ady for
all the grasses and grains and fruits. In the valleys more silt
and humus make up the soil, and when the cottonwoods, alders and
maples are gone there is left a soil deep and strong for the truck
gardener and general farmer, which will endure successive tillings
for ages. At the deltas of the rivers are large reaches of level
lands, some of which have to be diked to prevent the overflow of
the tides, which have had added the fertility of the salts of the
ocean and are probably the richest lands in the state fit for cereals
and root crops, not omitting the bulbs which have made the deltas
of Holland famous. There are also extensive peat beds which,
scientifically
[Page 14]
fertilized, will produce abundant returns to the intelligent farmer.

LANDS.

The lands of the state are owned, some by Indian tribes, some by
the general government, some by the state, but largely by individual
citizens and corporations.

Indian Lands.

Of the Indian lands most of them have been "allotted" and the balance
will soon be thrown open to settlement. Of these the largest in
western Washington are the Quinault and Makah reservations and in
eastern Washington the great Colville reservation. This latter will
in time make two or three counties of great value, being adapted
to general farming, dairying, fruit growing and mining, and having
an abundance of forest area for fuel and building purposes. Those
in western Washington are timbered areas at present.

Government Lands.

The remnant of government lands are chiefly among the more barren
areas of eastern Washington and the poorer forest lands of western
Washington. The method of obtaining title to government lands is
generally known, and if not, can be obtained from the general land
offices, one of which is in Seattle, Olympia, Vancouver, Spokane,
Waterville, Walla Walla and North Yakima. The government still holds
title to nearly six million acres, and, while the best has been
acquired by others, the diligent searcher can still find homesteads
and desert claims worth energy and considerable expense to secure.

State Lands.

A recent estimate of the value of the state lands still in possession
makes them worth 56 million dollars. They include nearly 3,000,000
acres, a large portion of which is heavily timbered. These lands
may be obtained from the state through the state land commissioner
by purchase outright on very easy terms, or may be leased for a
term of five to t