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Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA
Newspaper Page Text
ro YAKIMA REGION AT THE FRONT. Interesting Extracts From a Lettar From Judge J. R. Lewis.—The Yakima and the Santa Ca ra Valleys Con trasted. "I am pleased to note your club's reor ganization as the "Commercial club," aud have no doubt that it will accom plish much for your country. The fact is your noble people do not know what a splendid country they have, located as it is in the heart of the young giant state of Washington, near to the cities of the Sound and on the trunk railroad line east, which passes through a splendid country, inhabited by a most enterpris ing people, and who will be excellpnt customers for all the fruit you can raise for years. "What Yakima county can do in the line of fruit growing is well illustrated by an object lesson in Santa Clara county, Cal ifornia. Fifteen years ago little fruit was grown in this now famed valley; a valley practically extending from Menlo Park south fifty miles to Uilroy, with an aver age width of sa/ twelve miles batween the foot-hills. The mountain ranges on either side are quite similar to those along the Yakima river, and vvhilo Santa Clara valley is known as a land of sun shine, the sua of Yakima is as bright and continuous and you hive not the fogs that often float up from the Bay of San Francisco, while Yakima being at an elevation of I,O'JO feet gives it a lighter and more bracing air. "The great industries of this valley are fruits, wine and olive-oil; but fruit is king. While Yakinm is located much to the north and you may succeed with the apricot, olive and vine, as well as the planters do here, there is no doubt that you grow the finest apples in the world, and your winter apples will be noted and in demand in all the cities east. Your peach is as luscious as is grown at any place. What the apricot will do is yet an experiment but in my opinion "Sun nyside" will produce excellent ones. The prune as yet, has not been fully experi mented with, but no doubt the Italian prune produces most abundantly of excel lent fruit. With the French prune, lam satisfied you will do finely. Those on my farm a, Yakima bore well last year at only three years old, while here the prime is not in bearing until five year old. "Much money lias been expended in this country in developing the best quali ties of fruits ami no doubt we now have here the genuine French article which is the only prune grown here to any extent. So the apricot is fullydeveloped, the Moor p;irk, the largest and best i 3 an uncer tain bearer. The Royal is a sure bearer but small; the Blenheim and Teach apricot I are of good ni/.e and the trees j^ood bearers. Fruit trees here have never been so abundant and cheap as now. Splendid prune trees :it #4'> to |50 per thousand and Other fruits in proportion. "Your fruits will ultimately be one of THE RANCH. the great sources of wealth, bat the hop and alfalfa and your wonderful vegetables alon^ with the fruits will make your peo ple neb. Viewing the future of your country, the outlook is most encouraging, I have faith in Yakitna county. The Bnnnyaide canal, hops, fruits, alfalfa and vegetables will make your county Queen of the state Look well to Yakimu." J. R. Lewis. CREAM CUPS. Wheat bran is the tiling for milch cows. Wisconsin dairymen pay heavily for the bran product of the Minneapolis mills with freight added. At $13 per ton, the price charged at the North Yakima mill, there is a large profit in bran fed t;> cows for winter dairying. From experiments at the agricultural college it has been found that a cow the fourth month after onlving, gives milk near the average quality for the whole year. Make two tests, fifteen dayi apirt, and in each test U3a tha milk of eight consecutive milkingi and the average of these two tests will give the approximate average of the quality for the year. By knowing the amount of milk given during the year one cau get a pretty accurate estimate of the quantity of batter fats the cow gives. MontetaDO lias a creamery company, with a capital of #10,000 divided into shares of $25 each. These shares arc principally owned by fanxiers who propose to furnish Dlilk for the creamery. And now good cows will become more numerous iv that region. When ex Governor Hoard, of Wisconsin, opens his month at :i dairymen's convention ho is sure to say something t>i the point. At an Ohio meeting this winter he said this among the other flood things: Men today are talking about overdoing the dairy business. It never has been overdone ex cept in two ways, scrub cattle and scrub dairymen. Oh, if the cow could but talk today she would be heard all over this land calling for an improved breed of dairymen. Her cry would go up; it does go up today, "Breed me better, breed me better " Did you ever bear of a ciutomer hunting around the market for poor butter? Did yon ever know of a man coming into the market of Columbus, or Cincinnati, or Pittsburg, or New York, or Chicago an.i go poking around inquiring for stinking butter? What ia the matter? Ndither th« cow nor the consumer want any such ad ministration. Who is to blame? The in in of "general purpose" ideas! The man that lias no distinct, definite purpose as to the character of cow that he ought to make; do distinct education and training and thinking along tliesi* lines, and the result is poor cows, poorly kept; a profitless life, and wasted effort all the year around; poor butter; flooding the market all the time with grease, in place of valuable fat. If you arc breeding fancy poultry never sell a poll. Cut oil' their heads and send them to market. DITCHLETS. Congress has piissrd a bill to extc nd the time allowed the Un.atilla Irrigation Com pany for the completion of its canal across the Umatilla reservation in Oregon. The Yakima Land and Irrigation Com pany has located its fifth well in the uplands of the Moxee. All flow freely, supplying water at about 70 degrees or higher. Surveys have been completed for an irri gating ditch on the.south side of the We. natchee river, starling at Peshastin creek, and destined to supply water in Wenatohee, Pine Mission and Brown Flats. Colorado as a state is trying an irriga tion project. It is constructing a canal eighty-five jniles in length and calculated to irrigate 70,000 acres. The work is be ing performed by prison convicts at a cost of only one-half that of building in the usual way. Abrut 890,000 has thus far been appropriated for the work. The Dell Haven irrigation district direc tors met at Kennewick last week to consider the engineers' report. The upper ten miles of the ditch is in good condition for a three foot flow. A little lining up and dressing of the slopes will put it in good condition. The estimated cost for cleming out, rein forcing embankments, etc. will be§1,132.80 for putting the canal, lateral?, flumes, etc., iv shape to furnish the amount of water for this reason's use, whioh is less than 10 cents per acre ef the actual taxable land in the district. In addition to this #1,367.20 will be required for care, operation and manage ment. The directors call for a vote of the taxpayers on the assessment question. The election will be held on March 3 at Kenne wiok Kchoolhoiise. HARRY H. COLLIER, TAUOMA, WASH., Breeder of Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks, Pekin Ducks. PGGS AND STOCK FOR SALE. Dealer in all kinds of poultry and poultry sup plies, books, bone mills, bone m^al, wire netting, incubators, etc Agen for all the leading poul try liiutnals Semi stamp for answer to com munication. Three Bared P. Kock cockerels for sale cheap. JOHN SfIWBRIDGE, General hardware, PLUMBING, SHEET METAL WORK. Agent! for MaJett'O Steel Ranges, Do mestic and White Sewing Machines. Farm Tools, Hop Growers' Supplies. Vnkima Avenue, North Vakiinn, Wft«h.