The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-03-30
THE CUB SAYS
FOrtifying I'm the Desert

Forttfying In the Desert
Now comes the time of the year
when the dry farmers in the desert
will store water for the spring and
summer months for stock and domes-
tic use. We published considerable
Information last summer and fall as
to how they handle the situation,
and for the information of new sub
scribers we repeat some of it, and
we also supply some new matter on
the subject.
The old desert extending from
Snake river to Lost river has been
gradually subdued along the margins
by irrigation, and when dry farmers
Z got to drilling wells successful it
removed the greatest barrier to set
Element, and claims were taken all
over 1t excepting on the lava beds,
The Depth of Wells
Wells vary in depth from about
100 feet to sos, and in all cases a
supply of good water has been OBJ
tained. In some places several home
steaders have combined their capital
to sink and equip the we'll, and in
some instances one man does it and
the other buys OF him. Each settler
who has to haul water, has a tank
to fit the wagon, and the water tank
is more important implement to
him than the hayrack is to the Or
binary farmer.
How Water Spells
When the water stands in the tank
in the summers sun It becomes warm
and stale, and If it is river water
or ditch water, the sediment and
vegetable matter in it adds to its
unwholesomeness. In time such a
tank gets to smelling bad, and If
they rinse 1t out and haul well water,
the condition of the tank spoils the
water, SO it is advisable to allow no
ditch or river water in the tank If
it can be avoided If it is at any time
to be used for storing water for do
nestle use. Any attempt to cleanse
a tank must be very thoro, for they
are made of galvanized iron and do
not cleanse readily.
Saving His Time
AS a means of saving time, the
average homesteader makes an
Underground cistern as soon as he
can, lines it with cement and covers
it over with about six inches of earth,
except at the scuttle which is sup
piled with close-fitting lid. At con-
venient intervals, he hauls water for
storage in this cool cavity. He hauls
nine barrels at tank load, and els
terms are spoken of as holding five
tanks or eight tanks or twenty tanks
as the case may be.
Springs That Come and Go
When the snow goes off in the
spring it flows into the natural drain
age basins of the land and forms
ponds and lakes, some of which are
of considerable extent and last many
months Seepage from such bodies
of water finds it's way to seams in
the underlying rocky strata, and 1t
may travel many miles under the
surface and come out in the form OF
clear cold spring in some lower
part of the plain. Many man has
taken up land about such newly-dis-
covered treasure only to find that his
spring went dry unexpectedly later
in the season. The present speaker
of the house of representatives fell
victim to such delusion only three
years ago when he and his party
found a flowing river of crystal
water in great plain in the heart
of the desert where few men have
ever ventured. They went to con-
siderable expense to become the sole
owners of all they wanted of the rich
soil that stretched away to the hori-
zon, but when they returned to be-
gin building operations, they found it
all as dry as powder, and the thirsty
horses and men paved and dug in
vain trying to find water under the
surface. Then followed fight for
life retracing their steps over the
great plain to the lava beds, across
the lavas and over world OF sage
brush to the settlements.
Dams i'm the Desert
But to return to the dry farmer
and his cistern, he reasoned that II
he located his cistern in the right
relation to one of the gulches thru
which the water flows as it travels
across country to the ponds or lakes,
he could run it in by gravity and
screen it as it flowed, thus storing
any amount he could afford to build