THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



15 



cession of terraces of from 200 to 1,000 feet each. This 

 land is, mostly cultivated by 'dry farming' and raises 

 fair crops of grain with 110 other moisture than the 

 natural rainfall. The soil is mellow, friable loam, easily 

 cultivated, free from a tendency to hake when wet, and 

 very fertile when water is to be had for irrigation." It 

 is identical with the soils similarly situated through 

 this country which have been found particularly well 

 adapted to the culture of deciduous fruits and berries, 

 especially cherries, peaches and grapes. 



The elevation of Lcwiston is 647 feet above 

 sea level, being the lowest point of elevation in 

 Idaho. The natural rainfall at Lewiston, ac- 

 cording to statistics printed by the United States 

 Weather Bureau, is 14.2 inches. It is a fre- 

 quent occurrence to harvest grapes in Lewiston 

 Valley as late as November 24. Tree planting is 



even more favorable. The improvements at Vineland 

 have practically doubled the assessed valuation of 

 property in Asotin County." 



The Lewiston-Waha Company has secured options 

 on a sufficient area of this land to make sure of at 

 least 30,000 acres of what is, as above stated, under 

 cultivation at the present time and produces good, 

 crops under "dry farming." 



In all irrigation projects the main thing to be 

 determined is whether the land in question is suscep- 

 tible to irrigation and whether or not there is sufficient 

 water available for that purpose.- Craig mountains, 

 from which the water supply is obtained, are an iso- 

 lated range of mountain-plateau, some sixty miles long, 

 by about twenty miles in average width, having a 

 general summit elevation of about 4,800 feet above 

 sea level. This mountain mass is said to be the storm 



This is a Representative Cherry Orchard in Lewiston Country, Six Years Old From Planting. Value, $1200 Per Acre. 



carried on throughout the entire winter and straw- 

 berries are harvested as early as April 10, the climate 

 being similar to that of Norfolk, Va. 



A remarkably successful demonstration of the pro- 

 ductiveness of this class of land has been made directly 

 across Snake Eiver from Lewiston at the thriving col- 

 ony of Vineland. This colony of 3,200 acres is divided 

 into tracts of two and a half to ten acres, and is 

 practically all planted to orchards and vineyards, the 

 oldest of which are now six years old, and producing 

 crops which harve netted their owners as high as $200 

 per acre. These tracts have sold at prices ranging 

 from $125 to $400 per acre, for the raw land, with 

 water delivered, while the improved lands with bear- 

 ing orchards are now valued from $800 to $1,000 per 

 acre. The results achieved in Vineland have stimu- 

 lated a desire to duplicate these conditions on the Lew- 

 iston side of the river, where the natural situation is 



center of this region, where the total snow fall in win- 

 ter sometimes reaches as high as fifteen feet, and gen- 

 erally lies two or three feet deep all winter, and the 

 rainfall in summer is frequent and abundant, the 

 mountains being covered with a thick growth of the 

 finest timber. 



This range is drained on its northerly side into 

 Clearwater Eiver by Soldiers Meadow, Sweetwater and 

 Mission Creeks and their numerous tributaries, which 

 unite and form Lapwai Creek before reaching the Clear- 

 \\-ater, and on the southerly side by Capt. John Creek 

 and Deer Creek, the latter tributary of Salmon Eiver. 

 On the most westerly fork of Sweetwater Creek is lo- 

 cated Waha Lake, a beautiful body of clear water, some 

 ninety feet deep, 82.7 acres in area, entirely enclosed 

 by high hills, whose slopes reach down to the water line. 

 This body of water is clearly shown in our ilustrations. 

 The surface elevation of Waha Lake is 3.200 feet above 



