272 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



where men with less iron in their blood and backbone 

 in their makeup would have failed. They were only 

 obliged to issue a small amount of bonds, which left 

 them free to carry on their operations as they saw fit, 

 without being at the mercy of the bondholders. As a 

 result they have not had a single foreclosure and not an 

 acre has reverted to the company by reason of non-pay- 

 ment of interest or principal. Nor has a single entry 

 been abandoned. This is a phenomenal showing, and 

 it has made the Twin Falls country famous. 



Another helpful feature was the way in which the 

 original Twin Falls tract was settled. The officers of 

 the land sales department brought in practical irri- 

 gators from the best irrigated tracts in the west. They 

 knew Twin Falls had the land, the climate and the 

 water supply, and they believed the project would ap- 

 peal the stronger to those who appreciated these advan- 

 tages. In this their judgment was sound. From the . 

 famous Yakima, Washington, country, came hundreds 

 of practical irrigators. They were easy to handle and 

 they are still on their Twin Falls land. They also set a 

 splendid example to their less experienced neighbors, 

 which was very beneficial. Colorado has since contrib- 

 uted its share of irrigators who, like their Washington 

 brethren, sold their improved irrigated farms for from 

 $300 to $3,000 per acre and took up raw land on the 

 Twin Falls tract, which cost them $25.50 an acre, with 

 a perpetual water right of the finest kind. These farm- 

 ers can now sell their Twin Falls farms for $100 per 

 acre and will ultimately make them as valuable as the 

 fruit lands in Washington and Colorado. 



To further assist in the development work, the 

 Twin Falls company employed experts to show the 

 farmers how to apply water to their lands. The farm- 

 ers were organized into associations and drilled in the 

 methods of water distribution best suited to their needs. 

 They were told what to plant and how to plant. The 

 duty of water was carefully explained to them, and as a 

 result they got the right start. 



The railroad followed the water on the Twin Falls 

 tract and the settlers did not lack market facilities. Au 

 outlet to Nevada and California from Twin Falls is 

 now under construction by the Harriman system, which 

 will place the Nevada mining camps and the California 

 seaports almost at the doors of the Twin Falls farmers. 



The immense power sites on the Snake river in the 

 vicinity of Twin Falls are now being developed and every 

 town on the tract has light and power at rates which 

 will permit of extensive use for commercial and domes- 

 tic purposes. Industries are springing up. Mills, ele- 

 vators, creameries, sugar beet factories, alfalfa meal fac- 

 tories are being built and the tract will soon become a 

 large shipper of manufactured products. 



The young orchards began to bear last year, when 

 some magnificent peaches, pears, apples and cherries 



were grown. This year's yield of fruit will be consider- 

 able. Alfalfa seed from the Twin Falls tract has been 

 shipped to Germany, the most critical market in the 

 world. There is a good profit in alfalfa seed, and as 

 alfalfa is the staple crop and the foundation for all 

 other crops, it is bound to be a revenue producer. Sugar 

 beets grown on the Twin Falls tract have yielded a 

 higher percentage of saccharin than those from any 

 other section of the West. 



In keeping with the rapid settlement of the coun- 

 try has been the introduction of modern educational 

 methods. In Twin Falls the children are brought in 

 from a radius of several miles in school wagons. They 

 thus enjoy the advantage of the city school, of which 

 there are two in the city. One was erected last year at 

 a cost of $65,000. The other cost $35,000, and both 

 are modern in every respect. 



All the other communities on the tract are sup- 

 plied with excellent schools. Most of these schools are 

 "centralized," comprising considerable territory, which 

 is covered by wagons. 



The roads on the Twin Falls tract are good, far 

 better than the average in older settled communities, 

 according to the statements of the motorists who blazed 

 the trail for the New York to Seattle automobile race. 

 The county has been liberal in its expenditures for 

 roads and bridges, and the farmers have been active in 

 keeping up their roadwork. 



Each town on the Twin Falls tract has its Commer- 

 cial club, all active bodies. These clubs co-operate when 

 necessary, all working in harmony for the general good. 

 Through their instrumentality several valuable indus- 

 tries have been launched and others are in process of 

 incubation. 



The secret of success on the Twin Falls tract has 

 been co-operation and boosting. The knocker is not 

 tolerated. His span is brief and he soon changes his 

 song or leaves the country. This is well exemplified 

 when any public movement is under way. Then the 

 people band together in a solid mass, regardless of poli- 

 tics, religion, location or any of the elements which 

 usually disturb farming communities. The co-operative 

 sentiment is growing stronger and will be further 

 strengthened when the canal system passes into the 

 hands of the farmers at the end of the present year. 



Twin Falls has' profited from the experience of 

 older irrigated sections and has drawn heavily from the 

 best citizenship of these sections. The project, has been 

 a success because of the liberal policy adopted by its 

 promoters. It is settled by the best type of Americans 

 and is attracting that type only. Under such conditions 

 it could not fail to develop and it has developed far be- 

 yond the most hopeful predictions of its well wishers. 



H. F. ALLEN, 

 Secretary Twin Falls Commercial Club. 



