430 



IDAHO. 



of all on board. They will, no doubt, shortly 

 be introduced not only on shipboard, but in the 

 wards of hospitals, where a cool temperature 

 in summer is often essential to the successful 

 treatment of patients. Under ENGINEERING 

 will be found an account of some recent min- 

 ing operations that could with difficulty have 

 been accomplished without the aid of freez- 

 ing-machines. 



IDAHO. Territorial Government. The follow- 

 ing were the Territorial officers during the 

 year : Governor, E. A. Stevenson ; Secretary, 

 E. J. Curtis ; Treasurer, Joseph Perrault ; 

 Comptroller and Superintendent of Public In- 

 struction, Silas W. Moody ; Attorney-General, 

 D. P. B. Pride. Supreme Court, Chief -Justice, 

 J. B. Hays; Associate Justices, Norman Buck 

 and Case Broderick. 



Surface* r lhe nearest classification of the 

 land of the Territory thus far is as follows : 

 Suited for agricultural purposes in its natural 

 state, 15,000,000 acres; -capable of being re- 

 claimed by irrigation, 12,000,000; natural past- 

 urage or grazing land, 6,000,000; 18,000,000 

 acres of timber and mineral lands ; and 4,000,- 

 000 acres of mountain, desert, and volcanic 

 formation, comparatively worthless. 



Climate. The climate of Idaho is one of its 

 chief attractions; with its varying altitudes 

 within a few miles, almost any desired tem- 

 perature may be had. Idaho is affected by 

 the warm currents supposed to be produced 

 by the great Japan current. 



.Rivers and Lakes. One of the great attrac- 

 tions of Idaho is found in the streams that 

 abound in the Territory. With a few excep- 

 tions, in the southeastern portion, whose wa- 

 ters flow into the basin of Great Salt Lake, 

 the river system of Idaho is entirely tributary 

 to Columbia river. Spokane river is the out- 

 let of Lake Cceur d'Alene, and flows through 

 Kootenai County into the Columbia. Clark's 

 Fork flows into lake Pend d'Oreille, and under 

 the name of Pend d'Oreille river pours its 

 waters also into the Columbia. Snake river 

 makes a curve through the southern portion 

 of the Territory, and deposits its waters in the 

 Columbia, and it is doubtful if a single pan of 

 the earth along its banks can be found that 

 does not contain gold, and the same may be 

 said of nearly all its tributaries. 



Agriculture and Froit. It is estimated that 

 about one third of the population of Idaho is 

 engaged in farming and stock-raising. Not- 

 withstanding the great increase of population, 

 the products of the soil are amply sufficient 

 to supply the wants of the people. Owing to 

 the high price of labor here, as in all mining 

 countries, the farmers are not able to compete 

 successfully in foreign markets with those of 

 more favorable localities. The crops generally 

 raised are wheat, oats, barley, flaxseed, and 

 corn. All kinds of vegetables" are grown suc- 

 cessfully. Idaho can not be excelled by any 

 region east of California for the production of 

 fruit. The dry, desert-looking sage-brush lands 



are in a few years, by artificial irrigation, 

 turned into the finest farms with much less 

 trouble (after the water is obtained) than at- 

 tends a similar transformation in the States 

 east of the Rocky mountains. What the farm- 

 ers, miners, fruit-raisers, and stock-growers of 

 Idaho require more than anything else is cheap 

 transportation. 



Mines and Mining. The mineral resources of 

 Idaho constitute one of its greatest interests. 

 In the great Wood river mineral belt the mines 

 have improved as greater depth has been 

 reached, and the same news comes from every 

 portion of the Territory. The product of pre- 

 cious metals during 1885 was : 



Idaho County, from which no report was re- 

 ceived, is included in the estimated amount. 



Finance. The total amount of warrants 

 drawn by the Comptroller on the general fund 

 in payment of claims during the year ending 

 June 30, 1886, was $50,803.94. This does not 

 embrace any payments made on account of the 

 Capitol building, or the payment made under 

 the appropriation for the erection of the In- 

 sane Asylum, or for the redemption of matured 

 bonds. The reports from the county auditors 

 give the valuation of the real and personal 

 property in the Territory for the year 1885, as 

 follows, viz. : 



This shows an increase of a little less than 

 three quarters of a million dollars over the 

 assessed valuation of the previous year. The 

 rate of keeping the Territorial prisoners un- 

 der contract with the officers of the United 

 States is now fixed at 75 cents per diem. The 

 total expense for their keeping for the year 

 ending June 30, 1886, was $15,938.75, not in- 

 cluding the mileage allowed by the Territory 



