The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-03-08

! same land Will Weld in prodigal abun-
dance anything that will grow and ma
ture in the north temperate zone and
for the growing of fruit it cannot be
cXcelled anywhere in the most famous
fruit producing sections of the west.
The plan CT watering as contemplate
cd is perfectly practicable. There are
few physical obstacles to overcome.
In the main the bitches and fumes
can be constructed at minimum cost.
Even at the lowest estimate that is
the lowest estimate compatible with
first-class and permanent construc-
ton, the watering of this vast body of
land is going to cost a large amount
Of money but the result of the invest
ment in the rapid enhancement of land
values will be such as to repay land
owners many times over for what they
contribute towards constructing the
system. At the present time, without
| the advantage of water, the bulk of
the II 900 acres is CT little CIR no TaluA
More especially is this true in consld-
cring the upper benches that so far
have never felt the edge of a piow, and
ne\ er would to the end of time without
| the aid of water to make production
possible, for under prevailing condi-
| tions this higher land is too dry t.
| grow even the hardest grasses. Give
this same land water, fertility is as
surcd, it will grow fruits, vegetables
| grains or grasses Of any kind, and
heavily, and soon command prices
running inc the hundreds of dollars
| per acre.
Eleven thousand acres of reclaimed
| land is a large area of real estate, rep
| resenting a tremendous sum when the
| land reaches it's full value, and in
| suring future homes for vast number
| of people, but that is not all the land
in the valley within the distance men,
| toned that can be put under water,
| which indeed is already under water
| with young orchards well on toward
| the bearing age. There are several
| private irrigation projects, represent
| ing hundreds of acres. watered by
| pumping systems. and in more or less
| advanced stage of development. that
| are excluded from the sum total of the
| land to be irrigated by the bitches of
! the districts under process of organi-
| zation. With the irrigated land that
| is and with what is yet to be, around
| and adjacent to Oroville, this place is
| better situated to feel the influence
| that flows from producing orchards,
when once producing. than any town
in the state. For between the projects
under the state law and private enter
prises already inaugurated there will
not be an available acre in the Okan-
| Ogan valley for 25 miles from the
British Columbia line southwark that
will not be in touch with an irrigation
ditch. And for six miles north and
| twelve miles south it may be said that
| tbiC valley land iS diract1v frihIIt q nv
| to Oroville.
Considering what irrigation has ac-
complished elsewhere in city building
| populating waste places and increas-
ing individual and community wealth,
| some idea can be formed as to what
may ultimately be expected from the
| watering of such large tracts in the
| Okanogan valley. Indirectly it will
| be beneficial in large measure to the
| entire county, and directly it's benefits
| to the upper valley will be beyond all
present estimation. A dozen or fifteen
years ago the rich and prosperous val
| leys of the Yakima and Wenatchee
were hardly any further advanced in
development and were rs sparsely set
| tied, as the Okanogan valley is today.
! Water worked the magical change in
| those valleys; water will do no less
in this valley. Here and there along
| the Okanogan river from Okanogan
TO Riverside there can be seen bright
| oasos, where the enterprise OF the in
| diVidual land owner has introduced
water, cultivated land and set out Or
| chards, but these points OF attraction
| giving visible evidence of the fecundi-
| ty Of the soil under proper conditions,
are few and far between. Let the Or
ganization of the big districts be per-
| fected. the land reclaimed and trees
| growing and in very few years the
25 mile stretch to be covered will be 4
Neritable Eden and the apple pro.
| duce will not be the apple of discOrd,
| but a fruit perfect in size, color, sym
metry and flavor that will make the
/ Okanogan famous and put the growers
thereof on Easy street.
| There are two effects that extensive
irrigation has upon any locality where
care and cultivation insures the pro-
( duction of choice fruit. and they are
the division of large holdings into
smaller tracts, and the steady increase
OF land values. 1t would seem early
for this section to feel the influence of
projected reclamation schemes but al
ready such an influence is being eX-
| perienced 1T is the occupancy and
high development of small tracts that
make the best returns of the soil, and
that is what promises to follow the
| movements now on foot to irrigate
this valley Several large owners
have commenced plating their land
into small holdings. 1t has been proved
| by experience elsewhere that in the
small bearing orchard the family is
not only provided for, but is assured
of an annual surplus for a bank ao-
count. This example of reducing large
acreage holdings will be followed by
others, and in the course of few
years a big ranch will be an unknown
possession in the valley. Not only
are land owners subdividing their
property, but that other influence of
increasing prices is being felt. Land
that last fall could have been pur-
chased for $50. $75 and 500 per acre
has doubled in value, if not intrinsi-
cally, at least in the asking price on
the strength of the prospective secur-