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Fr°m  the  collecti, 


of  th 


311  Francis'°,  Cah-fom; 


CL 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  XV1v 


CHICAGO,  OCTOBER,  1900. 


NO.  1 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  WESTERN  RMERICH 


Reclaim  The  executive  committee  of 
The  the  National  Business  League 

Laud  held  a  meeting-  recently  at  the 

Wellington  hotel,  Chicago,  and  adopted 
resolutions  urging  the  reclaimation  of  the 
arid  regions  of  the  West.  Charles  Truax 
read  a  paper  on  the  loss  that  accrues  by 
exchanging  the  money  of  one  country  for 
that  of  another. 

Those  present  were:  President  Erskine 
M.  Phelps,  Vice-president  Alexander  H. 
Revell,  General  Counsel  John  W.  Ela, 
LaVerne  W.  Noyes,Colonel  Elliott  Durand, 
Charles  A.  Mallory,  Charles  Truax,  P.  W. 
Gates,  Benjamin  J.  Rosenthal,  George  H. 
Maxwell,  F.  Howard  and  A.  A.  Burnham. 

The  resolutions  set  forth  that  one-third 
of  the  entire  area  of  the  United  States  is 
public  land,  nearly  all  of  which  is  in  the 
western  half  of  the  country.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  74,000,000  acres  of  this  vast 
territory  could  be  reclaimed  by  irrigation. 
The  expense  of  irrigation  is  so  great  that 
it  will  uatu rally  have  to  fall  on  the  general 
government,  and  action  on  this  line  is 
urged  in  the  resolutions. 

In  Mr.  Truax's  paper  it  was  claimed  that 
there  was  need  of  an  international  money 
for  the  use  of  travelers. 

The  An  organization  has  recently 

Farmers'  been  incorporated  in  Kansas 
Combine  known  as  the  Farmers'  Ameri- 
can Federation,  which  pro- 
poses to  benefit  the  farmer  by  improving 
the  present  method  of  selling  farm  prod- 
ucts. The  capital  stock  of  the  new  corpo- 
ration is  $20,000  divided  into  shares  of  $10 


each,  and  its  aim  is  to  secure  co-operation 
among  the  farmers  of  the  Mississippi  val- 
ley by  their  membership  in  the  federation, 
and  thereby  to  secure  better  and  more 
stable  prices  for  farm  produce,  fixing  min- 
imum prices  for  staple  farm  products  based 
on  the  average  cost  of  production.  The 
secretary  of  the  federation,  in  outlining- 
the  objects,  says:  "It  is  our  purpose  to 
establish  a  bureau  of  statistics,  giving  in- 
foBmation  regarding  farm  products  and 
their  prices  in  the  market;  to  place  farm- 
ers in  control  of  the  elevators,  warehouses 
and  btockyards,  and  put  them  in  full  con- 
trol of  the  marketing  of  their  own  pro- 
ducts; to  put  farming  on  a  business  basis, 
make  provisions  for  failure  of  crops,  add 
the  cost  of  insurance  and  risks  to  the  price 
of  .the  products  we  offer  for  sale,  and  to 
secure  the  practice  of  equity  in  trade  rela- 
tion between  all  organized  industries." 

The  objects  are  very  fine  theoretically, 
but  whether  they  can  be  put  into  practical 
operation  is  another  question.  The  Mil- 
waukee Sentinel  says:  "It  is  obvious  that 
the  federation  will  have  great  difficulties 
to  overcome  before  it  can  be  made  success- 
ful. The  present  established  methods  of 
handling  farm  products  must  be  almost 
completely  superseded  before  it  can  expect 
to  regulate  prices.  This  means  that  there 
must  be  co-operation  on  the  most  exten- 
sive scale  among  the  farmers  of  the  coun- 
try. Besides,  there  must  be  the  most 
intelligent  and  honest  management  of  the 
affairs  of  the  federation  in  order  to  assure 
good  results.  The  objects  in  view  are  DO 
doubt  excellent,  but  to  attain  them  seems 
little  short  of  impossible.'1 


