The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-02-07

nishes the bestexample Of farming on
large scale that can be seen In Washing
ton Territory. 1t is owned by stock
company in which Mr.. Bell and Gardner
Hubbard, Of the Bell Telephone Com
pany, are the principal owners. and
abundant capital has been furnished to
carry out the plans Of the skillful Scotch
manager, Mr.. Ker.
The great Mckee ditch when completed
will furnish water for 10000 acres. The
farming operations Of the present year in
clude i4O acres in harley, 80 in wheat, 50
in Indian corn, b in hops, 81 in oats, 25
in tobacco, 24O in alfalfa and 7S in timo-
thy. The timothy meadows lie along the
river and are not irrigated, but all the rest
Of the land is watered either by small
bitches, or, in the case OF the alfalfa fields,
by flooding, which is done by a system Of
dikes. The expense Of irrigating the $50
acres in crop is estimated at about 800
for the season Of two months and half.
A young nursery is also watered and the
trees are making rapid growth. Mr.. Ker
is satisfied from his experiment Of last
year and his growing crop Of this year
that both soil and climate in the Yakima
country are well suited for tobacco cul-
ture and that farmers can engage in this
industry with the certainty Of profit. The
store, barns, stables and shops Of the
Mckee company make village like clus-
ter Of buildings and from the broad
piazza Of the managers house there Is q
view over the whole estate which our
artist has sketched. All this broad sweep
Of cultivated land was u desert three
years ago. Money and skin have con-
verted the waste Of sage brush into a
great model farm, where methods Of irri-
eating can be studied and every crop
adapted to the region can be seen under
scientific culture. The people Of the
Yakima country are hearty in their APP
probation Of what the Mckee company
are doing.
Settlers coming from the east, where
irrigation Is unknown, are sometimes
timid about undertaking this method OF
farming and hesitate to buy land in the
YAKIMA country IL they stay few days
and talk with the Old residents, visiting
the farms and informing themselves about
the cost and labor required to get water
upon the land they are very likely to
change Their minds and remain. A man
who has thoroughly tried farming by irri-
CATION is sure To commend II. lie would
not DE Wiling TO worry about drought
ana put up with short crops every two or
three years. lie mas the matter figured
down to a hne point-so much extra ex-
pense Tor irrigating and 10 many more
bushels to the acre as a sure result. There
is always balance OF profit on the side
OF irrigation. The cost OF all main bitches
Is added at once TO the value OF the land
ana becomes capital invested. The field
bitches are run with plow and the work
Of turning the water through them comes
AZ u season wnen the farmer has little
else to do and does not make much Of a
figure in his annual expense account. In
gardening and fruit raising the advan-
tages OF irrigation are even greater than
in general farming. 1t is amazing what
an amount oil small fruits and vegetables
can be got from an acre Of this rich Yaki-
ma soil when Water is freely supplied IN
/. Al 49, = . 81 r,..,.a, e.. N
"' anu ,i'eie 'u ni'Ae' ior All
such produce in the growing cities on