Lincoln County, through the length of which the road must pass, is universally admitted to be among the best agricultural counties on the plateau. It is also settling up rapidly, and has become a large producer of wheat, even at the disadvantage of a long haul in wagons. Mr. Curtis, who buys much of the Lincoln County wheat for his mill at Spokane Falls, says that the average yield of wheat is twenty-five bushels per acre, though in 1886 (the year of failure) it fell to sixteen and one-half bushels. Captain McGowan, of Lincoln County, also gave twenty-five bushels as the average crop, and said this would hold good for the whole period since the settlement of the county, including the bad year 1886. [Sidenote: Spokane County.] [Sidenote: Price of farming lands.] By reference of the official map showing the wheat areas, it will be seen that the Seattle railway passes through the middle of these areas in both Lincoln and Spokane counties. The testimony was entirely favorable in regard to horticultural and pomological products, as well as to the agricultural, in the strict sense. The population of the three counties, Douglas, Lincoln and Spokane, was put by Governor Semple at nearly 18,000; about 17,000 of which was in Lincoln and Spokane. Much land has been bought with a view to settlement as well as speculation, and this would be occupied and cultivated _pari passu_ with the progress of the railroad, and there yet remains much good land which can be bought at low prices, say from one dollar to five dollars an acre, and will attract settlers. Farming lands here will have market at the mines north of the Columbia River, at Spokane Falls, where there will be a large city, as well as large mills, and at Seattle, where there will be a large demand not only for the city, but for shipping. [Sidenote: Tonnage.] No reliable estimates can now be made as to what business this Great Bend country will furnish ten to twenty years hence. We have only this to guide us, namely, that the part of the plateau which lies south of the Northern Pacific Railroad now furnishes 400,000 tons of wheat for transportation annually, besides other freight and passengers; and it has not reached one-half of its producing capacity. Mr. Mohr estimates the income from mail and express as one-fifth the income from freight, and passenger fares as one-quarter of the whole amount from tonnage. Though the country lying north of the Northern Pacific Railroad is much larger in area than that which lies south of it, it may not average as well, and cannot all be controlled by one railroad; but it will certainly furnish large tonnage; much more than is common in agricultural regions. At present the product of wheat in this region is estimated at 100,000 bushels, but this amount would probably be doubled the first year after the railroad comes, and rapidly increased afterward. Much of the mining business already crosses this territory, and will, no doubt, greatly increase.