The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-05-24
An EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY
TO JUDGE 0E CONDITIONS
Indications Are that Yakima Valley
Affords Everything Desired for
Successful Culture OF Beets.

P. J. PREM, agriculturist OF the
Yakima Beet Sugar company, was at
home over Sunday, and speaks very
encouragingly of the present condi-
ton of the test fields of beets on the
reservation and elsewhere In the
county and also at Ellensburg.
II am now confident" he said,
that every hope of the promoters of
this enterprise will be more than re-
allied. II is hard to say in which
locality the best beets are to be found
at this time, but all the fields are
doing well--excellently, in fact. In
sizing up the situation, it should be
remembered that this has been just
about as far from favorable spring
for sugar beets as the records show
that the valley of the Yakima has
ever had. The nights have been
colder than usual, while there has
been a great deal less than the aver
age amount of warmth in the days.
l am glad it has been SO, for II
under these conditions the crop Is
proven to be sure and a success in
every way. quality of beets most OF
all, 1t is pleasant to contemplate
what the results will be in normal
season.
1--WE have at Ellensburg and in
all parts of Yakima county, fields OF
beets planted for experimental pur-
poses, running in size all the way
from one-tenth of an acre to five
acres. About 35 per cent Of the
total acreage is on the reservation.
All the nelds are doing well. The
beets are large enough now for the
work of thinning to be begun, and !
want to tell you the fields look nice.
The average plant has developed al
ready six or eight leaves; all seem
strong and healthy. The growers
or those who are experimenting are
all we'll satisfied so far. and very
large percentage of them are en-
thusiastic. 1t has been very easy
to get them to follow our instruc-
tions, as all seem anxious to find
Just what there is in the industry,
when taken up on large scale. 1t
is true that all could have worked
to better advantage with a better
and more complete equipment of i'm
Elements, such as drills and beet
cultivators, but good progress has
been made as it is.
1.-The first of this week i will take
a crew of Indians into the five-acre
field Of Mr.. Gilbert at Toppinish
and, under my supervision, they will
thin the beets. We will go from
there to other fields, and after the
thinning is done the progress of the
growth and development OF the
young beets will be rapid. There is
no doubt in my mind as to the quail
ty or sugar percentage in the beet;
the main thing to be decided in these
experiments is the probable tonnage
per acre, and l am just as confident
in regard to that as to the quality.
"The Yakima valley, l think, Is
going to prove to be one of the best
sugar beet sections of the United
States. The young plants grew
better than any l ever saw before in
the cold nights that we have had
since planting time. The only way
/ can account for this is that the soil
was drier than most soil is on the
surface, and its temperature was
therefore less affected by the cold
than more moist soil would have
been. For this reason we did not
suffer so much by the lack of warm
weather that the valley usually ex-
periences at this season. Good
stands OF beets were secured in every
place in the county.
1.-THE company who propose to build
the factory are watching the ex-
periments very closely, and all be-
ing experienced in this industry in
all its branches, are delighted with
the progress so far. They are 60
ing ahead with other plans, and there
is no reason to doubt that they will
be on hand ready to begin work on
the factory at the time set, which
will give plenty of time to get every
thing in shape for next years cam
paign."