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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1907)
V THE MORNING OREGOXIAN. MONDAV, JULY 1, 1907.. Reclaiming SHALL the Great American Desert disappear from the lace of the earth? Will 70.000.000 acres of arid land be trans formed Into happy homes for prosperous and energetic people? - Stretching from Canada on the north to Mexico on the south, and from the Rocky Mountains westward hundreds of miles, rolling sage-brush or sand-dune land, lies that great blemish upon the fair face of nature, that great tract of worthless land known as the arid part of America. Twelve hundred miles north and south and hundreds of miles east and west, it comprises an area equal to one fourth that of continental United States, exclusive of Alaska. Six hundred millions of acres In extent, the public domain has lain dormant for ages, while all over the country men have been fighting for land like hungry bears, and finanlly discouraged, at the fruitless search, the wisest of them have turned to this trackless waste as the scene of fu ture activity and splendid achievement. Not all of this barren plain has been con sidered desert, but It has been held as arid by geographers since the first map was made showing the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Besides the eTior mous area of Government land Involved, great tracts of railroad grants and state lands are to be found, while fully 70.000.000 acres are held to be desert land with a big D. Great stretches of this land are to be found In Southern Idaho. Wyoming, Colo rado, Nevada. Arizona, Utah and patches exist in Eastern Oregon. In Washington, particularly in Douglas County, the ef fort to reclaim the land by dry farming methods has already proved successful, fair crops having been produced from land that has been held as arid for ages. Farms on Big Flan. W. H. Babcock, known as the "wheat .king" of the State of Washington, has been.' operating a big outfit on the dry land plan for two or three years, with splendid results. An Immense traction en gine furnishes power for the work. In Southern Idaho the same methods are In use, while In Wyoming and Colorado great progress has been made in reclaim ing the deserts by methods entirely dif ferent from irrigation. In Eastern Ore gon large tracts of. land await the de velopment of dry luid farming or irriga tion, as conditions may warrant, and as the years roll on the demand for land will force people to resort to the scientific culture of at least a great part of the arid belt. Between Uncle Sam's Reclamation Serv ice and modern "Dry Land Farming" methods a great change is soon to come over the face of this great domain. In fact there are now many evidences of the work done and to b done which show conclusively that the next decade will work wonders and give over to future generations a new subdivision of working people and a new field of development. The Federal Government is spending 160,000,000 in sending water over the waste places, in building reservoirs and immense canals, in constructing great concrete dams. In surveying millions of acres topo graphically. In educating the people in the proper manner of cultivation and care of the land after they have been Induced to settle upon It. In addition to these mil lions taken from the general treasury, the wise men of the West have gathered and expended millions In Irrigation pro jects, in. altering the face of nature, In building up projects amid the most un seemly surroundings. Still settlers have expended years and years of labor, some entirely unsuccessful in an effort to try out the land and establish the fact that it could be made the home of human beings. The expense thus far has been tre mendous. What will the harvest be? Pioneer ta Dry Farming. To William H.. Campbell, of Lincoln, Neb., properly belongs the honor of be ing the pioneer dry land farmer of the world. To him belongs the honor of hav ing thought out a system by which moist ure may be conserved, a system which removed the sage brush and planted In its place alfalfa, fruits and vegetables. Over 20 years ago, Mr. Campbell evolved the theory, and he put It to a practical test. He experimented, and everywhere success followed his efforts. Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, in turn sang his praises, and soon the people west of the Rocky Mountains heard of the new scheme. They were interested. Every where it was tried properly, the same re sult followed. Other, men became Camp bell's disciples, and carried on the work, and still others are preparing to follow. IE COTE WILL CELEBRATE ADVENT OF RAILWAY. Fonr-Days' Frolic Planned for First Week in July Citizens Happy Over the New Line. LA GRANDE. Or., June 30. (Special.) Cove, the fruitgrowing community on the east side of the Grande Ronde Valley, joyous over the advent of rail connection with the main line of the O. R. & N., is busily preparing for a monster celebra tion, to last four days. July 1, 2, 3 and 4. July 1 is to be "Pioneer" day, and Joaquin Miller will address