Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1910-11-17
OUR VANISHING DESERTS
Fifteen 70 Sixty Farm Families to
the Square Mile,

A quarter of a century ago any
mention of the Great American Des-
ira called up visions of a region of
limitless extent, sunbaked, parchcd
and desolate. A country associated
always with tales of suffering and
death. of unfniendly savages. AMI
deathly reptiles. for years it was
passed over by congress as worth
less. The marvellous transformation
which has been wrought in two de-
cades in this land of silence and sun
shine furnishes one of the most in
teresting and inspiring pages in the
annals of our republics development.
The great American desert is vanish
ing from the map. It's boundaries are
shrunken and it no longer presents
formidable barrier to the growth
and progress of the far west. Twelve
million acres of this rainless coun-
try have been subdued by means Of
agriculture and irrigation and are
producing bountiful and assured crops
every year. quarter of a million
families are residing on farms and
as many more have found homes AMI
occupations in the cities, towns and
villages that have sprung up in the
midst of agricultural areas. Great
dams have been constructed to inn
pound the floods and through TO-
600 miles of canals and bitches the
life-giving water has been turned on
the dusty desert. The streams have
been harnessed for power and an area
of manufacturing is dawning in
which all of the raw products of the
farm. the forest and the mines Will
be prepared for the markets of the
world. The comforts and luxuries
heretofore unknown in agricultural
regions already are obtainable IL
many of the western valleys Ths
farmer lights and heats his home
with electricity and his heavy work
is done cheaply by the same potent
force. Trolley lines bring the farm
and town closer together. In a ma
ioritv of the agricultural districts The
farms are small-not more than Al
acres each. With 6 to 60 farm
families to the square mile, isold
ton is eliminated and life in th'
country becomes more nearly urbai
than rural. While pioneering in hi
new country calls for a good deal o
grit and not a little hard work tn
compensation is sure to be abundant
Carving out home in the desert j
! no childs play. it is a mans work
/ but there are few places where ne
ture responds more quickly to in
telIigent industry than the irrigato
country. On the government project
} the last year has been a conspicu
ously prosperous one. The success O
the average farmer in many instance
has been remarkable. On several @
the projects the crops on individua
farms this year have yielded enoug
\ to enable the owners to repay tn
. government every dollar of their oil
E legations if they we're so inclined
= AS the payments to the governmer
i extend over a period of 10 years will
2 lout interest there is no object in NEE
= ing the same in advance and mos
, OF the farmers are therefore devotin
S their revenues to improving thei
t homes and in purchasing live stoc
i and implements. One of the mo-
Interesting features of the upbuil'
ing of these new communities is til
r large number of settlers who hay
n come from the cities and towns The
snccess is all the more noticeable b.