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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1888)
THE WEST SHORE. 181 glish draft and other horses have been imported, and have been used in the improvement of the stock of the country. ( The principal crop is hops. The first production was by Jacob Meeker, on his Puyallup farm, in 18CG, and for fifteen yearsthe growth was confined almost wholly to that valley, increasing, thoughfrom year to year, until. It attained,1 great proportions. There are now thirteen hundred acres in hops in King coun ty, thirteen , hundred in' Piercejand about thirteen hundred inaJl other parts of the territory. Thy pro ductioh per acre is sixteen hundred pounds, against six hundred pounds in New York, and seven hundred pounds in England and Germany. Failure of crops and pests fare .common Mere, but unknown hero. The price varies greatly,. having ranged from five cents to a 'dollar ;and seven cents per pound daring the last twenty years. j The average price of that pe riod has been twenty-five cents. ; The' average prico of the. next twenty years will probably not exceed twenty, cents;v Even1 at the latter figure the profits are immense. The entire cost, laid down in the 80 attle depot dqeB not exceed eight cents a pound, and with an 'average profit, of twelve cents growers can not help . becoming rich. " That farming pays on Pogfli sound is very plain. In fact, there aro few regions where fortunes have been made, as easily and rapidly as by the farmers about here). : Fourteen years ago, and again ten years ago, that, enterprising and moat worthy citizeD, Mr. E. Meeker, was . bankrupt. To-day he is worth one hundred thousand dollars, and all made on the farm, in hops, dairy it g, fruit, dock, and increased lacd val ues. X P. Stewart, another most excellent citai, prominent as a fruit acd hop grower, is probably worth 'es much ss Mr. Meeker. T.M. Alwood, of White river, who grows a thousand tons of hay year ly, and stall feeds cattle for the market in winter, is another hundred-tLouaud-dollar farmer. The lhg ley, Squire, Smith end Smitbcrs arms, at JtotonY are worth forty thousand dollars each. The Bntqual. mie bop ranch could not bo bought for one butdred aud fifty thousand dollars. It includes three hun dred and fifty acres in lops, laid to be the largest hop field in the world, and four hundred and fifty acres beside., with 'hotel, country store, faro build ings, etc' j B. N; L Pari, cf Skagit, after making a fortune in hops, ' U now making andbcr io fancy stock and dairying. v II is farm property, all made in seven years, coutd not bo bought for sixty thounand dollars. The Davis brothers, of Dang? cosa, and the Bishops, of Chtmicum, dairymcu and stock rain'ray are all rich. The oats growers are each worth from ten to forty thousand dollars. Hat iovt old farms are sold. They are generally worth art much that not one newcomer in a thousand has money, enough tos buy them. As there is yet left ttujimmcimv acr ago of government land to U had for the takicg, and ' just as good as the belt yet takes, the immigrant will ; find encourngement, rather than discourage meat, in the statement raado in the preceding sentence. Farming generally, is of mixed character, tho specialties being indulged in by t ho few, " The great majority keep a liltlo of everything in their liu horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and raino hay, oat, garden truck and fruits. What they havo foY sale they deliver themselves. Bomo sections seem bo better adapted to producing one thing than afo 0 others. . llonghton, on tho caat shoro of Lako Waib- ington, in King county, for instance, has shown jhv culiar adaptation . to fruit Earlier and finer straw.4 berries are grown there than at any! other place, and in consequence; tho annual production has reached forty. thbuaand gallons, the Houghton growers there- by securing a practical monojioly of tho Beattlo mar kct 4 Oiher fruits' do as well at that placoaaatraw. berriea, and aro coming into tho market in incroaaod quantities each succeeding year. The growth of tho principal aonnd towns, and tlm ever increasing value of tho lauds in their vicinity, Is stimulating a specie of small farming. In the suburbs and vicinity of 8ttlo are two hundred fata, ilici who gain a livelihood, or a greater part of it, in this way. They keep from two to a half dozm cows, a hundred fowl, and in addition havt small, but care fully cultivated, gardens and orchard. In this way, on a few town lota or acre, they live comfortably, ac curaQlale more and more, and in th nana of a few years find themaelrea possessed of a cotapttancy. There U room for an eodlcai number of tbrso srnll farmers. With fcrtilo soil, favorable climate, homo market and high prices, with cvcrincreaiing land valuea, tho Paget sound farmers haro Urn greatly ble8ed, and their speedy accumulation of wealth U not aarpriaing.