I  HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


The  The  recent  flood  in  Texas  was 

"Galveston  the  most  devastating  catastro- 
Horror  phe  which  has  occurred  in  the 
history  of  the  country.  In 
1889  people  were  horrified  at  the  awful 
disaster  at  Johnstown,  when  it  is  estimated, 
over  2,000  person's  perished;  more  recent 
was  the  cyclone  at  St.  Louis,  with  its 
awful  destruction  of  property  and  the  loss 
of  over  700  lives;  but  the  Gulf  storm  was 
far  greater  than  either  of  these  in  the 
appaling  loss  of  life  and  property.  It  is 
estimated  that  in  Galveston  alone  at  least 
3,000  perished,  while  the  total  loss  of  life 
in  the  storm  center  will  probably  reach 
10,000.  Many  of  the  citizens  of  Galveston 
realized  for  years  the  inadequency  of  the 
protection  against  the  ocean  storms,  and 
often  spoke  of  the  probability  of  a  calam- 
ity happening,  but  regarded  it  as  a  far  off 
contingency,  as  we  do  death.  It  came 
upon  them  almost  without  warning,  and 
the  city  is  now  a  vast  ruin.  Doubtless  the 
same  American  pluck  and  energy  which 
made  it  possible  to  rear  a  newer  and  bet- 
ter Chicago  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  in  1871, 
will  rebuild  Galveston  and  put  about  it 
such  protection  from  the  ocean  as  the 
recent  disaster  has  shown  is  needed.  In 
the  horror  of  this  tragedy  there  is  one 
bright  spot,  and  that  is  the  willingness — 
nay  eagerness,  shown  on  the  part  of  other 
cities  to  give  aid  to  Texas.  Johnstown  in 
her  tln»  of  trouble  received  $2,000  from 
Texas  and  now  offers  to  pay  this  sum  back 
with  interest,  $5,000  being  the  amount 
contributed.  Chicago,  New  York,  Indian- 
apolis, St.  Louis — all  were  ready  with 
money  and  provisions  as  soon  as  possible, 
while  the  railroad  companies  showed  their 


generosity  by  offering  to  transport  freight 
free  of  charge  to  the  sufferers.  There  was 
no  red  tape,  no  delay,  but  a  prompt  offer 
of  help. 

Fitz  and  Col.  Robt.  Fitzsimmons,  who 
The  has  announced  his  intention  of 

Cigarette  retiring  permanently  from  the 
ring,  recently  gave  utterance 
to  sentiments  regarding  the  cigarette, 
which  should  receive  wide  publicity.  A 
word  from  a  great  pugilist  will  carry  more 
weight  with  the  average  small  boy.  who 
looks  up  to  him  as  a  hero  to  be  admired 
and  emulated,  than  will  the  lectures  of 
instructors  or  the  tears  of  mothers.  Fitz- 
simmons attributes  his  health  and  strengtn 
in  his  accumulating  years  to  temperate 
living.  He  says:  "Drink,  late  hours,  cig- 
arettes in  youth — those  things  make  men 
old.  I  would  as  soon  learn  to  crochet  as  to 
smoke  a  cigarette.  If  a  man  criticised  me 
for  crocheting  I  could  give  him  some  kind 
of  an  answer,  or  at  least  give  him  a  punch 
for  criticising.  But  if  he  caught  me  smok- 
ing a  cigarette,  I'd  have  to  confess  that  I 
had  gone  wrong."  If  the  boys  could  read 
this  and  be  taught  that  cigarette  smoking 
is  something  contemtible;  that  it  is  de- 
spised by  "manly"  men,  perhaps  there 
would  be  fewer  stunted  old-young  men, 
who  are  victims  of  this  pernicious  habit. 
To  compare  cigarette  smoking  with  cro- 
cheting is  to  make  it  savor  of  weakness, 
and  therefore  to  be  despised  by  young 
Americans  whose  aim  is  to  do  "what  the 
men  do."  Fitzsimmons  should  receive  a 
vote  of  thanks  for  thus  boldly  denning  his 
position  on  the  question  and  giving  his 
influence  against  the  little  "coffin-nails." 


MILLIONS    APPROPRIATED   FOR 

LEVEES. 


By  GUY  E.  MITCHELL. 

The  history  of  levee  construction  on  the  Mississippi  river  has 
been  a  long  one.  The  first  levee  was  begun  in  1717,  which  was,  when 
completed,  one  mile  long,  erected  to  protect  New  Orleans,  then  a  mere 
village.  This  levee  was  four  feet  high  and  eighteen  feet  across  at 
the  top.  It  was  not,  however,  until  after  Louisiana  had  been  ceded 
to  the  United  States  that  levee  construction  was  begun  on  a  large 
scale — an  enlarged  and  systematic  scale.  As  the  work  progressed  up 
the  river  and  additional  basins  and  bottoms  were  enclosed,  the  levees 
necessarily  increased  in  height.  The  average  height  of  the  levees  in 
Louisiana,  above  New  Orleans,  in  now  between  twelve  and  thirteen 
feet,  and  this  height  proved  insufficient  in  the  great  flood  of  1897. 
This  flood  indicates  to  the  official  engineers  that  three  or  four  feet  ad- 
ditional will  be  required. 

