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JOtlDS cannot tell the story of
Hermiston and the Umatilla
" " National Irrigation project,"
one lady recently remarked when our
chasing views, after having made a trip
to Cold Springs dam. "I wish my hus
band could but see this great project,
neither pictures nor words can tell him
of its greatness." "
"The miracle of irrigation," says C. J.
Blanchard, Chief of .the United States
Reclamation Service, ."is wonderful
enough without exaggerating the story
and without omitting any cold facts," and
ha man who tells the story of the Her
miston Valley need not exaggerate in the
least; the great work being done, here
must be seen to be appreciated.
To be so valuable that the Government
apends more money per acre to reclaim
this land than any other land under Na
tional Irrigation, to be' characterized by
the Chief Engineer and sometime Acting
Director of Die Reclamation Service as
"the most productive of all Government
irrigation enterprises, owing to favorable
climate, nearness to transportation and
richness of soil," to be recognised all over
the Nation by those acquainted with the
Government's policy of reclamation as
the most ideal of all its projects, and to
be so valuable that the farm limit estab
lished is the smallest of any In the United
States: these are the things in which the
Umatilla National Irrigation Project, ly
ing In the Hermiston Valley, Is unique.
And because of these great advantages
the Hermiston Valley is filling rapidly
with settlers who are anxious to take ad
vantage of the opportunity your Uncle
Sam is offering.
Water Is Heady.
This year will be the first for the Her
miston Valley .under National irrigation
although irrigation has been successful in
every Instance on the project, or Its edges,
where private parties have been able to
secure water. The Government expects to
inrii us water over the land on or be
fore April 1 of the present year.
Already the water has been brought
onto the project and run through about
. 10 miles of the. distributing ditches with
out a break, the Government Is now using
water from the canal to complete work
on the dam and will start water flowing
In .the reservoir this week a remarkable
commentary upon the construction and
care with which the system has been in
stalled by the Government engineers. The
dam Is now expected to be completed
about May 1, and great praise is due B.
II. Davis and his assistants for the rap
idity In which this grat dam has been
built. ,
As the result of this success Project
Engineer. John T. Whistler In an Inter
view declared that the water would, un
lss some unforseen accident occurred, be
ready for delivery on the lands to be wa-
xerea tins spring, without question. As
the Government forsees some breaks and
is prepared to handle them, thip Is as
emphatic a statement as could be desired.
In part Mr. Whistler said:
"The progress of the water In both feed
canal and distribution mains was much
morn rapid than anticipated, and there
would appear to be no reason whatever
why Water should not be on the 7000 acres
of the Hermiston unit In the Spring of
l!e. as planned, in time for a full sea
son's irrigation."
Although the policy of the service Is
against advising settlers what to do, the
feeling is quite general among the engi
neers that It will be wise for the settler,
to go ahead, prepare his land for irriga
tion and get ready for the water.
In pursuance of this tuiggestion several
hundred acres of land Is now being
cleared, and with the coming of Spring
and the Government water, the desert
will begin the wonderful transformation
being worked out by Uncle Sam through
National irrigation.
The Nation's part In this work of
iiunsiormauon Is purely paternal Its
reward is to be leaped not in profits, but
in the healthy independence of the citi
reps who will seize this" opportunity to
make a home. The Government does not
even receive theoretical Interest upon the
amount It invests in the system for the
benefit of those who till the soli, although
In the success of the project it will have
Its investment returned to it bv the land
owners. Thus under National "irrigation
and under National irrigation alone the
settler is In no way exploited for the
benefit of the promoters.
Under this arrangement the Government
is expending more than a million dollars
at.Hermis'ton and it Is putting in a sys
tem of Irrigation that is absolutely per
manent and a marvel of engineering skill.
From the source of diversion in the
T'mni'illa JUver the water is carried for
25 miles through the big feed canal lo
Cold Springs Reservoir, where a monster
dam has been built between the rock
walls of a canyon, and a lake thus cre
ated which will cover about luOO acres and
hold water enough to cover the project
bout two and three-fourths feet deep.
The feed canal has been thoroughly pud
dled, and where built through rock has
been concreted jo that seepage losses are
reduced to a. minimum.
The dam Is one of the largest earthen
dams In the world. At its base its thick
ness Is 520 feet, while the crest. 90 foet
above. Is 20 feet wide; at tho crest the
dam extends 3300 feet across tho canyon.
It Is built of a mixture of earth onrt
gravel impervious to water, and surfaced
with rock.
At the bottom of the dam, built into
1 the rock, is the concrete outlet, througn
which the water will rush with all the
tremendous force of its 90-foot head out
onto the fertile valley to be reclaimed,
oates to this outlet are manipulated
through a concrete tower, upon the top
of which will be erected a little house,
connected by a . steel footbridge with the
crest of the dam.
From the outlet the water is released
through the various canals and laterals,
of which there are some 150 miles on th
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project. Drops from tne higher laterals
to the lower ones, and turnouts from the
large to the small ditches are construct
ed of concrete, built to last. Much of the
land covered can be reached on account
of its rolling nature only through in
verted syphons, and to do this over six
miles of reinforced concrete pressure pipe
from 30 to 46 inches in diameter and over
two miles of smaller pipe line have been
made.
