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,