The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1896-05-09
A Lewiston Irrigation Enterprise.

To cover $500 acres of Snake River
bottom lands, situated ia Washington,
across the river from Lewiston, and
known as Lewiston fats, a company is
fiuming water from Asotin creek,
eight and half miles distant, at a cost
of 100000, making the cost of getting
water on the land $50 per acre. One
and a half million feet of lumber will
be used in this fume, and at one place
it is carried across gulch 120 feet
above the ground. Nearly all the gen
tlemen interested in this enterprise
are Bostonians, and Hon. Charles Fran
els Adams is the leading man in it.
The following from the Lewiston
Tribune will explain how the gentlemen
expect to get returns for such an out
lay to cover such limited amount Of
land:
"The Lewiston fruit lands are from
one to six weeks earlier producers than
any other section north of southern
California, and it is inevitable that we
here must furnish the early fruits and
vegetables for as much of the north
west as our lands can supply. These
lands are therefore not only favored
above others by the natural agencies of
soil and climate, and by the acquired
ADVANTAGE of abundant and constant
water, but they have also the crowning
desirability of a rich market that is in
accessible to other products until the
bulk OF ours shall have been disposed
of, Two great navigable and navigated
rivers flowing at the foot of these lands
afford every requisite for the prompt
and proper distribution of these pro-
ducts. And it should be remembered
that Snake river fruit lands of the first
quality are forever limited to about
5000 acres.
president Libby, who has given the
culture and profitable disposition of
fruits the study and experience of a
lifetime, believes that he has found at
Lewiston a combination of ideal condi-
tionS for the successful pursuit of hor-
ticulture lie claims, and results APP
pear to justify the claim, that the cool
er winter climate of this valley natures
the wood OF fruit trees and vines bet
ter than the comparatively frostless
winter of southern California, thereby
producing fruit of finer favor and SUI
perior keeping quality. TO the same
element is attributed the higher per-
centage Of sugar that is invariably
yielded by the fruit of this vine- The
wines and brandies distilled from this
grape are eagerly sought for table use
by connoisseurs who have had the OPP
portunity of testing them"
While it may be true that the fruit
lands of the very highest condition of
excellence about Lewiston are limited
to as small an area as 5000 acres, there
are many other localities in Snake river
valley where the conditions are almost,
if not quite, as favorable for fruit grow
ing. The Payette and Weiser rivers
possess large areas Of such lands, and
the beautiful Bruneau valley, in our
own county, we believe to be capable of
maintaining position with the most
favored spot in the country for its hor-
ticultural possibilities.
1t is only within the past five years
that the people about Lewiston have
discovered the wealth of their posses
sions The people in other localities in
the state are just now beginning to
find them out.
If some of the people who purchased
fruit lands about Riverside, California,
ten years ago, at prices as high as ST.,
200 an acre, could then have compared
them with lands in some localities in
Idaho, they would have given our state
the preference The fact is that the
people here have not yet begun to real
ize the great opportunities Idaho pos
sesses.