The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-04-08

4 to our growers.
The state is naturally divided into
three great horticultural regions
i the coast, the inland valleys and the
i inland uplands. Each of these has
! its own peculiar horticulture. The
/ coast region, west of the Cascade
mountains, is characterized by a
/ heavy rainfall. a rich, productive soil,
a humid atmosphere and very mild
winters. 1t is especially adapted to
the culture of small fruits, nuts and
to a greater or less degree, apples
and pears.
1T is truly the home of the red
raspberry and the blackberry. The
red raspberry frequently produces
canes from 10 to IL feet high and
Yields from 400 to 500 crates the
acre. The vine-producing blackberry
! will produce canes from Is to 40
feet in length and yield from 500 to
! 1900 crates the acre.
| 1.-The sweet cherry is extensively
grown in this region, where it pro-
duces large crops of firm fruit. which
can be shipped to all parts of The
United States and Mexico. The tree
| attains large size and often yields
from 500 10 1000 pounds to the tree,
bringing from 4 to 10 cents pound.
The southern portion of this re-
! eion is extensively devoted to the
| production of prunes. and while
there is no longer a prune- growing
boom, vet many growers are receiv-
ing credtable returns from their or
chards
] An, &c ~ n 20 cYtn fttl1 Is
grown in practically all parts of the
region. and while they have not be-
come commercial factors to any eX-
tent. yet there is no reason why they
should not
THE inland valleys are character
lied by their rich soil, warm days,
cool nights, mild winters and alti-
tude OF 800 to 1000 feet. With irri-
CATION these valleys at once become
the most important commercial peach
districts of the United States, as well
as very important pear and apple pro-
ducing sections. Their yields are
best shown by few orchard statis-
ties collected in these valleys.
Pears Yield $3SO6 an Acre.
"The lands of the Yakima have
given undoubtedly the largest re-
turns in money values ever received
anywhere for fruit. Its prize pear
orchard of ga D'Anjou trees on two
thirds of an acre yielded $50 boxes,
or trifle over 16 boxes the tree.
| These pears sold in the New York
market at an average of $3.50 box.
and netted the owner at the rate of
| S3S06 the acre. While this yield Is
| remarka bly, large. yet we have yeri-
| fed statements for several other pear
orchards that netted the owners from
$500 to $4,000 an acre during the
season of 1907.
THE average yield of peaches on
| Mob Hill district of North Yakima
last season was $4,000 an acre. This
not only includes large number of
small orchards, but also includes GER
tain varieties that were far from pro-
ductive during the past season.
A small orchard of 4-year-old
Elberta peaches in Wenatchee yield
ed an average of 80 crates tree and
netted the owner a little more than
so cents the crate, or at the rate Of
S259G the acre.
THE inland upland region is east
of the Cascade mountains and is cha
racteriZed by an altitude of from
1000 to 5000 feet, an annual average
rainfall of about 10 inches, a deep,
rich soil, retentive of moisture, cool
nights, clear days Besides peaches,
pears and apples, these inland val
leys are adapted to apricots, cherries,
European as we'll as American grapes
and all kinds of small fruits.
The commercial fruitgrowing of
this region is confined almost entirely
to the production of winter apples
and pears. Sweet cherries, peaches
and apricots may be grown in favor
ed spots, but the sour cherry is one
of the marvels of this region, and as
soon as the dryers and evaporators
get to handling this fruit, the upland
regions will produce dried and evap-
Grated cherries for the worlds mar
kets. The following data was secur-
ed from two distinct sections of this
region and illustrate what is posi-
BILE:
"A small unirrigated orchard of
King and Tompkins County apples,
in the vicinity of Spokane, yielded at
the rate of 80 boxes of marketable
fruit tree, which was sold in Spo-
kane markets at 50 box. Estimat-
ing 40 trees an acre, which is 10
trees less than the average orchard,
this would total $4,000 an acre.
Three acres Of unirrigated or
chard of many varieties in the Big
Bend country netted it's owner more
than $1,000 during the season of
1907. While these two last returns
are not large, they simply illustrate
that apples are now being profitably
grown on land that was formerly sup
posed to be too dry for successful
wheatgrowing. Parts of these lands
are rapidly becoming too valuable
for general agriculture and sooner
or later must be cut up into small
fruit and dairy farms