The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-24
a PACIFIC SLOPE HOLLAND.
Richness Of the swinomish Flats I'm skagii
County. Wash.


County. Wash.
In this great western country where there
is so much wild land, where millions Of
acres of soil have never felt the touch OF
the plowman's share or the keen edge Of
the woodlands AK. IL dos not seem that is
would be necessary 20 reclaim land from
the sea TO obtain acres for cultivation.
But that has been done. and in Skagit
county, almost in the very northwestern
corner of the state, can be found scores of
the finest ranches in the world. lying be-
hind dikes built 10 keep out the sea and
the overflows of the Skagit river, the lar
gest stream that empties into the sound.
This is the veritable Holland Of Wash
ington. In Skagit county are situated the
famous Swinomish flats, the Beaver marsh,
the Olympic marsh and the Samish flats,
all surrounded by dikes ranging in height
from 2 10 Is feet. There are tide gates
along the seashore which act automatical-
ly, and which drain the land SO perfectly
that crops are raised on land below the sea
level with safety. And such cropsl
For ages the big river has been bringing
down from the hills the richest sediment,
and there is really no bottom to the soil If
farmer in the east plows a little too deep,
he turns up clay or rocks. IL the Beaver
marsh rancher holds his pillow handles too
high, he simply digs up more of the rich
loan that raises every year without fail
such crops that the old ranchers of other
sections cannot believe the stories One
hundred and twenty five bushels of oats TO
the acre, ton and a half of hops or 1--we
tons OF hay are common yields, while all
sorts of root crops give equally large re-
suits.
In order to plow this land, which, of
course, is soft and spongy, the ranchcrs
often put 'tuley" shoes on their horses,
the shoes consisting of wide wooden blocss
70 prevent the animals from sinking into
the loan.
There are at present eight diking dis.
tricts in the county, and nearly every
ranch Of any size is in ono or another of
these districts. Fully 100 miles of bikes
are in uso in the county, ana many of
them are used also az roads. Very pictur-
esque are these embankments in many
places as they wind around through the
trees. When the Skagit is having IA freshct,
as has been the case this week. the people
turn out TO watch their bikes, and by re-
pairing them save their lands from mum
dalton. Sometimes a very high tide will
go over a dixie and cover number of
does not stand too long this does no par
ticular damage.
AS there is nothing but sand and black
loan to construct the bikes of, no perma-
nent work has ever been done and cannot be
until the river is SO improved that it has
reasonably straight channel to the sea.
Five or six forks or mouths discharge the
water into the sound, and the delta thus
formed is excellent farming land If the
water should be confined to one channel,
thousands of acres of land would be re-
claimed and the danger of overflow re
duced TO minimum. BY this improve.
ment a magnificent navigablo river, TEEN
ing with fish and flowing through wealth
of timber and mineral land, would be
opened up and would provide employment
for countless numbers of people. Seattle
Post Iatellisenoor.