Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-02-09

at the head of the great canyon men
| toned. Aside from the natural flow
OF the river our system is supple
mented by large reservoir on the
tract, which is filed from the winter
! flow of the river, and by another
large reservoir at Jacksons lake near
the head of the river and owned
jointly by the U. 8. government and
the private irrigation systems. The
Dietrich, Richfeld and North Sho-
shone tracts are supplied with water
from Big Wood river. A stream of
considerable size flowing in from the
north and having a drainage basin
which .collects the water form the
south side of the Sawtooth mountains
for more than hundred miles. This
water is. collected in reservoir loca-
ted about thirty-five miles north of
Shoshone, called the Magic Reser-
fCAAs AC VI dAAd6C OdcAA VI DA6
Wood river has a feature which
doubles it's value for irrigation pur-
poses, and distinguishes it from any
other in the west. The lower por-
tions of this basin consists of two
broad valleys. One is the valley of
the Big Wood river and~the other its
western tributary the Malad river
These valleys receive each winter a
heavy fall of snow which melts in
the early spring giving a sufficient
supply of run off water to fill the
Magic reservoir. These two valleys
contain large tracts of agricultural
lands and are farmed extensively la
ter in the summer, from about June
20 to July 20, the abundant SHOWS
of the higher portions of the basin
up in the high mountains, give their
run off waters in sufficient quantity
to again fill the reservoir, if neces-
sary The abundance of water sup
ply is limited only by the reservoir |
capacity. From the Magic reservoir
this water is distributed to the three
different tracts mentioned
These large irrigation systems
have all been constructed in the past |
ten years. Prior to that time the
farm lands of Lincoln county consist
ed of such as could be reached with
water by individual effort along the
Wood rivers and in the bottom of
he Snake river canyon. Many large
md valuable ranches were thus re-
claimed from the desert. The most
noted of these being the Perrine fruit
-anch in the Canyon, which is one of
he most valuable and wonderful
,laces in the United States.
Dry Farming.
Under the scientific system of pres
mt day dry farming it has of late
ears been discovered that large
lreas of Lincoln county lands lying
90 high to be reached by any irriga-
ion system may be dry farmed to
u dAtG6C anu many lAOAodhuo VI
cres of these lands are now being
farmed in the eastern
art of the county. On these dry
arms the crop is confined almost en-
irely to wheat and the dry farmer
nay reasonably count upon an aver
ge return of 25 to 80 bushels per j
ere through series of years. Some
ears may run down to or 10 and [
ther years go to 95 or 40. The dry {
lrmers are getting rich and prosper |
us and dry farm lands are in great
emand c
What Crops May be Grown. a
As stated above, the dry farms are S
onfned almost entirely to wheat i
inter wheat. The seed planted in p
lie fall is started by the fall rains il
hich usually begin in October, and {
lie SHOWS of winter supply suffi- &
ent amount of moisture to mature p
le crop, if the ground has been put
to proper condition to retain the
DISTURB. The secret of dry farming
Continued to page s. $,