the old settlers. Hon. T. T. Geer. ex-Governor, will deliver .the address of welcome. The Cove- baseball earn, as yet unbeaten this year, will play IWS8 If IP . -v- I ' - i - " z "V i il the American r I ' ' ' ' ' " - PR-VR ' .ifeVO:: S , - t , I'll In the wake of the disciples of William Campbell, the sturdy Westerners who have chosen the arid regions, the sage brush, the greasewood, the yucca, the Spanish bayonet and the cactus are rapid ly disappearing, and wheat, corn, alfalfa, barley, grasses, fruits and vegetables are springing up In most lavish profusion. Homes, cities, towns, are coming to life as if by the touch of the magician's wand. All very well, but will It last? It has never been done. Wrecks all along the pathway show how failure has preceded. The secret of success in the future lies in the one primary fact that the dry land farmer must never stop work. He is not to be given vacations, he will not ask for holidays, he will not go fishing and ex pect his crops to grow during his absence. He must work and. watch continuously. In the older fields of the East and South, there are periods of idleness and care lessness that follow the "laying by" time, or the harvest rush, and the farmer may turn his thoughts to barbecues, picnics and the like, or simply go out under the inviting trees and follow James Whitcomb Riley's plan of seeing "Jes" how laiy he kin be." Working Irrigated or arid land is constant, hard work. It requires ap with Island City. Perry, La Grande and Union in the order named, on different days. Automobile races are being arranged for; to take place on the highway east of the town. The road Is so narrow that the machine taking the lead will need make no effort to keep it, for two machines cannot pass. Trains will be run over the Oregon Cen tral from Union, a distance of nine miles. Miss Violet Hancock has been chosen to represent, the Goddess, of Liberty, and Miss Claudine Kelly as Angel of Peace. Much Building at South Bend. SOUTH BEND, Wash., June. 8a (Spe cial.) Messrs. Cressy and Kleeb, have purchased two lots from John Drlssler, on Water street, and will Immediately erect thereon a concrete block to ad join the Myers block now in process of erection, the total cost of which will be upwards of $30,000, and will be finished and ready for' occupancy by November 1. Over $50,000 in new blocks on Water street, are now being built and will be finished before the rainy season begins. Desert Without Irrigation plication study, constancy, indefatig able care. But the harvest Is sure. With Irrigation, the hot wind has no terrors, the dry, late Spring does not interfere. With a ditchful of water, a disposition to work and a handy shovel, the irrigation farmer feels as Independ ent as a king and as confident of suc cess as Napoleon ever felt Must Conserve Moisture. i But the dryland farmer must make the best of conditions aside from the ditchful of water. The minute a few drops of rain fall upon his land he is out in the field with his harrow to stir the surface of the soil and powder It so fine the moisture may not rise again. He stirs It In this way a year before he- plants It to grain or other seeds. He stirs the land while the seeds are sprouting until there Is danger of in juring the plants by breaking up the tiny roots, and then takes up the work again and ceases only when the plant are large and strong enough to cast a protecting shadow over the surface of his fields. The minute the crop is off the land he follows the harvester with the sub soil plow, and the fields are made ready for another crop. Usually he FIGHT BETWEEN- FACTIONS LITTLE TOWH OF HERMISTON DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF. Moving of Buildings Across Dividing Line Leads to Lawsuit Brought in Courts. . PENDLETON, Or., June 80. (Special.) The town fight which has been waged nrcely between the two sides of the town of HenniBton. has at last been brought Into the courts. The Maxwell Land & Irrigation ' Company Is the principal owner and promoter of that portion of the town located west of the O. R. & N. track, while the Newport Land & Con struction Company, W. H. Skinner and allows half his land to lie in Bummer fallow each year, in this way accumu lating enough moisture to assure a crop on part . of the acreage every year without overworking the land. Even as eternal vigilance Is the price of liberty and peace, so Is eternal and tireless Industry and care the price of prosperity to the dryland farmer. The method by which large areas of arid land are being reclaimed Is known as "dryland farming," and is quite simple in principle. Its purpose is to conserve every drop of water, every particle of moisture that falle during the year, not in large reservoirs or lakes, but In the soil Itself, In the fields awaiting the seed-sower. A year before the land is to be seeded It Is plowed deeply with machinery special ly made for the work. Great disc plows not only pulverize the soli but pack. It Into a firm bed through which the conserved water may not sink, and through which the excessive salts