The northern portion of the county is somewhat mountainous, and
is covered with a fine growth of pine and tamarack timber; much of
this section is suitable for agriculture, while all is adapted to
grazing. The central part of the county is rolling and is traversed
by the Spokane river; the central section to the west of the city
of Spokane is fine agricultural land, while to the east of Spokane
is the Spokane valley, which is rapidly being brought into a high
state of cultivation by means of irrigation. There are about 40,000
acres in this valley capable of irrigation; 3,000 acres are now
irrigated and under cultivation. The southern portion of the county
is rolling, and comprises some of the finest agricultural land in the
state. Large areas of this section are utilized for wheat-raising,
while here are grown the finest sugar beets in the world.
Lumbering is a considerable industry, while stock-raising and dairying
are also extensively engaged in. Over 1,000,000 bushels of wheat
are grown annually. The flour mills of the county have a combined
capacity of 3,600 barrels daily.
In fruit-growing Spokane is one of the leading counties of the
state. The value of the fruit produced in the county amounts to
nearly $3,000,000 annually. The following table shows the distribution
of the five important fruits.
_Trees planted_ 1908-- _Total._
[*]Apples, 253,630 713,567
Pears, 15,470 39,232
Peaches, 59,323 94,769
Cherries, 56,405 106,909
Plums and Prunes, 11,815 29,128
Miscellaneous 2,910 10,000
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399,553 Total planted 1,003,615
[Footnote *: Is 25 percent. of the total number of apple trees planted
in the state in 1908.]