The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-10-30
Irrigation In Yakima Valley.

tins descriptive 81 irrigation enter
pl SOS eve published ~ he r. S.
departing ii Of a-ti uiGe i is CONF
II b. o. Jayne. IL aser OF .ri-
gaI9n AID dra.nase .vestlgations,
and is designated by the number 1sS.
Under the subject of orchards the
bulletin recognizes the fact that fruit
growing is the leading industry, all
falfa lands are being plowed up and
converted into orchards.
Apples, peaches and pears are
the three fruits of greatest CONNER
cial importance. OF these, apples
and especially the winter varieties,
easily lead. The best practice in
planting is to place the trees about
80 feet apart each way, by what is
called the triangular system. In
many of the older orchards they are
only 90 to % feet apart, but expert
ence has shown this TO be too close
foF apple trees. although about right
for pears Very often. with the APP
Die trees 80 feet apart. peaches will
be set between them, and as they ma
ture much quicker than the apple,
several crops may be obtained before
the apple trees are large enough to
bear, and the peach trees may then
be taken out. Potatoes, corn, or 9TH
er crops are grown between the trees
when they are small, in order to get
some revenue from the land while
the orchard is growing. A crop
should be selected which requires
about the same amount Of water as
the trees, for when wberries, for
instance, which require much more
water, are planted between the rows.
the growth of the trees will be re-
tarded in a very marked degree.
"The orchards are irrigated entire
ly by the furrow system, although
time of watering and as to the guam
tity applied. Where they are planted
on deep loamy soil, three irrigations
are usually considered sufficient if
thorough cultivation follows each,
but if the trees are in such shape
that the ground cannot be we'll titled,
more frequent wetting is necessary.
On the deep soils it is commonly not
necessary to irrigate until early in
June. The next application is made
about the middle of July, and the
last near the middle of August.
Where the soil is gravelly or has
gravel subsoi the irrigation begins
about the first of April and contn-
ues till he middle Of September.
Some orchardists make the irriga-
zion burrows ON each side of the trees
four 70 six feet distant from them
and allow the water to run in each
furroW for a couple of days, or until
The ground appears to be sufficiently
moist, when it is turned into other
burrows. This is perhaps the most
commou practice. Cultivation is con-
sidered to be of very great import
ance, and all the best orchards are
kept perfectly free from weeds, with
the soil at all times worked so as
to have a deep mulch over the sur
face. which conserves the moisture
with few exceptions. the orchards
are small, ranging from five to twen
ty acres. The labor, however re-
quired to properly care for ten acres
of bearing orchard is greater than
that of much larger farm with or
binary crops, but the returns are large
in proportion. The following are a
few examples showing cost of produc-
ton and profits from the large fruits
"Mr. f. Chenaur OF Zillah, Wash.
reported the yield and returns from
forty Bartlett pear trees and two
hundred spitzenberg apple trees ais
follows: Apples, SOS boxes at $3.50
per box; $50 boxes culls at 40 cents
per box; total. s1,51440. Cost of
production was s442.64, leaving a
net profit of $1.071.76, or $3.50 per
tree, or s42S per acre. The trees
were II years old.
THE pears yielded 240 boxes,
sold for s1.25 per box, bringing $500.
The cost of production was $76.40,
leaving net returns of s223.60, about
$500 per tree, or SAT- per acre.
These trees were also IL years old.
Mr. S. F. Walden of Zillah re-
ported yield of S04 boxes from Al
Rome Beauty apple trees IL years
old. They sold for s165 per box,
bringing s501.60. The cost of pro-
duction was $13S, which leaves net
profit OF $363.60, nearly 50 per tree
or at the rate of over 800 per acre.
"Mr w. L. Wright of North Yaki-
ma has is acres of orchard The APP
pie trees are 80 feet apart and some