Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-09-09
C.. CHEfLfY ON IDAHO!
Former Resident Of This
County Gives Infor-
nation
Psyette, Idaho, Aug. 28, 1904.

Psyette, Idaho, Aug. 9S, 1904.
Editor Herald: l will through
T h Il d anwser few friends
who from Minnesota have asked me
for information about the part of
Idaho in which We live.
Mining, stock raising, agriculture
and fruit growing are the chief inter-
ests here. Mining. however, is not
carried on in or right near Payette.
Sheep, horses and cattle are grown
here to perfection. Alfalfa is the chief
farm product, yet wheat, barley, rye,
oats and corn are pro6tably grown.
Three crops of wheat, oats or rye, can
be harvested from one seeding, but
this mode of farming is not reeorted
to by the best farmers, as it produces
wild oats and smut, which ARE detri-
mental to the sale Of grain. l think
that forty acres we'll titled here in
farm crops, will produce more than
eighty acres will in Minnesota.
There is more good agricultural land
right here, than can be found in anv
one body elsewhere in the arid West.
There is homestead land here. The
government appropriated $2 700' QUO
with which to build dam and a ditch
on the Malheur river. which is in
Oregon just across Snake river from
Payette. The dam will be $50 feet
high, of solid masonry. The reser-
voir will be fifty miles long and ten
miles wide, and will hold water for
two seasons need. This water will
cover $50, 900 acres Of as good land as
there is in the west. Surveyors have
been at work all summer on this pro-
ject and have pronounced it suscepti-
BILE and work on the dam is being
done. This land is being taken very
fast. Speculators are taking more of 1t
than are those who actually want it
for homes. knowing that there is
money in it as soon as the water
goes on. Such land improved is sell.
ing now for $3.50 to 5000 p : acre.
When the government appropriates
money to construct ditch, the land
which it covers, is Withdrawn from
regular homestead entry, and price
is put on the land per acre, covering
the cost of the ditch, the maximum
price being $50 per acre. 1t is left
with the Secretary Of the Interior -as
to how much any one person can
take. In this particular case 80 acres
is the limit and SO paid per acre in
ten yearly payments, beginning two
years after the water is on, without
interest. Anyone can take this land
whether they have taken government
land under the old homestead law or
not. People who want home, can not
make any mistake in getting forty or
eighty acres Of this land. The price /
give as $40 per acre is only guess as
the engineers are not through the sur
veying. but this amount is the gener-
al talk here. This land is now COW
cred with sage brush, coyotes and
jack rabbits.
Most of the denominations have
churches in Payette. Slme join the
churches here, to be popular, and
keep right on gambling.
There are Chinese here. They are
mostly laundrvmen and truck garden
ers. Japs and Greeks are here too,
working on railroads and in the coal
mines.
Everything a family buys here is
higher than back East.
There is no local sale for fruit here,
bat carload lots 60 out of Payette
daily and the express cars are filed
each da7 and then plenty left await
ing the next train. Pests MAKE it pos
sible for any one to Sell fruit here at
price that would pay for boxing and
transportation. The San Jose scale and
the codling moth are the enemies OF
the fruit growers, and go many allow
these pests full SWAY that 1t enables
those who do fight them to finish to
find IN the east sale for their fruit.
The ground in hundreds ct orchards
lie covered with ripe fruit, and 1t ia
fine fruit, too. and not half people
enough to consume it, but cbere is q
big emigration to this part of the
world all the time.
think that most all kinds Of busi-
mess in the towns and cities are over
done. ditto the labor market. l
think the saloons make more here
than most other dealers do. Drinks.
(beer inciuded) are IL cents glaes,
or two for q 1ar'er, and poor stuff,
too
Salmon are up this far now. l helped
this morning to pull boat, setting
out the seine which get salmon and