The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-08-16
THE MAGIC OF WATER


ouns changes that the application o
water to the lands of the valley ha,
vrought little understand and appre
cate the inestimable benefit that tn,
Vest Okanogan Valley Irrigation sys
,em has been, and is yet to be. to tn,
country Immediately surrounding Orc
Vile II is not necessary to selec
any single one tract out of the many
that have undergone improvement al
tne result of industry and the appli
cation of water. Wherever intelligent
effort has been applied the same
wonderful results have been obtained
and describing one tract is only the
description of numerous other tracts
where the owner has applied energetic
Effort along lines of development. The
fertility OF the soil under the stimula
ton of life-giving water Is not con.
fined to any special locality. Any.
where under the irrigation system
where man has cultivated the soil
cut in the seed, or set out trees, and
afterwards cared for what he planted
.he response has been simply remark.
able. Orchards have sprung up and
ilourished with astounding rapidly
.he fields devoted 10 forage plans
yield tonnage that Is almost I'M
believeable while vegetables grow
with an abandon that Is only equaled
BY the growth of tropical vegetation
Take the land on the east side OF
the Okanogan river, adjoining the
town as an Illustration Of the fecun-
dity of the soil, and, by-tbe-way, that
land is no better, nor making any
better showing where cultivated, than
the land to the west, sne north or the
south. But that particular locality
Is cited because it is only short
walking distance from the business
center of town. A few years ago,
and a very few years ago at that, that
land was an unoccupied waste, the
scant native grass fading away un-
der the first heat of summer, and the
whole landscape Uttered by ragged,
homely patches of dry sage brush.
Immediately following the installation
OF an irrigation system most of this
land was cut up into small tracts,
the owners started to improve, and to-
day the big tract is dotted with cozy
homes and the cultivated area is a
picture of beautiful greenery. There
Is really no telling just how much
produce can be raised on one Of these
five or ten acre tracts, because a lack
of market facilities to dispose Of
everything that could be grown has
Initiated against the owners forcing
the land to the limit Of productiyes
ness, but from what is now raised
one can form a rough idea of what
might be done in the way of produc-
ton by strenuous application.
As one drives along the road one
who takes an interest in the country
notes with feelings OF delight the
vigor Of the trees ana the density Of
Vegitation, but that casual glance
gives very inadequate idea of what
Cne Of these small tracts contain. as
owing to the foliage one can visualize
only a limited portion of one of those
fields. The other day ii was our
pleasure to more closely inspect one
OF those l0-acre holdings on the east
side of the river. The tract is owned,
cultivated and looked after by Mr..
and Mrs. J. S. Gray, and what people
OF their age have succeeded In ac-
complishing is certainly convincing
that younger and more vigorous peo-
pie could do vastly more.
In passing, and in the nature Of
Introduction, we may state who Mr..
Gray is. He is a pioneer of eastern
Washington, a real pioneer as he
located on vacant land near Spangle
10 1874, and about all OF the land in
ihe eastern part of the then terri
Tory was vacant at that time. He
was president of the day at the first
4th OF July celebration ever held in
spokane Falls. That was in 1876,
ana there was not very much OF a
tcWn at that point in that year OF
grace Moreover, he Is veteran OF
Inc civil war, having served in an
IOWA regiment, and experienced the
V!eissitudes of those stirring days.
Mr. Gray's ventures in Washington
nave been numerous and varied He
preempted land near Medical Lake
ana tried his hand at farming, then
eot into the stock business and dab
pied In mining, following the latter
eiusiVe industry with Indifferent sue
cess Tor years, putting in considerable
'iihe working claim in the Methow
valley. He lived in Spokane, We
natchee, Springdale and other places
AIter his son-in-law, Dr. d. Fl. Lewis
located in Oroville Mr. Gray came up
mere. looked upon the land, saw 1t was
good and secured the tract upon
winch he is making his home.
what man of Is years can accom-
piish, with the assistance of a very
capable helpmate, is shown in the
io-acre tract We were writing about
when we skipped to the owner there
ot. For variety, quantity and quality
oi stun grown on that small slice o
real estate there is nothing that car
peat 1t anywhere that agriculture IL
followed, at least that is how it ap
pears to one who has inspected farm!
ana truck gardens in quite number
oi places. This plot produces abou
everything to sustain life. There are
trees richly ladened with most luciou:
iruit, there is corn of several va
rieties that will compare favorabl.
win the best that is grown in th'
crack corn belts of the Mississippi
valley, there is a riotous growth o
small fruits, on the plots devoted t.
garden stuff the various vegetable
are a mat of rank vegetation, Will
the tangle of alfalfa insures provende
ior the stock on the place. Beside
the products of consumption there l
wealth OF verigated flowers, tn