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Show Agriculture and Livestock; Foundations of Great Wealth Post Card Picture. "A Field of Oats in the Parowan alley." Agriculture Is Main Industry in Iron County Notwithstanding its vast deposits of iron, from which it derives its name, and its great livestock interests inter-ests which bring' in hundreds of thousands thou-sands of dollars annually, still the cultivation of the soil and the production produc-tion of agricultural crops has from the beginning, been a basic industry in Iron county. Large fertile valleys of deep soil, big areas of which are underlaid with subterranean waters, crystal streams flowing from the canyons, and a climate which in ordinary or-dinary seasons approaches the ideal, are the chief contributing factors to this industry. Generally speaking, there are three big valleys in the county, the Parowan Paro-wan or the valley of the Little Salt Lake, the Cedar and Escalante,. each of which are mentioned herewith. PAROWAN VALLEY BY W. W. MITCHELL, Editor, Parowan Times The Parowan valley, sometimes referred re-ferred to as the valley of the Little Salt Lake because it contains one of the remnants of old Lake Bonneville, located in the East end of the county, is about twenty-six miles long with an average width of about six miles, though it is much wider than that in the middle and narrower at each end. It has a variety of soils, from bench land down to a lake shore formation, which makes it admirably adapted for a variety of crops. For many years the three mountain streams which flow inter it at Parowan, Para-gonah Para-gonah and Summit were depended upon up-on as the only means of irrigation, and as a result only a small area was brought under cultivation. But in comparatively recent years, artesian ar-tesian water has been developed until now there is a larger area being irrigated irri-gated from that source than from the canyon streams, and every indication is that that area will continue to grow. Moreover it is being demonstrated that large areas can be made productive product-ive with little or no irrigation. A large area of the valley is proven alfalfa al-falfa seed territroy which requires irrigation only to start the alfalfa and then it produces year after year, profitable yields of good quality seed without irrigation. Some fields have been producing for ten or twelve years without a drop of water being applied by irrigation. On our bench lands along the South and East of the valley, corn, rye, sudan grass and even potatoes have been produced in sufficient quantities with no irrigation irriga-tion to demonstrate the possibilities. Through the heart of the valley there is a proven area of about four or five by twenty miles in which pump wells can be developed at a nominal cost, and new farms are constantly con-stantly being made in this area. Vast areas of it are still in its virgin state, however, and though practically all of it is privately owned, much of it can be purchased at a cost which ! makes it profitable to develop. I Because of inadequate facilities in ' the past for marketing the crops of ' the section other than through livestock, live-stock, only th" common forage and grain crops, alfalfa, whenf, oats and barley have been produced to any appreciable ap-preciable extent, and with the advent 1 of better transportation facilities we ! ....... .... i "- . I . t t$ V a -. - "7 - .,?? ." .. : V ' f - ' , - . r-.nrt y 7i.n Stu.lin One of the service of the Branch Agricultural College has rendered to' Southern L' t ah lias been to prove lhatj underground water mav ! had for irrigation in Cedar ValleV. The above well flow a second foot of wafer nnd will irrigate fiver a hundred acres of land. haven't overcome the habit of devoting devot-ing practically all our energy to the production of these crops, all of which are consumed locally and marketed through our livestock. It has been demonstrated repeatedly, repeated-ly, however, that small fruits, berries, apples, apricots, plums, peaches, and I a variety of vegetables of a quality 'not surpassed anywhere can be pro-j pro-j duced and it is not too much to pre-'dict pre-'dict that with the growing market on the west coast, fruit growing and truck gardening will some day be important im-portant industries in this valley. That more hasn't already been done i In this direction is due largely to the I fact that the production of livestock has offered a more attractive and heretofore more profitable means of (gaining a livelihood. ' The inhabtants of three communities. communi-ties. Parowan, Paragonah and Sum-; Sum-; mit. with a combined population of less than three thousand are struggling struggl-ing to develop this valley, but to dat? they have hardly scratched the surface sur-face of is vast resources. Properly developed it should provide happiness and contentment for at least eight or ten thousand people. CEDAR VALLEY