A Report On Washington Territory Part 7

[Sidenote: The great saw-mills.]

No one without seeing it can have an adequate idea of the magnitude of the operations of one of the great saw-mills of Puget Sound. The Puget Mill Company, for the first ten months of last year, sawed on an average 290,000 feet every day of ten working hours. I visited the Port Blakely Mills, just across the Sound from Seattle. There I found a fleet of s.h.i.+ps in the harbor, owned chiefly by the company; also, s.h.i.+ps building on the stocks; railroads going out to the logging camps; a basin for receiving the logs, and a mill, with four separate tracks, bringing the logs in at one end, and carrying out the lumber at the other. A high iron trestle carried off the slabs to an enormous fire which never ceased to burn, where all this waste was consumed.

Around the mill was quite a town, in which a large number of races and nationalities were represented. This mill cut about 59,000,000 feet in 1887. Up to the 10th of November it had s.h.i.+pped as follows: To California, 32,464,763 feet; to South America, 6,847,427 feet; to Sandwich Islands, 1,799,891 feet; to Australia, 6,681,668 feet; to Feejee Islands, 511,815 feet; and used at home for s.h.i.+p-building, railroads, etc., 2,312,000 feet.

The Tacoma Mill Company and the Was.h.i.+ngton Mill Company produced the following lumber, etc., during 1886 and the first ten months of 1887:

LUMBER. LATH. PILES.

FEET. NO. LINEAR FT.

Tacoma Mill 103,448,350 28,815,095 642,385 Was.h.i.+ngton Mill 42,195,478 8,772,800 266,403

There were other large mills whose statistics I was not able to get in time. Mr. Walker thinks that the cut of all the mills on Puget Sound averages 1,200,000 feet per day; all of which finds ready sale.

[Sidenote: Profits and prices.]

I was not able to ascertain the profits of these mills, but there can be no doubt that, with proper management, the profits are very good. The Seattle wholesale prices were as follows:

Lumber, common, per thousand feet $12 00 " sized, " " " 14 00 " Flooring $15 00 to 20 00 Dressed lumber, per thousand feet 14 00 to 30 00 Laths 2 00 to 2 25 s.h.i.+ngles 1 50 to 2 00

AGRICULTURE.

[Sidenote: Clearing the land.]

[Sidenote: Demand for agricultural products.]

[Sidenote: Large crops.]

[Sidenote: Hop-growing on a large scale.]

After hearing of the forests in West Was.h.i.+ngton, one cannot be surprised to learn that the agricultural interest develops slowly in this part of the Territory. Even after the logger has taken what he wants, there remains a heavy ma.s.s of vegetation which is expensive to clear away. A thorough clearing, including the removal of stumps, costs $75 to $100 per acre; and yet this is sometimes done for hops, hay and vegetables.

But the common way is to "slash and burn," at an expense of ten to fifteen dollars an acre. This clears off everything but stumps, and such trees as may be reserved for the mill or other purposes. There are fine farms in every direction, but I had no means of ascertaining the proportion of cleared land, or of the agricultural population. The natural fertility of the soil, the high prices of produce, and the rapidly growing demand, both foreign and local, will tempt to a wasteful destruction of timber in order to prepare the ground for crops. There need be no doubt as to the extraordinary productiveness of the soils, even beyond that of the same quality of lands elsewhere; because the climatic conditions are extra favorable for the growth of all crops suited to the country. There are some crops, such as corn, lima beans and sweet potatoes, which are contra-indicated. The cool summer nights check the maturing of these. Wheat, also, is not suited, though produced to some extent. But for almost everything else the conditions favor extra production. The conditions could scarcely be better for gra.s.s and hay. The scantiness of the summer rains is more than compensated for by the long growing seasons in fall and spring. No soil and climate could be better for oats and potatoes. The reported yield of these three staples would be called fabulous if not established by good testimony.

Three tons of hay, 100 bushels of oats, and 600 bushels of potatoes per acre are above the average, but by no means reach the maximum on the best lands. Most fruits do well. In the production of hops West Was.h.i.+ngton has become celebrated as to quality and yield per acre.

This is probably the largest of the agricultural interests in this part of the Territory, and was at one time enormously profitable. Present prices are thought to leave some margin, but not much.

[Ill.u.s.tration: INDIANS GATHERING HOPS, WAs.h.i.+NGTON TERRITORY, ON LINE OF SEATTLE, LAKE Sh.o.r.e AND EASTERN RAILWAY.]

