The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-30


1T Il not possible to express by figures
on acreage, production, annual In
come or any other manner OF Stats
tics the full measure OF the benefit
J. that irrigation has brought to certain
sections OF Eastern Washington. That
Z ahle benefit has not been more general Is
~ to the remarkably small area of arid
hnds in the state. or land entirely arid
here Il little.
Many OF the high pIateaus OF Eastern
washington are provided by nature with
: system OF subirrigation that furnishes
abundant water for all purposes q
IN the supply of water is scanf, ana arts-
lcfal assistance Is necessary to bring
4 NTH the full richness OF the soil. In the
valley Of the Columbia river there are
&miIlions OF acres Of sandy loam that will
/ produce practically nothing without irri-
alstiOn. but can with an artificial supply
E6f water be made into some OF the most
#lFuItful lands In the world. These long
q 1tretches Of sand. with the similar land
I e1Qng the Snake river. comprise practical
a b the entire arid section OF the state. The
Yakima valley IL not arid. ar II viii raise
rome OF the harder agricultural products
without irrigation. but its value under
6ucA treatment Ia as nothing compared to
fhe results obtained by the use of water.
The arid lands OF the Columbia possible
10 be reclaimed for arabic purposes by
Gltehes on a large scale taken direct from
The river. by storage reservoirs with
bitches attached or by basins to be filed
By pumping from the river direct. are
placed at l2.000.000 acres. 1t Is estimated
that In the Yakima valley It will be pos
elbie TO ultimately bring 1900 900 acres I'M
Der the bitches. The irrigation Of an even
greater area h part of the plans for TAX
ne water from the Spokane river and
some Of the adjacent lakes and spreading
Il over the nsighboring land. This land.
however. Hike that In the Walia Walla
valley. where other big irrigation schemes
ere being projected, IL not arid. II Is
capable OF good production without addi-
tonai water, but irrigation Ia desired be-
cause Of the vastly greater results OBJ
tained thereby.
( or the vast areas that II Is hoped to ul-
tiunetely reach with irrigation. little more
than 100000 acres are now under bitches.
4he amount OF cultivated land In this ir-
ngated section, from which the fortunate
possessors are annually deriving a rich
return. Il even less as n large amount OF
the land beneath the bitches has vet TO be
prepared for raising fruit and other prod
ucts Of the soil. 1t Is not possible to give
any exact ngurcs upon either the amount
- land possible to irrigatc from present
4ltches or the amount OF land now irri-
gated. as. In addition TO the few large
bitches. there are hundreds of farms scat
Jared all over Eastern Washington. where
irrigation is practiccd In a small way.
The farmers take water from convenient
springs or streams and use 1t 10 aid the
psfurai productiveness OF the soil.
IN the Yakima valley.
Tho largest irrigated tracts In the state
~ IN tho Yakima valley. and II IL there
olso that the best results have been OBJ
tained from the irrigated lands. Practs-
celly the entire present greatness Of Yaki-
- county IL duo to irrigation. Before
the days Of the great canals and the
Wstemntic watering OF she soil. the
Yakima farmers managed to scratch =
enre nvinx from their land. but with the
extension of irrigation their prosperity
has grown and their country has come
% b. recognixed as one OF the greatest
fruE growing communities In the world.
Tue beginning OF Irrigation In the Yaki-
~ valley came coon after the arrival of
the arst eettlcrs IN the late s7vs. During
ehe next ten years many small bitches
wers dug. but no solution OF the prob
ten upon an extensive scale was attempt
I'd until i~9 when plans were prepared
Tor the sunns~ide canal. then "a now the
ereatext OF tho Yakima irrigation
schemas The actual work OF construc-
ton upon this great canal was started
IN isso and continued without cessation
until the main canal was noar the forty
two mile post faterais were construct
a. rearhing out into the thousands 81
eerc~ OF tributary land and in isas water
was hrss used from the canal since that
time the development OF the sage brush
u&t OF to.Veo acres between the Sunnyside
tAeal and she Yakima river INTO vast
txfanSo of orchard and alfalfa fields and
cszoaeest farm hand has proeeeded RAPID
y, More than ie.en acres are now under
esiiisatien aud az tho present rate ~ pro-
ttess Il VIII TO a matter OF cniy a few
Years when the cntifp nce0 acres viii
have paved 10 the hands Of farmers and
VIII ee adding their quota % the wealth
prna1stson OF the district
TIC SupUyside irrigation canal Is - feet
~sde at the top and - fcc, a. the bottom
sad has an ayersgo depth Of about feet.
Il now AS nisles IN length and has
over &o ua2es 90 iaterals and rrRnch
sAnal~ fcarhinE cat Into the 4aelo acres
sewers. Tho canal s. surveyed and To-
Gated Tor eighteen miles additional and
WIS cNtenSsga Viii he constructed when
tAe areA nov irriSahle is settled up. The
sxSension viii cover e&soo acres making
sosai of si,aop acres under tl,c completed
sNnAl Every ngYc ~ this grcat tract "a
tiSA Lard and VIII some day contribute Is
portion % the wealth ~ The Yakima
sossh OF the Sunnysi district are the
ieAahSttcr, i<ionn ami KeRnewlck
canals Like Tho SGnnySlae their water
taken from the Yakima river They
afs much smaller than chat blk structure.
WI TIE low az water they Aave poured
lursh uran the sandy SOIL has naade fer
Vie She largo tracts along the Columbia
river opposite pasco.
The largest tract 81 cultivated land In
As Yakima valley Is that Ia the irnmedl-
Ate vanity OF North Yakima. where ar
avetufe was nrst pFactlced In the valley
es.u whore there are now several lars'e
irrigation canals and another Is In nro-
cess OF construction The Seiah valley
sAAai which takes water from the Nat
shess river. and the Mckee canal, wh,ca
saHss fron the Yakima river. are the
4 1rSest OF those completed They both
supply water for several Thousand acrAs