BY ARTHUR FIFE, Civil Engineer, State Water Commissioner on Coal Creek. Cedar valley runs North and South through the east-central part of Iron county, extending into Washington county a few miles at Dry Creek. It is bordered on the East by the Ka-narra, Ka-narra, Cedar and Summit mountains and on the West by the Pine Valley, , Harmony, and Iron Springs mount lains. The valley is about thirty miles I long and from three to eight miles wide. It extends from Dry Creek on ! the South to Rush Lake on the North, j There are better than one hundred and fifty square miles or one hundred hun-dred thousand acres of real valley land. This area is divided into three classes; irrigated land, twenty-two thousand acres; cultivated but not ir-; ir-; rigated, three thousand seven hun-. hun-. dred acres. The remainder or about 1 75 per cent of the whole area still remains in the native condition, and : is used for grazing only. I The irrigated area is supplied with I water from the following streams: Upper Ash Creek, Harmony Creek, Dry Creek. Kanarra Creek and Walt I Hunter Creeps which furnish water for I approximately five thousand acres. Shirtz Creek which irrigates two thousand acres; Quitchopa Creek, and j Enoch Springs which reach two thousand thou-sand acres; Coal Creek which covers an area of thirteen thousand acres. The dry farm or non-irrigated cultivated cul-tivated lands are located mostly in the Quitchopa, Kanarra, Harmon v, and Dry Creek districts. Also alfalfa seed is being produced farther north j in the valley without the application 'of water. The native brush land is found mattered mat-tered the full length of the valley in those places where it has not undergone under-gone the metamorphic change of lining lin-ing cleared and cultivated. The soil of this valley is remarkable remark-able for its depth and fertility. To the irrigated areas the water from i the mountain streams carries natural fertilizing elements which keep the soil built up to a very high yielding capacity. There are alfalfa fields producing heavily that have not been re-seeded or planted to anything else since they were first broken up fifty fif-ty years ago. The amount or percentage per-centage or alkali land in the valley is almost negligible. , Water Supply The much repeated remark that water, not land, is the limiting factor in our agricultural development is very significant. Coal Creek dis-harg-es from twenty thousand to seventy thousand ' feet annually. TV; discharges dis-charges from other streams are in proportion to the acreage irrigated. A large percentage of the water reaches the valley during a few weeks in April, May nnd June. However, the deep and fertile soil is particularly particu-larly adapted to absorb a generous supply during the time the water is plentiful and retain much of it foliate fol-iate season growth. An increased water supply nnd nn increased efficiency in its application are the two methods open for pronounced pro-nounced future development. Gradually Grad-ually the irrigation companies are improving im-proving the irrigation canals and structures with n view of increasing the efficiency of the distributing system. sys-tem. There is a very pronounced move on the part of irrigators to eliminate waste as much as possible in the application of (he wat r to the land. The knowledge of the intrinsic value of water and the adoption of business economy in the use- of the water will be the future pressure which will demand efficient use of tho water. A few small storage reservoirs may of water annually for the valley. Investigations In-vestigations of the feasibility of this project are not completed yet. Underground Water Until very recently, underground water as a source of water for irrigation irri-gation has not been considered very promising, due altogether to the imperfect im-perfect investigations conducted along that line. However, there are now a few pump wells in the valley that I hold out a real promise in this line. The Dixie Power company now has lines in some parts of the valley and is ready to extend them when the demand de-mand justifies it. Their rates are very reasonable, the flat rate of $5.00 per H.'P. per month for a five month irrigation season being equivalent to less than one cent per kilowatt hour when the farmer installs an up-to-date pumping plant that can be operated op-erated continuously. Under these rates the cost of pumping including interest on investment, depreciation, repairs and attendance, and power will be around S1.50 per acre-foot of water lifted twenty feet, or 1.90 per acre-foot of water lifted forty feet. One acre foot of water will give two six-inch or three four-inch irrigations to an acre of land. If four or six applications are made each year the cost for a twenty-foot lift should be about $3.00 per acre and for a forty-foot forty-foot lift about $4.00 per acr. These figures are based on an average plant pumping a