[Sidenote: The changed agricultural conditions of East Was.h.i.+ngton.]

[Sidenote: Irrigation in the Yakima Valley.]

As heretofore remarked, the agricultural conditions change suddenly on crossing the Cascade Mountains to the eastward; and this change begins at the crest line, and is more marked on the mountain side and near its base than anywhere else. The winters are longer and more severe, and the summers drier and hotter. There is natural pasturage similar to that of the plateau country, coming up to the timber line, the lower edge of which is high on the mountain. Much of this mountain land, though covered scantily with sage brush and bunch gra.s.s, is really fertile, and, besides supporting cattle, can be made to bring fair crops of wheat and other things; but the rainfall is so insufficient that irrigation is necessary for the development of any large agricultural interest.

Fortunately, in the large basin of the Yakima, irrigating streams are abundant, and its enterprising people are availing themselves of this happy resource. By reference to a good map it will be seen that the Yakima River is made up of an unusual number of streams. A group of these come together near Ellensburg, and another group near the town of North Yakima; and there are said to be large bodies of land susceptible of irrigation by these streams. The Ellensburg valley is thirty miles long, and about ten miles wide; and is the best agricultural section in Kitt.i.tas County. It is claimed that forty bushels of wheat to the acre can be produced here without irrigation; and that 1,000,000 bushels of wheat were actually produced in this basin in 1887. Hay, hops, vegetables, berries and fruits also do well naturally, but with irrigation the product is uniformly large. There are four irrigating ca.n.a.ls in the valley. The Teanaway Ditch Company has one fifty miles long which can water 75,000 acres of land. The Ellensburg Ditch Company has a ditch ten miles long, covering 10,000 acres. Mr. Bull has one six miles long, and the owners of the new roller mill have two and a half miles of ditch.

Next below Kitt.i.tas is Yakima County, which contains a number of fertile valleys, and also good uplands, and is well supplied with irrigating streams, which have already been brought into use. Two large ditches are drawn from the Natchess River. Ditches are also taken from the Ahtanum, which is the princ.i.p.al hop-raising section. A plateau, three by ten miles, between the Cowiche and Natchess, will all be irrigated. The Moxee Valley is largely owned by Eastern and other capitalists, who seem to be expending much money in the improvement of the country. This company has fourteen miles of ditch.

[Sidenote: Varied crops.]

By the help of these ditches the people of Yakima Valley are producing corn, which under the hot sun of the locality perfects its product.

Tobacco has been tried also with fair results. And the Moxee County will try the dairy business. There is a disposition also to try improved breeds of cattle. The spirit of enterprise has resulted largely from the pa.s.sage of the Northern Pacific Railroad along the Yakima Valley; but at the same time the greatest obstacle in the way of irrigation lies in the owners.h.i.+p of alternate sections by this railroad. The Yakima Indians have good lands, and Klickatat County is well spoken of. Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peaches, grapes, and other things requiring much heat, are said to thrive in the lower parts of the Yakima Valley.

[Sidenote: The Great Plain.]

[Sidenote: Boundaries.]

We enter now the last grand division of the country, the Great Plain, or, more strictly, plateau of the Columbia River. In spite of its unpromising aspect, this is the chief agricultural region of the Pacific States. To get the exact boundary, find the point (a little below Wallula Junction) where Was.h.i.+ngton and Oregon both corner on the Columbia River. From this point, follow the Columbia up to the mouth of Spokane River; follow Spokane River up to the Idaho line; follow the Idaho line south to the Oregon line; follow the Oregon line due-west to the beginning, and within these lines lies the region which is destined to be the granary of the Pacific States.

[Sidenote: Early history.]

The settlement of this plain began near Walla Walla, where a Christian mission was established by Whitman, the hero and martyr, who saved this country to the United States. Hence the most thickly populated part of the plain is between the Oregon line and Snake River. This region was supplied with transportation by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company. The largest agricultural production is here.

[Sidenote: Area and population.]

Immigration next moved north of Snake River into the valley of the Palouse River, and here we have the next largest area of production.

