The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-17
FARMING ON SAN JUAN.
Facts About the Success OF Farmers on
Ono of the Garden spots.

Ono of the Garden spots.
I 4. Gould, Of Friday Harbor, was Sc
lactcd to prepare paper on Farming and
Fruit Raising on San Juan Island be-
ca1Ise he is known as one of the most sue
ccssful farmers and fruit growers on the
islands of the inland sea. He said:
The group of islands known as the San
.!uan islands is composed of 160 islands, the
largest of which is San Juan island, which
is over fifteen miles long and six miles
wide at its greatest width. The other prin-
cipal islands are Orcas, Lopez, Shaw, Wal
dron, Blakeley and Decatur. They have
been settled for over thirty-five years, and
there are many fine farms and orchards
that have been cultivated for years. The
county, to a certain extent, in early days
being slOated, and settled by farmers
principally, with no towns within it's bor-
der. never had what is called a boom, so
that she never had boom to collapse, and
formerly being unhandy to reach had no
real estate agents to sing her praises, SO
that today farm, garden and orchard land
can be had at reasonable figures.
In early days farmers only had to raise
a few bushels of potatoes and oats to
make a very easy living, potatoes being
worth from 80 cents to 81 per bushel, and
oats from % to 60 cents per bushel, and for
that reason many Of the early settlers only
cleared and improved enough land to make
a living off of, but as prices of produce
continued TO shrink, more land was clear
ed, but nothing was done except just what
would furnish the necessares of life. How
ever, there were many exceptions to this
method, as the well-improved farms bear
evidence. In regard to raising grain, the
yield of oats runs from 60 to ITO bushels to
the acre, and averages So bushels to the
acre. The soil in the valleys is what is
known as beaver and alder bottom land;
there seems to be no limit to the amount
of grain that can be raised. Other small
grains thrive as well, but the market for
oats being the best, has led the farmers
TO prefer them. Owing to the fall, winter
and spring rains, timothy and clover yield
immensely when compared with the East
ern states. it not being unusual that a
yield of five tons to the acre of tame hay
is had AS there is scarcely any freezing
weather in the winter stock thrive all Win
ter on the native wild grass, and are
scarcely ever fed unless a snow comes,
which generally stays on the ground not
to exceed two weeks at any one time. AS
COWS do well, and owing to our mild warm
winter weather give the most milk in the
winter fall and spring, those farmers who
have turned their attention to dairying
and raising cattle have been very success
ful. and it is branch of farming that
cannot be overdone in Western Washing
ton. Several farmers during the past two
years have turned their attention to rails
Ing garden seeds for the Eastern and Mid
die states; one farmer alone this past year
having raised and sold over 5000 worth of
garden peas, receiving for some of the bet
ter varieties to 8 cents per pound, all of
which were shipped East for seed. 1t ap-
pears that the area where seed garden
peas can be raised in the United States is
very limited, on account Of weevil that
boreS hole in the seed, and owing to our
cool nights this weevil cannot live in our
climate. Hence it is very profitable with
us to raise seed peas. In no state of the
Union will field peas make as good yield
as we get on San Juan island. We can
not raise corn, but peas are a good substi-
tute. We can raise as many pounds of
peas to the acre as the best Iowa farm
will produce pounds of corn to the acre.
and it is claimed that pound of peas will
produce as much or more pork as a pound
OF corn. And there is another thing in
favor CT peas in preference to corn for
hogs, and it is this, hogs fattened on peas
never have hog cholera or liver complaint
There has never been case of hog chol-
era on the San Juan islands, and any farm
er from the corn producing states knows
the dreadful havoc made by the cholera
among their hogs. The San Juan county
farmers are just Weakening up to the fact
that we have a superior climate and an
SeoN gram W raise 10 IIidkS cheap, QUICK
pork, and are gradually getting more hogs
and while the East ships carload after
carload of hams, bacon and lard to Wash
lngton there will be great profit to our
farmers in raising and selling hogs.
Potatoes and all roots grow to immense
size, and one farmer that 1 am acquainted
with harvested fifteen acres of as fine po-
tatoes this year as ever grew. Another
farmer, Mr.. John Bartlett, raised sugar
DeetS that the to of fxro ivy
eight tons to the acre. Two years ago Mr..
u. H. Williams, of East Sound, in our
county, received the first prize of $40 from
James Vicks' Sons, of Rochester, N. Y,
Tor the largest and best twelve tubers Of
the Maggie Murphy potatoes, and this
prize was striven for by over 600 persons
from Canada and every state Of the I'm
Ion. and he only failed on second prize on
me American Powder potato by their
failure to reach Rochester in time. This
year Mr.. Williams received the first prize
OF $50 from William H. Maule of Phila-
delphia, one of the largest seedmen in the
world, for the best red top White Globe
turnip, and in sending this prize to Mr..
Williams, Mr.. Maule writes that cit is
quite card that owing to superior soil
ana cultivation you were able to secure
thls premium in a competition of this
character, and against the strongest kind
OF competition, not only in the United
states but also in Canada" This wear
AIR. Williams took the second prize on the
largest head of oats, given by W. Atlee
Burpee. of Philadelphia. These prizes
only show what one man has been able to
accomplish, and also shows what can be
done by our farmers.
The great quantity of eggs and poultry
shipped from our islands on every steam
er speak for themselves as to what can be
oone in the way Of raising poultry, and yet
poultry raising is only in it's infancy with
US. and 1T is business that women and
girls are very successful in following 1t
is light. easy employment and yields a
good income on small investment.
Ii has never been questioned that in fruit
growing such as apples, pears, cherries
plums, prunes and small fruit our soil and
climate are especially adapted. The many
thousand boxes of plums shipped from Or
cas- island, and thousands of boxes of ap-
pies now being shipped of this last sea-
sons crop. plainly show that fruit raising
is a complete success with us. We have
one large prune dryer now within the coun-
", and the sample of dried prunes from il
will compare favorably with any in the
market. Two more dryers will be put ur
next year, and as the --~,,ne orchards
come into bearing still more will have to
De erected. In planting an orchard small
trees are planted, and for the years that
II takes the orchard to reach bearing
age, vegetables, strawberries, small fruit
and potatoes can be raised among the
trees, and thus, while the orchard is grow
ing. crop can be also raised, and in rails