Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1875-08-17

irrigated and worked will produce
grain and vegetables in abundance,
and also all kinds of fruit and shade
trees, but as yet very little of it is
utilized for the reason that all through
these plains are found narrow strips
OF valleys, lying on either side of the
numerous creeks, and small rivers that
carry the waters of melted snow from
the mountains to the great Shoshone,
and these luxuriant in grass, rich in
foliage, fertile as the sediment of the
Nile, and sparkling with the clear wa
ters that leave their borders, form
homes for the scattered ranchmen
where with their little labor they can
produce more than they can use, OF
find market for, and these gteat, des.
ert-looking plains must lie idle in the
sun, uncultivated and untouched, until
their millions of acres are needed for
the use of man. and irrigated by the
waters that God has for ages poured
along and across their lonesome DO.
SONS, they will become garden spots
Of beauty and fertility. The central
portion Of the Territory is composed
Of mountains and intervening valleys.
The mountains are covered with heavy
timber. mostly Of pine, fir and noun.
tain mahogany. The pines and frs
grow to immense size, and height, and
so close together that wagon can
not pass through the forest without a
road being cut out. You can stand
at one point and see thousands of pine
trees averaging three feet in diameter
and six saw logs in length to the
limbs. believe enough clear pine
lumber could be got in Idaho to fence
in a large portion Of the universe, and
in addition thereto 20 small section of
the day Of judgment, if the edge was
not too ragged" These mountains
are scanned all through with veins OF
gold and silver ore. "Argcntiferous
mountain lodges, striatcd, laminated,
and foilated with gold, and silver in
chlordes, sulphurets, arsenicaI, anti
monial and virgin" While down ev-
cry one Of the countless thousands OF
mountain gorgcs rush rivulets of wa.
ter sufficient to turn these trees into
lumber, and all these ores toward the
mint, while lower down these noun.
tain streams are full of speckled trout,
and the rivers Of the valleys with
salmon. At some other time want
to tell some fish stories, and some
thing about grouse, prarie chickens
and sage hens. Talk about your
game! can tales unfold that your
average Hoosier Nimrods and Wal
tons wouldn't believe, in fact hardly
believe them myself. But again to
get down to my geography lesson that
YOU gave me. The larger tributaries
Of snake Rivcr-the Boise, the Pay
cite the Weiser and the Salmon, with
their tributary creeks, after leaving
the mountains, and as they approach
the great sage brush plains that bor-
der the Snake river, run through beau
tiful valleys of fertile land, and are
skirted along with dense groves OF
cottonwood and other shrubbery.
These valleys form the real agricultur-
al portion of the main part of the Ter
ritory, and furnish the grain, fruit and
vegetables consumed by the people.
A description Of the various kinds Of
which. and the manner Of raising, |
will give you when finish the geog-
raphv of the country. Northern Ida
no being that portion, or strip of the
Territory which lies at the upper part
Of the "ankle of the gaiter," and ex-
n H~l.>.hsn Nhic mr.