Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1906-05-31


Idaho,'' as follows:
An Idaho farmer on visit to his
eastern brother, said: Don't think
i could farm here, seems too much
like gambling. When you plant
your crop in the spring you never
know whether it will be hot or dry
or cold or wet. Results are luck
and guesswork. f"
ssWhat do you expect?'' said his
brother.
well, when plant my crop
know that the sun will shine every
day till past harvest time. l know
the soil; own my water and put
it on when want it. If don't get
results have only myself to blame. -
But" said brother, "that isn't
farming; that's manufacturing. F"
And true the statement is. With
fixed conditions of soil and climate
the farmer of the arid west produces
results which come to his eastern
brother only occasionally. Farming
with him is not haphazard mat
ter. Like the chemist, he takes his
elements and produces results.
When he buys an irrigated farm he
leaves the class of ordinary laborers
and engages in an occupation where
science and skill are prime factors,
and where he must use his head
even more than his hands.
A generation ago the western set
tier was chiefly interested in the
homestead and presumption laws,
which were intended to provide him
with a home from the public do
main. Today he must go farther
west and take advantage of the
Carey act, the desert land law,
or look to a homestead under gov
eminent reclamation project.
The west has made gigantic strides
in irrigation matters during the
past five years, and Idaho has sur
passed all of her sister states in the
magnitude of her enterprises and
the wisdom of her laws for the ben
eft and protection of settlers.
From an irrigation standpoint the
state may be said to have three
stages of development.
During the first stage water was
taken out of the smaller streams
near their heads, where the expense
was comparatively light. This
resulted in a fringe of cultivated
lands along the base of the mountain
ranges.
Later on came the second stage,
when capitalists came to believe
that fortunes might be made in the
construction of irrigation works and
the sale of perpetual water rights,
which called for an annual mainte-
nance charge to be paid by the set
tier, of from 81 to So an acre. A
number of large canals were built
during this period, but were not an
unqualified success. Little was
known of the state and its wonder
full possibilities, and cobination
was slow. Through a development
of causes, after these canals were
built by private capital, the enact
ment of an irrigation district law
eventually transferred the owner
ship and the management of the
canals to the people themselves.
The third and most important
period of development was brought
about by means of the Carey act
This act, first passed by congress
IN 1894 and amended in 1896, pro-
vidcd for grant by the government
TO each of the states in the arid
country of 1000, 900 acres of land,
conditioned upon the state procur-
ing tbs reclamation. In taking adj
vantage of the terms of this act the
state did not attempt to go into the
construction business itself, but pro-
vided that individuals or corpora
tions desiring to build irrigation
works under this act might apply
TO the state land board, describing
the land to be irrigated and the
works necessary to be built. On
such an application being made the
state eng incer examined the pro-
ject and reported on the condition
of the water supply. In case the
conditions were found unsatisfactory
the state applied to the government
for the segregation of the lands
pending the building of the works.
Upon the segregation being made
the works are commenced and pro-
secuted diligently to completion by
the construction company, under the
direction and control of the state.
The law requires that the works
must be completed " thin five years
and that bond must be given to
the state for their prompt and sat