182 



THE IERIGATION AGE. 



(Continued from page 160.) 



stand what varieties to plant and how to organize most 

 effectively the means to market their project, so that the 

 best money returns will follow. 



Fourth. The valley has the best kind of natural pro- 

 tection from frost. It is surrounded by hills on three 

 sides and is narrow, being from one to five miles wide. 



Fifth. The transportation problem is solved and any 

 farm can not be more than two miles from the railroad or 

 more than 3 or 4 miles from a shipping point. The valley 

 is 400 miles nearer the Eastern market than some of the 

 well known fruit raising districts that have become famous 

 in Washington. It is about twenty-five miles west of the 

 famous Payette district in Idaho. This altitude is ideal, 

 being 2,300 feet. This assures a nice climate both in sum- 

 mer and in winter. 



Seventh. The soil is a deep volcanic without hard 

 pan or alkali. Drainage, which means so much to a fruit 

 district, is perfect. 



Eighth. Many of the settlers who arrived early 

 enough in the Spring of 1909 turned part of their atten- 

 tion to crop raising and some great yields were reported. 

 Actual returns on alfalfa netted the ranchmen from $50 

 to $110 per acre. Several reported potato crops to net 

 them $250 per acre. Reports of oats yielded 110 bushel 

 per acre, barley of 60 bushel per acre and wheat of from 

 40 to 65 bushel per acre, are common in the county. All 

 of this shows that outside of the great fruit proposition, 

 this locality is a gold mine to the men who desire to follow 

 agricultural pursuits or to those wishing to plant between 

 the trees while waiting for the orchards to mature. 



The dairy and poultry business are both profitable 

 here. The man who enjoys a days' sport with guns and 

 rod can find no better place than Malheur County and the 

 country tributary thereto. While swan, brant and duck 

 are very plentiful here, also we find sagehen and quail 

 all over the country. The streams are filled with trout 

 and other fish. Plenty of bear, deer and larger game are 

 found in the mountains nearby. 



The Willow River land is on the Eastern edge of 

 Oregon. To get to it, get off at Ontario and the main 



line of the Oregon Short Line and take the branch road 

 that runs from there to Vale, a distance of 20 miles. The 

 Willow River Railroad extension will begin at Vale and 

 run straight up the valley. Ontario a prosperous town of 

 1,800, has the finest depot on the Short Line in the center 

 of a district where large quantities of fruit are raised as 

 well as all the varieties of farm produce. 



The land from Ontario to Vale is under irrigation as 

 far as it has been possible to cover it with water taken 

 from the Malheur River. There are beautiful farms which 

 show prosperity on both sides of the railroad track. Dry 

 farming is pursued at the head of the Willow River Valley. 



Vale is a town of about 1,500 inhabitants and has 

 a first-class modern hotel, two banks with nearly a mil- 

 lion deposits, and fine substantial brick buildings. As it 

 is the nearest railroad point to a great district to the West, 

 it is of much importance. 



GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS. 



The Secretary of the Interior has awarded the follow- 

 ing contracts in connection with the Government irri- 

 gation projects: 



To the Atlas Portland Cement Company for the de- 

 livery of 14,000 barrels of cement f.o.b. cars at Hannibal, 

 Missouri, for the Belle Fourche project, South Dakota, 

 and the Strawberry Valley project, Utah, at 80 cents 

 per barrel. 



To the Colorado Portland Cement Company, Portland, 

 Colorado, for 15,000 barrels for the Uncompahgre Valley 

 project. Colorado, at $1.15 per barrel. 



To the Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company 

 of LaSalle, Illinois, for 6,000 barrels for the northern dis- 

 trict, exclusive of the Blackfeet project, at 85 cents per 

 barrel. 



S. Morgan Smith Company of York, Pennsylvania, for 

 the installation of an exciter water wheel in the power 

 house of the Salt River irrigation project, Arizona. The 

 contract price is $1,740. 



Grade 



Roads 

 Make 



Ditches 

 Cut 



Laterals 

 Save 



Money 



IT 

 WONT 



Break 

 Get Out 



of Order 

 Tire the 



Horses 

 Prove 

 Expensive 



-THE BEST= 



" GENERAL PURPOSE " Grader and Ditcher Built 



OR 



4 

 HORSES 



TRY ONE AT OUR EXPENSE 



Also Excavators, Heavy Graders, Wheelers, Drags, Plows, Etc. 



THE AUSTIN-WESTERN CO., Ltd., Dept. I, CHICAGO 



When writing to advertisers please mention The Irrigation Age. 



