Show I Escalante Desert DeseTt Blooms On the map that vast area west of Cedar City is indicated at the Escalante Desert Until a few years ago it was just a sage brush cov- cov covi i eyed sheep range Today however I the desert is being reclaimed and andIs andis Is some of the finest al alfalfa alfalfa al- al falfa CaHa and potatoes found in Utah I ai-I Small and large farm operators aT are arc making the Escalante area pay dividends The largest operator in inthe inthe inthe the region is the and Company They have reclaimed reclaim reclaim- ed 2000 acres which are arc now under cultivation five miles north of Enterprise Enterprise Enterprise En En- and 35 miles west of Cedar City At this writing the last of some BOO acres of potatoes are being harvested and stored in huge cel cel- lars The average yield of potatoes vas was pound one-hundred-pound sacks to th the acre The Russets produced by this concern brought a hundred on the Los Angeles mar mar- ket The White Rose potatoes now winding up the harvest are washed washed washed wash wash- ed sorted and stored as certified seed They are worth per hun hun- dred The large potatoes are sorted out and sold for bakers baking baling potatoes and will soon grace restaurant restaurant restaurant rest rest- aurant tables in the big west coast cities Irrigation water comes from 95 feet below the surface and is raised raised rais rais- ed d by electrical pumps set in 12 inch pipes There is evidently plenty plenty plenty plen plen- ty of underground water under this desert area but the present worry is lack of sufficient electrical pow pow- er Operators complain that lack of electrical power is holding back the agricultural expansion of the region reg reg- ion The Company has thirteen big wells they employ employ employ em em- ploy 40 people the year ear around they harvested 1500 tons of alfalfa this year ear and are clearing 1800 acres of sage brush land which will go into production next season Many of the small operators in inthe inthe inthe the region are from Los Angeles and most of the cars in the area bear California license plates The area is an easy days day's drive from the big coast city |