Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-11-04
SEEING THE FAIR
IN DETAIL


Great River Is Turning a Desert
State Into a County Of sUrpris-
ing roduetiveness-Idaho Captures
Twenty Gold Medals For Her Grains
and Grasses - interesting Facts
Cleaned In a States Exhibit-Watsr
Containing Gold Used For Irrigation.
Corn Wheat, a Peculiar Grain Raised
In Place Of Corn-Susar Beet Pros
peets-6is Irrigation Project to Make
More Farms-WonierfuI Fruits-A
vaIuabls New Grape From Syria.
Happy Days For the Successful Elk
hibitors.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE BY
MARK BENNITr.l
The newest thing in the Palace of
Agriculture is perhaps the white flax
seed in the Idaho exhibit. For the
first time the white fax is on display.
1t originated In Idaho and is grown up
on the irrigated land of that rapidly
developing state. The white flax Is be-
lieved to have great commercial pos
sibilities, for the linseed oil from this
seed is of light color and in mixing
with white lead or zinc does not dull
the whiteness of the metallic pigment.
The proportion of oil is also said to be
larger In the white than i'll the dark
seed. II is raised under the same con-
ditions AS the dark seed, but with what
profit is not yet determined. Flax is
grown in Idaho for the seed alone. the
absence of fax mills necessitating the
throwing away of the fiber.
While we are in Idaho let's look at
the other parts of the display, for
am sure that few of us realize the
agricultural Importance of this young
state, now that the people have learn
ed how to impound the snow born
streams and turn the water upon the
desert lands. Idaho comes nearer TO
being a shoestring than any other state,
reaching from Nevada to the British
Columbia line. Upon It's southern side
however, it is 300 miles across. In
area it is $4,000 square miles, or as
large as New York and New England
combined, emitting Maine. The slen-
der northern part has plenty of rain
but in the central and southern parts
little besides sagebrush grows without
artificial watering. But it happens that
southern Idaho is blessed with the
great Snake river and its important
tributaries, whose waters spread green
ness and gladness wherever they have
been turned from their natural courses.
The Snake river rises in the Yellow
stone park and then falls quickly out
of it. From northwestern Wyoming,
where the melting SHOWS from lofty
mountains trickle down to make a siz-
able stream, it dawdles southwesterly
through broad valley, crossing the
two big counties of Fremont and Bling
ham. New maps show many settle
ments due to the extensive irrigation
of what was once desert covered with
sagebrush Some of the grains and
other products in the Idaho exhibit are
from this region. The Snake is big
stream for considerably more than a
thousand miles. finally mingling with
the waters of the Columbia in the
state of Washington. The water car
ries large amount Of fine flour gold
and placer mining by hand and with
dredges is carried on in the upper
reaches. No wonder the lands irrigat-
ed by this river are rich, if gold is
wealth.
If one may believe his eyes and the
sense of touch all claims on the part OF
Idaho are here made good. In the ex-
hibit are forty seven varieties of wheat,
fOrty-one varieties of oats, thirty two
varieties Of barley, thirty-four varieties
of grasses and two of fax. The grains
are shown both in the sheaf and
thrashed Under irrigation all grains
grow much heavier than the standards
of bushel weights. For example. the
standard for oats is thirty-two pounds.
The average weight of Idaho oats is
forty-two to forty-six pounds to the
bushel and the yield 100 to 10 bushels
to the acre. A sack of oats just re-
ceived at the exhibit was sent to an
other part of the Palace of Agriculture
to be graded. The third or poorest
grade weighed thirty eight pounds to
the bushel. The standard for wheat is
sixty pounds to the bushel. The wheat
of Idaho weighs sixty-two to sixty
four pounds. The barley standard is
fOrty-eight pounds. The irrigated bar
ley here weighs tifty-three to fifty-four
pounds to the bushel. The yield of al
falfa seed ordinarily is two to four
bushels to the acre. On the irriga ted
desert near Boise it Is five to ten bush
els to tie acre. The usual yield of red
clover seed is three to five bushels to
the acre. but here it is FIVE to twelve
bushels. storekeeper from town
near Boise told me he paid man
$1,0S2 for the alfalfa seed raised on
twelve acres after the man had taken
Off three crops of alfalfa. To show
what alfalfa can do on irrigated land
several plants have been brought to
the Idaho exhibit. Here is bundle of
the second crop this year, all the stalks
nearly six feet long. The yield of al
falfa is from five to eight tons to the
acre and of timothy about four tons.
But Idaho does not put all her de-
pendence on grains. 1t is live stock
rountry. too. owing to the ease with
'hich hay and other feed are grown
md the free ranges in the mountains.
Here is a grain called corn wheat. the
grains being about twice the size of
kernel of wheat, that will yield over
hundred bushels to the acre and is
used for hogs in place of corn. Here