The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-25
CULTIyATING THE MARSHES.
A Form of Farming in Washington With
Magnificent Profits.

New York Evening Post, Seattle Letter.
More than once the fact has been noted that
in these new communities OF the Pacific North
west there is tendency to throw upon state,
county, or city governments undertakings
which in the East are usually left to private
enterprise. In this state, for example, there
is law according to which the diking and re-
claiming OF marshlands owned by individuals
may be done by the county, instead OF forming
q private company to do the work. The own
ers petition the county commissioners for a
dixie, just as they might for a road. The COM
missioners form "dike district" carry out
the improvement, and charge the cost to the
property holders benefited, just as street grad
ing is charged. Under this law Snohomish
county, which lies on Puget sound, little
north OF Seattle, is now building dixie to re-
claim 1900 acres of tide marshland. The ex
pensc OF the whole undertaking will be about
$4,000, but land now practically valueless will
be made worth 500 an acre.
II any state is to have such a law, none is
better entitled to it than Washington; for as
long ago as 1885 the department. OF agriculture
published a "Report on the Tide Marshlands
Of the United States" declaring that "reclama-
ton has nowhere been SO popular and uniform
ly profitable as with the pioneers of Puget
sound" and further: "Perhaps no other farm
lands in the country have for series of years
yielded so large returns on the the invested cap
ita. as the diAed lands of Puget sound" These
lands are classified as tide marsh prairies
and spruce or brush tide marshlands. The
praries, which stand on the level OF ordinary
high water, are covered with grasses. The
spruce or brush lands are foot or two above
ordinary high tide, and are covered with
heavy growth OF spruce timber. In this state
there are about 100000 acres OF marsh prairie
and from 10000 to 100000 acres OF spruce
marshes The improvement OF these tracts
began in 1864. Progress was slow for five or
ten years, but when the era of experiment
was passed, progress was rapid and steady.
1t is estimated that thus far go miles of dixie
have been built along the Sound at q cost of
100000. Some of the recent dikes are immense
levees, many miles long and wide, and thick
enough to form solid wagon roads.
The lucky owners of these tide marshlands
are as a class well-to-do. Most of them are
out OF debt and many OF them can lend money
to their neighbors. This fact is not surpris-
ing in view OF the enormous crops which these
lands raise. The first crop usually planted after
the diking is oats: and after that hay or grains,
diked land in good condition 100 bushels of oats,
so bushels OF barley, 60 bushels OF wheat or
tons OF hay per acre are common crop. In
many parts of Skagit county hay can be cut
twice, and six or eight tons taken from an acre
in season. In many instances from farm
OF l60 acres OF well-improved diked tide
marsh there will be sold yearly 10000 bushels of
oats, 100 tons of hay, and $1,000 worth of dairy
products, fruits, and vegetables. In addition
large number of cattle, horses, and hogs will be
fed, aud all farm produce that can be proitably
consumed on the place will be raised. Immense
crops are sometimes secured on single tracts
but, to say nothing OF these, the following are
actual results of good and bad farming for large
areas OF skagit county tide narshland in 1855:
On 1880 acres were produced l., $50 tons of oats,
on $50 acres were cut $3.50 tons of hay, and
5000 acres, mostly in meadow, pastured l,7S5
cattle 755 horses, 1850 hogs, and $50 sheep.
1t is not to be wondered at, then, that the
state has framed laws to encourage the most
profitable kind of farming carried on in Wash
lngton.