Apple Industry of the Wenatchee Area

Abstract

Oce SrNE apple out of every eight that compose the commercial apple crop of the United States comes from the Wenatchee-Okanogan area in north central Washington. This area averages nearly 17,000 car loads of apples annually f rom about 1,400,000 trees planted on 20,000 acres. The natural and human factors that unite to account for this remarkable record merit investigation. The agricultural Wenatchee valley extends from Columbia River to Leavenworth, a distance of about twenty-two miles between Wenatchee Range on the south and Entiat Range to the north. Along Wenatchee River only small intermittant flood plains exist. Above the stream, level gravel terraces have been developed and constitute the most important fruit land. In addition, man cultivates the gentler slopes of the hills and some upland surfaces that lie below the irrigation ditches. Including such areas Wenatchee valley developed for fruit generally ranges from one to two miles in width, and increases to about six miles along Columbia River at the city of Wenatchee. The Wenatchee area includes Wenatchee valley, East Wenatchee across the Columbia from the valley, Wenatchee Heights and Malaga districts south of Wenatchee, the Entiat-Orondo district about fifteen miles north of Wenatchee, and the Chelan district still farther away. The term Wenatchee-Okanogan area includes the districts mentioned plus Okanogan valley, apples of which are marketed with those from Wenatchee. In the WVenatchee area fruit, chiefly apples, comprises almost the entire income from the farms. A greater production of apples comes from this section than any other area of similiar size on earth.