The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-27

projects in the state. This canal win
lee sixty miles in length and VIII re-
claim $4,000 acres.
Applications have been received at
/ the office Of the state engineer for a
permit to appropriate water as follows:
The French g. Brush creek canal,
thirty miles in length. lCrigates 10000
4 acres near Saratoga; the Saratoga ca
/ nal siXty-three miles in length. VIII
take water from the North Platte
above Saratoga and VIII water $4,000
/ acres OF land on the east side of the
river: the Platte Valley e. Encampment
canal. twenty-five miles fin length, viii
take water from the North Platte, fif-
I teen miles above Saratoga, and irri-
gate 10000 acres near the mouth Of
I Grand EuCampment creek.
Application For sos Canals.
The records OF the state engineers
| Office show that since Jan. I, 1903, ap-
propriati0n have been fled for sos ca
mails and bitches. which viii have
I total length of 712 miles. The esti-
mated cost Of these canals is 81, $50 $50,
and they viii irrigate 324.307 acres.
! These figures do not include the en-
/ largement or extension Of canals al
ready in existence. During the same
4 period 157 reservoir applications have
/ been filed. The reservoirs vary in size
| from one acre to 5000 acres.
The demand for agricultural lands
Z in wyoming is increasing and a new
era has undoubtedly dawned for agri-
culture IN this state. During the past
I few years the price of agricultural land
| has risen from 81 and So per acre to as
/ high as $50 and $50 per acre, and the
! prospects are that desirable farm lands
/ cannot be had in Wyoming for less
] than $40 or So an acre from now on
! The success of the Wheatland col
ony has probably done more to dis
]
many years that Wyoming land was
not suited for agriculture that. the
altitude wass too high, etc, than any
other one thing IN the Wheatland
( colony the value Of unimproved lands
1 has increased from SO per acre in 1890
/ TO $50 in the present year while inn
proved land sells at from $40 to $50 per
/ acre.
] Tt has been demonstrated at Wheat
/ land. Saratoga. Lander. Sheridan and
/ in other localities where the altitude
/ is below 5000 feet that all kinds Of
! crops common to this altitude can be
/ successfully grown, and that the future
/ posi- biiities Of agriculture in Wyoming
/ are practically unlimited. Like Colo
RADIO, Utah and other states Of the
/ Rocky mountain region, it was thought
/ for many years that the desert-like
| wastes. sparsely- grassed uplands and
] sagebrush fats were mt only for the
/ grazing Of sheep, cattle and horses;
/ but sentiment has changed, and now
/ that the possibilities of the future
have been demonstrated in a small
| way. the people are going ahead and
| are taking advantage Of the Opportu-
/ mites
During the year the geological sur
Vey made exhaustive examinations or
/ prospective reservoir and irrigation
! projects on the Platte and ShOshOne
! rivers. Probably nothing win be done
/ rrrgFT. 10
most certain that the government Will
construct a reservoir near Alcova,
cam being built in the Grand Canyon
of the Platte. This, it is said, viii be
the largest reservoir in the world when
completed even larger than the great
Assuan reservoir in Egypt.
Fruit Culture Profitable.
wyoming will not only soon become
as great a state in agriculture as she
has been in livestock growing and the
mining of coal and iron, but she is des-
tined also to become great in fruit
growing, for in the Lander, Sheridan
and other valleys all kinds OF trults
common 60 this latitude have been and
ere being successfully grown. Near
Lander Ed Young planted an orchard
many years ago, being the pioneer IN
fruit culture in the state. Today he
supplies the town Of Lander and the
neighbOring settlements with apples
and other fruits. The farmers of Sner-
iidan are successfully growing fruit.
and not only supply the home demand.
but annually ship many carloads OF
Z berries and other fruits to other towns.
At Wheatland. and also in some Of the
Big Horn basin colonies, fruit trees
planted a few years ago are beginning
to bear luscious fruit. and the success
Of fruit growing is already assured.
The farmers Of Wyoming are aWak-
eniug to the present needs of the live
stock industry. which, owing TO the
crowded condition of the ranges,
| scarcity of range feed and the neces-
. sity of putting up feed for winter use,
has created a sharp demand for al
falfa, meadow hay and other feed Tor
, their stock. Farmers for several years
! have found IT very profitable 20 raise
large quantities Of hay, which finds
! ready sale or home at satisfactory
prices The raising of oats, which are
, grown successfully in the lower DOR
! tions Of the state, has also been very
profitable
: The farmers are also turning their
attention to the growing Of sugar
beets for stock feeding and an eNperl-
, ment in preparing Tor the coming ol
the sugar factories. The Wheatanc
: colony is promised sugar factory tol
the near future. and the Mormon set
tiers in the Big Horn basin are ar
. ranging to put in a sugar plant. Tests
/ nave SHOWN LLlaL the SUI NA ~ gtAAAAlAt
b is unsurpassed for the growing OF
2 sugar beets. and the climate here, with
, its cool nights and bright sunshiny
] DAYS. could not be better for the ma
s turing of sugar beets
! Livestock Retrogression,
For the first time in many years, OF
/ I since the boom days Of the range bust
ness in the sos, the livestock industry
OF wyoming refrigerated during the
/. year Just closing but the decrease fl
production Of mutton, wool and bee
was no fault of the growers, for the
G same conditions that prevailed in thi.
2 state-shortage Of feed and severe win
ter storms-Obtained in every state and
c territory in the range country and The
heavy and unprecedented losses were
p universal
[ Conservative estimates place the los.
81 to the cattle industry at a million anC
{ a quarter dollars. the decrease beins
caused by the storm losses and the low
/ price paid for beef cattle.
! In 1902 Wyoming produced 34,6lO,0O
! pounds Of wool, valued at $5.693, S45
while In 1903 the wool clip aggregated
! % 200. 900 pounds, valued at $4,500.16O,
! decrease in tonnage of wool of owe
5000. 900 pounds. and a loss of over hal
/. / a million dollars. The number Of sheei
in Wyoming in 1902 was 4,614. $50, whil
| in 1903 the number was reduced to 4,
| 100 O0O a loss OF q little over half
/ million sheep. or a loss in value o
+ / about 81 100000. which, with the los
= on the wool clip, gives total loss Z
: the sheep industry alone of owe
= $1,000. 600.
During The year the fockmasters ant