The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1917-07-05
CHOICE LAND
OFFERED STATE
FOR STATION
Northern Pacific Irrigation Com
pany Will Donate Forty Acres
on the Highlands
COMMITTEE HERE LAST WEEK
Several Proposed Sites Near Yakima
Eliminated Because of SUBJ
Irrigation

The committee appointed by Presi-
dent E. o. Holland, Of the State COL
lege, for the purpose Of viewing sites
and making recommendations for the
location Of an irrigation experiment
station in the state, visited Kennewick
last Thursday. The committee was
headed by Prof. o. L. Waller, vice
president of the college and head of
the division of irrigation engineering
in the Washington experiment station.
Associated with him on the committee
are Henry Holtz, soil physicist Of the
experiment station, S. o. Jayne, of
the U. S. department of agriculture,
and R. X. Tiffany, manager of the
Yakima reclamation project.
The visitors We're shown over the
surrounding country where they view
ed several proposed sites and in tho
evening Kennewick's claims were pre-
sented by committee from the Com
mercial club.
Prof. Waller made it plain that in
selecting site the committee would
consider only soil Of the heavier type
such as is general in all of the irri-
gated districts Of the state and that
such site must be absolutely free from
sub-irrigation from surrounding lands.
One phase of work at the new station
will be experiments to ascertain the
duty OF water and the soil on which
these experiments are conducted must
be free from sub-surface moisture.
Two Of the proposed sites visited here
filled the requirements in every respect
and We're pronounced ideal by mem.
bers Of the committee.
The two sites visited by the COM
mittee are on the Highlands, either Of
which the Northern Pacific will do
nate to the state. One contains more
than 40 acres and the other more than
35 acres of the choicest lands on the
Highlands. The company's offer in
cludes not only the land, but a water
right, the only cost to the state being
the annual maintenance charge. The
soil is of the heavier type and is equal
to that Of the best lands now under
cultivation in any irrigation section
in the state.
In presenting Kennewick's claims
the local committee contended that
Kennewick offered greater possibili-
ties for experimental work than any
other irrigated section in the state.
They maintained that any problem
general to irrigated Washington could
be worked out here, but that there are
problems here that could not be work.
ed out at station located at Wenat-
chez or North Yakima. Crops are
grown here that cannot be successful
ly grown in other sections while ev-
cry crop grown there can be grown
here, because Of the long growing sea-
son and early maturity of the crops
land here could be made to do double
1uty in that two distinct experiments
could be conducted on the same ground
IN one season; that experiments in
ended to increase the production Of
Early fruits and vegetables could be
conducted at no place in the state ex-
ept at some place in the Columbia val
ey between Priest Rapids and Wal
ula. In short the local committee
claimed that Kennewick offers every-
hing that any other section does and
something's which no other section can.
The decision of the committee to
consider no site affected by sub-irriga-
ion eliminated several of the proposed
'ites near North Yakima in fact the
'nly two left in the running in the up
Der valley is one on the Indian reser-
'ation near Toppenish and one at
srandview.
In every instance the local commit
ees were requested to put their claims
n writing and submit them for further
onsideration. The committee named
o present Grandview's claims is head
d by Lon Boyle of Prosser while S. J.
Harrison of Benton City is member
f the committee.