International Excursion in America. 87 
occasional cultivation, the isolated farms invariably sheltered by 
belts of the ubiquitous Lombardy poplars. During the night we 
traversed the Blue Mountains, and in the morning were in the 
Columbia River basin. Entering the state of Washington at 
Wallawalla we traversed during the whole day that remarkable 
region of eastern Washington known as the Great Plain of the 
Columbia River. This immense region, covered by a great basaltic 
lava-sheet weathering into a fine dust-like soil, is a very important 
agricultural area in spite of its low rainfall (fourteen to twenty 
inches). Typical dry farming with wheat and summer fallow 
alternating is here practised. The hills as far as the eye could 
reach were entirely under the plough with scarcely a trace of 
natural vegetation visible, the only variation in the uniform grey 
tone occurring at the lines between the yellower wheat stubble and 
the browner fallow. For hour after hour we travelled through this 
perfectly uniform landscape. In the valleys on the irrigated land 
were fruit orchards and the usual rows of Lombardy poplars. The 
roads were mere dust tracks except where they had been “ paved ” 
with wheat straw. Such fragments'of vegetation as could be seen 
was either dry “ prairie ” of Agropyron spicatum or occasional 
stretches of sage-brush now much burned up by the great heat. 
In the evening the party arrived (very late) at the important 
and flourishing city of Spokane, where the members were received 
by a committee of citizens and driven in automobiles through the 
brightly lighted streets to the famous Davenport’s Cafe—said to be 
the best restaurant in all the north-west—entertained to a peculiarly 
excellent supper, perhaps the best meal partaken of throughout the 
trip, and, after speeches, were driven back to the station. Short 
as was our stay in Spokane it formed a most charming and 
exceedingly welcome interlude in the long railroad journey. 
The early morning of August}27th saw our arrival at North 
Yakima in the centre of a district which has recently undergone 
rapid agricultural development. The sage-brush land of which the 
floor of the Yakima River valley consists, makes, when irrigated, a very 
favourable soil both for wheat and orchard cultivation. The party 
were again received by a local committee and taken in automobiles 
through the beautifully kept apple and peach orchards, where we 
inspected the process of packing the fruit and stowing it in ventilated 
and refrigerated fruit cars drawn up on branch railroad tracks 
immediately outside the packing sheds. The city of North Yakima 
showed very clearly the evidences of recent great prosperity. The 
