The seasons in Eastern Washington are much more distinct than in the Western part of the State; the summers, however, resemble the California climate. Crops, in some sections, are raised by irrigation, while in other portions the rains are depended upon entirely. Take for example what is called the "Yakima Valley," which is a great fruit growing section; there is very little rain falls after the first of June until the first of October. It is therefore an ideal section for raising all kinds of fruit, and is also exceptionally fine for raising Alfalfa Hay and most varieties of vegetables. They grow also an exceptionally fine grade of Garden Peas, but have one draw-back, and that is that at certain times they are somewhat troubled with bugs. The soil is a great producer, as from three to five crops of Alfalfa are grown each year, averaging about two tons to the acre for each crop. This Hay sells readily at from $5.00 to $6.00 per ton, loose in the stack. West of the Yakima Valley and nearer the Coast Range is known as the "Kittitas Valley," which is the finest Hay section in our State; in fact it is safe to say no better Hay can be found in any State in the Union. Here we find 21⁄2 to 4 tons of choice Timothy Hay grown to the acre; this sells readily at a minimum price of $10.00 to $18.00 and $20.00 per ton; baled, F. O. B. cars at shipping point. There has not been a season in the last five years that the farmers could not get, at some time during the season, from $15.00 to $18.00 per ton for their Hay. In addition to the first crop of Hay they generally have a second cutting, which is used for feeding stock; meadows are then used for pasture for several months. Very little, if any, irrigating is done in this Valley.

As we go on further Eastward we get into the big grain belt; here the main crop is Wheat. However, in certain sections, they raise large quantities of Oats, Hay and Barley. The two varieties of Wheat raised almost exclusively in our State, are what is known as the Club and Blue Stem; we do not designate the same as Spring and Winter Wheat. The Club and Blue Stem Wheat are sown either in the Fall or Spring; there is no distinction made in grading same on the market, whether Spring or Winter Wheat, as is customary in the East. Farmers have changed their methods to a very large extent in the last few years; they are falling into diversified farming—more after the Eastern style, and as one farmer mentioned a few days ago, "these fellows coming out from the East work things so close and watch every turn so that the old-timers have to get in and do some hustling to keep up." Whereas a few years ago you would find ninetenths of the farmers in the Eastern part of our State growing Wheat almost exclusively, and buying their vegetables, butter, meat, eggs, etc., today you will find them raising some stock, keeping a herd of milk cows, chickens, hogs and generally a good garden. Flour was shipped in from California and the East, but today flouring mills are

found in operation in nearly every town of any importance in the Eastern part of the State, and there are several large flour mills at Spokane, Tacoma and Seattle, not only furnishing our home market with everything in the line of flour and cereals, but doing an immense export business. The farmers therefore are not depending on exporters of Wheat entirely to set a price, but the mills take the larger portion of Wheat grown in the State, this condition of affairs being of great benefit to the farmers. From one station on the Great Northern road, in Eastern Washington, there was shipped 1,250,000 bushels of Wheat in 1903.

The different Barley grown in Eastern Washington is generally known as the blue or two-row Barley, although the White Hulless Barley does exceptionally well. The Beardless Bariey is used to a certain extent for Hay. In the extreme Eastern part of our State beet seed, carrot, radish and onions do exceptionally well; in fact, we can grow as fine a quality of the above seed as anv section of the country. The nights are cool, as a general rule, so there is no portion of our State where either field or Sweet Corn can be grown to advantage. We ship into our State practically all the Corn that is used, that is both field and Popcorn. We find that Corn Wheat does exceptionally well in certain portions of Eastern Washington, yielding 100 bushels per acre. The average yield for Wheat is 25 to 50 bushels to the acre; Barley 50 to 80 bushels. Brome Grass is also grown quite extensively in certain portions of the dry sections of Eastern Washington, being well adapted to that locality, in fact claimed to be the best in the United States.

Coming over the Coast Range into Western Washington we find an entirely different condition of affairs. Our winters are not at all severe, very seldom having freezing weather, and a very small amount of snow. We, however, have, as is generaly known, a large amount of rain between the months of October and May. There is something very peculiar about the rainfall in different parts of Western Washington. In certain sections, being only a few miles apart, there is a wonderful difference in the percentage of rainfall; for instance, the rainfall on Whidby Island for 1903 was 22 inches, while at Olympia (which is but a few miles South) we find a precipitation of nearly 57 inches. At South Bend, which is some distance South of Olympia, we find an annual rainfall of 91 inches, while in the Yakima Valley, in the Eastern part of the State, we find an annual rainfall of only 61⁄2 inches. Therefore crops that can be grown to advantage in certain localities will not do at all well in other sections. On certain islands in Western Washington on Puget Sound, for instance Whidby Island, on account of the small amount of rainfall farmers grow Wheat of a good quality; there being, however, only that island, and possibly the San Juan Islands, where Wheat can be grown West of