When the Northern Pacific Railroad came in from the east, the new-comers entered the Great Bend country, which is the northern half of the plain. The chief settlement here is in Spokane and Lincoln counties, which cover nearly half of the Great Bend. Douglas County covers the remainder, and is beginning to be settled. There are ten counties on the plateau, with an aggregate area of 20,000 square miles and a population of 52,000. Of this population, 20,000 is south of the Snake River, 14,000 north of Snake River, and 18,000 in the Great Bend, including Spokane Falls.

[Sidenote: Amazing wheat crops: surpa.s.sing all other States.]

The great staple of this country is wheat, though almost every crop is grown, and most of them with remarkable results. Corn is grown only south of Snake River, where it yields thirty bushels to the acre. The average yield of wheat year by year for the entire Territory is put by Governor Squire at twenty-five bushels, and no one who knows the country can regard this otherwise than as a moderate estimate. This average places Was.h.i.+ngton Territory beyond comparison first among the States of America, and, so far as I can learn, second only to England among other nations. England, by the highest manuring, has brought her wheat product up to thirty bushels, which is double the average of former years. By the census of 1880, Was.h.i.+ngton Territory, as a whole, leads all the other States. The following tables give the average of ten of the chief wheat-producing States:

WHEAT, PER ACRE. BUSHELS.

California 15.8 Dakota 10.6 Minnesota 11.3 New York 15.7 Ohio 18.0 Pennsylvania 13.4 Virginia 8.6 Was.h.i.+ngton Territory 23.5 Oregon 16.8 Illinois 15.5

The year 1886 was the worst wheat year ever known in Was.h.i.+ngton Territory: its crop averaged sixteen and a half bushels.

[Sidenote: Railroads overwhelmed with freight.]

It is thought that the wheat crop of East Was.h.i.+ngton for 1887 will exceed 10,000,000 bushels. It certainly went far beyond the ability of the railroads to carry it away before winter. The most amazing glut of freight I have ever seen was along the railroads in Walla Walla County.

Not only were the depots crowded to the roof, but piles of sacks larger than the depots stood outside. It was a common sight through the whole Snake River country to see 10,000 sacks of wheat in one pile outside of the depots.

[Sidenote: Price of wheat and cost of production.]

The price of wheat runs from 40 cents to 60 cents a bushel; whilst the cost of production on good land need not exceed 25 cents a bushel. Mr.

Hamilton, of Colfax, has a farm which he cultivates entirely by hired labor, and he told me that the cost of his wheat was from 20 cents to 25 cents, and that his profit was $5 per acre. Good farms about Colfax can be rented out at $2.50 per acre for the whole farm. Mr. Miles C. Moore, of Walla Walla, probably the most exact business man of that region, farms largely by hiring labor. He gave me the following statement of his own operations:

WHEAT GROWING AND DELIVERING.

_Dr._ Cost of ploughing, per acre $1 50 Cost of twice harrowing and sowing 1 00 Seed, 1-1/4 bushel 62 Thirteen sacks at 8 cents 1 04 Keeping up fences 10 Harvesting and hauling five miles to depot, 17 cents per bushel 4 76 ------ $9 02

_Cr._ By 28 bushels per acre at 50 cents $14 00 Cost of production 9 00 ------ Profit $5 00

This product could not be expected on inferior lands, but with the working farmer the cost of production is less. The yield of wheat on the best lands of East Was.h.i.+ngton is large--almost beyond belief. Mr.

Houghton, attorney for the Spokane Falls and Palouse Railroad, told me that he had known of 800 bushels of wheat being raised on ten acres; that it was measured by a committee. Mr. Miles C. Moore has known 1,000 acres to average fifty bushels. A farmer (apparently honest) told me that he had raised seventy-five bushels to the acre over his whole wheat area. His crop was harvested by the acre, and the area measured by the county surveyor. It was all sold, except seed. Thus he got both area and product accurately. Many more instances were stated to me on good authority. But there are different grades of fertility in these lands as in other lands, and the amount of rainfall makes a difference also.

Wallula has but twelve inches of rain, and is unproductive. There must be fifteen inches for wheat. Walla Walla has seventeen, and is productive. Nearer to the Blue Mountains the rainfall is thirty to thirty-five inches; here are the largest crops. Spokane Falls has twenty-one inches. Yet where else on the earth can such crops be raised even occasionally? I have been growing wheat for thirty-five years on good land in the Valley of Virginia, and I never could reach thirty bushels to the acre on a single field; and I do not believe that my neighbors can do better than I do. We count twenty bushels an extra crop.

[Sidenote: Also barley and oats.]