Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1909-01-14

ing nice things to say about Idaho =
Honorable Charles L. Sawyer,
who returned from trip through Ida
no in time to attend to his campaign
for reelection to the legislature, is
very enthusiastic about the opportun-
tiles presented in that country,
through irrigation.
In speaking of that section in a re-
cent interview he said:
During the last 80 or 40 years the
gardens of the West have been
opened up one after another. Fertile
acres hitherto unknown have been
made to blossom. Minnesota, North
and South Dakota, scarcely known 40
years ago, are now among the best
wheat producing areas in the world.
Washington and California have been
developed to a wonderful degree with
in the last 20 years.
Fertility of the soil is not lack
ing. and in many cases climatic condi-
tions have been so suitable that these
sections nave yielded an almost un-
limated supply of produce which has
been distributed through the avenues
of commerce among the known mar
kets of the world, but until recently
it has not been suspected that the
sage brush lands in the arid portions
of Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Colora-
do possessed richer elements in their
soils and power of producing beyond
anything which had hitherto been re-
vealed to man.
AS we look back upon it, we won
der that transportation companies
had the nerve to build railroad lines
through such desolate and uninvitinp
districts. 1t took the eye of
prophet to be able to foresee what
has been taking place within the last
five or ten years. Unbroken ranges
of desert, valueless thus far to the
human race, have proved to possess
in themselves qualities destined to
make them the garden spots of the
world.
"New England was formerly the
mecca toward which consumers looked
for their supply of fruits Of all kinds.
Western New York was not long since
the best fruit producing area in the
world. Since then Michigan has been
developed in this direction and has
recently become better known even
than New York for its products of
this sort. Things are now changed.
The finest fruit in the world is now
being raised in the west. Wen
atchee, located in the state of Wash
ington, has recently become cele-
brated. Hood River. Ore, has
gained world wide reputation for
its large and small fruits. At North
Yakima the value of lands has far
exceeded that of any other agricul-
tural location in America and it has
become thus celebrated because of
the inexhaustible richness of its soil
and the happy combination of climate
and other natural conditions together
with the advantages of scientific irri-
cation, now proving to be a royal
road to high class agriculture produc-
ton.
Southern Idaho is now falling in
line with such development and the
middle section of the Rockies is like
ly to become as celebrated as are
these gardens of the West. Strange,
indeed, it is, that nature has stored
up her choicest morsels in her rudest
and crudest districts, where nothing
but sage brush could exist hitherto.
Strange, indeed. it is that under the
magic touch of irrigation. these neg
lected spots are now producing the
choicest products of the world.
1.-THE Snake river is unique body
of water with deep and swift cur
rent which forms an outlet for the
melting SHOWS deposited during the
winter among the mountains. Up to
this time it has rolled its impetuous
current toward the western coast
unimpeded These things are now
changed.
1.-THE waters of this as we'll as
other similar streams are being
damned and conveyed through canals
and laterals over millions of acres of
land which invigorated by its touch,
Immediately begin to bloom like the
rose. 1t was my good fortune recent
ly to observe the. results of the
transformation under several of the
irrigation projects now commanding
the attention of agriculturists between
the two oceans. On the south bank
of the Snake river at Twin Falls,
Idaho LIE 900 acroc has.a han +sasas