the Cascade Mountains. This Wheat is used only for chicken feed and cannot be used at all for flour on account of its being too soft. The main crops of the Western part of the State are Hay and Oats, which are grown to especially good advantage. Farmers, as a general rule, raise from three to four tons of Timothy Hay per acre; this is a very good quality, resembling more the best Hay grown in the Eastern or Middle Western States. There is a distinct difference between Hay grown in Eastern and Western Washington; in the Eastern part of the State, where they have dry weather, it is of an exceptionally bright green color, when cured, and brings from $5.00 to $6.00 more per ton than Western Washington Hay; whereas, Grain Hay, that is Wheat and Oats mixed, is grown in large quantities in the Eastern part of Washington where it can be cured to advantage; the straw is of too rank a growth in the Western part of the State and cannot be cured properly on account of the damp climate. Grain Hay is used very extensively on the entire Coast and considered an exceptionally good feed. Our Oats grown in the Western part of the State, although exceptionally heavy and probably one of the best Oats in the world for milling purposes, are of a darker color and not as popular for feeding purposes, while Cats grown in Eastern Washington are of a bright color and probably equal to any Oat grown in the world. There is no section of the United States, we believe, equal to certain parts of Western Washington for growing cauliflower and cabbage seed. Farmers are paying some attention to growing Timothy Seed in the Eastern part of our State and we have been able to get about what seed we have used the last year from that section. This seed is of an exceptionally choice quality. We can grow probably as fine a quality of both field and garden Peas, in certain sections of Western Washington, as in any part of the country; the yield is very heavy and the quality strictly first class. Dwarf Essex Rape is grown in Western Washington with the best of success, the soil and climate being well suited for the same. We find Turnips and Ruta Baga do exceptionally well in the Puget Sound country. There is never a crop failure in Western Washington; we have never known the lack of plenty of moisture for growing crops. There is only one feature we have to contend against and that is early Fall rains. Our soil, as a rule, is very rich as you can see by the quantity of Grain and Hay it produces to the acre. The use of fertilizers has hardly been thought of.

MARKETING CROPS.

Puget Sound extends from the Ocean on the North inland and South a distance of 150

miles-with its many branches and rivers Most of these streams are navigable for a great many miles, affording the farmers an ideal means of sending

emptying into the same.

their grain and produce to market on the steamers making regular trips on the rivers or Sound. Nearly all of the farmers in Western Washington have their granaries and hay barns built on the river banks or branches of Puget Sound, steamers landing at the same taking the entire crop, if desired, to market in one load. The Puget Sound farmer, after raising his crop of Oats and Hay stores it in his barn or granary and watches the market. When he gets ready to sell he telephones from his home to the different Hay or Grain buyers in Seattle or Tacoma and sells to the highest bidder, and the steamer calls and takes the Grain or Hay from his barn. All Grain is handled in bags; everything in that line in all parts of the State, is sacked when threshed.

FRUIT GROWING.

Washington is rapidly coming to the front as a Fruit Growing State. Among other things which are shipped in large quantities to the Middle West are our Apples from Eastern Washington and Prunes from Western Washington, no finer quality being grown in any State. Last year 150 carloads of Apples were shipped East from one point in Eastern Washington. Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries do exceptionally well in Western Washington; the quality of the fruit is equal or superior to anything found in any State in the Union, and the yield is something immense.

FLOWERS.

All varieties of Flowers and Shrubs do remarkably well in Western Washington; our Roses are the wonder of every one who comes here. You can find the most beautiful Roses in bloom from May 1st until Christmas time in almost any of the yards in Seattle. In May and June the woods are full of the Rhododendron, there being acres of this beautiful flower growing wild.

President Willard-Gentlemen, are there any remarks in connection with this paper? Of course you can ask no questions, because of Mr. Bogardus not being present; but it can be discussed in any way that you desire, otherwise we will now be open for the introduction of new business, for the presentation of any matter which any member may wish to suggest.

Mr. A. McCullough-Under the head of new business I would like to ask your attention for a moment-not altogether new business either. In the first organization of the American Seed Trade Association, and for several years

thereafter, the sessions were almost exclusively-I might say entirely-executive sessions. The matters that were brought . up for discussion were such as were closely related either to the dealer or the growers, or the two combined, and not to the outside public. Therefore, it was not deemed advisable to publish the proceedings or to disseminate them and our printed reports were exclusively for the use of the members. As a consequence, the discussions were free and the subjects brought up were of a different character from those we have considered to-day. Many items that might be considered of a strictly private nature were brought up for discussion so that other members might have the benefit of the experiences of the few.

We have been growing since and it seems to me that we have lost, or almost entirely lost sight of this object, and today outsiders who are not allied with the Seed business, and others, are admitted to our meetings and allowed to have our reports, and they will go to the agricultural papers, so that individual members hesitate about bringing up questions. in which they have been involved during the season, and I think that our organization is the loser thereby. It seems to me that it would be a good time, therefore, to return to the old practice and at our future meetings arrange to have at least part of them executive. It is the experience of all organizations that after they have been in existence a certain. number of years, they come together, and the members getting better acquainted bring their families, and it turns out to be as it is with us today more of a social than it is a business meeting. What I mean by a business meeting is an exchange of experiences, and of knowledge, that one obtains from the other, not the buying and selling of a few paltry dollars' worth of goods, of or to each other. That is too much like a commercial meeting, or resolving ourselves into commercial travelers. We meet as Seedsmen having a common interest, and therefore we should bring up subjets that we meet in our business every day in the year, and discuss them freely, and in such a manner that they will not be carried outside of the meeting and scattered broadcast to the public, who will mis