The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-06

perior response being made-here
giYen-by
COL. o. ]. HoLLIsTER.
could wish, in responding to your
toast that certain beautiful words had
NOT been So often used in picturlng the
Transformation of Utah as to have become
hscIxneVed. for none can be so lifting
Tbev are these: "The wilderness and the
an Iitary place shall be glad for them, and
the desert shall reioies and blossom as the
rose.n Ore might we'll fancy that the poet
of another are and cline, when he uttered
those words, was watching the spring
draw on here In the morning shadow Of
the Wasatch mountains, as you ana
have many times seen 1t. Dwelling mere,
Won are become used to 1t, and perhaps
think the application forced. But get
away, travel in neighborlng states a lew
DAYS. or In the outlying parts of Utah,
~ then return, and you viii perceive
that A. ia a veritable oasis, Entering it at
anv point is like entering Paradise. l
have lately had occasion to try the expert
went and confess l never before apprecl-
ated it.
Coming down from Idaho in early May,
our train entered this valley and scene
| as of enchantment at the same time, IL
was about the hour of sunrise. The sky
was without a cloud, q vast dome of pearl
HIGH arching over all. The air was the
neTfumed breath OF the early morning and
| the Young spriug. Nothing could ne
fresher- sWeeter. The dew hung in
ieweIed drops from the grass blades and
seemed to tremble on the eyelashes ofthe
flowers. Our way lay through vineyards
anc orchards, farms, gardens and villages,
Brooks tumbIed down the mountains, ran
along by our side, then sped away into
the lake. The farmers were driving afeld
| to their blowing and sowing. The grass and
fall wheat could almost wave in the slight
breeze: the birds made the meadows and
hedges vocal with their morning mathis;
pIums and peaches in full bloom were
sprinkied upon the whole country side
like Towering shrubs in park; the tender
young foliage Of the larger trees seemed
10 caress the eye that rested upon it.
But in this heart OF spring, winter was
not far away. Mountains held
high their white heads behind
us: they lowered at our side, an
endless snow field, unrelieved for
long stretches by single dark object;
whittier than anything else on earth,
and beautiful with a beauty which
or convey. so near, too, it seemed you
could put your hand on them. Once In
while a turn in the road would disclose q
new horizon of snow caps, high in the
upper air, still and solemn, glistening
against the sun, almost taking your
| breath at first sight.
4 hundred miles of this brought US into
Salt Lake, and here these mOnarchs of
old, with white shoulders and foreheads,
encompassed us round save in the direc-
ton of Antelope Island, and fancied ap-
peared not uninterested spectators while
spring created new world at TN ,ir feet,
from which she would soon climb their
steep sides and give them vestments OF
flowers for their robes OF snow. There
was never lovelier scene, and the ride
might have been extended a second hun
dred miles without running out Of it. IL
was the utmost glory of spring and OF
winter, that is to say, OF life and OF death.
placed along side by the simple device OF
a sharp and great difference OF altitude.
Nowhere else can 1t be seen to such ad-
vantage, in America at least, and 1t Is on
exhibition here a month in every year.
The spring is indeed lovely in Utah, and
these well-watered, well-tilled valleys are
none the less a delight and relief as the
season wears on 10 Its setting
height and descends TO its close.
The effect is enhanced en-fOld by
their settling in the heart OF q
thousand mile desert full Of valleys and
jornadas of death, and incapable of being
transformed into another Utah, from
lack OF water.
Water is pre- eminentIy the source of
life in Utah. 1t brought down the fine
rich valley soil, and the gentlemen OF the
geological survey after having approx
mately gagged its volume say there is
enough to irrigate 1000 square miles of
land. What that means let me illustrate:
In the province of Valencia, In Spain, a
certain 40 square miles of land, under the
canals of theT aria, sust aims population of
10000 souls. At the same rate your 1000
square miles would sustain more than
$500, 900. If then there should not be land
enough, your descencents will find as
much more, dare say, land that can be
cropped without watering, that can be
watered from springs and wells,
aud perhaps from husbanded waters.
You have farming land enough for 100, 900
farms of % acres each. Small farms are
the best for the many if not for the few.
The necessity of irrigation will keep your
farms small, and encourage if not compel
high farming. You will always have
large unappropriated range for cattle and
sheep, although Utah is not great stock
country. The native bunch and other
grasses are fine feed, but they have no turf
for the most part, and are soon tramped
out. You harvest $500, 900 bushels of
grain, clip 100000 pounds of wool, and
sell off 40, 600 head of stock year. You
may do fifty times as well as that and
still have large reserves Of agricultural
capacity to draw on. But 1t will take en-
terprise, care, skill, science and numbers
to do it.
Your soil and climate are peculiarly
adapted to fruit growing. Into the young
tree they send all their riches with electri-
cal energy. 1 have thought sometimes
that the subtle alchemy of Utah fruit
trees extracted wine, rather than sap,
from the elements; aG all events they are
most vigorous growers and generous
bearers. The fruit, if one half the sets
be knocked of, grows large, fair and fine
favored, and the crop may fairly be said
to never fail.
You are wonderfully favored in climate,
know of no place that is more so. 1t is
agreeable, inVigorating, comparatively
equable, aud conducive to health and long
life. You can live mile above the sea,o
two miles, or at any intervening altitude.
You have a variety of mineral springs,
and little salt ocean of your own, favor
ably affecting the atmosphere, and afford
inc the most delicious bathing 10 the
world. You have plenty Of good water
and wholesome food, attractive scenery,
game birds, fish and animals, Ii your
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