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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1883)
The West Shoke. VOL. 9 No. 10. I k RmiiiiiL ruMlihat, I la Front tt, Portland, Oregon, Octobor, 1888. gnlerwl tt Um rwtottr, a. IRRIGATION. Much hai been said bout Ihe necessity, ad vantages and methods of Irrigation in those tec. lions of the northwest where the rainfall is Insuf ficient for agticultural purposes, but the subject is far from being exhausted. A popular prejudice seems to exist against Irrigation, and all land re quiring moisture by artificial meant it termed a desert, no matter how prolific the toll may be when watered in a judicious manner. Like all popular prejudices, this It deeply rooted, hard to eradicate, and, as is generally Ihe case, unsup ported by history and unsustained by facia. Some of the nations that have attained the highest de gree of civiltation the world has ever known have 'used this method of agriculture, have supported millions of people, and raised the most prolific crops in a land now deemed a desert in these days ol "scientific farming." The fact is, that prop erly applied irrigation is the most scientific of all farming, and this fact will be recognited before many years. The expense and extra work seem to he the great stumbling-blocks in the pathway of those who hnve so far progressed as to admit the value of irrigation, but these are the most un substantial ond shadowy objections that could be raised. Where rain is depended upon Ihe farmer labors under several disadvantages, one or more of which are always present to vex him and cause him loss. Too much rain in Ihe spring may pre vent him from getting in hit crop in time for it to fully mature, or too little may prevent it Irom reaching the perfection It otherwise would) ex cessive rains In the summer may drown it out, or lack of moisture may parch It to death even after passing unscathed or but partially Injured through these dangers, an Inopportune storm at harvest time may damage Ihe cut grain almost beyond redemption too much or too lillle rain or storms unequally distributed, are the fruitful source of damages, poor farms, mortgages and discouragement. How Is it with the man who depends upon irrigation? Of one thing he Is cer tain there will never be enough rain to drown out his crops, ami he can harvest Ihcm at hit leisure without watching the new moon with ant- ious eye to tee if a powder-horn can be hung upon It. What he hat to provide agtintt It a lack of water, and with a well-supplied ditch he It ierlect master of the situation. Work Of court he mutt work, at hat every tiller of Ihe soil since il was decreed that the seed of Adam should gain bread by the tweat of their brows. Vet there it a mistake almut all thi he duet no work hardrt than his neighbor ho enjoy Ihe rain of heaven, but bit labor la turned in a different direction, and he It unable to cultivate aa many acret of ground; yet it it not belter so have a sure crop from ioo acret than an uncertain one (root I Jo? Take loo acret of Irrigated land and l$o of that cultivated in tlx ordinary manner I let each of (arm be select and the ltt of Ita clatt) cultivate them for Ave yean and compart the result. The loo acre of Irrigated land will have produced enough more than lit opunt to hav paid all the tapcotca of irrigating, ("eluding the nist cut of gelling ready for cultivation. Not Ihe leaat of the many advantage! It the position In which II placet the farmer, who hat thut a full crop, to take advantage of the high pricet that prevail every few yean by reason of a general or partial failure produced by some of Ihe many causes lhal render ordinary farming to extremely uncertain. Whether Irrigation ihall be produced by reser voirs for storing the winter's rain, by artetlan wells, by wind-mills, or by ditches from great natural reteivoirt or running streams, it a mailer of local consideration; but the great fact remains, and It yearly lieing demonstrated, thai Irrigated lamtt are Ihe most valuable, produce the most bountiful erupt, never full by reason of drouth, and for many rcotont are far more to lie desired than the richest of the land now to eagerly sought after. A Colorado corrcsondcn. of III U'ulnn Rural thus siieaki of the practical workings of irrigation in that slate i Irrigation It the moistening of cniin at tha will of the farmer, or at Webster dclinet II, il it lite tct of flowing water over land to nourish cropt. Irrigation hs tieen practiced In parts ol r.urope and Asia for more than a thousand years, and In old and new Mexico for perhaps a crnll ry. Northern Italy has by means of irrigation heroine the richest agricultural portion of the world. In India the llritith government has expended with great success, several million pounds sterling in canals for irrigation, and In California large Irri gation works have been in oieralion for many yean, Ihe numerous slrearui ol tne rux-ay mountains, flowing to the eastern slojie of ihe stale of Colorado, offer