The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-22
FARM, FIELD, GARDEN.
The Great Irrigation Possibili-
ties of Stevens County.
CULTIVATION OF a WILD PLUM.
ne Care Of Orchids-A Simple Orchard
Lsddsr-The Tulip fFse-Arehss
Over Walks.
From q Census Bulletin.

0Crner OF the state, pOfuering upon Brit
ish Columbia on the north and Kootenay
county, Idaho, on the east. From this
latter county Clarke fork flows in west
efly direction into Stevens county, then
continues northerly to q point two or
fhres miles beyond the boundary
a the United States. then it
turns abruptly to the west again and
enpties into the Columbia, the junction
d the two rivers being almost on the
I boundary line of the British possessions.
8 The Columbia river, entering Washington,
eontinues in a general southerly direction
until it reaches the mouth Of the Spokane
liver, which forms . portion of the south
eYn boundary of Stevens county. It then
continues westerly in its course around
Douglas county.
The portion of Stevens county west Of
fhe Columbia river is included within the
Colville Indian reservation. East Of the
river, however, are many farming areas,
the greater part Of which have been occu-
pied for only few years. This nearly
triangular area, bounded on the west by
Che Columbia on the east by Clarke fork,
and on the south by the Spokane river, is
known as the Colville region. 1t differs
widely in many of its features from the
country to the south, this difference being
due largely TO the absence of the lava
sheets which underlie the greater part
Of the counties to the south, and give
them their peculiar topography. The
basaltic rocks do not extend north Of the
Spokane river, but in their place are rocks
related to the GRANTEES, and instead of the
steep cliffs bordering the streams, as in
the case of the basaltic areas to the south.
are sandy terraces rising gradually from
the river bottoms.
large amount Of detailed information
concerning this area is made available by
the eontoured maps and descriptions of
the Colville country prepared by the
northern transcontinental survey and
published in 1888 As shown by the agri-
cultural map, the Colville valley, with its
rich ailuvial soil. extends in a general
northerly direction through about the
center of this area, being continued on the
north by Echo valley to the terrace lands
of the Columbia and on the south to the
Spokane river by the sandy plateau and
terrace lands of Chamokane creek.
Throughout this region, especially on the
bottom lands, agriculture is generally sue
cessful without the aid of irrigation, al
though many of the farmers have found it
OF benefit to divert water from the small
streams for gardens and trees upon sandy
soils. As a general statement it~may be
said that grasses, fruit and shade trees as
well as corn and vegetables, grow better If
irrigated during the long drought of sum-
mer. On the bottom lands along the Col
vile river redtop and timothy hay are the
principal products, wheat and oats being
raised on the benches and depending for
their moisture upon the rains.
The Coville valley IL bounded by noun
famous areas, the surface of which is too
broken for agriculture. To the east. along
Clarke fork. in the vicinity of Calispell,
aud southeasterly from that point, are
broad bottom lands usually overlooked
each year by the spring freshets, so that,
as in the case of other valleys along this
stream. drainage is sometimes more neces-
s,ry than irrigation. If the annual over
How does not occur. however and the hav
lands along the river and creek bottoms
are not thoroughly wet the crop is greatly
reduced and Is sometimes hardly worth
cutting.
TN the western edge of the Colville
region, along the banks of the Columbia,
50 succession of low terraces with rich
though sandy SOIL Here irrigation is gen.
orally necessary, although crops have been
raised without il. Water is taken from
the small creeks which flow into the
Columbia and is used for gardens, orchards
and hay lands. Ii is possible that \ canal
nav be taken ont of the Columbia mt some
future time 10 cover portion of these
terraced lands. and that they may he
brought under Il high state of cultivation.
There are very few bitches of any inn
portanee IN the county the greater num-
Der being less than miie in length and
conducting water from the little creeks,
which are found at intervals of from eight
to ten miles throughout this mountainous
area. One hindrance to the greater devel-
opment OF irrigation is that many Of the
setters are still upon unsurveyed land, so
that they do not know whether they are
making Improvements upon land that will
eventually I've their own or upon land the
title 10 which will be obtained by some
other person.