Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-01-16
LAKE LAB1sH DRAINAGE
Further Light On Water Sheds Of
Harion County.

ED. JOURNAL The diseusziOu Of come
points mentioned 10 the article Of r.
J. Beatty on Lake Labssb drainage
may Be Of general Interest to the pub
lic.
IAbisb drainage district Eas fOgmed
10 1890 aod 80 expended on the ditch
under the management Of the disirics,
Prior TO this time over S2OO0 il estimat-
ed 10 have been expended OF this ditch,
For the part from the Brooks and SA-
lem wagon road west the county ap-
propgiated about $500.
Myself and predecessors 10 oWpershil
Of he land now hold have paid o0i
on this same ditch about 500 beside
The levies made by the commissioner
which amount to ssss. 4s more. Tb,
'evy for the resent improvement wac
$40.
There has been Q total expenditure
on this main ditch Of S55OU in round
1umters.
The greater portion Of this drainage
-iistrict Of sbO0t one thousand acres Of
beaver dam land has been reduced from
jungle Of willow swamp to open grass
and.
The recent improvement hAs brought
3 splendid ditch from the western out
let with q good current to the west lire
IT Yards place where it makes aD
abrupt termination with three feet Of
faiL.
1t is proposed TO extend this improve
ment easieFly at q cost Of about one dol.
lar per acre Of the land benefited a.
that good drainage to 3 Sufficient depth
may be available to the entire district.
When this is accomplished, together
With an intelligent system Of Lateral
drains, which will be built by the 10.
dividual owners, this great accumula.
ton of peat bog will become immensely
fertile soil. Such land, when properly
dra ned and planted 10 hops ia other
localities, notably 10 Puysl up, in the
safe Of Washington, produces three
thousand pounds to the acre.
At the average price Of hops for the
past ten years this would amount 10
over five hundred dollars per acre. At
least half this sum represents labor.
For one thousand acres that would b.
two hundred and fifty Thousand dol.
lars expended annually among the
laborers. Do not forget the hop in
dustry affords bealthful and renumeF-
alive employment TO men, women and
children. The above is Dot IN Improb. |
able estimate. The Oregon climate
excels 10 the production Of q choice
hop. 1t Is said that in the East aud in |
Europe the conditions are such tbs,
hops cannot be raised for less than 20
cents per pound.
A half million dollars expended
among the people Of this small section
would have a wonderful effect
on the times Causing the laborers, luui-
bermen, contractors, merchants aud
oansers To rejoice. With a judicious
system Of protection Pennoyer wal
would cease and charity boards could
The proposed deepening Of the ditch.
while IL eau he made al a small nropor-
ton Of the expense that has preceded,
will RESULT IN more benefit to the land
han sii the work aud cost tha. has
gone before. Nor can the parties who
sill have tbs bulk Of the outlay To pay
De seriously affected by the levy.
Msssrs. Ford. Cottle, Albert, Boise and
Bush will no doubt be glad to aid iu an
enterprise that may result in 80 much
leneiit 10 an entire community.
There may be some slight ineQualiEa-
lou 10 the assessments, but Il the ditch
: deepened as proposed, no one will ie {
'ssess-d more or as much as his land Is
{
As to personal reference, let ms say {
hat have expended oyer a thousand
iollars for easterly drainage. The talk
hat the deepening Of the westerly
Itch will drain all my swamp lAnd is q
he shallowest kind Of nonsense. G
could no more drain all my swamp
aud westerly than the large Miller
fact could be drained westerly. II
you'd take ditch Is or % feet deep. :
)uring the fiOOd Of 1890 the water was :
icSed up from PATksrsville over the
astern portion Of Lake Lablsh tat did .
ot come within = mile Of the divide. q
here must be eAsterly drainage.
here ought to be ditch from big Z
adding river up the lake nov. The '
'nd was practically devoted 10 the q
lillers, they only paying the state one u
jllar per acre, oa ooaditioo Of drain
&c. Efforts have been made TO have
drainage district formed for easterIy d
rAlnAge aud this will be accomplished
the commissioners aAd engineer can b
scover some principle that will make
a,er run up hill. will be glad 10
Fall myself Of IL aud pay accordingly.
let my land wilderness Of viii.