THE IKKIGATION AGE. 



391 



FAYETTE VALLEY, IDAHO. 



A Veritable Farmers' Eden. 



. i : ; (P 



" PAYdiTE, ibiiol, 'September ' &>th'. The' city of 

 Payette is on the main line of the Oregon Short 

 Line Railroad, and is situated a .few miles east of the 

 State line. The population is about 3,000. Like all 

 other valleys, those who simply ride through Payette 

 Valley on the train will not be very favorably impressed 

 with the layout, for it is impossible to see very much 

 from the car window. Even though one is quick to 

 discern evidences of prosperity and on the alert to dis- 

 cover opportunities, the prospective homeseeker is very 

 apt to become discouraged while traveling through the 

 undeveloped portion of the State. 



If one really wishes to see and understand the 

 possibilities of the fertile Payette Valley, he should 



Bee culture has also been established in conjunc- 

 tion with the alfalfa and clover fields, and this indus- 

 try promises well. A number of carloads of hives have 

 been brought into the valley recently and more will be 

 shipped in soon. 



There is a ready market for every product of the 

 farm. In Idaho the tiller of the soil does not need to 

 worry about finding someone to buy his products. The 

 active demand continues throughout the year, and the 

 cry is always for more at satisfactory prices. Anyone 

 with a little patience and some energy can make money 

 here regularly every year. 



It is the intention of the United States Govern- 

 ment to divert water from the upper courses of the Pay- 

 ette River, which will be used in part to irrigate a 

 large tract of country above the present Payette Valley 

 irrigating ditches. This will open up a fine body of 

 land, many acres of which are still subject to home- 



This photo will give an idea of the abundance of water for Irrigation in the Payette Vallej, Idaho. 



stop off at Payette and remain here for at least a 

 month. During his stay he can traverse the valley 

 from one end to the other, and back again until he is 

 familiar with the lay of the land, and what it will pro- 

 duce. After careful examination, the prospective home- 

 seeker will find that the desert which formerly hid its 

 fertile soil beneath a mantle of sagebrush has disap- 

 peared almost completely. Where the sagebrush once 

 held sway there are now many beautiful homes, green 

 fields and bloomine orchards. In passing, it should 

 be stated that all fruits thrive in this garden of Eden. 

 Peaches, apples, pears, apricots and primes grow pro- 

 lifically, while figs, almonds and English walnuts yield 

 bountifully. Prune orchards net the owners from $100 

 to $500 profit per acre annually. Other fruits yield a 

 proportionate profit. 



Alfalfa is the chief forage crop, and is cut three 

 times a year, the average yield being seven tons to the 

 acre, the value ranging from $5.00 to $15.00 a ton. 



stead entry. At the head of the Payette River lie 

 thousands of acres of splendid timber. This region is 

 being rapidly developed by local people, who float the 

 logs down the river to the town, where they are con- 

 verted into lumber. 



The advantages presented to the prospective home- 

 seeker in the Payette Valley are becoming widely 

 known, with the result that each succeeding day wit- 

 nesses the arrival of -new settlers anxious to reap the 

 benefits of the locality. Undoubtedly, it is one of the 

 most promising sections in the West for the ambitious 

 immigrant. 



In this connection it should be stated that irriga- 

 tion has made Payette Valley what it is today. With- 

 out a liberal use of water the desert could never have 

 been conquered. 



There are innumerable opportunities here that one 

 could not find elsewhere. If one is looking for a home, 



