IRRK;\TI-:I> I.AXD OPPORTUNITIES 



529 



mountains to hold the water a^ the 

 snow and ice gradually melts off the 

 mountain tops. llo\\ever. along the 

 rivers there are a greal number of 

 tracts which obtain their moisture by 

 pumping v.ater from the -tream- upon 

 tlir land. Probably < me of tin- grcate-t 

 irrigating -y-tem- in the \\Y-t i- in the 

 Lewiston-Clarkston Valley in Mali". 

 In a portion of this valley tin- water i- 

 carried in pipe- under the ground, and 

 land is irrigated by turning hydrati'- 



crtain. All the land neech i- water. 

 They have tlu- \\catlu-r, the -un-hine. 

 and tlu- soil, and by adding the water 

 to the-e narrow valley-, which are 

 merely p>ckct- in the mountain-, one 

 can raise Wonderful crops and net 

 large return- per acre'. This is what 

 make- even a ten-acre iract a pricele-- 

 possession. The -oil u a volcanic a-h : 

 it is very tine and compact, and tb 

 i> very little evaporation from the same 

 when water i- applied. The irrigating 



" - - * . -~r 

 L &?. - . 



Hnw Poljtocs Grow under Irrigation in C 



and putting tin- wati-r oil in this man- 

 ner. Tin- i- -nrely a very convenient 

 and practical way. although the water 

 char-e- are higher. 



Xearly every one vi-iting the-e dif- 

 ferent tract-, or hearing of "he -ame. 

 will ask. "ho\v can they rai-e -uch lar^e 

 crops on thi- soil, and reap -uch large 

 returns from a -ingle aci In 



plaining thi- 1 \\ill say that there i- n > 



use for crop failure. Excessive 

 rains and floods nevi-r -oine : the sun- 

 shine, which make- all \e-ctation grow 

 to the highest -tate of perfection win-re 

 water i- applied, i- not interrupted by 

 cloudv \\eather. therefore, vour succ 



or reclaiming the area- in the \Vc-t ha- 

 beeii going 'Hi for -. .metinu . 1 lowcver. 

 it never reacheil lar-e propi-rtions until 

 the Keclamatioii Act wa- passed by 

 Congress in June. |ioj. Since that 

 time the nment ha- promoted 



some t\\ent\ five or more projects, and 

 thon-and- of peoj.le have made their 

 home- on the-e land-, and -till other 

 tlion-an> - are nvvin^ to the-e new - 

 tions to reap the benefit- which tl: 

 await them. \Yhilc you mav say that 

 the irrigation project- throughout the 

 \\V-t are in their infancy, you will find 

 that the simple irrigation project-; have 

 nearly all been taken up. and the gov- 



