The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1905-01-21
WON BY IRRIGATION.
DESERT SPOTS I'm WEST FERTILE
AND FRUITFUL.
Great Displays of Products from
Arid States at the Recent
Worlds Fair at st.
LOUIS.

Louis.
OF the hundreds of thousands Of people
who have viewed with amazement the
magnificent fruits and grains from the
western states exhibited at the Louisi-
ana Purchase exposition--far more nota-
Bile In size, appearance and yield than
anything they ever saw in the east--few
of them realize that these products were
borne upon lands which few years ago
were useless deserts, but now made fer
tile by the art Of irrigation.
No irrigation exhibits of prominence
were In evidence at this worlds fair as
such, yet in everything agricultural they
formed leading part, states the Chicago
Chronicle, 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 labeled
Grown by Irrigation" the irrigation ex-
hibit would have been an enormous one.
The west is proud OF its irrigation. Why
not thus call attention to its superiority
OF production?
In grains and grasses Colorado's exhib-
it led easily, though splendid showings
were made by other arid states Oregon,
Washington, Montana, Utah, California
but the centennial state showed 100
different kinds OF grasses and 1870 varie-
ties OF grain. 1t had oats eight feet tall
and timothy heads eight inches long. II
took $40 prizes and SO gold medals, and
its separate fruit exhibit included almost
all the products Of America except the
truly tropical
Oregon had mortgage litter" wheat
seven feet tall. Think of wheat field
in which an army of six-foot men would
stand concealed. And snow-white on
ions six inches across And Idaho and
Utah and New Mexico and all the west
set forth dazzling display OF irrigated
apples and plums, peaches and grapes
of color, size and beauty which it would /
take book to describe.
But ahead Of all the west in the extent |
Of variety Of her exhibits stood Cali
fornia-that vast strip OF golden land
reaching from Oregon to Mexico and in
cluding the vegetable wealth Of the trop-
les
Fruit is the mainstay of the Golden
state and $250,000 is represented in her
showings at st. Louis. The great palace
Of agriculture was the largest building
of the exposition. covering 16 acres, and
it seemed as if one would never get out
side of the domain OF the California ex-
hibit Single counties made showings
creditable for state. Such things
caught the eye as life-size elephant Of
English walnuts, the state capital build
ing constructed Of almonds, the famous
Lick observatory done in dried fruits
and big enough to contain several fam
lilies.
The wine exhibit took the grand prize
above all foreign competitors. The most /
luscious and enormous pears, peaches,
oranges, lemons, grape fruit. plums.
cherries and all kinds of huge vegetables
were stacked in rich profusion alongside
of great branches and clusters of fruits
of all kinds, showing how things can
grow under irrigation. The grape
punches of California are almost of the
Biblical kind, requiring twome to carry
one single bunch. No man can carry the /
product of single vine.
Practical methods OF irrigation were
demonstrated at the government build
ing by model of the Salt River valley
in Arizona showing the great govern
ment dam now under construction in the
mountains and the system of bitches
and laterals by which the water is dis
tributed onto the farms and orchards be-
low. Real water was running through
these bitches.
This great work Of Uncle Sans in Ari-
zona is progressing rapidly. A cement
mill. to make The zoo, COO barrels Of ce-
Eent needed in the masonry, is COM
pleted; 100000 mountain road. to con-
vey the dam material from Phoenix
is finished and, most remarkable, the
river itself has been carried through
tunnels around the dam site. and is fur
nishing some 900 electric horse power
with which to build the dam. This is to
be used to construct the giant works
and thus the river will build its own dam
and form a reservoir the greatest in the
United States.
OF all sizes and classes were the irriga-
ton pumps exhibited in the farm imple-
nent department Of the St Louis fair.
but more striking than these were
the windmills These busy machines,
rearing their tall heads above the snr-
rounding buildings and whirring gayly
In the breeze formed a striking example
Of mans ingenuity in harnessins the ele-
ments.