i84 



CONSERVATION 



Irrigation in Okanogan County 



Eighteen thousand acres of land in Okano- 

 gan County, Washington, will be put under 

 irrigation within the next three years by 

 George T. Crane, of Spokane, and his asso- 

 ciates, including R. W. Hunner and Earl B. 

 Crane. The project involves the expenditure 

 of $1,500,000, through the purchase of a half 

 interest in the two tracts to be brought un- 

 fler the ditch, and the construction of a plant 

 and a canal forty-four miles in length. Mr. 

 Crane announces that the preliminary plans 

 have been worked out, also that arrange- 

 ments have been completed in the East for 

 Financing the project. 



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Twin Falls Irrigation Project 



Construction work lias been started on 

 two tracts under the Twin Falls irrigation 

 project, which will add 100,000 acres to the 

 veritable empire under the canals of the sys- 

 tem in southern Idaho. Contracts have been 

 awarded by the Government for the survey 

 of the Twin Falls Bruneau tract, the great- 

 est of the projects, and construction on this 

 enterprise will begin early next spring. 



Within five years, it is predicted by expert 

 irrigationists in Spokane, there will be 

 1,500,000 acres of land under the canals of 

 the district, all under practically one system. 

 This is a larger area than is under any one 

 system in the valley of the Nile. 



Since the Carey act was enacted by Con- 

 gress more than 847,000 acres of desert land 

 has been segregated by the State of Idaho 

 for the companies operating under its pro- 

 visions. The segregation of as many more 

 acres of desert land has been applied for by 

 the state and will be reclaimed within the 

 next few years. The total area covered by 

 the seventeen enterprises is approximately 

 1,700,000 acres. 



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Bleeding Southern Pines 



"Bleeding" pine trees for their resin, to 

 which chiefly longleaf (Pinus palustris) and 

 Cuban pine (Pinus heterophylla) are sub- 

 jected, has generally been regarded as inju- 

 rious to the timber. It has been claimed 

 that both durability and strength of timber 

 are impaired by this process, and in the 

 specifications of many architects and large 

 consumers, such as railway companies, 

 "bled" timber is excluded. 



Special investigations, involving mechani- 

 cal tests and the physical and chemical 

 analyses of the wood of bled and unbled 

 trees from the same locality, have been car- 

 ried on by the United States Government 

 through the Forest Service. Results prove 

 conclusively (i) that bled timber is as 

 strong as unbled if of the same weight ; (2) 

 that the weight and shrinkage of the heart- 



wood is not affected by bleeding; (3) that 

 the durability of the heartwood is not affect- 

 ed by bleeding, since the resin comes from 

 sapwood only. Bled timber is as useful for 

 all purposes as unbled. 



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A Farm Raising Timber 



In every state of the Union there are many 

 tracts of so-called agricultural land, which, 

 owing to their hilly character, poor soil, or 

 numerous boulders, are not suitable for 

 farming. The owners of such tracts are 

 often at a loss to know what to do with 

 them. Without question, the best use to 

 which land of this kind can be put is to plant 

 it with trees. 



An Ohio farmer is solving the problem 

 of what to do with the worn-out farm. He 

 owns an old homestead of sixty acres, which 

 he is desirous of keeping in the family. He 

 does not live on the place, however, and 

 farming has been a losing proposition. He 

 has, therefore, decided to plant the entire 

 tract with trees. The owner is wise is plant- 

 ing several kinds of trees instead of confin- 

 ing himself to one species. His forest will 

 be producing six or seven kinds of lumber, 

 chestnuts, and Christmas trees, at the same 

 time. 



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Asparagus Under Irrigation 



William Lee, a professional gardener, 

 who made a fortune in the Yakima Valley 

 in central Washington, has planted the larg- 

 est asparagus field in the Northwest at 

 White Bluffs, Washington, south of Spo- 

 kane. The tract of ten acres required 90,000 

 plants, representing- an outlay of $450. The 

 land is under irrigation. It is expected to 

 gather a fair crop in two years. The yearly 

 cuttings sell on the Columbia River markets 

 at from 25 to 30 cents a pound. Should the 

 prices go below 20 cents it is proposed to 

 can the product. 



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Forest Protection and Management 



Conservative management of timberlands 

 is assured for less than one-fourth of this 

 country's forested areas, the part contained 

 in the National Forests and under the ad- 

 ministration of the United States Forest 

 Service. By cutting only the mature trees 

 and protecting the new growth by keeping 

 out fires, the National Forests will be made 

 to yield indefinitely. It cannot be expected 

 that this small part of the Nation's forests 

 will supply the demand for future genera- 

 tions, and the one hope in sight is that users 

 of wood and lumber manufacturers will in- 

 sure the permanence of their business by ap- 

 plying the principles of forestry in the man- 

 agement of timberlands. 



