The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-13

farmers who have taken up dry-land
farms on tho edge OF the desert a
lew miles below the Pinto valley be-
i1re i1 @ mentioned The .poytofflce name Of
several years past the Pinto farmers have
been raising twenty TO thirty-tive bushels
OF wheat per acre: and. Of course. with
out irrigation. This season however. the
farmers had about 1000 acres in wheat
and realized only about eight bushels per
acre But one OF the farmers told me
mat the shortage was owing to bad cult
walton OF In" ground before seeding and
which is proved by the fact that much
OF the land produced eighteen to twenty
bushels per acre with scarcely any pre-
cipiiation since the latter part Of Janu-
airy last.
At, Modens Mr.. Fallon had in his
weather office several ears OF corn OF the
carly dent variety which We're not less
than nine inches long. and perfectly ma
,lred They were raised at Enterprise,
dena and the farmer produced twenty
five bushels OF good, sound corn per acre
without irrigation. And il that can be
done during season SO dry as the one
thousands Of acres OF corn being raised
on the long stretch OF sandy loan along
the foothills on the northwest side of
Escalante valley?
Enterprise Is Enterprising,
Enterprise is a brand new town, or VIII
laee, OF about fifty rugged men and boys
old enough TO get in and dig" (There
are OF course. some women In the VIZ
lage. or the men wouldn't stay there.)
Bishop George A. Holt is the spiritual
adviser. and all around hustler in tom
poral affairs. Bishop Holt told me AN
almost incredible story OF how his little
colony tackled and put through Il roser-
voiT scheme at a cost OF about S75, 900
that would have taken our present state
land board fully ten years TO complete
and at cost Of fully half million dol
lars
The Enterprise settlers didn't issue any
illustrated promotion folders and lie like
fury about their project. They didn't at
out for help from the state. They didn't
issue any bonds-they took off their coats
pegged along. until today the enterprise
debt
twelve miles is a large basin-ligc water
shed upon which there Is annually a
light snowfall. Tho eastern side OF the
basin is walled In by a volcanic ridge
through which the little rivulet called
Shoal creek emergcs. Whenever il rains
In the basin the creek becomes a raging
torrent and necessarily runs TO waste.
Across the opening Bishop Holt uuu his
aides have thrown dam that is 16o feet
long. l50 feet wide at the base and 80
feet high. 4 cement and masonry core
extends from the solid rock bottom to
the top. and out 10 the aburmeuts OF
volcanic rock. Not a drop Of water can
escape from the basin without the con-
sent OF the Enterprise husterS, III rs
estimated that TN" impoundod water VIII
irrigate 5000 acres of the finest land IN
Utah.
Clearing Of the Brush.
Bishop Holt saws that the job OF clear
Ing the 5000 acres of sage from four
to eight feet high is nearly as big A job
as the dam. but they have now a sub
stantial foothold and means OF support
while clearing tho land.
Recently the enterprisng state iish
and game warden planted $1,000 trout
fry in the reservoir. and within three or
four years the traveller on the Modena
TO st. George stage can reasonably eN-
pcct trout lunches at the wayside holeI
at Enterprise.
While waiting for the change oil horses
l. examined the truck gardens and alt3lia
patches. and IL was truly an eye-oncncr
10 the agricultural wealth that awaits The
settlers as reward for their industry
and perseverance. ,
Tho altitude at Enterprise is about the
same as at Modcna, or 5iI9 feet.
Near TIE village the state has dry
land experiment farm on which. as
was Informed. average OF about ls
bushels of wheat per acre was harvested
the past season. and which cleary proves
what can be accomplished even when the
weather man at Modcna furnishes short
supply - J. f. GIBBS.
Salt Lake city, October Il.