PULSE OF THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY. 



187 



of the colony tract are now being planted in corn, and 

 180 acres of orchard has been planted this year on 

 the bench. 



" The water supply for the colony is obtained from 

 the Payette river, which is a large stream rising about 

 120 miles above the tract in the Sawtooth mountains. 

 The volume of water at its lowest stage is sufficient 

 to irrigate 240,000 acres, whereas, not more than 

 80,000 acres are susceptible of irrigation in this val- 

 ley. The head gates and banks of the canal are sub- 

 stantially constructed, and it was fully completed in 

 1893. The Plymouth committee investigated prices 

 of land adjoining the colony tract, and find that in 

 .all cases it is valued much higher than it is proposed 

 to sell this land to colonists. 



" The climate was found to be dry and healthful, 

 and Dr. Delano, in charge of the sub-station of the 

 U. S. Weather Bureau, stated to the committee that 

 the warmest day since the station was located, six 

 years ago, was in August, 1894, at which time the 

 thermometer registered 110 degrees, and the same 

 night it was 68 degrees, which was also the warmest 

 night. The coldest day during the same period was 

 20 above zero, and the coldest night 8 below zero. 

 The first killing frost in 1894 was October 7th, but 

 after this for six weeks the temperature did not reach 

 the freezing point. The committee traveled about 

 sixty miles up the valley in an open buggy, with the 

 thermometer standing at 85 degrees in the shade, 

 without any particular discomfort. When in the 

 shade they found it delightfully cool and pleasant. 

 The committee found the markets were practically 

 unlimited, as the colonists would be able to dispose 

 of their products in the numerous mining towns in 

 the vicinity. Mr. A. B. Moss, the leading merchant 

 of Payette, estimated that over eighty car loads of 

 canned goods are shipped into Canyon County and 

 the four counties adjoining, every year. 



" There are large forests at the head of the Payette 

 river, and lumber can be obtained for about $10 per 

 thousand feet for common, and 20 per thousand for 

 the best flooring, etc. Cordwood in quantities is worth 

 about $3 per cord. The coal fields are found to be 

 only slightly developed, though a tunnel about 200 

 feet long has been driven under the hill, with a side 

 drift thirty feet long. The veins vary from a few 

 inches to four feet in thickness. 



"A number of the settlers of the valley were inter- 

 viewed, and some of them state that they arrived 

 several years ago with but $25 in money and no 

 other property. After working at various occupa- 

 tions for a year or two and saving a few hundred 

 dollars, they bought places of their own and now 

 have orchards started and are making a good liv- 

 ing. On Mr. Schmidt's farm seven hogs and eleven 

 sucking pigs were seen living on a half acre of 

 alfalfa, with no other food except leavings from the 

 table. 



" The committee revised the figures on the cost of 

 farming implements, clearing and cultivating land, 

 building a house and planting seeds and trees. 

 They found that $850 instead of $1,000 would be 

 amply sufficient. 



" They are particularly pleased with the plan of 

 the association in farm villages and the establishment 

 of allied industries, as these are especially adapted 

 to avoid the discomforts and hardships incident to 

 locating in a new country, and insuring a market for 

 the products of the farms and orchards." 



I have been growing garden vegetables for family 

 use for four years past by the aid of well water. 



My soil is dark sandy loam. 



The well is twenty-five feet deep, and water is raised 

 by means of an ordinary force pump, with 3% x 14-inch 

 cylinder driven by an eight-foot steel Perkins mill. 



The first two years the garden was confined to a 

 plot, 50 x 50 feet square, fenced in to protect it from 

 the chickens. 



This was " new '' ground and was heavily fertilized 

 with stable manure and wood ashes. The ground 

 slopes a verv little toward the north and the things 

 were planted in rows north and south. There were 

 onions, peas, beans, lettuce, radishes, peppers, toma- 

 toes and cabbages. 



The ground was literaly covered with plants. 



The water was made to flow along the upper side 

 of the garden and then down between the rows of 

 vegetables. The water was allowed to run until the 

 ground was wet. As soon as the surface was dry 

 enough to permit we gave it a hoeing to loosen up 

 the surface. This was found to be very necessary, 

 until the cabbage and tomatoes got big enough to 

 shade the ground, then the hoeing was necessarily 

 omitted among them. The cabbages and tomatoes 

 occupied each one fourth of the ground and were a 

 sight to see. The cabbage heads, not leaves, touched 

 each other along the rows. The tomatoes began 

 ripening in June and continued till after frost. Dur- 

 . ing the better part of the season we gathered an 

 ordinary water bucket full of tomatoes per day. 



Since then I have tried watering on larger patches 

 of cabbage and on sweet and Irish potatoes, and have 

 had fair crops, when those on unirrigated land were 

 total failures. 



Last season, 1894, we set out 1,000 cabbage plants. 

 The ground was very dry, dusty in fact, as deep as it 

 had been plowed. 



. When ready to set the plants, I took a common 

 twelve-inch plow and turning well over to the land 

 side, laid the patch off in furrows. Then turned the 

 water into the furrow and let it flow to the lower end. 

 By beginning at the lower end and making little 

 check dams with the hoe, I soon had the furrow full 

 of water. When this had settled I set the plants in 

 the mud and drew the dry dirt around them with the 

 hoe. These plants were set in the afternoon and not 

 protected from the sun the next day, but they never 

 wilted and hardly stopped growing at all. 



Without water gardens are poor property here, but 

 every one who has a good well can have all the gar- 

 den " truck '' the family can consume and can also 

 gather in many an extra dollar from the surplus. 



It seems to me that one mistake we Kansans make 

 is in not trying this matter in a small way. There 

 are many farmers who, when asked about the matter, 

 say: " O, yes, we would irrigate if we could water 80 

 or 100 acres, so it would amount to something;" and 

 these same men buy their potatoes, tomatoes, cab- 

 bages and such stuff at the store, and their families 

 have to do without the more dainty and desirable 

 fruits and vegetables. 



We have good soil and sunshine to spare; all we 

 need is an awakening of our farmers to the wonders 

 that can be accomplished by applying water and 

 energy to the soil. This would, on a very small plat 

 of ground, furnish a living, and then the cattle and 

 wheat would make us rich. W. V. JACKSON. 



Coldwater, Kans. 



