FARMING LCGGED-OFF UPLANDS IX WESTERN WASHINGTON. 35 
The standard of living to which the prospective settler has been 
accustomed has much to do with the amount of money he will need 
to establish himself on the logged-off lands in this region. During 
the first few years, when the farm income on newly opened land is 
almost nothing, the cost of maintaining the previous standard of 
living must be met largely out of capital or outside earnings. Those 
accustomed to frugal living do not suffer so keenly from the privations 
incident to the restricted incomes obtainable during the first years 
of developing farms from raw land. 
OPENING AND DEVELOPING THE FARM. 
The main business of the settler when he takes up a piece of land 
to farm is to get the land to produce returns in the quickest and 
most economical manner. As the cost of clearing in tins region is 
higher than in other cut-over sections of the country and may exceed 
the value of the land after it is cleared, the importance of economical 
methods in opening these wild lands is obvious. 
The first task of the new settler is usually providing a place to five. 
Since most settlers have very little capital left after making the first 
payment on the land, the building program should be one of low 
initial cost and with due regard for economy of construction and 
durability. Often the dwelling can be planned with the idea of later 
turning it into a poultry house or granary or of using it as a part of 
the dwelling which is to be built later. Precautions against fire 
should ba taken by removing to a safe distance all brush and other 
inflammable material. Any trees or snags which might endanger the 
buildings should be cut down. 
Producing as large a part as possible of the family living from the 
f arm should be one of the first aims of the new settler. Land enough 
for a large family garden can usually be cleared between the large 
stumps the first year. Fertilizers, frequent cultivation, and water- 
ing must usually be resorted to, as these upland soils are not as a 
rule very satisfactory for crops until they have been worked up and 
exposed to the weather for a year. A cow and some chickens for 
family use should be among the first things purchased. 
A considerable portion of the logged-off land should be slashed as 
soon as possible, burned, and seeded to pasture. This is the first 
step in the clearing process. This will provide pasture for the stock 
and add fertility to the soil. Many of the small stumps will begin 
to deca}^ which considerably reduces the cost of clearing. 
Poultry and such crops as strawberries and potatoes seem to be 
the quickest means of getting returns from new lands. Chickens 
nearly always do remarkably well on new land, and very little clear- 
ing is necessary for a flock of commercial importance. Strawberries 
prove a very desirable cash crop on newly cleared land adapted to 
their growth. Early potatoes have also been successful. However, 
if cash returns from crops are not immediately neccessary, the most 
desirable method of handling the new land seems to be to seed it to 
clover and grasses, with oats as a nurse crop. After the land has 
been in hay (clover and grasses) for two or three years it is ready 
to be plowed and used for cultivated crops. By this time the ferns, 
which are a considerable pest in pastures and new clearings in this 
region, have been largely controlled. 
