The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-06-01
IN THE SUNNY YAKIMA.
Where the Arid Desert Is BloSsomins
as the Rose.
The Irrigation Systems..How Two
BLADES OF Grass Are seing
Made TO Grow where
None Grew Before.

Walla Walla Union-Journdi: While at
North Yakima last week, through the
courtesy Of Mr.. o. v. Carpenter, county
assessor, a representative OF the Union
was taken over the Mckee valley and
shown about that beautiful stretch Of
country. which is destined TO be one OF
the most productive valleys in the state
of Washington. The headquarters OF the
Mckee Land company are located abou,
four and half miles east Of North Yak
ina, where the office of d. L. Lesh, the
company's superintendent, has been es-
tablished. To Mr.. Lesh the reporter il
indebted for a great deal OF information
regarding the numerous irrigsting bitches
which have been and are now being con-
strrcted in this country.
The land 10 the Mckee valley is used
for growing fruits, hops and alfalfa, and
some of the finest hop fields in the world
are located there. The principal crop,
however, is alfalfa. Alfalfa yields from
six to ten tons an acre, while four crops
are cut during each year. The hop in
dustry is practically a new one in Yak
ina county, but is destined to become one
Of great possibilities. 1t is nineteen year.
since the first hops were planted in this
county and since that time Mr.. Lesh
states the net profit realized from one acre
of ground, over the cost of cultivatinR,
picking and packing for market, has been
$3.50 per acre. Probably the finest field
in the Yakima country ia owned by Mr..
A. B. Weed, who formerly resided In
Walla Walla.
The acreage in hops this year has been
increased about fifty per cent, fruit
seventy-five per cent and alfalfa fifty per
cent. The Mckee company has fifty.
six acres in hops and about $50 acres
in alfalfa, while 1000 acres owned by
other persons have been put in hops this
spring.
Charles Carpenter is the pioneer hop
grower Of the valley and he says that in
his nineteen years experience the aver.
age yield per acre has been over one ton,
average cost Of production eight cents
per acre and the net profit $3.50. One
advantage this section Of the country has
over the Puyallup hop country is the alb
sence of the hop louise. The hot weather
is death to The lice and while early in the
spring small quantity Of eggs OF the
lice NAV be found on the leaves, as soon
as the sun strikes them they are killed.
The reports from Puyallup show that the
hop vines are now being destroyed in tie
Puyallup valley, while in Yakima not
one OF the pests can be found.
In the Sunnyside valley the fruit is
raised. At present the trees are in fell
bloom and from the indications the yield
will be large. A large proportion of the
peaches were badly injured during the
winter, but the yield will be fair.
All this land in the county is irrigated,
and Yakima should be called the VALLEY
Of Ditches." The Hubbard & Fowler
ditch is located on the north and east
side of North Yakima, and with the
lateral bitches, it irrigates 10000 acres Of
land. This ditch is controlled by the
Mckee Land company and they will soon
commence work on another ditch which
will irrigate 1000 additional acres of high
lands. The water is TO be taken from
. a al; - txs.n txnttoa hoinu a
city, and the ditch will be fifteen miles
in length. On the west side of the city
is the Cowychee and Wide Hollow ditch.
1t is fifteen miles long and irrigates 1000
acres. The water is taken from the
Natcheez river. The Schanno ditch COM
mences at the Natcheez river, is eight
miles in length, and 1900 acres are irri-
gated. On the west side are the Ahtan-
UNI, Shaw, Lesh & Stair and Ahtanum
and Wide Hollow bitches, which irrigate
IL 900 acres. In addition to these are
several smaller bitches which furnish
water for the high lands above the Match
eez river. In the Selah valley. on the
north side of the Yakima river. is the
Selah ditch, forty miles in length, and
the Gleed ditch, ten miles long, which
cover 5000 acres of good land. From
the Tietan is another ditch which irri-
gates about 20, 900 acres north OF the Hub
bard ditch. The Sunnyside canal begins
about two miles below the old town and
runs in an easterly direction, paralleling
the Yakima river and ends near Prosser.
1t is sixty miles in length, thirty feet
wide at the bottom and sixty-two feet on
top. 1t carries six feet of water and COW
ers SO 900 acres of fine fruit lands. The
! water for the I.eadbetter ditch is taken