Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-02

VOleQ 70 Irult, somewhat similar TO the.
Wenatchee valley. where this letter is writ
ten. These are being opened up to set
tiers. who are planting orchards and thus
dveloping what promises to be one of the
great Embarrassing regions of the United
States
In the Wenatchee Valley.
/ can give you the best idea of this sec
ton by describing what is going on here
in the Wenatchee valley. This is situated
in almost the center of Washington state,
at the junction of the Great Northern rail-
road with the Columbia river. 1t Is about
hundred miles from the Pacific ocean
and two hundred miles south of our inter
national boundary. On the west of II are
the Cascade mountains, and on the east
flows the wide Columbia, into which the
Wenatchee empties at this point. The val
ley is narrow, but 1t is cut up into irri-
gated orchards. which are watered chiefly
by the Wenatchee river. The most of 1t
was sage brush four or five years ago. but
it is now as extensively cultivated as any
part of the Union. There are about 1900
acres under water and something like
5000 people here In the town of Wenatchee
and in the region adjoining. New orchards
are being set out on every available spot.
Five hundred thousand trees were planted
last year and a great number this spring.
Five Acres Enough.
The most of the orchards here are small.
The average is. I should say, not over five
acres although some reach as high
thirty or forty The farmers say that five
acres is about all one man can properly
attend to, and that this is enough to make
a good living for himself and family. They
claim that an orchard OF that size, well ir-
rigated, will yield more in money than the
eastern man gets from 320-acre farm.
hear Of instances of orchardists making
S6<D and inward State Senator
Gum tells me that John Rupp made 81, go
clear two years ago from three acres, and
at the same time had his living expenses.
A year ago Rupps tract Melted $500, and
it is now rented at $500 cash in advance. /
was shown a sixyear-old apple orchard the
other day within stones throw of this
town which has yielded 1,25o boxes of ap-
pies in one year The fruit was especially
fine and 1t sold for 81, 500. That was the
product of a single acre of land.
Big Money In Apricots.
In addition to apples. the people here
claim to be making their fortunes out OF
other fruit. A Mr.. Simmons has an april
cot orchard which has already netted a
profit of $40o per acre, and 1t is said that
Dan Wood picked year before last 1900
boxes of cherries from sixty-five trees. and
sold them at dollar a box His sixty-ive
trees covered less than an acre, and the
total one years receipts from that amount
of land were 1890 The same orchard
Melted only $500 last year, so the crops are
evidently variable / hear some ex-
traordfnary fairy stories about peaches and
plums, but there seems to be no doubt that,
with big discount for exaggeration, this
region has great possibilities.
High-Priced Lands
The lands which will raise such fruit are,
however, comparatively scarce, and all
lands here sold at high prices. The
raw prairie of the valley near Wenatchee If
II can be irrigated, brings $3.50 per acre, but
this is including q perpetual wafer right
for which the companies charge about $50
per acre Lands which have been brought
under cultivation and planted in trees sell
for much more The general increase is
hundred dollars more per acre for each
year dating from the time the trees are
planted At this rate a two-year-old Or
ehard IL not far from Wenatchee ought to
be worth $500, and a three-year-old $500 or