In all this construction tho engineers
have . had in mind the Government's
watchword, permanence.
The relation of the settler to' Uncle
Sam is pecruliar. The Government policy
refuses, to do business with individuals.
Hence the individuals have incorporated
a. Waterusers' Association, which will
eventually own and operate the Govern
ment irrigation works under National
supervision. In this association each
acre of land represents one share of
stock and one vote. When this stock Is
fully paid up. the association will have
paid the Government the cost of its
work here, and the settler will own the
water right to his land. Annual pay
ments for ten years of J6 and Jl for main
tenance Der year will cover tills cost, and
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THE SUNDAY." OREGOXIAN, rORTLAyp. FEBRUARY 16, - 1908.
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after that the cost of water will be sim
ply that of actual maintenance and op
eration. At no time does any one re
ceive a profit from the settler. Every
cent he expends brings him a roturn of
value at actual cost.
Lands sell at from J65 to. 1125 per acre,
and easy payments are provided so that
the settler can make his home pay for
itself.
The Promised Tvand.
Is Hermiston the Promised Land? The
Hermiston settler will tell you that it is
if you ask him; but there is this dif
ference: the Land of Canaan was a land
of milk and honey; the Hermiston Valley
is a land of fruit and honey, although
from the wonderful yield of alfalfa it
might be the other if the settler did not
desire the better paying fruit crops. Yet
no settler will altogether Ignore alfalfa
and dairy products, because without ques
tion he will utilize every resource of bis
land in intensive cultivation, and by this
means he will have a home, life out o"
doors; corresponding good health, and
through diversified farming on his ranch-
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IRRIGATED LANDS
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home, an independence that 'will pay for
itself.
Primarily the project will be devoted to
fruit. Grapes, cherries and peaches offer
quick and big returns to the settler, and
much of the project will be devoted to
raising these high-priced products. The
Oregon applo will also come in for a good
share of attention and many ranch tracts
will be devoted to raising a fruit that
will, judging from conditions and past
experience, rival the famed product at
Hood River. Strawberries king of the
smaller fruits will be raised extensively,
for soil, low altitude and climatic con
ditions here produce a berry without a
peer, - and one that can be marketed
earlier than any other berry raised in.the
Pacific Northwest. Cherries. prunes,
pears, 'plums, apricots and nectarines all
produce abundantly well-flavored fruit of
remarkably fine color. . Logan berries,
raspberries and blackberries have all
thriven and produced splendid fruit in
this district, and the high-priced nuts,
walnuts, almonds, etc., have been dem
onstrated successes.
Gardens offer attractive results In big
profits.
The ideal small ranch here will have
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PHOeJETCT.
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fruit In abundance, some alfalfa for cows,
some chickens, turkeys and hogs, as well
as vegetables, and no. man who expects
to get the best returns his land will pro
duce will overlook any of these or bees.
Some Important Facts.
Profits on fruit don't begin the first
year, and the settler must look to other
things for his income, during the first two
or three years. When the orchard is
Planted and coming into bearing the culti
vation of vegetables between the trees not
only helpB the trees, but helps the settler.
Potatoes have been a successful and
profitable crop in this, for not only an
early crop can be raised, but also a later
one- on the same land. R. c. Cantleld,
Hermiston postofflce, dug early potatoes
the 1st of June, marketing all he could
supply at S cents per pound. The second
crop on the same ground was not so large
in yield as the first, but still a good crop,
with potatoes very fine, mealy, smooth
and large.
Another profitable and favorite crop is
melons, and the reason is clear, for from
one scant acre were harvested over S200
melons averaging In weight from 13 to 13
pounds, the largest 47 pounds. This
IS
The Story of Hermiston- and the Umatilla Project.
Water Will Be Turned Onto Farms Within 60 Days
. a. '..
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ground at ,the same time yielded a
profitable crop of volunteer potatoes, the
first potato being dug May S8. and the
first melon plucked on July S. Canta
loups, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions,
turnips, parmips, celery and the garden
vegetables all show remarkable returns
in this sandy asli oil.
Alfalfa cuts from 7 to 10 tons per
acre, in three to four cuttings, and Is
of .tine .stock, not woods. Grains could
be grown with success and have been,
but the land is far too valuable for
that.
i'owls of every sort thrive. Dry til
mate and mild induces laying all the
year, while poultry diseases are almost
unknown.
' The' alfalfa-fed hos, rivaling the
corn-fed porker of the Middle West In
profit, and surpassing it In the produc
tion of hams and bacon of exquisite
flavor, Is a source of profit using up
waste materials on the ranch.
Success Stories.
Not many men will pay for thier
ranch out of ono year's profit from bee
keeping, but that it can be done is the
experience of R. K. Thorn, who this
year sold from 260 stands of bees 12.800
pounds or 11600 worth of honey. Twen
ty acres of land, JS0.00 per acre, equals
1C0U.
