Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-08-06
WASHINGTON.
CONTINUED from Last Week.)


adapted to growing these products, ow-
ing to certain unique conditions exist
ing there.
When the Hill interests completed
the "North Bank" railroad, this sec
ton was brought into prominence, and
as it furnished good transportation for
fruit. several large companies began
operation. The absence of late spring
md Of early fall frosts, together with
fine soil and climate, renders this To-
cality particularly favorably situated
for growing early varieties and ones
subject to frost, such as apricots,
almonds and peaches, and the bright
sunshine and freedom from early fall
rains make the growing of Tokay, Mus
cat, Malaga and Black Hamburg grapes
profitable. 1t will not be long until
the north bank of the Columbia river
in Kickitat county will be as famous
for its apricots and grapes as other sec
tions in the northwest are for apples,
pears and cherries
Washington Water Rights.
The most valuable resource of Wash
ngton is the large amount of water
available for irrigation and power.
Water gives value to more than one
half of the total area of the state.
With water some of this land is worth,
when planted to orchards, from $500 to
1000 or more an acre; without water
the same land is worth only a few
dollars an acre for grazing or for UNI
certain grain yields. The rapid fall
of the streams that have their source
-, ~ 10 Ia lor har
of sites where may be developed almost
unlimited water power. These streams
are fed by the perpetual SHOWS and
deep glaciers of the mountain peaks
which form inexhaustible reservoirs.
The Yakima, Snake and the Upper Co
lumbia rivers are already retaining
thousands of acres of land in eastern
Washington, and with the creation Of
storage reservoirs these and other
streams will irrigate thousands of ad-
'ditional acres.
Notwithstanding its great value for
irrigation and power, water is the most
carelessly treated resource of the state.
The water laws are old-fashoned, in
definite, and few water titles are Sc
cure. This condition is discouraging
to the individual irrigator, has much
hampered the work of the reclamation
service in Washington, and has resulted
in costly litigation. The whole situa-
ton is summed up in these words by
DR.. Bryan, president of the Washington
State college at Pullman: "We have
no state irrigation engineer, no state
department for determining and con
trolling the use of water, no adequate
record of existing rights and titles, NO
satisfactory bodies, either of law or
adjudicated cases to go by We are
still in part under the tyranny of the
riparian doctrine which is at the anti
podes of the doctrine of appropria-
tion."
1t should be said that an earnest at
tempt is being made to give the state
modern water law, such as Oregon,
Wyoming, Idaho and other states have.
The great advertising value of a
modern water law is not to be ques-
toned, to say nothing of the develop
ment that it will insure. In Oregon,
for example, no new Carey act projects
were initiated for five years previous
to the passage of its model new water
code. In a single year after this new
law was passed, nine new Carey act
projects, which will reclaim 100000
acres of land at cost of $50,000,000,
have been initiated. AS soon as the
streams can be adjudicated, water titles
in Oregon will be as definite as land
titles.
On Upper Columbia.
About 10000 acres of land have been
acquired during the past year by a
company that is developing great
irrigation project north of Bossburg,
in the northeastern corner of the state,
it is reported The land is between
Bossburg and Northport and reported
as practically all capable of being irrl-
gated from the water of Kettle river
and the Columbia river. Engineers
have been at work on the proposed irri-
cation project since early spring, and
much preliminary work, including the
beginning of construction work on the
ffteen-mile dam and fume, has been
done. This dam is to reclaim about
1000 acres of land, and represents but
one small unit of the entire project
The land is said to be very valuable
for fruit raising, and for the produc
ton of all irrigated crops common tC
eastern Washington. The total sum OF
$1,3o0,0O0 is said to have already beer
expended by the company in the pur
chase of land and water rights.
HORSEPOWER Near Tacoma.
What the builders declare is to h,
the largest single hydro-electric powe
plant in the world is being constructe,
at Lake Taps, about fourteen mile
from Tacoma and but little farthe
from Seattle. More than 100 men ar
said to be at work on this great powe
Geological Survey Bulletin Gives Som