The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1892-02-25
Irrigation and Agriculture in
Washington County
AS Given In the Census
Report.

and Irrigation in Idaho," issued
from that department on January
22d, 1892, contains the following
government report on Washington
county:
Washington county is on the west
ern side of Idaho, lying along the
Snake river. 1t includes the drainage
basin of the Weiser river and very
small part of the headwaters of Little
Salmon river, and also on the west
the narrow strip of country draining
into Snake river. Along the Weiser
is succession of valleys, in each of
which agriculture has been gradually
developed, mainly as an adjunct to
stock raising. In the highest of these
valleys fair crops are sometimes
obtained without irrigation, but
success is not always certain, and the
yield is less than that on well-irrigated
land -,
Z Small bitches have been built by
the farmers to bring the water of the
tributaries of the Weiser and in some
cases that of the river itself upon the
lands adjacent to the stream, but
most of these bitches are very small
and poorly constructed, from the fact
that the farmers are poor and have
had little experience in hauling water
to the best advantage. In the lower
part of the county, near the Snake
river, are larger bitches built by
associations, and there is also canal
from tie. Payctte river as mentioned
in the description of Ada county,
extending northward into this county.
Many Of the streams, especially
those coming from the west into the
Weiser, are dry in summer, and, as
general rule, the water supply
throughout the county becomes scanty
after the first of July. This was
especially the case in 1886, at the
time of the prevalence of the great
drought. Along bottom lands good
crops are occasionally secured by
means of the moisture which saturates
the ground when the streams are high,
but even on these lands during the
recent droughts very little was raised
Water storage is believed to be {
necessity, and the irrigators have
discussed the matter and designated
various places that might be used
One or two individuals have bull
small storage works, but the create
number of the irrigators have abou
exhausted their means in digging tn
small bitches. In this county, as il
fact in nearly all parts Of the west
large tracts have been taken up b
men too poor to improve more than
small fraction of the land, but VIII
are struggling along in the hope tina
either the government or some grea
corporation will construct irrigatio
hwolks that will be of benefit to then
:. AS an example of the bitches ma
be men toned the Farmers ditch, i
Council valley, taking water from th
Weiser river about 6 miles frol
Council Valley post office and bring
, ing it out upon the east side. FL
length Of this ditch is 6 miles and i
:, bottom width 4 feet. 1t is owned an
is being completed by private parties
each share emitting the owner to )
miners inches. Further down,
Indian valley, is the Indian. Vale
and Gray Creek ditch taking wat
! from the Little Weiser river al
u carrying IL III holoh
1t direction. 1t is z miles long, 5 fe
Y wide, cost 81, $50, and is owned by
: corporation, each share emitting I'll
70 owner to 100 miners inches Of waite
Iy The annual assessment per share Il
he cleaning and repairing the ditch is s
'e and if the duty of water is l inch
80 the acre, the annual cost Will thus
IF only 8 cents per acre. The strea
y. occasionally dwindles in summer to
quantity SO small that the shai
'o holders can. not always obtain
10 much as they wish. In fact,
a farmers on all the smaller streams
rs this vicinity suffer more or less frC
the want of water at critical times