370 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



is entitled to, induces certain wayward brethren in the 

 colony to put boards in the checks to force a greater 

 flow of water into their laterals. The headgates are 

 locked so that they cannot be opened farther than they 

 are set, but even with locked headgates it is necessary to 

 watch the ditches to see that the farmers at the end of 

 the laterals are not robbed of their fair supply. It is 

 usually ten or eleven o'clock at night when Mr. Jones 

 returns from his last round 'of closing headgates, so it 

 can be seen that his life is truly the strenuous one. The 

 company employs four ditch riders along the whole 



Cabbage Field. 



water way, the three above Clark reservoir making a 

 daily round to see that flumes, pipes and ditch are in 

 good condition. The man at the dam attends to the 

 opening and closing of the valves from Castlewood Lake. 

 It is expected that within a year the Denver City 

 Tramway Company will complete an extension of its line 

 from University Park to Clark colony, a distance of five 

 miles. When this line is in running order the property 

 of the Denver Suburban Homes & Water Company will 

 be one of the most valuable in the State of Colorado. 



FRUIT VARIETIES. 



ANNOUNCEMENT. 



We wish to add under this head a department in our 

 paper devoted to the discussion of varieties of fruits, as to 

 what are best for commercial purposes, what are best for any 

 particular use, which are earliest and which latest varieties, 

 and while as a general rule one should be slow to "give up 

 old friends for the new," we will be glad to take up the 

 history of new or rare varieties of any kinds of fruit. In 

 this department as in all others, to assure its success, we must 

 have the co-operation of our readers. To this end we invite 

 questions, opinions, etc., relative to the subject, which com- 

 munications we will be very glad to publish. 



An Excellent Winter Apple. 



About two years ago I bought some choice fruit trees 

 from Stark Brothers' Nurseries and Orchards Company. 

 Among others I ordered their now pretty well known Delicious 

 apple. The time of year was March and some samples of the 

 Delicious apple were sent, which, of course, had been kept 

 through the winter. The condition of these apples was perfect 

 and the fruit was very large, well shaped and excellently 

 flavored. I became an advocate of the Delicious apple at once. 



This variety is being pretty widely planted and seems to 

 succeed anywhere. The Central States is its original home. 



I found them in British Columbia ; they are in Washington 

 and all through the West. Delicious is destined to become 

 a. great commercial sort, being a winter apple, and a splendid 

 keeper. Stark Brothers say of it : 



"Introduced by us more than ten years ago and during 

 that time we have never received a single adverse report 

 either on tree or fruit, although planted from Maine to the 

 Pacific coast. Originated in Central Iowa, in black prairie 

 soil, where only the most rugged, hardy trees will stand. 

 Probably a seedling of Bellflower which it somewhat resem- 

 bles in shape, but immeasurably superior in quality, color, 

 hardiness and bearing. Size, large to very large ; skin, yellow 

 striped or almost covered with dark brilliant red ; flesh, very 

 tender, crisp, juicy, with an ideal delicious flavor very little 

 acidity, yet not a 'sweet apple.' Tree, a strong, upright grower, 

 .hardy and a heavy yielder. Hangs well, keeps well, bruises 

 dry up instead of rotting. For four seasons we have held 

 the fruit until June in cold storage, and each time Delicious 

 has kept better than Ben Davis and does not deteriorate and 

 lose flavor late in spring." 



Stark Brothers have sent us a long list of testimonials 

 from admirers of the Delicious apple. 



Fall Planting. 



Fall planting of fruit trees is very generally advised by 

 authorities, for districts in the Central States. On arid land, 

 if irrigation is stopped and the ground may dry out, there is 

 danger in fall planting. 



If trees are planted in the fall, the roots get "set" and 

 the tree is ready to commence growing just as soon as spring 

 opens up. It has almost as good a start as trees planted the 

 preceding spring. 



RECLAMATION SERVICE NOTES. 

 North Platte Bids Received. 



The board of consulting engineers of the reclamation 

 service recently convened at Mitchell, Neb., to open bids for 

 building structures in connection with the Interstate canal, 

 North Platte irrigation project, Wyoming-Nebraska, report 

 that eleven bids were received, the lowest of which were as 

 follows : 



Schedule 3, construction of siphon, culverts and sluice- 

 way, $81,455, and Schedule 2, construction of lateral head- 

 works, $9,398, Byal & Co., of Mitchell, Neb. 



Schedule 4, steel truss highway bridges, $16,915, the 

 Omaha Bridge Company, of Omaha, Neb. 



Also Schedule 5, wooden highway bridges, $11,112. 



Schedule 6, structural and reinforcing steel, $6,475, the 

 Expanded Metal and Corrugated Bar Company, of St. Louis. 



Schedule 7, lifting devices, gates, etc., $9,059, Colorado 

 Gray Iron Foundry Company, of Denver. 



The secretary of the interior has therefore awarded con- 

 tracts as above, and authorized the reclamation service en- 

 gineers to construct Sche.dule 3, lateral drops and other 

 structures, by force account. This action was taken on 

 account of the desirability of completing the work at an 

 early date in order to deliver water during the season of 

 1908. 



Yakirna Project Progressing. 



Reports from the engineers in the field indicate that 

 the work being prosecuted under the different sections of the 

 Yakima irrigation project, Washington, is progressing very 

 satisfactorily. Keechelus dam is now holding water in 

 Keechelus Lake to its full height. Kachess dam is storing 

 water in Kachess lake to the same extent as has been cus- 

 tomary in the past, while under the control of the Cascade 

 Canal Company. Preparations are being made to complete 

 the Clealum dam. Excavation on the main Tieton canal is 

 progressing rapidly, and the portals to Trail creek, Tieton 

 and North Fork tunnels have been opened ready for com- 

 mencing tunneling with power. The power canal is com- 

 pleted and it is expected that the power house will be finished 

 in July. As the work on the distribution system progressed 

 jt became apparent to the engineers that the total acreage 

 under the project could be increased to 30,000 acres. Prep- 

 arations are being made for the resumption of work on 

 Sunnyside dam. The delivery of water under the Sunnyside 

 canal has been reported to be more satisfactory than during 

 any previous similar period in the history of the canal. 



