. With
diked land in good condition 100 bushels of
oats, eighty bushels of barley, sixty bushels of
wheat and four tons of hay per acre
are common crops. The great problem is
thorough drainage. The rise and fall of the
tide allow drainage BIZ tide gates through the
dikes. With proper interior bitches and under
draining the average yield shows tendency to
increase rather than decrease from year to year.
The most enduring and productive tide marsh
land is that not right salt water, but in the
river detas where salt and fresh water meet
about where open and brush marsh join. He
who can secure this land anywhere in Washing
ton secures fortune.