The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1899-11-16
IN OUR WONDERLAND.
A Graphic Description Of the Sunnyside Fruit
Farms.

central washington. saws Tacoma cor
respondent in the P.-I. This tall the
farmers have transferred their allegiance
to winter apples, for while horticultursts
elsewhere have generally experienced a
bad year, the central Washington farm.
ers have just harvested the largest crop
OF apples ever grown in the state.
On trip just taken through the Sun.
INSIDE valley, Yakima county, your cor.
respondent found ranches OF ten, fifteen
and twenty acres, whose owners are not
only living in luxury, but are even able
to spend the winter season travelling in
Europe or the Orient. There are twenty
acre farms which have brought in over
$4,000 this fall from the sale of apples,
pears, peaches and alfalfa hay. One of
these is place that has been rented
since the sage brush was first turned
under six years ago.
A year ago the owner of this ranch
offered to sell it for $500, which would
have netted him a good return on his
investment. This year his 5-year. old
apple orchard of four acres came into
bearing and now he would not sell for
$4,000. He has received over $500 as
his share of the gross proceeds. His ten
ant has received like amount, and the
latter has had good living off the place
besides. The four-acre apple orchard
mentioned produced 200 boxes of Wine
sap, Spitzenberg, Newton Pippin and
Rhode Island Greening apples, which
brought 81 to $l.10 a box from the Mon
tana market.
The receipts from two acres of peaches
and pears amounted TO over $500, and
the tenant still has forty tons of alfalfa,
worth 81 80 ton, to sell
1t is results like this that are turning
the attention of many farmers now com
ing IN from the middle west to apple
raising on irrigated lands. New settlers
are coming into the Sunnyside district
daily and buying tracts OF twenty to
sixty acres. The farms that have been
opened up in this district this year are
source of surprise and wonder to those
who have not kept pace with the growth
OF the country irrigated by the Sunny
side canal.
About 10000 out of the 45, 900 acres of
land along the canal are now under cul.
tivation. and at the present rate of sales
the balance will be put into crops by
actual settlers during the next two or
three years. Over 5000 acres are devoted
to the production of hay alone. This
crop brought over 100000 into the val
ley this fall, besides the large amount
consumed on the ranches. 1t is esti-
mated that at least 1900 acres more will
be put into hay next spring.
This surprising prosperity in the Sun
nyside becomes all the more interesting
when it is remembered that the Yakima
Investment company, which owns both
canal and lands. is in the hands of Judge
Hanford, of the Federal court, through a
receiver, Joseph Allen, of Spokane. The
finances OF the company became very
complicated during the business depres-
sion four years ago, and there is large
indebtedness outstanding. just how
this tangle will come out is yet uncer-
tain, but it is conceded that the property
has been wisely and economically man
aged under Judge Hanford's direction,
and at the present rate of land sales it is
in hot larT NF -
turned into the federal court before the
property is finally disposed Of
The Suunyside canal parallels the
Northern Pacific railway for fortv-two
miles, and with its 250 miles of branch
canals and laterals covers $1,000 acres.
1t has been located for an extension of
fifteen miles, which will put 10000 acres
more under irrigation. Surveys show
that the canal can later be turned down
the Columbia slope for another sixty
miles. bringing under cultivation 200,-
600 acres. In anticipation of this extern
sion, the state of Washington has there
reserved the 100000 acres of desert lands
granted it by the Carey act.
When these extensions are completed,
Yakima county will be able to supply
winter apples for almost the entire world
As it stands today. the Sunnyside canal
is the greatest irrigation enterprise in the
northwest. 1t has been brought to its
present great success under the direction