Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-03-08
SNAKE RIVER VALLEY
RICHEST FARMING COUNTRY IN
THE WORLD.
A pIste System Of Irrigation no
,,s,e. the Anxiety About Rain That
Prevails In Other P~rts OF the United
s,.,~-Enst and West Compared.

We are permitted to publish an ex-
tract from a private letter written oy
a gentleman who has recently been
deyoting his time to the personal In
y~estigation of practical farming oy II
rigatiou In the west. His vivid por-
travail of the advantages OF tnat sys-
tenn will no doubt interest our @
He says:
There Is a vast, an immeasurapie
difference between farming In the east
and farming in the west. IL the farm
ers of the east could only be MADE &c
understand the advantages enjoyed oS
their western brethren. I verify believe
there would o o be no land for SET
tiemsnt in the great irrigation states
The irrigation farmer has absoInse
certainty OF crop, and certainty OF US
perfect maturity. He never plants
that he does not reap. and when l say
reap | don't NEAR the reaping OF scat
tered stands OF half matured grain
such as the eastern farmer cuts at the
close OF a dry season; but the reap
ing Of fields that frequently average 5o
bushels o, wheat TO the acre-eVsry
grain OF which has reached the perfea-
ton OF development There is no
anxious scanning OF the skies for the
cloud no larger than a mans hana
and fervent prayers that II may er-
yelop the heavens and send down wa
ter 10 the thirsty fields. The irriga-
tiop farmer never thinks about rain.
He watches his growing crops, and the
DAY and the hour moisture is needed,
he is out with his hoe flooding his
fields with water from canals that
skirt them.
Everything grows In the west that
grows anywhere else in the United
States north OF Tennessee. Potatoes
frequently yield SEQ bushels to the
acre, and barley is grown far better
than any raised In the east. The
fruits are delicious. l never say any
to compare with those grown in ldahc.
where apples, peaches. pluns. cherries,
pears. apricots abound. and where
there are thousands OF acres Of Italian
and German prunes which ! am told
have made fortunes fer their owners.
To my mind, Idaho Is the best wa
tered and most inviting arid state in
the Union. ! made a careful investiga-
ton of the great Snake River valley
in that state, along and tributary to
the Oregon Short Line Railroad. and
saw there evidences OF prosperity such
as | have never seen elsewhere in the
United States. This wonderful valley
is said TO contain owe 5000, 900 acres
OF arabic land. II is threaded with
great irrigation canals in every direc-
ton. and there are vast tracts await
ing only the touch OF the farmer TO
make them productive. The sun doesn't
shine On finer or more fertile land.
When / saw the happy homes. the well
filed granaries. the sleek. fat stock.
and the smile On the face OF nature
reflected In a smile Of contentment on
the faces OF the farmers, ny heart
went out In pity 10 the thousands I'm
the east whe are struggling along from
year to year. toiling against adverse
climatic conditions. and never know
Ing how soon a drouth will wipe out
the profits OF prosperous years.
Lands can be had In this Snake
River valley almost for the asking.
but they are going. day by day. The
oregon short Line is making extra
ordinary efforts to bring the advan-
tases OF Idaho to the notice of eastern
farmers. and is flooding the country
with conservatirely written descriptions
Of the state. Write to the General Pas
senger Agent Of this Railroad a, Salt
Lake for printed matter about Idaho.
n read II carefully. II will be q
revelation to you and I sincerely be-
lieve will end in your removal to the
west"