That the Hermiston Valley is re
markably adapted to fruitraising Is not
mere theory. Scientific experimctits by
officials of the Government demonstrat
ed the fact before the reclamation
project was undertaken. Practical suc
cess of everyday farmers demonstrates
it daily.
K. E. Thom has for 20 years grown
apples within three miles of Hermiston,
and declares unqualifiedly from his ex
perience that there is no question of
the success of that fruit here. Ills
finest apple, the Spltzenberg, when
properly cared for,, in color and flavor
ta unsurpassed in Hood River, Wenatche
or Rogue River. The Newfown Pippin
has not yet been grown here but is highly
recommended ly horticultural authorities
for this climate.
C. D. McNurlin the last season mark
eted a dollar's worth of grapes per vine
from 2-year-old Niagara and Concord
grapes and grapes are planted 700 vines
to tho acre.
The same man from a peach orchard
planted four years .ago in uncleared and
uncultivated ground this ear marketed
t540 worth of peaches per acre. When
the orchard was planted, Mr. McNurlin
knew nothing of Irrigation or fruitrasing.
He learned by doing.
Another man, on the project raised
J300 worth of strawberries and $100 worth
of potatoes on one and one-fourth acres,
and except when picking the berries, cul
tivated the plot in evenings after his
day's labor.
Such are the little stories of succes in
the vlclntiy of Hermiston, Oregon.
Town of Hermiston.
From a blind siding- to a station
earning- over'20.000 in one year: from
a hamlet of three houses to an incor-
poratea town of BOO inhabitants; from
a village of one general store to a
trading point where shopping Is a
pleasure and an advantage; such is
the development of the town of
Hermiston In the year 1907. There re
no hardships of pioneering in Hermis
ton. The people are workers it is no
place for drones and they welcome
new citizens. Hermiston homes are
comfortable, cozy and bordering on
luxurious. Social life is a feature such
. m
as seldom is found in a village of like
size. The corner stone of the First
Baptist Church, to cost 1300.1, was laid
on Chribtmas day. Plans are being
made for the erection of a Methodist
Church, and Bishop O'Reilly, of Kast
ern Oregon, has secured a tract of land
for a Catholic Church and boys' board
ing school. A new achoolhousa to
cost $S000 is in course of erection.
The town of Hermiston is in no
sense a boom town, but has had a
healthy, substantial Growth, as is
shown by good brick business blocks,
two good hotels, substantial homes,
and last, but not least, a class of citi
zens far above the average.
Spring water, a supply as pure as
that of Portland, is being piped into
town for domestic use, thus preventing
the ditnger of typhoid, so common in
irrigated districts.
Great credit it due the promoters and
citizens of Hermiston for the per
manent Improvements which could
only be brought about by irrigating
the descit and must be seen to ha
appreciated. ROBERT E. ALLEN.
Hermiston. Or., Fob. 12.
Man's Friend, the Whale.
Saginaw Courier-Herald.
By all means, preserve the whale. He
Is one of the most useful of the fishes
and is the only one that is known to
be of value as a life-preserver. History
repeat itself. Perhaps the Jonah story
may have to be proven again. How
would you feel if you were tumbled oft
the back end of a ship in mid-ocean,
and knew positively that there were no
whales in existence, and consequently
that there could be none waiting to
carry you safely to shore? It is a com
fortable thing to feel now that you
have a friend In the ocean on whom
you can rely in case of necessity. It 1
you can rely in case of necessity. It
is necessary to look at the matter from
the emotional or sentimental stand
point, for of course the whale Is no
longer essential to tho production of
whale oil or whalebone. In fact, the
best and most serviceable of these vari
eties come from entirely different
sources. Those produced by tho whale
Itself are of a shoddy and unsatisfac
tory quality. The whale is not alive to
modern methods of manufacture.
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BREEZES.
Dey am no use a fussin'
When d win' is In de Wes'.
J! good Uwd knows erbout it
An' known what wins de b'.
De famuli Hk? de wn' win'
An' links It tnlghty fin
Fob hit brinies him health la Wintah
An wealth In Summah time.
Try am no use a tusein'
When de win' Is in de E',
Doug.i hit make de windows rattle
An' hit 'pears like we will freeze,
Dey's a reason why hit's hlowln'
An de I.awd. he knows de why.
VVe en amile between de shibbers
If we only dea half try.
tey am no use a fusiln'
when de win" is in de Norf,
Foh hit's mlyhty nne in Summah
when hit blows foli all lilt'a worf
But in Wintah wid de 'mometer
lown pas' de freesln' pint.
Hit's mig-hty sha'n an" ca'chin'
An' finds de achey Joint.
Oh! we don' feel like fussin'
When de ouf win' comes erlong,
Foh hit status de flowers ffrowln'
An' cibes de birds dere souk.
Hit wrahma up all our hahts errin.
Foh de Summah'con de way,
An' hit 'pears like we grow happy
When de ouf win' comes to ta-
grace Louis.