The Oakes times., 1909-10-07

KETTLE FALLS COUNTRY
By E. A. Favor, Editor of the North
western Department Fruit Grower.
Of st. Joseph, Mo.
To one passing through the state of
Washington for the first time little i'm
preston can be gained of its varied re-
sources without extensive travel into
the hills and mountains away from the
general routes of travel. Yet one is
continually amazed at the variety and
extent of the natural resources. Pass
ing through the rolling wheat lands of
the southern parts of the state into the
level treeless stretches of the Big Bend
country into the mountains of the
northern and western part, there is a
continuous panorama of most varied
conditions. Many square miles of the
country have been developed and re-
claimed from its desert condition
through the influence of irrigation.
Many more square miles await the
coming of man and civilization.
The state of Washington has en-
graved its name in the minds of the
world more through the wonderful
crops of wheat and the splendid
crops Of apples and peaches that are
harvested from its fertile lands. But
the portions Of the state which are
known or developed to any extent are
limited to few square miles in each
of a few locations. There are many
more square miles of land which are
adapted to the production of immense
crops, yet which are comparatively un-
known to any but their immediate
vicinity.
The valley of the Columbia is vast
region full of resources of almost lin
itless variety. It is a region which
gives promise of becoming the greatest
fruit district in the entire world. In
its northernmost stretch through WASH
ington it passes through a most pic
turesque region of mountains and val
leys, all of which are covered with a
magnificent growth of pine, fir and
tamarac timber. At Kettle Falls its
clear, blue floods rush and roar over a
series of cataracts, which if harnessed
and converted into electrical energy,
could run all of the machinery of the
Inland Empire.
This region below the falls as far
south as the mouth of the Spokane
river distance of seventy miles, has
conditions which lead to the prophecy
that it will soon become the greatest
apple-producing section of the North
west. Back from the river the valley
rises in series of benches to height
of about six hundred feet. These
benches are of irregular contour, gen.
orally level on top and from quarter
of mile to mile wide, although in
recesses of the mountains the benches
may be even wider. The lowermost
bench, the first one above the river,
is in general the widest, and is at an
elevation of about hundred feet above
the river and possibly twelve hundred
feet above sea level.
The soil of all of this region is the
volcanic ash so typical of the entire
Northwest. On the first bench this
soil is very light in color, very fine in
grain and with a slight mixture Of
sand. 1t has depth Of three or four
feet on an average, although in some
places it may be more shallow or reach
even to greater depths and it is under
laid by bed of coarse sand and gravel
having depth of from three to ten
feet. This gravel bed is underlaid by
a bed of fine blue clay of many feet in
depth, clay which makes a very
elegant brick.
Each of the higher benches are COW
cred with soil having much the same
texture as the first. except that the
soil on each of these benches is slightly
heavier than the next lower and notice
ably darker in color. Each of these
higher benches is also underlaid by a
stratum of gravel quite similar to the
first level.
Because of the lightness of the
lowermost bench, crops as a general
thing would be benefited by irrigation,
and the Fruitland Irrigation Company
is just putting the finishing touches or
an irrigation system extending for TWEEN
ty-fve miles down the valley, and de.
livering water to 1000 acres of land or
the lowest bench. The higher benches,
because of their greater water-retain'
ing capacity, and the underground
flow from the springs, and melting
SHOWS on the mountains, do not neec
irrigation for profitable fruit produc'
ton. This is demonstrated by numer