The Dolores star., 1921-01-21
DESERT IN BLOOM
irrigation Makes Garden Spot Of
Death Valley.
furnace Creek Ranch, In Easter, Cal
"orn's. Probably tn. Most Isolated
Farm In the WorId-msny
Feet Below Sea Level

| ~ oN'oW SsI Level
Probably the most isola,od ,,r,,, T.,
the world Is situated In certain sno,
IN eastern California. near the bottop
OF the United States. where so,na min
hs men have fitted out n runCh Of
some 10 acres The plnce Is known
M Furnace Creek ranch. md II has
heeh made possible by irrigation. the
wafer being plped from springs in
the Funeral mountains
Edward ITogg. IN describing tho
ranch. says that II -. situated 17s
rect below sea lrvci on the floor Of
the greatest depression on tho face
"f the western hemisphere. within MS.
tol shot Of and only about 100 feet
hifher than the Groatoqt doprh Of
Death valley. Yet, in spite of It's DO.
clilisr location, the ranch Ig within
the shadow NJ Mount Whitney. vhoa,
eternal SHOWS tower into the bcgvpn,
to height Of nearly three miles, tn.
highest point of land In the CONT
mental limits Of the nation.
"Furthermore. Furnace Creek ranch
IL probably the only farm In the world
where weeds are unknown. As # Is
entirely artificial and surrounded hy
desert barrier. tho seeds of novlous
weeds have had no way Of getting
there. and unless they he imported by
man. the ranch viii undoubtedly al.
ways remain free from them
obviously the Introduction Of nm
abundant water supply was the prime
requisite TO make the ranch possible.
This IL obtained from two large
springs far back In the Funeral noun
tains, which pour their streams upon
the burned.out Death valley soil
through two great aQueducts, one Of
steel and one of masonry. Fart Of
the water Is diverted along the route
to freshen heavy growth OF willows
planted TO give shade to the water
course. But in spite of this. the loss
OF water from evaporation IS very
great, and In summer the water
emerges from the aqueduct at temper
atures up to 40 degrees. Men and
live stock, Of course. cannot drink It
so hot. Cooling Is therefore effected
by means Of large evaporation 'ollas,'
and the drinking water Is quickly re-
duced to 10 degrees In the hottest
weather.
"The humidity Of Death valleys at
mosphere varies like that Of other
places. but according to analyses made
by the United States weather bureau.
its air is the driest known. Its aver
age moisture content Is less than .Ol
per cent. Water thus becomes as vol
atile as gasoline and evaporatlng cool
Ing is accomplished with great rapid
ity. 1t Is this speedy evaporation that
has largely made Furnace Creek ranch
possible. The ranch is primarily
hay farm. the principal crop being al
falfa, which Is fed to cattle and hogs
After being dressed. the meat Is sent
to mining camps. The live stock
could not live through the scorchlng
summer If It were not for the cooling
influence of shower baths with which
heir corrals are equipped. The cat,
lie. horses and mules are further pro-
tected from the blistering winds by
having the sides Of their pens covered
with sheet metal.
white men cannot live long in the
withering heat. Consequently all the
work about the ranch IS done by In
iians of the Piute and ShOShone
tribes. under the direction OF an ehu-
Gated foreman. The average life of
n white man in Death valley Is very
short. Three white foremen employed
on the ranch lnsted two summers each
and periShcd during the third. Two
others went insane and attempted to
flee out of the valley on foot. Neither
of them lived to get out of the maze
of Funeral mountain canyons.
"The Styginn temperature OF Death
valley lasts for about five months OF
the year, usually from May l until Oc-
tober: the other months are cool and
pleasant. Rain is virtually unknown.
Consequently the irrigation of Funeral
creek ranch is continuous"