The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1899-08-25

St~sVs july ~ AoSVs JUST uht yV"'s w a.
day before the visit of this body of editors.
II has an area of $500 square miles. or
81 2T2 900 acres, of which $1,000 900 are
agricultural lands, and $4,000, 900 acres
capable OF cultivation when irrigated.
There are 5000. 900 acres of grazing land
and about 81, 900 900 acres Of mineral and
timber. IL has contributed hundreds Of
millions of dollars to the mineral riches OF
the country and the world. The CGur
DAlene region alone since its virtual dis
covery in 1854. has poured over $50, 000.-
900 into the treasures Of the nation. The
state now furnishes about one.fourth OF
the entire lead product Of the United
States. or something like 50, 900, 900 pounds
year and IT produced last year nearly
81 s. 200, 900 in the four metals-gold. sill
yer, lead and copper. being only surpassed
by Montana, Colorado. California and
Arizona.
Perhaps the most unique and able de-
scriptive writer of the age is Col. Pat Do
nan, of Portland. lie writes nearly all
OF the descriptive books of the large rail-
road and navigation companies Of the
Northwest. lie and his estimable wife
were companions TO those of the car Ii
conderoga, which 1t was the writer's
good fortune To occupy. Col. Donan
spared no pains to explain and describe
the beautiful, the unique, the wonderful.
the strange, the richness, and the where
fore and the whatness. of all that grand
country. In speaking of Idaho, he said ::
From your car window for $50 miles the
state generally looks like desert. Where
no water is. Idaho soil is the picture OF
desolation. Nothing grows but sagebrush,
greasewo0d. cactus, prairie dogs and jack.
rabbits. Turn on the water and garden
blooms, You touch the button, and
God or Nature does the rest-and does it
gIoriously. All high-grade farming is
10y irrigation, and where every farmer
makes his own season and controls his
own rain. crop failures are unknown.
There has never been one in Idaho. No
rain on the new-mown hay, no drouth
when the grain heads are filling. Water
in abundance, just when and where it is
needed, and never and nowhere else. The
majestic Shoshone, or Great Snake river,
which you follow for 800 miles. meanders
over 900 miles through the state, and
scores OF other streams offer water enough
to irrigate an empire. Along the Oregon
Short Line there are already about 60 pow
erful irrigation companies in operation,
with / 200 miles of main canals and / 500
miles of lateral bitches. that have cost $4.-
SOC, 900, and irrigate l 200 900 acres of land
Of which about 500, 900 are under cultiva.
ton. The soil is inexhaustible, and
yields from 40 to 60 bushels of wheat, so
to 30 bushels Of oats, 40 to 60 bushels of
barley, $50 to 600 bushels of potatoes, and
7 to Is tons of alfalfa, the desert clover,
/ to the acre. Every variety of temperate
zone fruit grows to perfection, A clear
profit of $500 to $500 an acre on fruit, in a
single season, is not uncommon.
at is four hour drive, by stage from
ShoshOne Station to Shoshone Falls, one
of the wonders of the world, which Judge
Charles Carroll Goodwin, the pOet-edltor
of the Salt Lake Tribune. and one of the
most accomplished gentlemen connected
tuit Ia hot fha
|ippi river and the Pacific ocean, pronoun-
ces more weirdIy grand and impressive
than Niagara"
On the morning of July 8, our train OF
ten Wagner sleepefs rolled into Hunting
ton. Here we were met by a large con.
tingent of Oregon editors and other citi-
zens and their ladies', who had chartered
Pullman. in one end of which there were
refreshments of all kinds-that is to say,
strawberries and cherries and flowers and
other delicate and delicious things too
numerous to mention And we were in
the hands of our friends. There is moth
Ping like Oregon hospitality to increase
ones capacity. We speak from expert
leuce.
I But this was not The only special car
thatwe met at Huntington. Mr.. w. Ii.
Hulburt, the kihgy general passenger
agent of the Oregon Railroad Il Naviga-
ton Company, was there in all his prince
ly liberality. 1t is to him perhaps MOI e
than any other agency that the pleasure
OF this grand trip was so complete. Mr..
HurIburt came to Huntington in his pri
vate car, aud it was attached to the edito-
ria! train, and accompanied US through to
Portland. He was assisted in extending
the courtesies of the company by several
OF his most efficient assistants, who lost no
opportunity to crafty every wish of their
guests.
| From the time we entered the magni6