The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-29
SOUTHEASTERN IDAHOS RAPID
PEOPLINC AND EVELOPMENT

into that state. The great timber re-
! sources also in central Idaho but
await the coming of the iron horse to
place cheaper building materials in
abundance in the hands of IdahoS
eastern citizens. Such a road would
traverse great coal fields in the Jack
son Hole country than exist in the Te-
ton BASIN. The development of the
coal and mining industries of this part
Of the state would mean the erection
of smelters, and thus another industry,
which is bound to come, would be
started,
Great Empire Is Redeemed.
This article would be incomplete if
no mention were made of the reclama-
| ton projects now under way by pri-
| vate companies under the Carey act
and by the government direct There
has. up to date. been Segregated under
the Carey act by private concerns, $685.
| 500 acres in southern Idaho. There has
| been of this amount already sold, 513,-
600 acres, leaving over 100000 acres yet
to be disposed Of Most of this yet un-
sold is not ready for occupation, as the
canal projects have not been fully COM
! pleted. Idaho today has 1854, COS acres
, of land under irrigation systems al
| ready completed. There are, according
to the best information obtainable, l.
656. 593 acres actually irrigated. The
| length OF canals in the state exceed
! 5000 miles or nearly twice across the
| continent. The cost of construction of
canals up TO date is over $21. 100000.
Nearly a million. of acres of land
in Idaho have been brought under canal
| by the government under the rec
| lamatiOn act. This, with the great
/ efa ha
| deemed under the Carey act by private
companies. and the vast number of
acres under the>farmers' canal systems.
runs the total up to approximately g.
| 900, 600 acres of irrigable land.
| From these, figures an idea may be
| gained as to the possibilities of Idaho,
! the land of opportunities. 1t is safe to
| conclude that this state and southeast
ern Idaho form the greater part of
| this vast irrigable district, and that it
will soon surpass every other inter-
mountain state. In addition to this
| greatness, Idaho produces $500, 900 in
gold annually, besides the untold
wealth of her lead, silver and copper
mines. She is also very rich in tim
/ Der, practically the central and entire
/ northern part being covered with a
| dense growth of valuable timber Her
stock ranges are unequaled in the
world, which are now taken care of I'M
/ der the forest reserve policy of the
! government and made TO return wealth
| both to the stockmen and Uncle Sam.
Dry Farming Great Success.
! Another great industry that has
| sprung up during the past year is that
of dry farming" The mountains, or.
more properly speaking, rolling hills
| skirting the Snake Riter valley in the
| eastern part of Bingham and Fremont
counties, is composed of the richest
| kind of Ioamy soil, which by reason of
its upland situation and rolling nature
| is not susceptible to very successful ir-
rigation. One company about ten miles
southeast of Rigby has nearly 1000
acres broken up and seeded to crop for
next year. On the bench southeast of
| Rexburg on the Woodmansee-W Webster
| dry farm over 10000 bushels of grain
was raised this year, and much more
| land is being planted for next year.
! Great steam traction engines are used
on these huge farms, blowing from thir-
| ty to forty acres per day. There are
millions of acres of this dry farm land
in the hills east of the valley, which in
| the not very distant future will be
mostly cultivated. Some raise as much
as thirty-f1ve and forty bushels OF
wheat to the acre. Twenty and twenty
five bushels are common yields. This
valley following the great river, after
which it is named, to the Pacific ocean,
thus forming an opening for the storms
to travel through, brings much rain
even to. the, upper part of the valley.
! This is becoming more pronounced eV-
cry year. Also the great amount of
water taken out of the river and spread
over the land for 200 miles, also causes
more rain, all of which insuEes good dry
farm crops This is made possible be-
cause the rolling hills in the place of
mountains permit it.
The Cow Comes to ths Front.
Another important industry has de-
veloped in eastern Idaho this year
that of home dairying. Up to a little
over a Hear ago very little attention
| was given to butter or cheese making
Notwithstanding the great number OF
\ cows owned and kept by the farmers
But eighteen months ago the Rigby
Commercial club conceived the idea OF
having the farmers separate their
cream by hand cream separators, sand
established cream routes and sent out
cream haulers. who visit the homes OF
! those who are now engaged in this in
dustry taking up their cream. hauling
it to the depot and at Rigby and ship
ping 1t to the Salt Lake dairies. This
has grown to be an important com
mercial enterprise, bringing in about
$40, 900 annually to the farmers sur
rounding the town. The most of this
comes during the summer time when
less cash is in circulation in agricultu-
raj communities, and thus proves a
great benefit. This is all practically
| for a product that formerly went to
waste.
Viewed from every standpoint, south
| eastern Idaho today offers the best OPP
portunity to the home seeker, inves-
| tor and manufacturer that can be found
in the United States. The greatest need
of the state today is ten times the pop
uIation it now has to properly handle
its many and varied resources. These
viii come in time, of course, but much
sooner if this states advantages were
more fully known.
SON OF HIS FATHER.
/ /ro4LoI;c CfanIard and TirOesl