Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1906-09-14

SHOWN InaC Jne land mas been Iully re-
claimed,lo irrigated, final patent is
issued. Large numbers of irrigation
projects are being undertaken in vari-
Gus states through this Carey. act and
if it is to be long time before the
government shall actively undertake
the Cheyenne River project we are not
sure but it would prove advantageous
to those interested in that project to
have the land under it that has been
withdrawn, again thrown open and
premit the state to attempt it's re-
clamation under the Carey act. There
are numerous companies with unlimi
ted financial backing that are seeking
large projects of this kind, and
they fully finance them and place
the land under complete irrigation,
just the same as the government, re-
cieving their pay from the lands brot
under irrigation just the same as the
government under the reclamation act
This is Il matter that I'VE believe it
would be we'll for tho people of this
portion of the state to consider. The
adoption of the Carey act by the state
would at least do no harm and would
place it where the provisions of the
law might be made use of if it is ever
deemed advisable.
The delegates to the Irrigation Con
u,hn 1ncirnl fn1 Z,
cial excursion over the Oregon Short
Lime to the big Twin Falls project.
| From the town bearing that name the
| visitors were taken for drive through
the newly irrigated tract, which year
ago first felt the touch of water 1t
was then a vast wilderness with moth
| ing but sage brush covering the broad.
{let eNpanse far Us .he eye could see
| Now it is all settled. neat, thrifty farm
homes upon every quarter section or
lass. all fenced, largely cultivated to
ell Kinds of grain, many orchards and
everything that would Indicate q set
Element of several years rather than
/ two. Water seems 10 have the magic
touch that is making the great trans
| formation-from desert to a real lit
| tie paradise-Where in reality the des-
eri is biossoming as the rose The only
unpleasant feature evident to us was
the ceaseless dust, which is as light
and fiaify as flour and rises like
cloud. But doubtless this will all be
impI owed when the ground is once sat-
n.ateG with water We look for a mar
velous DEVELOPMENT OF that region
within the next few years. The party
was also driven to the great Shoshone
Falls of the Snake river, which in
grandeur and extent are said to scarce
ly be eNcelled by Niagara.
Next day "a journey was made up the
miles of National par!. grand trip,
through 4 rich irrigated region, which
is olG as compared with some portions
| OF that State, yet which is now be-
coming better known. AtSt. Anthony
a drive of oight miles was enjoyed
| through delightful farming region,
resembling the beautiful, we'll titled
farms OF Iowa and Nebraska as
level All are irrigated in this partic
| ula1 locality by sub irrigation. the wa
ter percolating through the the soil
from the irrigation canals and laterals,
saturating the soil to within few
inches of the surface. Surface irriga-
tion is therefore not necessary. When
| the water is turned off from the canals
in the fall, the soil again gradually
dries out, the water sinking to it's orig
inal or normal level, twenty or thirty
feet below the surface This locality
is so level that stream of water turn
ed in at one corner Of field may be
made to encircle it. All kinds of small
grain, apples and pears grow abundant.
ly. 1t is also becoming famous for
growing sugar beets, which yield from
fifteen to twenty tons per acre, paying
$3.50 per ton The towns of Rexford,
Sugar City and Idaho Falls also eX-
tended courtisies to the visitors, and
proudly proclaimed their agricultural
resources and othernaturala advantages
all having large areas of beautiful
irrigated lands-there not being much
apparent difference. in fact, between
the various irrigated districts of the
State.
Irrigated lands in Idaho are selling
for from fifty to two hundred dollars
per acre-depending upon location,
while land planted to orchards brings
two or three times that price
While Idaho has many large streams
atfording water for irrigating vast
tracts of land, it has its disadvantages
in being almost barren waste until
irrigated, thereby not providing nat
ural range for stock. Its hills and
| ronnfoino in tho o,l ooy,fhorv