The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-07-29
HOPS IN YAKIMA.
Over 1900 Acres Planted That
Nay Yield $9OO, 900.
SIX THOUSAND pscxERs NEEDED
Assaoeo0oo1s Ios 1saaooSRt1og 3AoD-
he Rsssas Cess PIsassP Hsp Grower
Iolks - Growing sd RtsAin6.

Talks q 0reufae s.A RSshiAG.
NORM YAKIMA. July E.-iSpscial l.
Hops and the hop market continue 70 b
the ail-absorbing topic Of conversation in
Yakima, With the picker" problem still
unsoavsd. Concerning the latter. how
ever. some strong steps have besn taken
By the Yakima Hop Association. which
numbers among its members all OF the
principal growers Of this section. Early
hop picking viii begin here on or about
August 70, late hops coming in about
thirty days thereafter. The season will b
OF ~ least ono and one-half months dura-
ton, and there win be IN abundancs Of
work for thoss desiring 70 pick in that
time. Yakima will want 5000 picksrs.
and to meet the demand the Northern
Pacific railroad il understood TO have
offered . round trip rate from all Sound
points to Yakima. in crews Of fifty or more.
Of e6.5n. If the squads Be larger. say 100
o, over, the rate is to be S.
The highest rate yet offered in Yakima
on contracts for 1893 hops is II cents.
Strange to say. this offer was emphaticaliy
refused, the growers here firmly believing
that the market will open on at least 20
cents. with an upward tendency.
il is estimated that nearly 5000 acres
are set to hops in Yakima now. some :. 800
acres being old and 700 acres being frat
year plantings. II Il estimated that the
sum received by our growers this year will
be in the vicinity Of $3.50. 900. That is .
figure taken at . minimum price per
pound. II the product brings 20 cents the
sum viii reach &9OO.0O0 These figures
alone furnish the reason for the great
interest taken In the monster crops now
eternal vigilance" which 10 in this In
stance the price Of something almost a.
dear - liberty. / G., . more than apparent
abundance Of the coin Of the realm.
Daniel Flint. Of Sacramento, CAL. was .
Yakima visitor over Sunday, and to . re-
porter he stated that he found much 70
interest him here. Mr.. Flint Is the pioneer
hop grower OF the Pacific coast, having
first begun propagating the valuable pro-
duct in 1853. From his Alameda yards,
long years ago, came the roots which have
made the Puyaliup Of today famous; and.
indirectly, because many Yakima roots
were first grown in Puyai!up, tho vines Of
this section owe their hardness, and their
owners are indebted to Mr.. Flint for the
care and judgment exercised by him in tho
years long since passed. Mr.. Flint tells
many an interesting story pertaining to
hops and their culture. . few Of which may
be OF benefit to your readers. He has I'M
defgons the misfortune in times past to
lose three successive crops, becoming al.
most bankrupt. But with . tenacity of
purpose admirable in the extreme, he
stood by his guns" and the result Of to-
day il magnificent yard Of l47 acres near
Sacramento. from which Mr.. Flint annu-
ally derives q splendid income. He states
that he 10 out Of the business now, practic-
ally. He is allowing his sons TO manage
the great ranch. while he takes II easy in
travelling over the country and Waiting
points Of interest
Mr.. Flint is an ardent advocate for the
Indian In the picking problem. He states
that they pick cleaner, require less watch
ing and that their work as whole Is pro-
ductive OF better results than any other
class except perhaps white women, who
are even moro conscientious. He contin-
ued:
''Chinamcn are the fastest Of all pickers.
The wav they rush through field 10 .
caution. But you have to watch them
like hawk does chicken. or you'll lind
your vines only half picked. Again. they
cause more damage by fires than all nation
ality Of workers put together. You see,
nine-tenths Of the kilns in any yard are
set on fire. II at oil, solely by matches Tho
Cinnamon use them 70. the innumerab!e
cigarettes they smoke. and they never stop
to pick one out Of their basket should it ac-
cidensaily fail in, but light another and
leave the suipher-headed silver as gigan.
tic menace 10 the successful drying Of
thousands OF dollars worth Of hons. The
match or matches left in the basket are
never discovered-untii you sec Your hon
house going up in smoke. They STAY i'm.
bedded in the hops until placed in the
kiln. where the intense heat suddenly
ignites them, and pouf. you are out q
small fortune. There IS only one way to
stop II, ana that is disagrecabie. How.
ever, l always wanted 10 save my crop,
and never had single FIRE, strange and
fortunate as that may seem. so Simply
began at the head of the long line Of pick.
ers each morning with tho question !:
John. you gotsee ma,chee7' OF course,
he would say No I always expected
that answer. bu; did not stop there. I
would commence with No. 1 and go clear
down the line, examining every stitch of
their clothing. 1: was q bad Job, to be
sure. but | saved fortune by il. Bret
Harte never said anything so true or 10
pertinent ~ his statement that:
FOR wsys that are da.k and tricks that ars vain
The heather Chinee IL peculiar: which the came
am srec 10 maintain.
Those Cinnamon would hide m atche,
nr their sleeves. in their thick, long mig
tails. In the heels of their sandals. anv.
where, In fact, 50 that they should De
I.LIfu from Hnf I
many Tor them and l owe my easy cir
eums'ances Of today to my constant watch.
iu.ue>S."
Mr.. Flint rather startled your reporter
with his reply 10 the question: "How
much per box do yon pay your p.ckers %
BOX! box Do your people use boxes
way. you are twenty years behind the
times thought every grower had gotten
rtd Of that nonsensical and injurious
from monetary standpoint. idea.
Wen, bow ao you work itr''
Scales, % coarse. 1t is the fa,rest
cheapest aud most honest way for both the
picker and grower pay all the way
rom - eents 70 81 per loo pounds. and
nave no. N all my experience found cauSs
20 complain o! the method. You don
pay iof cioas and stones and vines, etc.
OF ioiiowing that plan as yo,, do on ths
'nox proposition. However, voar peonls
VIII soon ana Oat she merits Of the .raie
oais IL = n onder 20 me TIA, they haven,
deue 50 long ago
MI F'int spent several days here look
ing over the valley and visiting MANY a,
the larger yards. He vas more ,hs, q,
vosasay impressed with our section from :
hop growers standpoint. and pronae.ie,l
great things for Us IN the future.