6 BULLETIN 1388, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
AGRICULTURAL HISTORY OF AREA 
DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN AREA 
Progress in irrigation in the Yakima Valley has been steady from 
the beginning. The first irrigation projects, moderate in size, were 
started and successfully carried out by private companies; but as 
private capital was inadequate to meet the needs for the develop- 
ment of the larger projects, the United States Reclamation Service 
in 1905, was authorized to take over the projects, and construction 
was begun the following year. 
The ultimate irrigation of seven divisions, comprising approxi- 
mately 450,000 acres, is included in the plan of the Yakima project. 
Divisions completed or nearly completed are: Tieton, 32,000 acres 
(completed), and Sunnyside, 107,000 acres (95 per cent completed). 
On the Yakima Indian Reservation the Wapato division has about 
85,000 of its 120,000 acres under irrigation. Most of the other di- 
visions are as yet comparatively undeveloped. In all, about half of 
the 450,000 acres included in the plan of the Yakima project is now 
under irrigation. 
The cost per acre for construction averaged $52 on the Sunnyside 
division and $96 on the Tieton division. Charges for operation and 
maintenance in 1922 averaged $1.55 and $2.94 per acre, respectively, 
for the Sunnyside and Tieton divisions. 
The Sunnyside division not only has the. largest irrigated acreage 
on the Yakima project, but it also has the largest number of devel- 
oped general farms. Settlement on this division has been gradual, 
as shown in Table 2. From 1913 to 1923, 731 farms were added to 
the Sunnyside division, representing an addition of 32,200 acres of 
irrigated land. The settlers are of the very highest type of farmers 
and citizens. According to the United St ates Bureau of Reclamation, 
in 1923 approximately 80 per cent of the farmers on the Sunnyside 
and Tieton divisions were born in America, 10 per cent in northwest- 
ern Europe, 5 per cent in central and eastern Europe, and the remain- 
der elsewhere. 
On the Wapato division, development has been more or less inter- 
rupted, partly because of the small proportion of white owners and 
partly because of the leasing situation. In 1923 about half of the farm 
land was operated. by tenants. The short leases, usually not over a 
year, do not encourage a desirable or permanent type of agriculture. 
Eventually, as more land on the Indian reservation become operated 
by owners, the larger farms will be broken up into smaller units and 
much the same type of agriculture will prevail on this division as on 
the Sunnyside division. 
The development of agriculture in the area is also reflected in the 
changes which have taken place in the total acreage of important 
crops. There has been a general increase in the total acreage of 
alfalfa, small grains, and potatoes during the 11-year period, but 
several reductions in these acreages have occurred within the period, 
as will be seen in Figure 4. These variations often reflect rather 
closely profits or losses on a particular crop the previous year. 
