The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1903-04-24
WASHINGTON LEADS
Marvellous Expansion of the
Farming Industry.
wonderful Development shown IN
the Raising of Wheat. Fruit
and Other Crops.

Inc hgures employed by the govern.
ment statisticians to exnTass tba o..oaa
ness OF the farming industry in the stoto
OF washington are SO big that Il l. hor5
TO appreciate them. Although tbe CO..
sus was taken three wears ego aU A.
results OF the canvass have not yet hon, ono
published. James H. Blodgott S+otia
Siclan ol the agricultural department.
ndS JUST prepared a paper showing the
teid'ions oi population and food pro-
uuo1r' ' oasing ms conclusions on figures
undue aVailaDIe Oy the work OF the CEN
sus year. 80 lar as his Investigations
pertalh TO the state OF Washington they
are SIMPLY marvellous; they tell won
uerfui story OF rapid and substantial de-
Velopment unmatched in any other part
OF the country.
Take wheat as an example. In 1880
Washington produced less than 2 600
oUo bushels OF wheat; in 1900 the cron
amounted to more than 2I 900 600
bushels, and has since increased to n
much larger figure. In 1880 Washing
ton was twenty second among all the
states lii wheat production; in 1900 il
was eleventh. la the ten years following
1890 the wheat production of Weshino,
ton increased above three-fOld: that M
oregon, IN the same period, increased nv
about 100000 bushels. or about 60
per cent; while California's crop actuaIlv
decreased by about 10 per cent. In the
number OF bushels produced per SQUARE
mile OF area for the state, Washington
LED all the states west OF the Dakotas nv
big margin. Although the increase in
population has been marvellous aIao ths
wheat production per capita in Wash
lngtOn in 1900 was fifth among oil tba
states, being 40 80 bushels, as against
35.OS IN Oregon and "a so in CaIifarnia
Other Crops Increase Greatly.
Wonderful as the growth of the wheat
industry has been, the record has been
exceeded In certain other lines of apr,.
cultural activity. Not only has there
been a great prosperity in the raising of
cereal crops, but in fruits, vegetables
and market gardening also. The annie
crop increased from 1895, 1876 bushels in
1890 to 72S ,978 bushels in 1900. Cher
RES were produced to the extent of ~
ia bushels in 1900, as against IL 500
bushels in 1890; pears, Is 236 bushels
IN 1900, as against 26,S6S in 1890.
peaches Increased in annual production
from 63,497 bushels to SO,99O bushels
IN the same ten year period. The most
remarkable growth in the fruit industrv
however, was in plums and pruns. in
1890 the the crop was 66,9O9 bushels:
In 1900 it was 229, ,2O7 bushels.
me potato crop in Washington in
1900 was 1857 ,S76 bushels, as against
1,445, ,O1S bushels in 1890. The market
gardening business in Washington has
had phenomenally rapid growth, the
natural cause OF this development being
the quick upbuilding Of large centers OF
population on Puget sound and in other
parts OF the state. La 1880 this busi
ness was insignificant, the value OF mar
ket garden products being only S27.9lS.
Ia 1890 these products had increased to
S266 ,O6l, and in 1900 to SI,O59.27
No other figures in Mr.. Blodgett's com
pllatIOn are so significant Of the urban
growth OF the Pacific northwest.
The poultry business, two has ad-
Vanced by leaps and bounds. The figures
are so big, and therefore 80 difficult to
appreciate, that it is almost idle to give
them. In the census year 1900 the
number of fowls was 1,356.715. as
against 817,12 in 1890. The number
OF eggs annually produced had increased
10 the same period from 2,71n, $50 dozen
to 7,473,79 dozen.
The fishery products of Washington
and Alaska in 1900 we're much more
than One-third of the entire OUTPUT of
the United States. Washington alone
produced food fish products valued at
S2, ,659, ,OO4. The state was second ONLY
to Massachusetts in this industry.