1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



237 



throat, as so many beasts do, but fas- 

 tens its teeth in the muscles of the leg, 

 hamstringing its victim, which falls 

 defenseless. But little of the carcass 

 is usually devoured by the wolves. The 

 "lion" is, of course, the cougar, and no 

 true lion at all. Nevertheless, it is a 

 large and powerful beast, capable of 

 playing havoc among the cattle. 



The wolves and lions are not classed 

 in the West as game animals, but are 

 regarded as pests and are commonly 

 termed "varmints." Wherever they are 

 plentiful a bounty is offered to encour- 

 age their extermination. Despite this, 

 they are still sufficiently numerous to 

 work much harm, and it is said that in 

 some localities they are on the in- 

 crease. 



It is particularly notable that there 

 has been so much complaint from the 

 Wichita reserve, which the President 



has set aside as a game refuge. The 

 wolves and cougars are the enemies of 

 other wild animals, and the sportsman, 

 who desires to encourage American 

 sport and to preserve American game, 

 can be counted on to aid in the work of 

 hunting them down. 



In any case, however, the lion and 

 the wolf must be driven from the 

 ranges. Interests larger and more 

 substantial than those of the huntsman 

 and trapper demand it. The great live- 

 stock industry, which the Forest Ser- 

 vice has pledged itself to encourage in 

 all legitimate directions, has had to 

 pay heavy costs in the loss of cattle, 

 young and full grown. That those 

 holding permits may be assured the 

 full enjoyment of their privilege un- 

 molested, every effort will be made by 

 the government to co-operate with the 

 stockmen in protecting herds grazing 

 on the reserves from attack. 



WASHINGTON STATE NOTES 



State Fire Warden Welty, of Wash- 

 ington, will ask the prominent tim- 

 ber owners and mill men of the State 

 to contribute to the fund to maintain 

 the forestry service during the year. 

 The last State legislature appropriated 

 money for this and provided for addi- 

 tional appropriations from the coun- 

 ties, but much of this money is not 

 available and the fund has been ex- 

 hausted. Therefore, in order to con- 

 tinue the service the mill men will be 

 asked to make necessary contribu- 

 tions. 



The Waha Land and Water Com- 

 pany has opened bids for the construc- 

 tion of 22 miles of ditch, three tunnels 

 and two immense dams, the contract 

 prices for which will aggregate about 

 $500,000. The work is a part of the 

 big irrigation system which the water 

 company will establish south of Lewis- 

 ton, Idaho, to reclaim 20,000 acres of 

 land. The work completed will cost 

 three times this initial expenditure. 

 The present work will irrigate about 

 8,000 acres and will be completed this 

 year. 



It is believed that the approval by 

 the Secretary of the Interior of the 

 1 leton and Sunnyside irrigation pro- 

 ject means a great and rapid develop- 

 ment for the central portion of Wash- 

 ington. Reclamation engineers say 

 when the work of irrigation is started, 

 it means the reclamation of 400,000 

 acres of some of the best soil in the 

 world when supplied with water, and 

 that $10,000,000 will be expended in 

 the coming ten years, beginning at 

 once. In Benton county alone 200,000 

 acres will be irrigated. 



L. MacLean and E. G. Taylor, both 

 of Spokane, have purchased lumber 

 for a flume which will tap Newman 

 lake and irrigate 1,200 acres of land 

 north of Spokane bridge. The flume 

 will be about four miles long. John 

 T. Whistler, of the Government Recla- 

 mation Service, says if everything pro- 

 gresses satisfactorily bids for the con- 

 struction of the government dam of 

 the East Umatilla, Oregon, project 

 will be advertised for about May 1. 

 Practically all those owning lands un- 

 der the project have signed up in the 

 Water Users' Association. 



