The Yakima Valley's Tobacco Future
New experiments on the Moxee plantation show that Yakima’s climate and soil could produce tobacco to rival Cuba’s.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The success of the experiments in tobacco culture on the Moxee plantation at Yakima is worthy of special note. It has now been shown that artificial control of the moisture in the atmosphere during the process of curing tobacco is as practical as the irrigation of the growing crop. By means of steam and the distribution of spray, the tobacco can be quickly cured without the risks attending the process in Maryland and Virginia. The tobacco thus prepared has been found to be almost equal to the choicest product of Cuba, and the manufacture of cigars is to be added to the industries of the Moxee plantation. The value of this experiment to that part of the territory can hardly be estimated. With the exception of potatoes, tobacco is more than four times the value of any of the crops named. It can be transported to the markets of the world with advantage, either through Tacoma to Europe or by rail to the eastern states. If the experiments at Moxee can be relied upon, a new era of development of great importance will soon be introduced.
“The value of this experiment to that part of the territory can hardly be estimated.”
Yakima's agricultural identity remains deeply tied to high-value specialty crops. While hops and fruit ultimately became the region's agricultural cornerstones, the late 1880s ambition to compete with Cuban tobacco highlights the historical role of boosterism in shaping the valley's economy.
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