Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1909 — LETTER FROM H. P. FARMER. [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM H. P. FARMER.

Twin Falls, Idaho, Jan. 19. Ed. Jasper Co. Democrat: Some weeks ago a letter which I wrote to a friend in your city appeared in your paper, and I have received so many letters of inquiry that I beg permission to reply to same through your most popular columns. I wish, however, to state that this country is certainly not the wonderous garden from which our illustrious Father Adam was expelled because of his weakness and disobedience in submitting to and participating in the sin of his wife.

During the past three weeks it has rained much of the time, just a gentle pour with scarcely enough wind to distinguish what direction it was coming from. Grass is green here just now' as it often is in that country on May Ist. Although snowlcapped mountains can be seen in any direction, it has not snowed enough to cover the ground since I have been here. Thousands of tons of alfalfa can be seen in stack from my window. Hundreds of acres of young orchards are now planted and. doing fine and thousands of acres to be planted this coming year. The few old ones that have been here for years have established a reputation and a market which any of the eastern fruit districts might justly envy. Many farm houses are lighted by electricity and all shops and mills are run by it. On the 11th of this month a special train brought the entire state legislature down to our little city and they made a trip to the great Shoshone Falls and other points of interest near the city. Many of them were enthusiastic in their praise of the progress made here and stated it as their opinion that this will in a few years be the first commercial city in the state. Many factdry men are constantly in the city looking up future prospects and securing sites for their business enterprises. Farm lands have advanced in the last year from 40 to, 80 per cent. They have gone to $55 to S2OO per acre according to location and quality. The soil is a heavy volcanic ash just a little lighter than clay, yet there is no clay in it, but I dare Illinois to get any muddier than it is here just now. The sage-brush was heavy and was taken off with huge six-horse cutters and then raked into piles and burned. There is some mining going on near here but 1 think that the future of this country will depend largely on its fruit and stock interests. Many of the most valuable stock ranges in the state lay just outside this tract in the foothills. Wood and coal are not as difficult to obtain nor as high in price as they were in Washington. 580,000 acres of splendid irrigated land known as the Bruno tract, will come in for settlement in 1911, and there are yet thousands of acres of good land (not irrigated) laying just above the canal that can be homesteaded, and it is land that will raise good crops of small grain. I would say to my friends if you are anticipating coming west, don’t delay too long for things ar? doing. Yours respectfully

HENRY P. FARMER.