second-foot of water, and operating 25 days each month for five months. CROPS Alfalfa. A survey several years i ago disclosed that nearly 80 per cent of the land under Coal Creek was planted to alfalfa. This almost tells its own story. Agriculture is a cooperative co-operative enterprise with livestock. Winter feeding of cattle and sheep i furnishes the readv market for the : hay. General farming is likewise begin-' begin-' iv'ng to join hands with dairy farm-j farm-j ing. another means of marketing hay , and grain. j The yield of alfalfa varies to some i extent, an estimated average places : j it at three tons per acres. Yields as I high as eight tons per acre per year I are authoratively recorded. Prices i ; range from $8.00 to $15.00 per ton, depending on the supply. j Alfalfa Seed. Each year sees more, interest in alfalfa seed growing. It ; I is a problem on which each farmer is j working to determine just what part ' of his farm should be growing seed. i The most ideal conditions call for a , 'clay loam soil and subsoil with the i ' water table from ten to fifteen feet ; . below the ground surface. Capillarity i ; supplies the plant roots with suf-! , ficient water from below to insure j a regular but not a vigorous growth which condition is best for seed do-; jvelopment. A light surface irrigation' ! early in the summer is well worth thei jeffort. It is estimated that 1000 acres :Of land are used for alfalfa seed at i present. The average yield per acrej is about 5 bushels. Yields on indi-j : vidua! fields run as high as Yl or 13; bushels per acre. ' Registered and certified seed prom-1 ' ises to be an important part of the I alfalfa seed raising in the future. Al-j ready many acres are ready to tv- or j have been planted to registered ori pure line seed. Potatoes. Potato raising has been sadly neglected because of the demand for forage crops. There is a real op-' portunity for the potato farmer if . he carefully selects a sandy loam soil and procures a regular water supply.; 'Now that the railroad is here this , tyne of farming should receive considerable con-siderable attention. Southern Cali-. Cali-. fornia is a very permanent market 1 ,for a standard product. Grain. Of all the grains, possibly j corn will be the most important from' the standpoint of production in the future. There are two reasons for. this; little waer in addition to tie-, natural precipitation is needed to ma ' ,ture a crop and it will be an import 1 ;nnt part of dairy farming and hoi-raising. hoi-raising. A yield of 32 bushels pi". ;acre of wheat can be procured vita: jthe aid of one irrigation. Dry Farming Small grains and especially wh".it ' are grown very successfully in the. diy farm districts mentioned pro-1 viously. when scientific dry-farm methods are strictly complied with.) RATK OF EXPANSION ! The U. S. Irrigation census of l'.H'J I gave the irrigated area on Coal Creek ;ns a little less than throe thousand i acres. This figuiv i a little low but 'the total at that time was consid'T-jably consid'T-jably under four thousand acres. This I shows an expansion of about four j hundred per cent, the largest part ;of which has taken place since ISM a. Expansion has been made on all the i other streams in the valley but pus-; sibly not to such a marked extent as : inn Coal Creek. As is the -case in any new agrioul-i tural section local capital is soon j worked to the limit and new capital ;is needed. For several years outside, jcapital has played quite a part in; i transforming the sage brush land in- i i to cultivated fields. Interest in this direction is increasing. Especially is jthis notieable in the districts suitable I 'for alfalfa seed production. I The new capital is not of much ' b"nefit until it goes beyond the point I of purchase and puts the land into al product ive stale. .More real "dirt" farmers are needed. The safest plan to avoid future misunderstanding is I for prospective purchaser to cave-I cave-I fully investigate all phases of the district dis-trict before buying. It will always be a good investment for buyers, evn of small parcels, to make careful personal inspection in order to select what they want lit a price which is reasonable. The Cellar City Chamber of Commerce Com-merce invites Inquiries of any nature I be built to hold water for late season growth. Navajo Lake, a major project, pro-ject, is under consideration with an idea of adding ten thousand acre feet regarding the resources of this part of the state. . ESCALANTE VALLEY By WILLIAM W. BUTLER, Realtor, Cedar City. Member Los Angeles Realtv, Salt Laie City, Utah State Boards. Layfayette Hanchett said something some-thing when he said, "Remember! every ev-ery acre of your sage brush land in Iron county has $40 worth of fertilizer ferti-lizer on it. put there by God Almighty." Al-mighty." That's the reason we grow big crops the first year out of the sage brush. The Union Pacific officials