The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-03-29
HEIGHTS
ORCHARD COMPANY

UkUfAkU UUmf AN !
Is Carrying Out Careful Irrigation
Plans on Its Tracts in the
Lower Valley
More wonderful than the tales of
Dean Swift are stories from real life
in the Yakima country, thus proving
the truth Of the adage that truth is
stranger than fiction. The foregoing
is brought forcibly to mind by an in
vestigation into the proposition of
the Parker Heights Orchard COM
pany. some of the results Of which
follow. Particular attention is called
to fe wof the striking innovations
inaugurated by the company as COM
pared with most OF the companies
elsewhere, and, with nearly all the
other companies in this favored Sec
ton of the greatest orchard lands on
the face of the earth.
The company has a tract of 100
acres one mile from Buena, 1e miles
from North Yakima, on the line Of
the o. w. R. & N. Co. line, recently
completed This land is beautifully
located, sloping gradually. making it
ideal for irrigation, equal to that of
the world famous Mob hill lands Of
North Yakima. From the slightly
elevation may be seen 800 hundred
homes, where peace and plenty dwell,
while to the westward and southwest
Mount Rainier and Mount Adams
raise their snowy bulk Of sDotless
white.
Method Of Getting Water
The two particular points of in
terest are the method Of getting the
water onto the land and distribute
ing it, and the plant by which the
above is accomplished. The first cost
of the machinery at the pumping sta
ton was two or three times as much
as might have been gotten along with
for the time being, but that would
ultimately have been much more ex-
pensive for the owners of the tracts
of land covered by the system.
Water is raised by the pumps to
three different elevations. the first IF
SO feet. the second Of 100 feet, the
third of $50 feet. Each one hum
dred acres is entitled to one cubic
foot of water per second, this being
much more than will ever be neces-
sary to use. The water being raised
to the different elevations is deter
mined by the number Of acres Of land
to be supplied. Water is supplied
from the Union Gap Ditch company
line. The company is the owner of
a full water right, enough to irrigate
more than three times the amount of
lands entitled to it.
About the Machinery
The machinery consists of one 100
horse power motor, on each side of
which is vertical triplex plunger
pump, driven from the motor direct
by gearil g. power from the propul-
sion of the motor being furnished by
the Pacific Power & Light company
from its line running through Parker
Bottom and Zillah. All the preceding
are mounted on the same cast iron
bedplate. installed on solid concrete
foundation 11x3 feet. Near the mid
die, at one side, is a well feet In
diameter, IA feet deep, circular IN
section, lined with concrete. Leading
into this well from the ditch 10 q 12-
inch cement pipe line. Suction pipes
from the pumps lead down into the
well. taking water a. desired. The
pumps are tive in number. the small
er with a plunger inches in dia-
meter and an 8-inch stroke. capable
Of raising 100 gallons Of water per
minute to a height Of $50 feet above
the canal level. The second pump
has plunger g inches in diameter.
with 8-inch stroke, with capacity Of
raising ESQ gallons per minute to
height of so feet. The big pump
/ works raising water to the 5O-foat
level. the smaller one pumping to
the 150-foot level, working only part
larger pump is used to raise water to
the 100-foot level. the power required
In each case being the same.
Water Carried I'm Pipes
The water is conveyed to the high
est point of each tract in under
ground wooden pipe, doing away with
the ordinary bitches. which take up
so much valuable land and which are
breeding places for weeds and a
source of big loss Of water. Right
here is the big point. If the water
were to be pumped onto each tract
at all hours Of the day and night, the
amount of water in the pipes would
of course be very small. BY pump
ing the water onto the tracts for Il
portion of the time only, the one do
ing the irrigating is not required to
be on hand constantly, while the
total supply of water furnished is at
the same time more than sufficient
for all needs of irrigation.
The management of the Parker
Heights Orchard company is practice
ally the same as that of the Yakima
Orchard Development company,
handling the Beulah lands, and the
Mt. Adams View Orchard company,
with a tract near Zillah. In the
three tracts there are nearly 900
acres. Nearly half the tracts of the
| Parker Heights Orchard company
proposition have been sold, most Of
the purchasers residing in the east.
The officers are as follows: Charles
N. Hunt president and treasurer;