Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-11-30
Magnificent Display Of Fruits and
Grasses Raised Upon Lands Re-
claimed by irrigation.
WHEAT SEVEN FEET TALL
irrigated Crops Would Alone be suf
fieient for National Exhibit
Within Twenty Years.

people who have viewed with amaze
ment the magnificent fruits and
grains from the western states. ex
hibited at the st. Louis fair-far
more notable in size, appearance and
yield than anything they ever saw
In the east-how many of them have
realized the cause of this effect! How
many of them have thought out the
wonderful fact that these products
were borne upon the lands which a
few years ago were useless deserts,
but now made fertile by the art of
irrigation?
No irrigation exhibits" of promi.
nence were in evidence at this
worlds fair, as such, yet in every
thing agricultural they formed lead
ing part and their withdrawal would
have left huge gaps and have taken
away the best. Had the products OF
the dam and the ditch all been lab
eled grown by irrigation" the irIi-
cation exhibit would have been a very
big one. And 1t seems to me that
this would have been good thing.
The west Is proud of its irrigation;
why not thus call attention to its SD
periority of production?
Fabulous Grain Growths.
In grams ana grasses Colorado's
exhibit led easily, though splendid
-howings were made by other arid
states--Oregon. Washington, Mon
tana, Utah. California-but the CEN
tennial state showed 100 different
kinds Of grasses and 1870 varieties of
grain. 1t had oats 8 feet tall and
timothy heads inches long. II tooa
$40 prizes and SO gold medals. And
its separate fruit exhibit included al.
most all the products or America ex.
cept the truly tropical
Oregon had Northgage Litter wheat
seven feet tall. Think of wheat
field IN which an army OF six foot
men would stand concealed. The
SHOW white Onions six inches across
And Idaho and Utah and New Mexico,
and all the west set forth a dazzling
display of irrigated apples and plums,
peaches and grapes of color. size and
beauty, which il would take a book
TO describe.
But ahead OF all The west In the
extent and variety of her exhibit,
stood Califonia-California that vast
strip of golden land reaching frou
| nraof,, To -. ~
vegetable wealth Of the tropics.
The Products Of a Great Empire.
Fruit Is the main stay of the golden
state and $2JJ,000 Is represented in
her showinss at st. Louis. The great
palae of agriculture is the largest
building of the exposition. covering
10 acres. and Il seemed rs though
would never get outside of the do
main OF the California exhibit. Sin.
gle counties made showings credit.
ablefor a state. Such things caught
the eye as life size elephant Of
English walnuts, the state capitol
building constructed Of almonds. the
famous Lick observatory done in
several families. The wine exhibit
took the grand prize above all for.
eign competitors. The most fucious
and enormous pears, peaches, oranges
lemons. grape fruit, plums, cherries
and all kinds of huge vegetables
were stacked in rich profusiOn, along.
side of great branches and clusters OF
fruits of all kinds showing how things
can grow under irrigation. The grape
lunches OF California are almost OF
the biblical kind, requiring two men
to carry single bunch. No man
can carry the product Of single
! zine.
Government irrigation Dam.
Practical methods of irrigation
were demonstrated at the government
building by model of the Salt river
valley in Arizona, showing the great
government dam now under construc-
tlon in the mountains and the sys-
TEN of bitches and laterals by which
the water Is distributed onto the
farms and orchards below Real wa
ter was running through these ditch
es. This great work of Uncle Sans
in Arizona Is progressing rapidly.
was told by Engineer Savage. whom
| recentlymet in Montana. A cement
mill. to make the 100000 barrels oil
cement needed in the masonry, Is
completed, a 100000 mountain road
to convey the dam material from
Phoenix is finished and most remark
able, the river itself has been car
lied through tunnels around the dam
site. and is furnishing some 1000
electrichorse power with which to
build the dam. This is 10 be used
TO construct the giant works and thus
: the river will ouiid its own dam and
, form a reservoir the greatest in the
United States.
Giant Pumping Machinery.
, OF all sizes and classes were the
I irrigation pumps exhibited In the
farm implement department OF the
st. Louis fair; but more striking than
these were the windmills. The busy
: machines, rearing their tall heads
abovethe surrounding buildings and
: whirring gaily in the breeze, formed
striking example Of mans ingenu
ity in harnessing the elements. The
highest of these. built by one OF the
; largest windmill manufacturers
spreads its steel wings 120 feet In all
and with a moderate wind pumped 40.
900 gallons an hour. The water gush
es up like a fine artesian well ant
supplies a ditch to irrigate a good siz
; ed farm.
al Irriuation's Future.