Cayton's monthly., February 01, 1921, Page 7, Image 7

About Cayton's monthly. (Seattle, Wash.) 1921-1921

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

Know Your Own State
la an annual publication recently issued a com
munication appeared therein from Clark V. Savidge,
s'.ate land commissioner of the stato of Washington,
depicting the po3sibilities of small farming in West
ern Washington, and though the editor of this pub
lication has lived in this section of the stati for the
past thirty years, yet much it contained was so un
known to him that it is absolutely news. In our
opinion hundreds of the readers of this monthly will
be glad of an opportunity to road the communication,
hence it is horewith reproduced:
CLARK V. SAVIDGE
The state of Washington is coming to be recog
nized as a mecca for tho small tract rancher or farm
er. No longer does the non-city producer believe that
he must till hundreds of acres in order to make a
decent living. There are great farms in this state
but they are not necessary for a living of quality.
The small tract, set out in fruit, berries or even
vegetables is recognized now as the best method of
gaining returns on a limited investment. The man
who has little except his own labor to offer for a liv
ing is turning to the; logged-off lands of the state of
Washingon; the man who has some capital is com
bining that money with his personal effort and is
rapidly becoming independent. The office man of the
city, the professional man as well as those who sim
ply lean toward the great out doors, are taking up
tracts of land that have heretofore lain idle and these
men are coming to realize that instead of having
merely a plaything, a place to exercise, they have in
reality a wealth producer. They arc* realizing on
their investment.
It has been only during the past few years that
the* state of Washington, with the exception of a
sniall section, has been recognized as a small fruit
country. Today (hundreds of citizens arel raisingl
berries of all sorts. Back-yard orchards have taken
CAYTON'S MONTHLY
place of dumping ground foi ashes and cans and these
small plots are furnishing a winter's fruit supply for
the owners.
The state's logged-off land perhaps offers the best
advantages to the person who desires a small tract
for ranch purposes. This land may be purchased at
a minimum price or it ntay be leased from the state.
The cost of clearing, cultivating and actually prepar
ing this ground for production is astoundingly low.
One tract has been reported as costing $60.00 an acre.
There is a final cost and includes a consideration of
the purchaser's time. The greatest cost that has been
reported is $200 an acre and this is exceptionally high.
The constant demand for lease or purchase of the
state's logged-off land gives evidenc3- of its growing
popularity and the State Land Commissioner at Olym
pia reports that his office is receiving inquiries in
every mail asking the methods of securing a tract
of state land. It is a simple matter. Upon request
the state land office will send an application blank to
the inquirer togDther with detailed instructions as
to how to proceed. Application may be made either
for purchase or lease and the land will be appraised
by a state qfficer. The appraisement figure- will be
made to the applicant and the land will eventually be
offered for th> purchase or lease at public auction.
More than a million acres of state land are subject
to purchase through the office of the State Land Com
missioner and at Uast one hundred thousand acres of
this land are logged-off lands.
Most of these logged-off lands lie west of the
Cascade mountains, in the section of the state that has
proven beyond a doubt to be a natural small fruit
country. Th:re is neither extreme heat nor cold in
this section of the state; the rain supply is plentiful
and irrigation is not needed. Climate and soil have
conspired to make agriculture a loading industry.
Methods of clearing these loggedKfff jlands have
been developed until the removal of a gaint stump
is not the difficult problem or undertaking as it was
a few years ago. The land may be made ready for
seeding or planting in a remarkably short time. The
land jumps in value from an average of $10 an acre
to $200 when ready for its crop.
The fruits that have been raised successfully on
logged-off lands includ9 apples, pears, prunes and ber
ries of all sorts, while unusual grain crops have been
reported from some individual tracts. However, the
small fruits are claimed to be the natural, surest and
best paying crop. Cannaries are springing up all over
the western part of the state, thus affording an easy
and a sure market for the fruit.
Because of a lack of funds the State Land Com
missioner has been unable to prepare separate print
ed lists of the state's logged-off lands. State inspectors
w^'re, however, furnished with descriptions of such of
these lands as were situated in the sections in which
they were working and inspections were mada when
ever possible.
Sales circulars are issued by the stats land office
four times a year, prior to the quarterly sales of state
land and these circulars contain descriptions of such
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