The ranch., August 15, 1906, Page 6, Image 6

About The ranch. (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
6
IRRIGATION
This department is open to contribu
tions from any one interested in irriga
tion. Make your articles as brief and
;onsise as possible and be careful to
Tive facts and figures.
Big Ditch Scheme by Hazelwood.
Most of the people in the northwest
have heard of the Hazelwood farm,
which is located near Spokane, and
upon which are raised some of the
finest Jersey cows in this part of the
country. The dairy industry is the
leading specialty of this farm, and ex
pansion is constantly going on here.
The farm raises its own forage and
maintains a herd of pure blood cattle,
whose progeny is scattered through
the whole northwest. David Brown
is one of the chief stockholders in the
enterprise, and John L. Smith is the
manager of the farm. Recently the
owners decided to increase their hold
ings of land by the purchase of some
2,000 acres additional of land adjoin
ing the original farm. They did this
in order to have an acreage sufficient
to warrant the putting in of an im
mense ditch system for irrigation.
This system is to consist of a huge
electric pumping plant, with a ca
pacity of 40,000,000 gallons a day, the
construction of an immense reservoir
and the digging of an extensive ditch
system, all of which will cost between
$150,000 and $200,000. To increase the
productiveness of their farm the
Hazelwood people found they needed
irrigation, but their acreage was not
large enough to warrant such a sys
tem as they wanted, hence the pur
chase of additional land. The new
holdings extend toward Silver Lake
and give the Hazelwood people some
4,000 acres in all. The water will be
taken from Silver Lake, and to get it
to their land they found it necessary
to instal a huge reservoir up in the
hills to the north of the lake. To get
the water from the lake to thic reser
voir pumps will be used, four of these
to be installed, each with a capacity of
ten million gallons per day. The first
pump is now in course of construction,
and Mr. Brown expects to have it in
operation by the first of October. From
the reservoir the water is to be dis
tributed over the farm by means of
an extensive irrigation system as men
tioned above.
While the Hazelwood people expect
to use all the land for their own needs
at present, it is not impossible that
they will ultimately sell some of it and
thus realize on the water for irrigation.
One of the difficulties they have en
countered on the farm has been the
raising of sufficient alfalfa for feed
for their dairy stock. They are now
able to harvest but one crop of hay
each year, but with irrigation they
will be able to cut three crops. They
intend to put a portion of the new land
in alfalfa and in many other ways in
crease the productiveness per acre of
their farm. At the present time they
make about $10 to $12 per acre per
year, but Mr. Brown is satisfied that
with all the water they need they can
secure from $50 til $100 per acre each
season.
Irrigation from Snake River, Idaho.
Recently the irrigation and drain
age division of the office of experiment
stations, of the department of agri
culture, issued circular No. 65, en
titled "Irrigation from Snake River,
Idaho." The territory discussed in
the circular lies along the Snake river
from St. Anthony, near the eastern
line of Idaho, to where Salmon river
enters approximately that part of the
Snake river plains, which was in geo
logic times covered with lava. The
report deals with the reclamation of
about 800,000 acres of land in the
Snake river valley, which, with many
local differences, are alike more or
less heavily covered with sage brush.
It contains information as to the cost
of land and irrigation in the valley,
an estimate of the price of water
rights under the reclamation act pro
ject at Minidoka, and tells how lands
may be secured.
The land in this valley is worthless
for agricultural purposes without ir
rigation. This report shows the cost
to the settler of the land, the water
right, and clearing and grading the
land for the growing crops. The aver
age total outlay under the largest of
the projects studied is $40 per acre.
Should the settler use his own teams
THE RANCH. SEATTLE. WASHINGTON
for clearing, etc., and meet the pay
ments on his land as they fall due,
the cash outlay for the first year will
be about $6.25 per acre.
It is usually the experience of set
tlers on arid lands that the first sea
son has to be given to the work of
preparation, and but little can be done
in the way of crop growing. The set
tlements around Twin Falls in the
spring of 1905 were a remarkable ex
ception to this rule. Seventy thous
and acres of raw sagebrush land in
the spring was cultivated fields in the
fall, on which the following yields per
acre were obtained: Corn, 40% bush
els; wheat, 22 bushels; corn wheat, 18
bushels; oats, 35% bushels; potatoes,
330 bushels; navy and lima beans, 12
bushels; and millet, 1,000 pounds. It
should be borne in mind that these
yields are for the first year under irri
gation, and that nearly all the small
grains sown on the tract were planted
a month and in some cases two
months out of season. When once the
soil has been properly supplied with
humus the yield will be very much
larger.
Corbin an Irrigation Enthusiast.
D. C. Corbin, one of the foremost
men in eastern Washington and the
owner of large tracts of valuable land
in both Washington and Idaho, also
the backer of the Waverly beet sugar
factory and numerous other industries,
will shortly set on foot an extensive
irrigation enterprise in the Spokane
valley. He will expend some $200,000
for a system that will permit of water
being placed on all the land of the
valley between the city limits of Spo
kane and the Idaho state line, twenty
miles away. The water will come
from the Spokane river and will irri
gate from 16,000 to 20,000 acres of
land. Mr. Corbin thinks the land will
sell readily at $150 per acre at the
start when the water .is turned on,
and as it is extremely rich land a small
tract of ten or twenty acres will be
plenty to maintain a family in com
fort.