which usually lie four or five feet be low the surface may not rise by evap oration and burn and blight the vege tation. On this subsoil the surface Is pulverized to such a fineness by spe cial machinery that it seems the work must have been done by hand. This others are the promoters on the east side of the fighting line. The rivalry between these two artificial divisions became Intense several months ago, and reached one climax recently when a member of the east side frater nity purchased the blacksmith shop which was located on the west side and pro posed to move it over to the other. A small war nearly ensued, but the build ing was finally moved in the wee small hours of the night, with Deputy Sheriffs and Constables taking part. Now It seems that the Newport people have again invaded the ranks of the enemy with their money, and this time it is the Neater store buildings, one of the largest In the Uttle town, which has been purchased and is to follow the way of the blacksmith shop. Fearing this master stroke, the Maxwell people persuaded the proprietor of the meat market who had his shop in the building and who had a lease for a year, to file an injunction suit to prevent the sale and removal of the building. This was done Saturday, but according to Colonel Newport, the trans fer of the property has already been made and the building la to be moved. By a. r Harris makes a mulch through which rain and melted snow may percolate to rwt upon the packed subsoil beneath, but through which no moisture will rise. The system demonstrates the law of capillary attraction, for moisture most easily passes through moist channels, just as oil rises more quickly In a lampwick which has been saturated with oil than it does In a dry wick, a fact that everybody is conwrsant with. Lecturers, In demonstrating the the ory, have represented the damp sub soil with a lump of loaf sugar sprinkled over with powdered sugar. Wrhen the lump is wet the powder will remain dry. Giant Machines Do WopIj. American genius and modern Inven tion have come to the relief of the dry land farmer. Giant machines minimize the labor and save time for him. Across the unbroken stretches of virgin soil a 100-horaepower engine puffs away, pulling an aggregate of machinery that startles one. It leaves behind It a stretch of about feet of brown, pul verized soil, in which the seed Is hid den for the coming crop. The land has been plowed, rolled, harrowed. seeded and clod-crushed at one opera tion. A dozen or 20 plows In gangs, two Immense roller's, seed rills, har rows, clod-crushers and sometimes oth er Implements, make up the load for th Iron horse. From'the unbroken land to the "seed bed Is but a minute on many a dryland farm. In this quick way the soli Is left In the bdst possible shape to re ceive and germinate the seed. Tjiia giant equipment prepares and seeds from 25 to 75 or 100 acres a day, ac cording to conditions of land and work necessary to leave the land in perfect order. The cost Is held to the mini mum, for but few men are needed to handle a very large acreage. The old method would require the labor of many horses and men, with food sup plies an Item of heavy expense, and the work would drag over many days, the seed reaching the eoil after the first moisture had left It. In harvesting, the same quick meth ods are employed, the same engine do ing the work, using largely straw for fuel. In the i early development of a section, sagebrush Is used largely for fuel, thus assisting In clearing- away the troublesome natural Incumbrance of the ground. COUPMrS PLANS DELAYED WETERHAETJSKRS NOT READY TO BUILD LEWISTON MILL. Suit, in the Courts to Determine the Validity of Land Titles Will Be Necessary. ' LEWTSTON,' Idaho, June . (8pecial.) The hopes of the Lewlston people for the early Installation of mills in this Tlcinity by the Weyerhaeuser people has been set back a pace by the visit of Fred erick Weyerhaeuser, A. J. Humbrid and a party of stockholders in the Weyer haeuser companies. The matter was taken up by the Lewis ton Commercial Club some time ago when it was learned that the Weyer haemer people were looking toward the Clearwater country with a view of com- ' fail r Sparkling Apenta (Natural Apenta Carbonated), IN SPLITS ONLY. A Refreshing and Pleasant Aperient for Morning Use. DRINK WHILE EFFERVESCENT, Sole Exporters: THE APOLL1NARIS CO., Ld., London. menclng operations on their large tract of white pine consisting of approximately 100,000 acres. A committee of citizens was appointed by the club and negotiations commenced, a suggestion being made by Lewteton that a suitable bonus would be furnished by the city providing the com pany would come to this locality. It was believed that an understanding with the big timber company would be speedily reached until the arrival of the party in Lewlston, when it was learned that all operations In this territory would be delayed until the question of the valid ity of certain titles is secured either from the Supreme Court of the United States or by an act of Congress. The greater part