The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-16
IN the Great NORTHWEST
Some Of the Great Benefits Of Irriga.
tiOn Described.
DESERTS ARE TRANSFORMED
Correspondent Richmond Continues Ills
Instructive Letters NarTating Views
and Incidents of Tour Through
Wonderland of North America.

Written for The Tribune.
From Pasco to Tacoma is 254 miles
and comprises the Cascade division OF
the Northern Pacific railroad, the most
recently constructed, and possibly the
most picturesque and most expensive,
including its series OF tunnels, on -.e
entire line. 1t took three years to build
it. This pa mile ride by daylight is re-
plete with interest. The road crosses
the mighty Columbia river, between
Pasco and Kennewick, on new combi-
nation iron and wood bridge, which
spans the broad blue flood of this great
stream near the mouth OF it's principal
tributary, the Snake river, and follows
the valley of the Yakima river all the
way to it's source in the Cascade noun
tains, distance of 1G0 miles. The YAK
ina river is another important tribu-
tary of the Columbia and empties into IL
near Pasco Junction. Pasco has a popu-
lation of 400. and also kennewick the
same. while Kiona, on the Yakima river,
has only 250 people. but are places OF
Importance at the head of n system OF
Irritation, which is a marvel even to
the most progressive farmer and enthu-
siastic tourist.
Benefits of Irrigation.
The first town of importance on the
Cascade division after crossing the COL
uubia river, is Prosser forty miles ols-
tant from Pasco. IL is the point OF ue-
narture TO an extensive grazing ana
farming region called the Horse
Heaven country" while the country
north of the Yakima river, stretchihg
out to Rat.lesnake mountains, is known
rs the "Sunnyside country" Here the
lard is very fertile in spite of its desert
like appoarance--only lacking Irrigation
| to make it bloom and blossom as the
rose" Here we find n system OF irrl-
eating canals, which are bringing under
cultivation tens of thousands of acres
| Of bunch grass lands.
| We have heard and read much about
| his Yakima country, this land OF sage
and sunshine, and We're prepared ior
! many surprises, but nothing so great
as we met here. The truth is-and
| mark it well-that the most fertile land
| in the west is a sage brush patch, and
| the larger the sage brush. the better
the land Such areas lack but one ele-
ment TO transform the unsightly, dreary
waste into a fertile plain. a luXuriant
| field nowery bale. That one thing
| IS water and its effect is magical.
Most Fertile OF Fa rms.
| In this Sunnyside country is an irrl-
eating canal sixty miles long, sixty-two
| feet wide at the top. thirty at the bot
tom and an eight feet depth Of waer.
with quite swift current. 1t irrigates
some sixty thousand acres Of as fine
land, as q plow ever turned a furrow in.
This land is easily worked and divided
into small farms OF ten to fifty acres
each. where crops luXuriate, and the
small and large farmer profits alike.
The soil is marvelously rich and varies
in depth from twenty 60 one hundred
feet; in character il is a volcanic ash
or disintegrated basalt 1t is easily
! worked and 1t returns good crop from
the very first year. Never, in all our
| travels from Atlantic to Pacific, have
we seen such fields of alfalfa, oats,
| green corn, hops, tobacco and fruit az
are found in the irrigated lands of the
Yakima Valley-the beautiful dark, rich
green of an alfalfa field from April
| till December inclusive, is one of the
attractive features of the Yakima val
ley, especially so in contrast with the
never ending brown of all the bunch
grass regions of the Rocky mountain
| states.
FOR about thirty miles the railroad
runs northwesteward through the Sim
coe or Yakima Indian reservation
which is well settled and contains
many irregated farms and yerdant
meadows. This reservation covers 500.
VOO acres. Land here Is worth s15 per
acre without irrigation, or $50 an acre
with irrigation. The reservation ends
at the opening of the Yakima Gan
"here hattlesnake and Simcoe come
together and the Union Gap commences
First View Of Mt. Adams.
Here on the left we get our first view
OF mount Adams, one of the highes,
PEAKS OF the Cascade range. This
mountain is snow-capped and 957 feet
high, and it's base is about fifty miles
distant from our train, though seeming.
ly nearer.
Passing Union Gap through lower
.ahse Oh mountains, also covered with
bunch-grass to their SUBMITS. we ente,
Yakima Basin, well cultivated AND
wen Watered basin where the Matches
ana other tributaries of the Yakima
river furnish ABUNDANT water suppl,
for irrigation. This basin is about
twenty miles wide and greatly resem.
bles many of the California valleys
we traversed in 1892.
In the Mckee County.
This district Is known as the "AToxe,
Country The winters are short anf
mild and the summers long and sunny
and all fruits of the temperate zon,
grow here to perfection. Here tn,
products of the, North and the Soutl
grow equally well The tobacco flower
blooms here beside the bearded grain
The grape culture even now rivals som,
of the best wine districts of California
The pride of Yakima Is it's irrigated
farms. Irrigation and it's wonderful
results will be the subject of anothe
letter.
Travellers who desire to see irrigatins
farming on a large scale should visi
the "MoXee Farm near North Yakima
This farm embraces about two thous
and acres under ditch and cultivation
and has an extensive stock range o
many thousands. On this farm irriga
ton is carried on by both the foodin,
and small ditch systems. There ar
over four hundred miles of irrigatin,
bitches and canals in these productiv
valleys, instigated and mainly devel
oped by the enterprising officers of tn
Northern Pacific railroad-the pioneer
in developing the irrigation problem
ATypIcni Western Town.
After passing several small stations
along the line of the reservation, wher,