The Yakima Experiment
A local grower attempts to prove that Washington soil produces Havana-grade tobacco.
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.
I was led to try the experiment of raising tobacco in Washington Territory in 1887. My friend, the late Dr. Jorgensen, in company with Governor Miles Moore and other gentlemen, was discussing the possibility of raising a high-class tobacco in this country. Prof. Henry of the Smithsonian, after analysis, said that the soil was peculiarly adapted to the growth of tobacco. I tried Havana, Sumatra, and Virginia seeds. The Havana and Virginia were a distinct success. The plants are raised in beds and transplanted. In Eastern Washington, the climate is so dry that artificial moisture is required in curing, so we found it necessary to supplement this with steam. We consider from eight hundred to one thousand pounds of Havana per acre a good crop so far. Our last crop had much more gum than either of the preceding ones, which I ascribe to the increase of irrigation in the valley. The flavor of our tobacco is said by experts to approach more nearly to that of Havana than any other grown in America.
“The flavor of our tobacco is said by experts to approach more nearly to that of Havana than any other tobacco grown in America.”
While Washington is now famous for apples and hops, this story highlights the mid-19th-century 'booster' obsession with finding the perfect cash crop for the arid Yakima Valley. It reflects the early, experimental agricultural phase before corporate irrigation transformed the region into a global orchard.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.