The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-08-25
THE YAKIMA AND NATCHEz
VALLEYS ARE VISITED
This Week Editor Tells Us About the Much Talked OF
"Red Apple Country" and the Bunch of Former Red
wood People That Are Now Boosting for 1t.

applicant had been a lover of his
fellow men and women during his
earthly career and always booster
for his home town. On the debit
side of the account it appeared that
Ormie's only weakness was an o.
casional tending to over-statement
when he got launched upon his ia
yorite theme of the Yakima valley
and its big red apples and yellow
peaches. The kind old guardian of
the portals condoned this trivial
fault, and instructed the recording
angel to make out the applicants
passports to realms celestial and ad
NIT him. This he was about to do
when the shade of Ormie said that
he had a boon to ask.
''The fact is" said the shade,
that North Yakima is good enough
for me, and if it is the same to you,
I'd like to 60 back there long enough
to fix up the ranch for the wife and
youngsters, and to show UP the
good points of the valley to some
good friends of mine from Redwood
Falls" Saint Peter smiled indul-
gently, and told his secretary to
give the petitioner pass to North
Yakima, with thirty year return
trip privileges. This is where Or
mic regained consciousness and
where our story ends.
Out of the goodness of their
hearts, Mr.. and Mrs. Ormie, the
day after our arrival, drove with
The Gazette man and his partner up
the valley of the Natchez, where
Geo. Maltby. Ed. Fedder}y and J. A.
Werner each have ranches. Mr..
Maltby is already most comfortably
domiciled in a good neighborhood
with school privileges and fine bear
ing orchards. Ed Fedderly and
his little family were in temporary
quarters adjoining Maltby's, until
such time as they can have farm
buildings erected on their ranch
near by. Ed. is a more rampant
Yakima boomer than Ormie even,
but was good enough to say that if
Redwood Falls family was unable
to remove to the Yakima valley,
they might do worse than stay where
they were. Ed. is looking after the
crops on a couple of tracts near his
own ranch and is paying his way
while his lands are being improved
for occupation.
Mr.. and Mrs. Werner were also
found to be we'll pleased with their
location at the head of little valley
running into the main valley of the
, Natchez. They have a small but
comfortable home, surrounded al
the time of our visit with a heavy
: growth of alfalfa, which was almost
ready for cutting the second time
this summer, three crops of this val
: liable forage staple being cut every
year, under favorable conditions
Mr.. Werner expects to put out trees
for a good-sized orchard next spring
but at present his farming is con
fined mainly to the raising Of alfalf;
and potatoes, both of which yielC
largely under irrigation.
Wonderful stories are told of tn,
fruit production on these lands il
:. ordinary years, but 1909 is a pool
: year in this locality on account O.
! late spring frosts. Peaches are al
absolute failure and apples much be
low average, so that the orchardist
! here will not have money to burr
on account of the crop this year
This condition does not seriously af
feet the valuation of the fruit land
: about North Yakima, which is il
good demand at from $3.50 per acr,
up to prices almost fabulous. While
the limit in price may have beef
reached for the fruit lands, Nortl
! Yakima residents are strong in tn,
:. faith that theirs is to be city O
metropolitan proportions at no dis
! tant day. The valley is said to hav,
:, $4,000 population already and tn
;. city $4,000. The basis of the pros