Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-15
Wonderfully Fast

.AAN
United states town. Their death rate Is a
little over nine to the thousand, while Chi
cago has sixteen, Cleveland seventeen, Den
yer eighteen, Cincinnati nineteen, and my
own city OF washington, u. c.. twenty
three. In other words considerably more
than twice as many out OF every thousand
peopie die in Washington every twelve
months as I'm Portland.
l found the people Of Portland talking
about irrigation quite as anxiously as those
Of other sections a large part Of eastern
Oregon is arid and Il Is claipled that much
OF II can be redeemed. There are altogether
something like 100000 in that part Of tho
state, OF which less than 100000 are under
cultivation [ am told that there are
about 100000 acres which might be re-
claimed If the water available were prop
erly used. This is an area almost half as
large as tho state OF Ohio and 1t would
support more than 100000 people. l have
already spoken of the Deschutes river
scheme on the eastern side Of the Cas-
cades Oregon is doing other work in
reclamation and at the close Of 1904 the
state had contributed almost 100000 for
natural irrigation projects.
Uncle SANS Reclamation Projects.
Indeed, the government schemes for re-
claiming our arid lands are Just at their
beginning. Those already undertaken and
planned will involve an expenditure OF
about SS5OOO.OOO and when completed they
will make fertile almost 100000 acres Of
land This land is now worth compare
lively nothing but when the water is on 1t
1t will bring something like $50 an acre.
The average price has been estimated at
A7 an acre and at this figure the total
would be worth $94, 900 O0O adding that much
to our national wealth.
A large part of this reclamation is west
of the Rockies and in some places millions
of dollars have already been spent. In
southern Oregon aud northern California
there is a project to redeem 100000 acres
by the diversion Of the Klamath river and
the Malheur river, in eastern oregon, IL
properly used, Will redeem several hundred
thousand acres in the Umatilla valley. In
Arizona 100000 have been set aside to
redeem 10000 acres by the Salt river pro-
ject, and in Idaho the Minidoka project
will redeem GO, 900 acres at a cost of $780,
OOO
In wyoming the Shoshone project will re-
deem 125,OO0 acres and will necessitate the
construction of the highest dam in the
world. The dam site is in narrow canyon
with perpendicular walls about a third OF
mile high and the dam itself will be
$40 feet in height.
In addition to these there are other pro-
jects under construction and approved by
the secretary of the interior in Colorado,
Nebraska, Nevada, Wyoming. New Mexico.
South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana,
Arizona and Washington. 1 have already
written of the Milk river scheme and OF
irrigating parts of the inland empire.
o
Crops Every other Year.
In addition to the arid lands which can,
be irrigated, understand there are vast
tracts in the west which will produce crops
every other year II the ground be properly
cultivated. Utah alone has 100000 acres
OF such soil It is desert, but If the rain
can be saved It will produce abundantly
once in two years. All that is needed 10
that the land should be plowed deep in
the fall and the top kept we'll stirred.
This holds the moisture and the twelve
inches of rain for one year becomes twen-
ty-four inches in two years, resulting in
a big crop II planted the second year.
There are now six experimental farms
working in these Utah deserts. They are
supported by the state and are testing all
, matters regarding desert crops. They ex-
pect to have an arid farm exhibit this
year, and to show that wheat can be
raised on lands which are now considered
almost worthless. At present Utah is SELL
ing such lands at $50 an acre.
The men who are testing the matter
claim that the land will produce fifteen
bushels of wheat per acre, which, at 70
cents per bushel, would net S1125. They
say that It costs $3.50 per acre to raise
this wheat so that a man could pay for
his land with his first crop and have
about IS per acre to the good. This state
ment is made by the officers of the expert
ment station at Logan. Utah.
FRANK &. CARPENTER.