The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-06

1 growing. Alfalfa hay brings there about S5 ton in the stack and in one year the valley where this project is situated sold it's hay crop for $2,OOo,OO0. This is T country of towns, newspapers and 1p-to- date people. There are many private irrigation works under way, and the pro- duets of the valley are so well known 1 that they command a ready market. It l is land of banks, schools and churches, and one where the social conditions are already established. The government es- inmates that by proper storage sufficient water can be saved to irrigate 460 QUO acres, and a large area is now Snder water. Dams have been put up canals dug, and the farmers are tilling the soil. The cost of the land on the ten-year in stallment plans is s52 per acre, and the maintenance charge Is e5 cents per acre per annum. This seems rather high for | one who does not understand the con- ditions, but when it is remembered that | orchards are worth from $500 to severar thousand dollars per acre, when they I have once come into bearing the possible profits are plain.
 Another fruit project In Washington l is the Okanogan, which will redeem l 10000 acres of high grade fruit lands This is completed
 Going south we come to the Umatilla irrigation works on the edge of Wash ington, in northern Oregon. Here all earthen embankment half mile long and 100 feet high will hold pack the floods. The soil Is porous and many of the canals have been lined with ce- ment on that account. Several towns have grown up in this region of which Hermiston has a thousand or more population.
 California Works Still farther south is the Klamath proj- ect. on the boundary of Oregon and California, which will reclaim 190,000 acres Of this amount 3O,000 acres are already under water, and about 40 per cent of the work has been completed A storage dam has been built which makes Clear lake a reservoir, and there are other storage projects which will ultimately irrigate this vast tract of land
 The Orland project in northern Cali fornia Is also progressing About " per cent Of the work is completed, and the East Park dam there will store water for about 14.000 acres. The dam is 130 feet high, and it has reservoir capacity of 45,000 acre feet. This lies about 90 miles north of Sacramento on the Southern Pacific railroad The greater part of it will be opened this year.
 The Heart of the Rockies
 
 government now has under way lie in the heart of the Rockies. or, rather, on the great western plateau. In Utah we have tho strarrherry valley project. which will redeem 60,00 acres. It is now 45 per aent completed. In Nevada is the Truckee- Carson project, which involves more than 600 miles of canals, and D,00O feet of dykes and dams. This, when finished. will irrigate 26O.00o acres, and the first unit is now ready.
 And then there is the Boise project, where dam 45 feet high has been con structed at the mouth of canyon not far from Boise City. This turns the waters of a river into canal, which Tn the non-irrigated season throws them Into a reservoir which will store 1S6,OO0 acre feet.
 The Minnadoka project is already 1rri- gating the Snake river valley, and IS fur- nishng electric power to pump water on to lands which are too nigh for the gray ity canals. The total area there under ditch Is 130,OOO acres, and about 5O00O acres are being irrigated by pumping.
 Tn Colorado the Gunnison river mas been carried under . mountain 9oo0 feet high