Show DESERT IN N BLOOM irrigation makes garden spot of death valley I 1 furnace creek ranch in eastern california probably the most isolated farm in the world many feet below sea level probably the most isolated farm in the world Is situated in a certain spot in eastern california near the bottom of the united states where some borne min ing men have hare fitted out a ranch ot of some 65 acres the place ta is known as g furnace creek ranch and it has been made possible by irrigation the water being piped from springs in the funeral mountains edward in describing the ranch says that tt it la is situated feet below sea level on the floor of the greatest depression on the face of the western hemisphere within pistol shot ot of and only about feet higher than the greatest depth ot of death valley yet tet in spite of its peculiar location the ranch Is within the shadow of mount whitney whose eternal snows to tower er into the heavens to a height of nearly three miles the tha highest point of land la in the continental limits of the nation furthermore furnace creek ranch Is probably the only farm la in the world where weeds are unknown As it la Is entirely artificial and surrounded by a desert barrier the seeds of noxious weeds have had no way of getting there and unless they be imported by man the ranch will undoubtedly always remain tree free from them obviously the introduction of an abundant water supply was the primo prime requisite to make the ranch possible this is obtained from two large springs far back in tho the funeral mountains which pour their streams upon the burned out death valley soll soil through two great aqueducts one of steel and one of masonry part of 0 the water Is diverted along the route to freshen a heavy growth ot of willows planted to give shade to the watercourse but in spite ot of this the loss of water from evaporation Is very gr great cat and in summer the water emerges from the aqueduct at temperatures up to degrees men and live stock of course cannot drink it so hot cooling Is therefore effected by means of large evaporation ollas and aid the drinking water Is quickly reduced to 70 agrees degrees in the hottest weather 4 3 the humidity of 0 death valleys at in moi phere varies like that ot of other places but according to analyses made mada by the united states weather bureau its air Is the driest known its average moisture content Is less than 01 per cent water thus becomes as volatile as gasoline and evaporating cooling Is accomplished with great rapidity it Is this speedy evaporation that has largely made tur oace creek ranch possible the ranch Is primarily a hay bay farm the principal crop being alfalfa which is fed to cattle and hogs after being dressed the meat Is sent to mining camps the live stock could not live through the scorching summer if it were nut for the cooling influence of shower baths with which their corrals are equipped the cattle horses and mules are further protected from the blistering winds by having the sides of their pens covered with sheet metal white men cannot live long in the withering heat consequently all the work about the ranch is done by indians of the pluto plute and shoshone tribes under the direction of an edu bated foreman the average a white man inan in death valley is very short three Thre white ewhite foremen employed on the ranch lasted two summers each and perished during the third two others went insane and attempted to floe flee out of the valley on foot neither of them lived to get out of the maze of funeral mountain canyons the Sty stygian glan temperature of death valley lasts for about five months of the year usually from may 1 until october the other months are arc cool and pleasant rain Is virtually unknown consequently the irrigation of funeral creek ranch Is continuous |