268 A GLANCE AT THE WHOLE. 



more, — leaving from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five 

 feet clear of limb, with scarcely a curve in the entire length. 



One of them, standing near Fort George on the Columbia river, is said 

 to measure forty-seven feet in circumference, three hundred and fifty feet 

 in altitude, and two hundred and sixty-five feet clear of limb ; another, upon 

 the Umpqua river, is reported even larger , and yet another, in the same 

 vicinity, very nearly equals it in size. 



Timber of this kind atTords tlie choicest arhcle for lumber, which bears a 

 very high price at the Sandwich Islands and in various parts of Mexico, 

 and will no doubt become a staple commodity in the commerce of Oregon ; 

 while the immense forests of pine, fir, and oak, rearing their stately heads 

 in thick array, must prove a sure source of wealth to its future inhabi- 

 tants. 



The principal kinds of wood indigenous to tht country are white-oak, 

 live-oak, maple, ash, pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, spruce, Cottonwood, aspen, 

 and cherry. 



Live-oak is found chiefly in the southern part, and, in quality, stands 

 foremost among the denizens of the forest for ship- building. Several other 

 species of oak are more or less abundant in various parts. 



In review of the subjects occupying the preceding pages, we may pre- 

 sent the following summary : 



Nearly one-fifth of the entire territory is timbered ; three-eighths of it 

 may be successfully cultivated, (embracing the richest lands in the Federal 

 Domain.) and two-thirds of it may aflLrd pasturage for cattle, horses, 

 and sheep. 



It is generally better watered and much better timbered than California ; 

 and, though its harbors are inferior in regard to safety and ease of access, 

 Oregon possesses other advantages, aside from soil and climate, com- 

 pensating, in some measure, for these obvious deficiencies, and which com- 

 bine to render it a most eligible point of emigration. 