determined deter-mined that the first move for them to make, before advertising extens-I extens-I ively the Escalante valley, was to jhave the soil analyzed as to fertility. jAlso to determine if alkaline salts w-ere-present in the soil in quantities detrimental to successful agriculture. They investigated as to the fact of underlying pure water for irrigation in sufficient quantity, at shallow-depth. shallow-depth. Experts in agriculture, state officials, of-ficials, leading chemical and irrigation irriga-tion engineers all gave favorable reports re-ports as to conditions and potential future in the production of potatoes, i all kinds, of grains, garden truck and products from diversified farming generally. Especially was it emphasized empha-sized that alfalfa raised for seed will probably be one of the main crops as the valley is developed. This on account of sub-irrigation posibilities. j So. through co-operation of the ag- ricultural experts of the Union Pa- cific, state off'cials. land merchants and forward-looking men in this com- j munity, the Escalante valley, espcial-ly espcial-ly near Beryl, is beginning to take on the appearance of progress. New comers have built homes, put down 1 wells for irrigation, cleared and level- i ed their lands, fenced, built roads and j generally moved forward toward their , goal of agricultural production upon I a paying basis. This progr ss has 1 gone on steadily for the past three ! years. The Escalante valley comprises approximately ap-proximately 300.000 acres of land, with an estimated watershed of 7.000 square miles. It is one of the last virgin empires of the state of Utah, where water conditions, climate and fertile soil, entice the home seeker. Lying in the western end of Iron and Beaver counties, it is traversed by the main line of the Union Pacific system, sys-tem, between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. The soil of this valley is mostly of a sandy loam, containing a high percentage per-centage of marl so necessary to soil fertility. Chemically the soils are extremely rich, and with limited exceptions ex-ceptions should prove very productive. product-ive. The large sage covering much of the Escalante valley is the source of the humus found at present in the soil. In isolated spots alkali is found, but with nothing but traces over most of the great valley, soil conditions are gratifying to the investigator. in-vestigator. Water available for irrigation; through pumping is a condition only recognized within the past few years. . This is responsible for the fact that j cultivation has not been under way ; long ago. us the unusual fertility of the soil has long been known. j Lying in the "Great Basin" which 1 is surrounded by high mountain : ranges the Escalante valley holds sur- ' plus water from hundreds of miles of mountainous territory. No surfaei' water flows to the ocean and estimates esti-mates have been given showing good j water supply for a large area. Moth- 1 "ds of sinking and equipping wells in the valley show room for much im- ' provemcnt. and when it is considered i what poor methods, with few exeep- , :ions. have been thus far used, it is remarkable what success has been at - ! tained. With better methods and I equipment much is looked for. The i average lift near lleryl is probably twenty feet. This val'ey is classed as a "reservoir "reser-voir valley" with waters for irrigation irriga-tion obtained almost throughout at icriculturnl pumping depth of from seven to eighteen feet, not milling the draw down, in Beryl and Nada district. dis-trict. (Depth of pumping water in other parts of the valley approximate 10 to a0 feet.) llased upon what has been done in the Escalante valley, it is confidently predicted that the day is not far distant dis-tant when crops such as wheat, corn, barley, rye. potatoes, sugar beets, vegetables anil small fruits will thrive to the point where they will be ship- ped to outside markets in such quan. lilies as will result very profitably to the farmer, and indirectly to the business institutions in Iron county. Alfalfa seed is recognized as one crop that should be much worked toward to-ward with possibility of unusual return. re-turn. In this valley there is much good land where the water table is an average of ten feet beneath the ground surface. No where in America Ameri-ca is found more perfect conditions for success in this crop than here. The production of the alfalfa sei d crop is limited to a small area in th" United States. It requires dry summer sum-mer months within which to mature. Deep rich soil containing n limited nniourt of salts is necess.uy. Sub-irrigation Sub-irrigation at about ten feet wilh constant con-stant movement of underground w.i-ter w.i-ter to insure drainage, is essential. A certain amount of wind and cool mountain breezes Insure polleni.al ion. A Class of Ewes Shown at One of the Annual Rambouillet Shows at Parowan. |
