Page:All Over Oregon and Washington.djvu/273

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CHAPTER XXV.

SUMMARY OF WASHINGTON TERRITORY.

"Washington Territory contains an approximate area of sixty-eight thousand square miles, or 43,520,000 acres; of this area, about 20,000,000 acres are prairie, and about the same quantity of timber, the remainder mountains. It is estimated that about 5,000,000 acres of the timbered lands are susceptible of cultivation, the remainder comparatively worthless after the timber is removed. A little over one-third of the entire area is adapted to the pursuits of grazing and agriculture.

"The Cascade Range divides the Territory into two unequal parts—eastern and western—differing widely in topography, soil, climate, and productions: the western portion being densely timbered with fir, cedar, oak, etc., with an occasional small prairie, soil varied, river-bottoms sandy mold, with clay sub-soil; high prairies are gravelly or light sand. There are exceptions, however, of rich soil prairies, particularly in Lewis County, which ranks as the best agricultural county in western Washington Territory. Other counties, however, have excellent agricultural land, but they are mostly timbered.

"The principal productions of grain are wheat, oats, barley, and rye; of fruits, apples, pears, peaches, and plums. Small fruits excel. Strawberries, blackberries, huckleberries, and numerous other berries, in-