Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1898-06-24
FOR THE FARMER.
VALUABLE RxPERrMENrs.
attempts to Find Suitable Grasses to Grow
on Desert Lands.

on Desert Lands.
Inc oregon River and Navigation
company Is about to undertake q line
Vi experiments, which, if they Drove
successful, will result in the reciama
tion OF miles of land along it's route
lor cattle grazing purposes. that are at
present unnt Tor any purpose what
soever. BY its experiments the COM
pahJ hopes to ascertain what kinds of
grasses can be made to grow on the
hundreds of thousands of acres of bar
rem land along its right of way. Differ
eht grasses for different attitudes will
De experimental with until the right
varieties for the various localities are
round, going on the supposition, of
course, that some can be made to grow
upon the present practically barren
pialns and mountain sides.
Inc vast area of lands which this line
hopes to reclaim by the results of its
experiments If they prove successful,
are located in the valleys of the
Snake and Columbia rivers and on the
foothills leading up to and the sides of
the Blue and Cascade mountains in
Oregon and Washington.
The experiments this railroad COM
pany propose to make are upon the
INES that other larger and more
wealthy roads have unsucceSsfully
tried in the past to induce the govern.
ment to make for the general welfare
of the West, incidentally, and primarily
for the pecuniary interests of the
roads which proposed the venture. The
government has refused to appropriate
money sufficient to carry ON the exper-
iments.
throughout the West there are
thousands of square miles of land
along the routes of the various roads
that are barren of grass that might be
utilized by stockmen for range pur-
poses for large herds. 1t is the pur-
pose of the Oregon River and Naviga-
tlon Company to experiment with var
ious kinds of grasses and learn, if pos
sible, which can be made to grow upon
these barren lands. The company has
established twenty-three experimental
stations at various points along it's
line at different attitudes where the
many different kinds Of grasses will be
grown on small tracts of land. Those
that thrive the better will be selected
to be sown over the plains and valleys
in that vicinity
The road is long one and the coun-
try it traverses has many climates,
owing to the attitudes. Consequently
it is necessary to select grasses in ac-
cordance. Experiments have shown
that fruits, grasses and similar
growths thrive differently in different
attitudes and climates. For that rea-
son the road has to learn from practi-
cal tests what grasses are the better
adapted to the sections along it's line.
These twenty-eight experimental sta
tons are under the personal supervis-
ion of r. G. Judson of Portland, Ore
gon, the industrial agent of the road,
who was delegate to the recent
| Stockgrowers' convention and men,
Der of the present executive committee
of the national organization. Mr.. Jud-
son is a practical horticulturist and
agriculturist, having given those two
Industries years of study. The grasses
that he is at present experimenting
with are the Austrian Braun, Japan
clover and the Persian.
The profits the road anticipates will
be derivtd from the increased traffic
over it's line, both in freight and pas
senger by the settlement Of the land
along its route by immigrants from the
East. If it can be made tenable by
sowing them with grasses, it will be
comparatively easy matter to induce
eastern farmers and stockmen to come
west and take them up.
After Mr.. Judson has concluded his
experiments with the grasses, and moi
only satisfied himself, as well as the
officers of the company of the feasa-
bility of the scheme, he will turn his
attention to the raising of both cotton
and tobacco on the barren lands along
the road. He will ascertain. by expert
ments, whether 1t is possible to raise
those products so far north.