4 BULLETIN 1236, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
HISTORY OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT. 
Looking back into the early history of this region, one finds that 
the settlement of the Puget Sound Basin began in the decade 1850- 
1860, but the population increased very slowly and little progress 
was made in the development of its resources until within the "past 
40 years. The larger portion of the region was originally covered by 
a dense forest of cedar and fir, and the lumber industry has been the 
main factor in the development of this area. 
Increasing demand for agricultural products by the larger cities 
resulted in a rapid development of the most desirable farming lands. 
The river valleys and deltas adjacent to these cities were settled and 
developed first, as they produced abundant crops and could be made 
ready for cultivation at a comparatively small cost. Farming on the 
uplands, as discussed in this bulletin, developed slowly. Until a com- 
paratively recent date it was limited primarily to the territory adja- 
cent to the larger cities and in the vicinity of small lumber towns 
which had grown up along the railroads, shore lines, and larger 
streams. 
CUM ATE. 
The climate is marine in character, as the region is in the path of 
the moisture-bearing winds of the Pacific. Temperature conditions 
are remarkably even throughout the year, with slow and rather 
slight changes. The average temperature for January, the coldest 
month in the year, is about 40° F., and for July, the warmest month of 
the year, a little over 60° F. The average daily range of temperature 
at Seattle, which may be used as a fair average for the section, is 9° 
F. during the winter months and 18° F. during the summer months. 
Killing frosts sometimes occur as late as May 15, but generally the 
last one is during April. The first killing frost in the autumn usu- 
ally occurs during late October. 
Average annual precipitation is oo inches at Olympia and 85 inches 
at Seattle, gradually decreasing as one goes northward. The rainy 
season extends from October to April, during which the average 
monthly precipitation is over. About 75 per cent of the total precip- 
itation occurs in the six months, November to April, inclusive 
During the period May to September, inclusive, the average monthly 
rainfall is slight, the driest months being July and August. 
Winds of this section are prevailingly from the west. They seldom 
obtain a velocity of more than 45 miles an hour, the average high 
wind in the winter blowing from 25 to 45 miles and in the summer 
at a somewhat lower velocity. The total number of windy days is 
small. 
MARKETS. 
Seattle and Tacoma furnish markets for some of the products of 
these farms. Condenseries at Auburn and Kent receive the milk 
from the hill farms located east of these towns. 
At present a considerable proportion of the eggs produced are being 
shipped to eastern markets, mostly to New York, by a cooperative 
poultrvmen's organization. Cooperative organizations also handle 
most of the berries not sold locally. These berries are canned, made 
into preserves, or shipped as fresh fruits. 