of the Weyerhaeuser holdings in the Clearwater country was formerly held by the Northern Pacific Railroad Company as a land grant from the Government and the transfer of the interests of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company to the Northern Pacific Railway Company has brought up a question as to the validity of the title of the timber grant. It Is generally conceded that the ques tion Is but a technical -one and that the delay in operations in this section will be but for a few months. The situation is regarded as cheerful and it is believed within 12 months a definite announce ment of the Weyerhaeuser plans for the Clearwater country may be expected, WILL HAVE MILK CONDENSER Big : Plant Assured for Albany and Stock Is Subscribed. ALBANY, Or., June . 30. (Special.) A milk condensing' plant, to cost at least $40,000, is assured for Albany. The stock for the industry has all been subscribed, and stockholders will meet in this 'city at 1 o'clock Tuesday afternoon to form the company to manage It. It Is planned to erect the plant this Summer. The establishment of this Industry has been promoted by H. H. Olmstead, rep resenting Eastern manufacturing Inter ests. For the past month he has been securing subscriptions of stock and en listing farmers to furnish milk for the enterprise. Most of the stock for the plant has been subscribed by Linn Coun ty people. The plant, as it is proposed to erect it, will utilise 80,000 pounds of milk a day, and to furnish this milk 5000 Linn Count:, cows have been listed. Farmers in the vicinity of Albany, Lebanon and Scio have agreed to furnish a certain num ber of cows each, bringing the total up to B000 for the first year. If the plant is founded and succeeds, these farmers have promised to double the number of cows for the second year, making a list of 10,000 cows to supply milk for the plant. Unless unforeseen aimcumes iro iit- sented at the meeting next Tuesday af- tcmnnn the nlant is assured, ana ine in dustry, which may ultimately be made the largest plant oi tne ainu m state, will be founded here at once. OUTLOOK GOOD FOR HUNTERS Young Chinese Pheasants Are Plen tiful This Summer. ALBANY. Or., June 30. (Special.) There are plenty of young China pheas ants in Linn County fields this year. The 1807 "crop" of these unexcelled game birds is a good one. Linn County is the first home of the birds in America and they are yet more plentiful here than any where else, so the fact that the fields are full of young birds this Summer Is a good omen for sportsmen. Climatic conditions were the best this Spring that have been experienced in many years for the hatching of the birds. The weather gave the young birds every opportunity to grow. Crows, the traditional enemies o pheasants' nests were also scarce this year, and fewer of the eggs were destroyed than usual. The only thing that can now prevent a bountiful supply of the birds when the open season begins next Fall Is illegal minting. It is generally known that hundreds of birds were killed out of season last Summer and tnere was so much hunting dons that the birds wera both scarce and wild when the season opened.' Will Hasten Bridge Work. LA GRANDa Or.. June 90. (Special.) Since early last Spring, people living above Perry on the Grand Ronde have been unable to reach La Grande with teams except by a roundabout way. owing to the destruction of two county bridges during the high water.' The County Court has become impatient at the delay In construction of the new bridges, and a" few days ago set July B. as the limit for the contractors to flnmh their work, and declared their Intention to claim the forfeit of $100 per day after that date, according 10 ins wraiu the contract. The construction company agreed to have the bridges completed by that time. -The County Court has adver tised for bids for the construction of a steel bridge across the Grand Ronde at a point about three miles west of Elgin. This ill be the fourth steel bridge to be built In the county this year. New Sturgeon Fisheries. SOUTH BEND. Wash., June SO. (Spe cial ) A new fishing industry Is being established at Bay Center In the catching of green sturgeon for the markets. Two tons are shipped dally to the cities and the Indians, instead of going to the Co lumbia River to fish through the season, are running fishing boats at the mouth of the Wlllapa and are averaging $40 to the boat per night. The green Bturgeon are said to be superior to the white sturgeon for eating, and this promises to become an Important Industry and is one which has heretofore been overlooked. New Mill for Long Beach. SOUTH BEND, Wash.. June 30. (Spe cial.) J. A. Kennedy Is building a shingle mill at Long Beach and will have It in operation by the middle of July. This will provide a market for the cedar wriich .Krows so plentifully near that town. RAISES SPLENDID FRUIT TIMBER VALLEY ADAPTED TO STRAWBERRY CULTURE. Without Irrigation, and With Little Cultivation, Excellent Specimens Are Produced in This Section. LYLB, Wash., June 30. (Special.) Timber Valley, lying