The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1925-01-22
TELL SPOKANE
OF KENNEWICK
Watkins Represents Kenne-
wick in Spokane Cham
ber Of Commerce

As a result Of an invitation from
the Spokane Chamber Of Commerce,
A. II. +. Watkins, secretary Of the
Kennewick Commercial club, went to
Spokane to represent this city.
When he left he was given few
instructions but among them he was
supposed to find out the reason for
Kennewick not being seen in the col
umns of the Spokane papers. Mr..
Watkins also took some samples Of
the things we grow in this district
both in abundance and as an ex-
pertinent. ..
Accordingly the first thing Mr..
Watkins did was to go down to the
Spokesman-Review office and open
his little satchel, showing them the
things we are growing in Kennewick
and around this place. He received
many inquiries and remarks and as
a result of the demonstration, the fol-
lowing article was printed in the
Spokesman-Review
The climate and soil of the Kenne-
wick country are adapted to the grow
ing of southern crops experiments of
the last year or two have proven and
the result may be wide diversity Of
crops in coming years. Samples Of
some Of these southern products have
been placed on exhibit at the Cham
ber Of Commerce by A. H. F. Wat
kins, secretary Of the Kennewick Com
mercial club, who was a guest at the
annual Chamber Of Commerce BAN
quet last night. The experiments
have been made with the cooperation
Of the commercial club.
"Sweet potatoes of different varie-
tise, cotton, peanuts and walnuts
were successfully grown in an exper-
mental way, according to Mr.. Wat
kins. For three years, o. N. Miller
has grown the sweet potatoes as an
experiment and has kept his own seed
over each year. Last spring the COM
mercial club brought in ton Of seed
and made wide distribution of them
to the farmers for an experiment.
Some secured yield as high as five
pounds to the hill.
English walnuts have been grown
by Mills brothers, who sold $100
worth from three young trees. Other
experiments are being made within
10 to Is miles of Kennewick.
Louis Coulson of Finley met with
gratifying success in his experiment
with peanuts. He raised two and
one-half acres of the Virginia Jumbo
and sold the crop for 12 and one
half cents pound.
"Another experiment showed that
cotton, which requires 180 days from
planting to maturity, and is regarded
as peculiarly a southern crop, can be
grown in the Kennewick country.
Omar w. Rich, pioneer land man, brot
in pecla of cotton seed last spring
and distributed it to so farmers.
Every one produced mature cot
ton plants, said Mr.. Watkins. These
experiments have proven that we
have conditions here which will war
rant a wide diversity Of crops
"'We have ais GA wonderful. de-
posit of volcanic ash suitable for pot
terry manufacture, and an abundance
Of natural gas only 25 miles away
which may some day make this val
ley great industrial CENTER"
From there he went to the Spokane
Chamber of Commerce and again op-
ened his little satchel and showed
the members its contents and while
they were gazing at the things we
raise here and wondering why they
did not know, Mr.. Watkins told them
Of our industrial powers and possi-
oilities; told them Of the gas we have
FOR the piping; told them of the ash
we have in the hills to make glass
and that he thought the country
would some day be an industrial CEN
ter.
Secretary Watkins says, at doesn't
seem that Spokane has anything
against Kennewick and that if we
will get stuff to the Spokane papers
TO print that they will print it. Any
way that is the way they acted when
visited with the staff of the paper"