The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-03-10

We are permitted to- publish an ex-
tract from q private letter written by
q gentleman who has recently beer
devoting his time to the personal in
vestigation of practical farming by ir-
rigation in the west. His vivid por-
trayal Of the advantages Of that sys-
TEN will no doubt interest our readers.
He says:
There is a vast. an Unreasonable
difference between farming in the 8
and farming in the west. II the farm
ers of the east could only be made to
understand the advantages enjoyed by
their western brethren, I verify believe
there would soon be no land for set
Element in the great irrigation states.
The irrigation farmer has absolute
certainty Of crop, and certainty of It's
perfect maturity. He never plants
that he does not reap, and when l say
reap l don't mean 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 30
bushels Of wheat to the acre-every
grain Of which has reached the perfec-
ton of development. There is no
anxious scanning of the skies for the
cloud no larger than q mans hand
and fervent prayers that it may en-
velop the heavens and send down wa
ter to the thirsty fields. The irriga-
ton 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 500 bushels to the
acre. and barley is grown far better
than any raised in the east. The
fruits are delicious. l never saw any
to compare with those grown In Idaho,
where apples. peaches. plums. cherries.
pears, apricots abound, and where
there are thousands Of acres of Italian
and German prunes which I am told
have made fortunes for their owners.
ITO 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 I have never seen elsewhere in the
United States. This wonderful valley
is said to contain v 3,000,0 900 acres
Of arabic land. It 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 I saw the happy homes, the well
filled 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. my heart
went out in pity to the thousands in
the east who 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-
tages of Idaho to the notice of eastern
farmers. and is flooding the country
with conservatively written descriptions
of the state. Write to the General Pas
senger Agent Of this Railroad at Salt
Lake for printed matter about Idaho.
and read it carefully. It will be q
revelation to you and I sincerely be-
lieve will end in your removal to the
1ookO