between this place and Camas Prairie, is unquestionably the coming fruit section of the Pacific Northwest. This is not an idle boast, for the horticultural products of this valley are eye-openers and suggest al most unlimited possibilities for grow ing fruit of all kinds. E. L. Smith, of Hood River, one of Oregon's pioneer horticulturists, recently visited Timber Valley and declared that owners of land here have but a slight knowledge of its value for horticultural pursuits. A. E. Weber, who owns a small tract of land seven miles from here, was In Lyie a few days ago en his way to Portland. He had several boxes of Ma goon Btrawberrles he had raised with out irrigaton. He employed no ferti lizer and says the land required but little cultivating. The berries were large, well flavored, and, as is the case with all . fruit grown without irriga tion, were hardy and good keepers. They are especially suited for ship ping. The land in Timber Valley, which embraces several thousand acres, Is of the red shot composlton with a heavy clay subsoil. This combination is par ticularly adapted to fruitgrowing, apples, apricots and other tree fruits thriving equally well with strawberries and the smaller fruits. Land covered with small timber and hazelwood, easily cleared, can be bought for from $25 to $50 and ' is considered an investment certain of substantial returns. The Weyerhaeuser Timber Company owns the heavy timber land surrounding the valley, but there are several thousand acres owned by private persons that can be bought for horticultural pur poses. Many new settlers are locating In the valley, which will be thoroughly exploited by the Timber Valley Im provement Association, for the organ ization of which initial steps have been taken by the farmers. This section has the advantage of other fruit-producing districts since it is already supplied with ample facili ties for getting its products to market. The Columbia Northern Railroad pass ing through this place is but a few miles distant from the heart of this re markably productive fruit country, and the North Bank Road, In course of con struction, will pass through the valley and aid greatly In its development. Other than rail transportation, farmers have the advantage of a good steam boat service down the Klickitat River to The Dalles and Portland. RECORD CROP OF CHERRIES Yield at Eugene Is Much Heavier Than Was Expected. EUGENE, Or., June 80. Special.) The prophesy made earlier in the year that the cherry crop of Lane county would bo light has been completely overturned by the great quantities the fruit-growers are bringing into the cannery and pro duce houses for preserving and shipping. The crop Is a heavy one and the quality of the cherries is fine. The yield has probably never been better on an aver age than this year, and the tonnage will run higher than for any previous year, owing to the increased acreage. The prices are good, and many tons of the green fruit are being shipped north and to California points. The . Royal Annes form the principal crop here, and the raising of this variety has come to be an important industry in this section on account of the ease with which a splendid cherry can be raised and the profit to be derived from the sale of the fruit, either in the home market or through shipping. There are a number of orchards from which an average of $15 to $20 per tree Is the common income, and the best of cherry land can be bought for $30 to $60 per acre. The cherries raised here are so much in demand for canning and packing, on account of their quality, that the prices In the local market are" kept up well, and the whole crop can be profitably disposed of The fact that there is little risk to' run In the marketing of this fruit Is causing a number of fruit growers to give considerable land over to this pur Seek Location for Library. ALBANY, Or., June 30. (Special.) Albany's public library will be started as soon as a suitable location can be found for it. Arrangements are com plete for instltutirg it and as soon as temporary quarters are rented the li brary will be opened. Nine directors have been elected and their election has been confirmed, in accordance with the state laws governing public libraries, under which this institution was formed by the City Council. These directors are Frank J. Miller, Mrs. J. K. Weathorford. H. H. Hewitt. Fred P. Nutting, Mrs. H. F. Merrill. Mrs. S. E. Young, M. H. Ellis and Miss Lucy Oard, To Create Drainage District. COLVTLLE, Wash., June 10. (Spe cial.) The effort to create a drainage district to include the lands in the Colville Valley immediately west of town, will be renewed at an early date. It Is proposed to restrict the area to the actually overflowed lands of the valley. The project which was recently voted down included nearly half its area in uplands, and acreage that needed no drainage. The new plan is receiving much encouragement and will doubtless carry when put to a vots, and when adopted the work will be executed according to the survey made under direction of the Government last year.