Show ESCALANTE VALLEY by WILLIAM W BUTLER realtor cedar city member los angeles realty salt lake city utah state boards hanchett said something when he said remember ev cv ery ry acre of your sage brush bruh land in iron ton county has haa 40 worth ot of fertilizer on it put there by god almighty the reason we grow big ig crops the first year out of the sage age brush the union pacific officials determined that the first move for them to make before advertising extensively the escalante valleys valley was to have the soil analyzed as to fertility also to determine if alkaline salts were 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 d depth experts in agriculture state officials fici als leading chemical and irrigation engineers all gave favorable reports as to conditions and potential future in the production of potatoes all kinds of grains garden truck and products from diversified farming generally especially was it emphasized that alfalfa raised for seed will probably ha be one of the main crops as the valley is developed this on account of sub irrigation possibilities so through operation cooperation co of the agricultural ri experts of the union pacific state officials land merchants and forward looking looking men in this community the escalante valley especial ly near beryl is beginning to take on the appearance of progress new comers have built homes put down wells for irrigation cleared and leveled their lands fenced built roads and generally moved forward toward their goal of agricultural production upon a paying basis this rss has haa gone on steadily for the past three years the escalante valley comprises approximately acres of land with an estimated watershed of 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 between salt lake city and los angeles the soil of this valley is mostly of a sandy loam containing a high percentage of marl so necessary to soil fertility chemically the soils are extremely rich and with limited exceptions should prove very productive the large larga sage covering much of the escalante valley is the sou source of the humus found at present in i the soil in isolated spots alkali i is found but with nothing but trae traces over most of the great valley s soil il conditions are gratifying to the investigator vesti gator water available for 1 irrigation r r i g a t 10 n through pumping is a condition only recognized within the past few years this is responsible for the fact that cultivation has not been under way long ago as the unusual fertility of the soil has long been known lying in the great basin which is surrounded by high mountain ranges the escalante valley holds surplus water from hundreds of miles of mountainous territory no surface water flows to the ocean and estimates have boon been given showing good water supply for a large area methods of sinking and equipping wells in the valley show room for much improvement pro and when it is considered what poor methods with few exceptions have been thus far used it is remarkable what success has been attained with better methods and equipment much is looked for the average lift near beryl is probably twenty feet this valley is classed as a reservoir valley with waters for 1 irrigation i ariga obtained almost through throughout ut at agricultural pumping depth of from seven to eighteen feet not adding the draw down in beryl and nada district depth of pumping water in other parts of the valley approximate 40 to 60 feet based upon what has been done in the escalante valley it is confided con confidently fiden aly predicted that the day is not far distant when crops such as wheat corn barley rye potatoes sugar beets vegetables and small fruits will thrive to the point where they will be shipped to outside markets in such quantities 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 with possibility of unusual return 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 is found more perfect conditions for success in this crop than here the production of the alfalfa seed be ed crop is limited to a small area in the united states it requires dry summer months within which to mature deep rich soil containing a limited amount of salts is necessary at about ten feet with constant movement of underground water to insure drainage is essential A certain amount of wind and cool mountain breezes insure |