The $15,000 Orchard Gamble on Newport's South Bench

As a result of the recent visit to Newport of Mr. J. E. Corlett, of Elkader, Iowa, president of the Newport-Washington Land Co., authority was given for the expenditure of a large sum of money on Cedar Park and the company's lands in the neighborhood of Mr. Talmadge's Silver Birch ranch.

Mr. Talmadge's work in clearing Silver Birch and demonstrating that the soil on the bench south of town is particularly adapted for fruit and garden products has been so successful that Mr. Corlett has authorized the expenditure of $12,000 to $15,000 in clearing, building a boulevard and setting out orchard tracts.

A donkey engine of 30-horse power capacity, fitted with the latest equipment for the work, has been purchased and is now at work pulling stumps at the rate of an acre a day. A considerable force of men is employed in slashing and burning brush and stumps. The face of the bench is being cleared and a road constructed through Cedar Park, which winds around the hill on an easy grade. At the steepest point the grade is but 6 per cent. The ground next to the brow of the hill will be laid out into large residence sites, driveways graded and placed on the market. On each side of the road up the hill will also be building sites facing north and south.

The company will have from 40 to 60 acres ready to set out into orchards and placed on the market next spring, either ready for planting or set to orchard.

The bench land on which Silver Birch and the company's properties are located is some of the best agricultural land in this section. It is underlaid with a bed of clay, and in the driest seasons is plentifully supplied with moisture by sub-irrigation. Samples of the soil have been analyzed by experts and declared to be of superior quality for fruit culture. The thrifty growth of trees already planted is evidence of this. Yakima fruit men who have recently visited Silver Birch say that the growth of the trees surpasses the records made in their section in the same time.

The Newport-Washington Land Co. has recently purchased 160 acres just east of Silver Birch from Mr. Owens, of Spokane. A considerable part of this land is cleared and it will be placed on the market in meadow and orchard tracts.

Cedar Park, the building sites along the boulevard and on the brow of the hill are splendid residence portions, and with the growth of our town cannot fail to command attention from home builders. A magnificent view of the town, mountains, the river and Albeni Falls is afforded, and no more sightly residence spots can be found in the Inland Empire. In thus furthering the development of the resources of the country directly tributary to Newport the land company and Mr. Talmadge are doing a work which will be of inestimable value to our town.