social advantage for Ir rigation and for nvre than twenty years Ihit val uable adjunct lo farming hat been carried on in a limited way by the settler. The widely known Ureelv colony, founded twelve yean ago in Col orado by Horace (ireely, own lit great success In agriculture exclusively lo Irrigation. The favora ble results produced in Colorado by Ihe practice ol Irrigation In a small way, have attracted English ami Scotch capitalists to inai ware, ami within Ihe lost three years three canalt of consid erable magnitude have been completed, and nata lity amongst these Is thai known as in "ingn Line" or I'lalle canal, constructed for a distant of eighlv-two mllrt across Ibe rolling prairtea east ol lirnvrr, at a crni ol nearly one minion dollar. This canal It forty feel wide ami tit feet deep ami drawl ill fcrtiliiing walert from Ihe I'lalle river al a point in lb mountain of suffi cient elevation lo carry them out upon ih divide rut ufilaiwla between lh vtllrvs. Th canal U capable of carrying Iwelv hundred cubic (ret of walir per second of lime, ami may b mad lo irrigate on humlrert irKMtemi acres in lami. a culitc foot and forty-four one-hundredthi of water running per second la th quantity nceary Uu Irrigating eighty acre. No more lhait Ihre Irrt rsiiont durinir th faanfi are nrcettary for urn. ducing good cruras of crreait, From Ihrt lo hre inches of wtter in driith, are applied In th land al each Irrigation, Sometimes two Irrigations are salrkienl. Tie irrigtltu season begin abwat May I $llt and emit Angus! 151k. After III later dale corn, potatoes and vegetable ar irrigated a little. Where crop ar ultnled In dull lh water It run between lh drills. Wheal ami Mis are irrigated by making small dilchet Ibiuttgh th tVldwiih plow. The ditch ar mad from fifty to on hundred feet apart ami lit water Is conducted from tin main canal to lh farm If nvean of permanent dilchet, varying la width firm iwn 10 Mr fret, and la depth hot tit I inthe lo on foot, or own Two men tan iai- ly do lh work of irrigating hundred acre and on man has sometimes been found who Irrigated eighty lo on hundred acres. After lh farmer hat eiercited all his skill and energy In culllvat. ing hit land and In selecting th seed and plant, lug il, It must aflord him a great deal of satisfac tion and alto insplr hlin with much confident.- when h knowt h hat II wlthen hit Miwer to ai ply th motslur In hit crop whenever ha see It it needed. Th farmer who hat been accustom d to irrigation would 1st very slow In returning to the Stale, where lh results of his labor would depend entirely Ummi the taint. Il Is somewhat surprising lo thus who hv teen Irrigation In practical operation and lh larg and steady rieios in crops trial are raised ny Hilt menus, that il hat mil been adopted In tome parts of Ihe Mid dle and Koslcrn Slates. A striking etample of lb virtu of lulgation It lo I teen al Ihit lime September 6th in Ihe contrast between Ihe deep green corn lields ol Colorado and th brown and parched lields of tome of lh sister slates where th hot winds and drouth have burned lh fodder lo a crisp, The ptlnttpal Irrigation canals In Colorado ar lh Mrlmer and Weld, whlrh I raws lis walert from th t'ai'he a la I'muliei lh Isivcland and t ireely canal, which vets Its supply from the lllg Thompson river, and lh I'lall ca nal previously referred to. Owing lo Ihe plot, imliy of Ihe Inter ranal to Ihe city ol Isrnver, th lands under II - that Is, that ran h watered from it-are lh most valuable In the slat. oki:t;oN notks. linker county Is assessed this year al 1,4 us- 7 it. There at assessed Ro.Wo acret of land. The grot valuation of ptoierty for asteaamenl purpoaci In lh new county of Klamath la $fi),i JM. 149,499 acre of land ar aoMtMil In Jat kson county, and lh grut valuation of probity la $j,oin,786, Pteuy good lot a county without a railroad, A (own hat been laid out al (iranl't paw on lh lln of lh Oregon and California, and ha been given lh nam lhal locality hi alway borne, Several store and residences are already being (reeled ami quit town will no doubt spring up. Corner kilt ar held al $, ami residence bits sell lor $jn. The properly of lh Oregon Improvement Cominy near Ml, Powder I being surveyed ami platted. Kaeellent wtter power anil a An hell of limber ar among lh advantage of that re gion, and It It because of Ihem lhal lh belief la general lhal lh shopl of lh O, K. It N. Co', IU ker City branch will I located al North I'owiler. Casll kWk, In Umatilla County bordering on list Waacii line, i Lid oul on th fifteenth lot last May u ground Uken up only year be fore for a sheep ranch. Il now cuniaint an ta. pits olYic, potloffsce, two larg store, ami sev eral shop, talutsns, dwellings, trhoui, lc. A larg forwarding and thli'ping bttsimrse fix the llrppner region I lit chief support, Ihough many settler ar taking up land In lh vicinity and acros th rivet In Klkkllal county, where lh kiwi la reported lo be aa good a lhal in Walla Walla valley. Th growth of wetlttn (own U wonderful,