THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



61 



IDAHO IRRIGATION CONGRESS SEEKS TO 



INJECT MORE IMPROVED METHODS INTO THAT SCIENCE IN STATE 



J 



Okanogan Project, Washington. Concrete- lined Canal Section, Partly in Rock Cut, at 



Pogue Flat. 



The commit- 

 tee recently ap- 

 pointed at the 

 meeting of the 

 state engineering 

 society held at 

 Boise for the 

 purpose of 

 launching a per- 

 manent organi- 

 zation of the 

 Idaho Irrigation 

 Congress, met in 

 that city Janu- 

 ary 26. The com- 

 mittee is com- 

 posed of R. E. 

 Shepherd of 

 Jerome, J. P. 

 Congdon of 

 Boise, C. R. Bur- 

 key of Jerome, 

 W. O. Cotton of 

 Idaho Falls, and 

 C. C. Fisher of 

 Boise. Since 

 several of the 

 states of the west 

 have already or- 

 ganied either an 

 irrigation insti- 

 tute or an irriga- 

 tion congress for 

 the purpose of 

 gathering infor- 

 mation upon the 

 subject of irriga- 

 tion, it is only 

 right and proper 

 that Idaho, be- 

 ing foremost in 

 irrigation devel- 

 opment, should 

 organize an irri- 

 gation congress 

 for the purpose 

 of investigating 

 the errors of the 

 past and perfect- 

 ing laws which will avoid any further errors. Also 

 for the purpose of colonizing her now vacant lands. 



Each member of the above named committee is 



Construction Work in Progress on the Rideabaugh Canal, Idaho. 



appointed to work 

 up interest in the 

 Idaho Irrigation 

 Congress, and the 

 president, R. E. 

 Sheppard, who is 

 a thoroughgoing 

 business man and 

 has made a suc- 

 cess of the North 

 Twin Falls Land 

 and Water Com- 

 pany, will en- 

 d e a v o r through 

 the year to secure 

 the most eminent 

 authority on such 

 subjects as better 

 financing for the 

 irrigation project 

 and farmers, bet- 

 t e r agriculture, 

 better stock rais- 

 ing, better mar- 

 keting and kin- 

 dred subjects 

 which are vitally 

 interesting to all 

 who are at all in- 

 terested in the 

 development and 

 upbuilding 

 of Idaho. 



It is expect- 

 ed that delegates 

 from the Idaho 

 Irrigation Con- 

 gress will be sent 

 to represent 

 Idaho at the dif- 

 ferent irrigation 

 congress meet- 

 ings of the west 

 and finally to 

 submit a report 

 to the parent 

 congress. The 

 International Ir- 

 rigation C o n- 

 gress will serve as a clearing house where all matters 

 pertaining to the highest possible irrigation develop- 

 ment of the world will be discussed. 



FOREST NOTES 



During the fiscal year 1916, 705,872 

 acres of national forest timber lands 

 were estimated and mapped inten- 

 sively, and 1,093,006 extensively. In 

 all, 20,815,798 acres have been mapped 

 by intensive methods and 47,291,660 

 by extensive methods. 



Investigations by the Forest Prod- 



ucts Laboratory at Madison, Wis., 

 have resulted in the use of spent tan- 

 bark in the manufacture of asphalt 

 shingles to the extent of 160 tons per 

 week. The value of the bark has been 

 thereby increased from 60 cents to 

 $2.50 per ton. 



There were cut from the national 

 forests in the fiscal year 1916, 604,- 



920,000 board feet of timber. Of this 

 amount 119,483,000 board feet was cut 

 under free use privilege by 42,055 in- 

 dividuals. In all, 10,840 sales of tim- 

 ber were made, of which 97 per cent 

 were under $100 in value, indicating 

 the extent to which the homesteader, 

 rancher, miner, small millman and 

 others in need of a limited quantity of 

 timber draw upon the forests. 