The motive that impels Mr. Corbin
to inaugurate this irrigation system is
the need he feels of securing a larger
acreage in sugar beets to supply his
factory at Waverly. At present the
factory works about fifty days a sea
son and yields from fifty to sixty
thousand sacks, but with the Spo
kane valley producing beets under ir
rigation the factory would get enough
beets to work 120 days and secure a
return of from 125.000 to 150,000 sacks
of sugar annually. The Spokane val
ley will also produce beets much
earlier, at least thirty days, than is
possible in the Waverly section.
The Sunnyside Ditching Co. was re
cently formed by some Sunnyside men
for the purpose of purchasing a big
ditching machine, which will be used
to execute ditching contracts in the
district. Drainage ditches will be the
specialty, the machine being capable
of digging any size ditch up to sixteen
feet wide and eight feet deep.
One of the prominent figures at the
coming irrigation congress at Boise
next month will be Milton Whitney,
chief of the bureau of soils, depart
ment of agriculture. The investiga
tions carried on by Mr. Whitney's bu
reau are of the greatest interest to
agriculture and horticulture in the ir
rigated sections, and the delegates to
the Boise convention will gain the
benefit of his experience.
The Oregon Land & Water Co., con
trolling the main, canal at Irrigon, has
been putting in a system of wood and
cement pipe for the distribution of
water from the main canal, which is
now doing its work in a satisfactory
manner. The piping is put in to take
the place of long and expensive later
als, which would require constant ex
pense in repairs and attention, while
the pipe lines are done with, once
they are put in.
The next meeting of the National
Irrigation Congress will occur in Boise,
Idaho, during the week beginning Sep
tember 3, the session to last six days.
The meetings will be held in River
side Park, a beautiful spot two or
three blocks from the depot and on
the edge of the river. There is a large
theatre in the park, that will be used
for the sessions and the pavillion ad
joining will be used for committee
4 o/ESEBH 4 o/
/o WH /o
j^Make your money
||ji§i yield as large a return as
|g"i,| is consistent with safety. Our
'*\", I business is conducted under the 11
I I direct"supervision of Seattle's ablest busi- I
; ] ness men. Your money always subject §
I i to your control—available when neces- f
(jlllj sary. We want to tell you fully about I. |
"J . the advantages of bank- f." m
W™"*^™''*™! ing with us by mail. I
vBBHv
/o iiIiHHBHHi /o
rooms. After the congress is held the
delegates will be taken by excursion
train to some of the irrigation districts
of the state. This is a fine opportun
ity for Idaho to get in and do a little
invaluable advertising of her re
sources.
Photos of irrigation ditches, fields,
etc., are wanted by The Ranch.
703 First Aye., Seattle, Wash. .
.^■Hb^. Unprecedented Snc
jfl jBB^ cess of the Cele
a mWWIM^^ brated
■II ■ g~y
m^W Gee Wo
fl ftfcS^BSral The Chlnesc Root and Herb"
■ KJffi Doctor
Who is known throughout the United
States on account of his wonderful cures
No poisons nor drugs used.
He guarantees to cure catarrh, asth
ma, lung and throat troubles, rheuma
tism, nervousness, stomach, liver and
kidney, female complaints and all
chronic diseases.
SUCCESSFUL HOME TREATMENT
If you can not call, write for symp
tom blank and circular, inclosing 4
cents in stamps.
The C. Gee Wo Chinese Medicine Co.
162% Ist St., Cor. Morrison, Portland, o-
Please mention this paper.
Consisting of 9080 mile's of the finest
equipped railroad on the American
Continent, offers you
"The Best of
Everything"
Union Depot connections at St.
Paul with all Pacific Coast trains.
Call or write.
F. W. PARKER
Gen'l Agt.
720 Second Avenue, Seattle, Wash.
Does This Mean You?
The average stump on logged-off
lands will require from one to five
days each to prepare them for burn
ing by this digging process, and then
your ground is left full of roots and
snags, and not fit for the plow. What
is your time worth? At the rate of
wages which you can earn, can you
afford to spend $3.00 to $10.00 each
per stump to try digging them out?
The Giant Powder Co. Con., San
Francisco, was the first company in
U. S. to start making high explosives
for all purposes, and for 40 years or
more the original brands of the Giant
Powder Co. Con., and their products
have been known throughout the U.
S., Mexico, Central America and Can
ada. Their goods have been imitated
all over the world, but never equalled.
They make two brands of low explos
ives expressly adapted for your work
—Judson Improved Powder (in bulk)
and Giant Stumping, 20 per cent N.
G., put up in cartridges I%xß inches.
Every ounce of material used in mak
in either brand is selected for a
special purpose—that of forming a
large volume of explosive gas.
Write me for circulars giving full
information and idrections for use.
GEO. B. ADAIR
DISTRIBUTING AGENT
309 Occidental Aye., Seatle, Wash.
■ For the B
■ Liquor, Opium and Tobacco Habit, ■
■ All Drug Addictions and Nerve Exhaustion I
I THE KEELEY INSTITUTE I
Honly One In Washington or B. C. I
■ SEATTLE, WASH. ■
JU2O AKilbourne St. Green Lake Car, g
DR. THOMPSON'S
Kola Tablets for Men
Make life worth living. Will make you
a new man. Strong and well. The
greatest nerve stimulant known. Send
25c for small box, or $1 for 5 boxes, to
last a month, to Closson & K«lly, Drug
gists, Seattle, Wash.