200 



EORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



May 



beginning were so ready to predict 

 failure for this important public service, 

 The farther it goes the more thoroughly 

 we are convinced that it is in the light 

 hands. 



Jt 



-r T-. , TV 4. .- -i? ,-TA 



To Examine District Engineer 1 . A. 



-, , . AT U1 r ,r -D ! 



Yakima Noble, of the Reclama- 



Valley. tion Service, at Spokane, 



Washington, has been 



j , i ' 4/u 



instructed to proceed to make the neces- 



4-1 1-^4- ^oo,- 



sary investigations at the earliest possi- 



fv y -, 4.1, i r 



ble date concerning the development of 



the Yakima Valley to ascertain whether 



the opportunities for irrigation works 



there a?e of such a character as to war- 



, , , 1 



rant the beginning of a large govern- 



ment work ?n this valley . 



The investigation will be for the pur- 

 pose largely of securing a better knowl- 

 edge of the physical conditions of this 

 region. The Department at this time 

 is not fully informed as to the extent to 

 which development may be carried, the 

 general location of the irrigable lands 

 or the character of the ownership of 

 these lands, whether public or private. 



Jk 



Looking to The Chief Engineer of 

 Oregon's the Reclamation Service 



Greatness. has received an inter- 



esting letter from Mr. 

 F. M. Chrisman, of Silver Lake, Ore- 

 gon, describing the numerous natural 

 advantages of the Northern Lake conn- 

 try and urging its early consideration 

 by the engineers of the service. 



Mr. Chrisman describes this region 

 as one of unusual attractions and pre- 

 senting numerous favorable sites for 

 the construction of irrigation works. 

 He calls attention to the fact that the 

 water of Summit Lake, Davis Lake, 

 and the upper waters of East and West 

 Deschutes can be readily diverted to a 

 very large area in that section of the 

 state. He believes each of these lakes 

 can be readily formed into a large stor- 

 age reservoir, furnishing an ample sup- 

 ply for the irrigable lands under them, 



According to Mr. Chrisman, the ben- 

 efit derived from such a government 

 work would be to make homes for at 

 least 10,000 people, and make product- 

 tive an immense area of arid land now 



practically worthless. As the lands of 

 the proposed forest reserve in this re- 

 gion are to be definitely settled this 

 summer, he deems it advisable that a pre- 

 liminary investigation should be made 

 at once in connection with the forestry 



work. Mr. Chrisman believes that 



. 



under the impetus of a government work 



& . 



* ie N f rthe ^ . re S lo f n . w uld be 

 h f center T f the whole state in the near 



future. It is a natural alfalfa country 



- J 



wherever water can be placed on the 



, . . 



sage brush plains. Barley and oats yield 



, & , h , 

 abundantly^ irrigated, and thegrow- 



nig of fruit has proved successful. 

 _ An investigation will be made early 



this season by the government engineers 

 . ; 6 



tO determine the feasibility of construct- 



j n Oklahoma. In the furtherance of 

 its promise to thor . 



oughly i nves tigate the possibility and 

 feasibility of government irrigation 

 WQrks ifl Oklahoma, the Reclamation 

 Service has ordered Hydrographer Rus- 

 sdl to establish gaging sta tions in the 



western part of the territory, at Ken- 

 ton Beaver City, and such other points 

 '? that vicinity as are best suited for 

 the P ur P ose on ihe Cimarron and Bea- 



Gift to Forest The University of Mich- 

 School* igan has received from 



Mr. Arthur Hill, of 

 Saginaw, one of its regents, a deed to 

 80 acres of land near Ann Arbor, the 

 tract to be known as the Saginaw For- 

 est Farm. Besides being admirably 

 adapted to seedbed, nursery, and model 

 plantation work, the farm contains a 

 small lake well suited to furnish the 

 water required by the University, should 

 this ever become desirable or necessary. 

 It is intended that work shall begin on 

 the farm during the coming spring. 

 This beginning effort will include: (i; 

 The planting of a considerable variety 

 of trees in order to test their adaptabil- 

 ity to this region. (2) The starting 

 of a number of seedbeds to demonstrate 

 seedbed methods to the classes in silvi- 

 culture, and also to serve as object les- 

 sons to the many visitors interested in 



