Semi-weekly herald., 1913-08-04
well, but the small wheat farmer ex.

At Klamath il q government irri-
CATION project, and some good farms.
In order to better see the extent of
irrigation, as well as the development
OF the country l stopped at Nampa,
Idaho, and took side tripe to Boise,
the state capital and some forty mile
suburban trips through the fruit belts.
This is fine country, pretty well
improved, with good towns we'll built,
some overbuilt and now at q dead
standstill.
You hear men on the streets and
IN the hotels theorixing as to the
cause, but to the man who has gene
Though it is not a theory, all agree
ing that the condition is due to over
capitalization of the irrigation plants
with imperfect and incomplete con-
sstruction necessitating an Impossible
interest and maintenance charge.
Many of the land owners here have
quit and others will. The bondsmen
can not handle the land and all are
agreed that it will be necessary for
many of the companies to 70 into
bankruptcy and reorganize on real
instead of a fictitious valuation. This
has hurt the towns as well as the
country. Some old cooperative ditch
es are doing well, and the farmers
under these are also.
1t is said that Idaho has more over
valued irrigation projects, Carey and
others, than any other state. Here at
Nampa is government enterprise but
many farmers think even this is ex-
pensive water.
Many of the western towns are
mainly railroad towns. The fearful
havoc wrought by water spouts or
cloud bursts, that suddenly occur in
the mountains of the arid regions
was forcibly illustrated at Ameth,
near here yesterday, when wall of
water twelve feet high came rushing
down the mountains, sweeping or
chards, houses, shops and fences ahead
of it, then distributing IL over the
farms in piles so that it will take
five years to restore the land to tilla-
Bile condition. Many farms were also
ruined by having the soil all wash
ed off. go.
We see here some fine young or
chards, apple, peach and prune, well
kept and in fine shape besides vine
yards and berry fields of acres in ex-
tent. This is a great berry country
for all kinds except the Logan, which
does not ripen. Alfalfa and grain are
But for the high price of land and
the impossible price of water, farm
ing ought to be a success here if any
place and the climate is good.
Some fine white clover and blue
grass pastures around Nampa will
make this as well as eastern Oregon
a great dairy country--and dairying
is the most profitable industry of the
Pacific coast. | mention this as a
hint to our farmers.
Rib grass, which will grow we'll at
home, but which was thought by me
to be troublesome weed, is one Of
the most valued pasture grasses in
Washington and Oregon.
/ suspect some of the dull times I
have found both east and west are
to President Wilson's free
trade doctrines. Labor riots are Of
daily occurrence or threatened both in
Seattle and Portland. spent some
time at both places.
While parts of the arid or semi
arid west will tell you irrigation is
not needed in their special neighbor-
hood, close investigation proves the
unreliability of their notions. In the
famous wheat belts of eastern Oregon
we find short crops owing to the
drouth are not uncommon and those
favored localities are figuring on this
or that probable means of irrigation.
West, central and southern Idaho
has vast areas of fine level sage brush
land, much of which has been re-
claimed by irrigation, which produces
fine fruit and grain. Two beet sugar
factories are not running-reasons
given why.
Vast wheat fields exist south of Po-
catella and north Of Ogden. the crop
is good. Fruit trees are loaded in
Idaho, except prunes all kinds are
a full crop around Salt Lake.
A point in civic beauty struck me
when visiting Salt Lake and some 9TH
err cities was wide streets. When the
buildings are not over three stories
high the town with extra wide streets
appears squatty, but with the modern
skyscrapers of Salt Lake the relief
is sufficient to overcome this. The
ease Of mind which the pedestrians
cross the broad streets without danger
of being run down by autos or mo-
tors is comfort.
When / remember the sun-scorched
plains Of the middle west, seen on this
trip, and the vast areas Of eternal
desert in Washington and Utah and
compare their best farm lands in their
famous valleys (where was unable
to walk without spikes in my sh0es)
with the rich red soil Of mesas around
Durango, l fail to discover any good
reason for any person TO leave the
San Juan basin to seek better oppor-
tunities east or west. When COM
pare the prices asked these, in most
cases inferior and in no case superior
soils, l am convinced the San Juan
farmer does not fully appreciate the
real value of his holdings.
This conclusion is emphasized when
/ discover in this trip of about 5000
miles through seventeen Of the ac-
knowledged to be the best agricultural
states, some of which have crossed
three times, and how little relatively
of this land can be guaranteed against
drought even by any means of irri-
CATION.
The cheap gravity irrigation around
Durango becomes more valuable when
we see men elsewhere actually lifting
water, or preparing To lift it by ex-
pensive pumping plants, when COM
pared with our cheap gravity water
system. But my close observation Of
methods and results, have convinced
me that our Durango country farm