The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-02-15
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
An Interesting and Well Attended Meet,
Ing Last Saturday.
PROMINENT MEN MADE SPEECHES.
Much Concern Manifested aud n
Great Deal Of Good Advice Given.
4. v. Smaiiey's Entertaining
TAXA story or Two.

~
leading element in its advancement goes
without question. The meeting last Sat
urday afternoon at Mas on's opera house,
attended by leading horticulturists and
many business men, attested that fact.
The horticultural interests OF Yakima
county constitute chief factor in its
progress. This fact will be plainly mani
fest in the immediate future II is clearly
observable now TO those who concern
themselves with such matters.
President Wilcox was greeted by an
encouragingly representative audience
when lie announced that the meeting
would he devoted first to routine business
in which matters Of importance would
appear, and, secondarily, to edifying re-
marks by prominent visitors present
among whom were Professors +. X. Lake
and Elton Fulmer, OF the state agricul-
tural college at Pullman, aud Hon. T. V.
Smalley, editor and publisher OF the in.
comparable Northwest Magazine and a
man who knows Washington in all its
varied aspects from the center to all four
corners; s. w. Maxey, of Ellensbureh,
member OF the state hoard of horticulture
for this district, ard Geo. w. Elliott, OF
Ellensburgh.
After discussion on a number OF topics
in the interest OF fruit.growers, among
which was the important subject OF spray
ing early in order TO destroy the pests
which all concede have appeared with
alarming snddenness in our orchards,
President Wilcox )pointed committee
to locate a sort of headquarters at which
spraying supplies may be had. Those
who participated in the discussion we're
agreed that the spraying should be done
before the buds start, as solution may
then be used of sufficient strength to kill
the pests without danger to the tree. 1t
was decided by those who have been
spraying regularly that gold dust is by
far the best article to use.
s. W. Maxey urged that "our fruits
are the best in the world and there should
be no delay in protecting them from those
pests which had proved so destructive in
other sections of the country. Then" he
continued, eve must find fruit market
and cultivate it, that we may know
before our fruits are dropping from their
stems what disposition we can make.
When the country learns of the character
of our fruits BUYERS will come to us. Our
exhibits at the Worlds fair excited the
wonderment OF visitors from all parts of
the world Many who saw them suggest
ed that they were hand made-that they
were wax, their colors we're so delicate,
the blending of tints $, harmonious and
their condition so perfect"
Prof Fulmer, being called, reviewed
the history of sugar-beet culture since
lS47. 1t is as yet comparatively a new
industry. Only six factories are in enc.
cessful operation in the United States.
Three of these are in California. The
usual price heretofore paid Tor beets is
81 per ton. However, s. per ton was
paid for all delivered last year. Half Of
the bounty goes to the farmer and half to
the manufacturer. In ordinary yields
the bounty alone amounts to $25 per acre
to the farmer. He bad known of 80 tons
of beets being raised to the acre; but
ha To- NJ
per ton, the product in money would be
800 per acre. Beet diseases are not SER
ious. In elements of plant food our soils
are not very different from those OF Cali
forna; in other respects they vary con-
siderable. Soil suitable for beet culture
must be porous-a light, sandy loan.
The larger the beet the less sugar proper
tionately, other things being equal. Beets
will have to be cultivated the first year
xperimentally, because no factory will
come until the question of production
aud quality shall have been positively
determined Much less moisture is
required for beets than for wheat. Aka
line soil is not good for the sugar quality
in the beet, rs it prevents proper crystal
ization. Beets will not exhaust the soil
make an excellent feed for cattle. 1t
will pay the stockman to raise them for
his cattle alone. The pulp from the
factory is also good stock food. beet
sugar plant will employ 200 men, will
consume 80 tons OF coal, 10 tons of lime
stone and 2,500,000 gallons OF water daily
Planting may begin in the latter part Of
April and continue to the middle OF July.
From nine TO fifteen pounds OF seed per
acre are used. Factory operations begin
about the first of September and continue
about four months. A factory expert
goes from field to field to determine when
the beets may be harvested.
Prof. E. r. Lake responded to the pres
ident's call by saying that he vas simply
making tour of inquiry chiefly in the
interest OF experiment station work. The
station in the Yakima valley, he said, is
the most important in the state.
EItor E. II. Libby, publisher OF The
Ranch being called, favored the society
with much valuable information on ex-
perimental station work. He has visited
many experiment stations in this country
and in Europe. Germany AMI France,
he said, are far ahead Of US in this re-
spect The farmers OF this section
should see that the Zillah station be put
in operation whether the state do it on
not. He declared that the board OF re-
gents is intolerably slow and that those
of this section who are directly interested
should see that proper influence is used
to urge it to hasten its work in this
matter.
L. V. smalIey, the editor and publisher
OF the Northwest Magazine, St. Paul, was
called. II am not ienderfoot in this
country" he said. Ten years ago