Millions  and  millions  of  dollars  have  been  appropriated  by  the 
Federal  Government  for  the  building  of  these  levees  and  other  con- 
structions intended  to  protect  the  surrounding  country  from  floods, 
and  millions  more  must  he  appropriated  by  every  Congress  to  come 
unless  other  steps  are  taken  to  prevent  these  floods.  The  measures 
of  the  government  are  merely  palliative;  they  do  not  go  to  the  root  of 
the  evil.  The  report  of  Captain  Hiram  Chittenden,  of  the  Govern- 
ment Engineer  Corps,  however,  shows  that  there  is  a  way  to  strike  at 
the  trouble  itself,  and  largely  prevent  the  floods  instead  of  trying  to 
•enclose  them  between  banks  after  they  have  become  such. 

He  shows  in  his  official  reports  that,  by  the  building  of  a  series  of 
great  storage  reservoirs  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri,  floods  can 
be  prevented  through  the  diverting  of  the  excess  of  waters  into  these 
artificial  lakes.  Surely  this  is  something  for  Congress  to  give  its  at- 
tention to.  Here  is  a  practical  plan.  An  ounce  of  prevention  is 
worth  a  pound  of  cure.  Congress  will  go  ahead  appropriating  millions 
every  session  for  flood  prevention  without  a  question,  but  it  will  not 
appropriate  the  same  amount  for  a  plan,  which,  according  to  the 
government's  own  engineers,  promises  far  greater  results.  Of  course, 
the  storing  of  these  reservoirs  would  mean  the  reclamation  of  large 
tracts  of  land  to  irrigation;  but  this  need  not  worry  Congress,  even  in 
eas  tern  members,  for  the  eastern  merchants  are  already  alive  to  the 
situation,  and  realize  that  the  reclamation  of  the  arid  West  would 
open  to  them  the  finest  market  in  the  world. 


THE  IRRIGATION  A GL 
THE   NATIONAL   IRRIGATION    POLICY. 

The  opponents  of  the  national  irrigation  movement  seems  im- 
bued with  two  ideas.  First,  that  national  irrigation  is  a  matter  of 
flight  and  fancy  about  which  all  sorts  of  extravagant,  unauthenticatedr 
and  theoretical  statements  are  made  by  its  advocates,  and,  second, 
that  whatever  the  scheme  may  be.  the  people  of  the  East  will  never 
endorse  it.  Neither  of  these  ideas  is  founded  upon  fact.  The  national 
policy  is  not  a  plan  reared  upon  fancy,  but  a  legitimate  problem  en- 
tirely capable  of  performance,  as  shown  by  the  recommendations  of 
the  best  government  engineers  of  the  various  departments  at  Wash- 
ington. The  friends  of  national  irrigation  want  nothing  more  than 
that  the  recommendations  of  these  engineers  shall  be  carried  out.  And 
if  this  is  done  there  can  be  no  other  possible  outcome  than  that  the 
population  of  the  country  lying  between  the  Missouri  and  the  coast 
will  be  vastly  increased  with  resulting  prosperity.  The  waste  waters 
of  the  West,  if  stored,  would  create  a  permanent  source  of  wealth  to 
the  nation. 

And  the  eastern  opposition  to  western  reclamation  is  getting  to- 
be  more  of  a  myth  than  a  reality  since  the  crusade  has  been  started 
throughout  the  manufacturing  states  calling  attention  to  the  vast  pos- 
sibilities which  lie  to  manufacturers  through  the  development  of  the 
arid  West  in  giving  to  them  the  best  market  in  the  world  for  their 
goods.  It  is  well  enough  for  the  opponents  of  the  national  irrigation 
policy  to  talk  of  unalterable  eastern  opposition  to  the  scheme,  but  the 
fact  is  that  the  East  contains  thousands  of  the  strongest  and  most  in- 
fluential supporters  which  the  movement  claims. 

Intimately  connected  with  the  conservation  of  water  for  irriga- 
tion is  the  preservation  of  forests.  Every  irrigated  valley  and  the 
supply  of  every  storage  reservoir  is  dependent  upon  forested  tracks 
which  will  absorb  rainfalls  and  gradually  let  it  out  through  streams 
and  springs. 

Primitive  man  did  not  at  first  begin  his  agricultural  operations  by 
irrigating  great  valleys  and  plains.  He  commenced,  perhaps,  with  a 
small  patch  of  ground  and  a  little  stream  of  water,  or  planted  his  sim- 
ple crops  on  the  edge  of  the  desert,  utilizing  the  water  of  some  small 
but  perennial  spring,  or  laboriously  drew  it  from  a  well.  Then  later 
he  learned  to  broaden  his  operations  and  work  in  communities,  until 
finally  he  undertook  great  projects  and  accomplished  engineering 
feats  in  the  construction  of  canals,  viaducts,  and  complete  systems 
which  have  hardly  since  been  surpassed  by  modern  capital  and  in- 
genuity. 

AN   UNWATERED   EMPIRE. 

The  vista  that  the  possibilities  of  irrigation  reveals,  say  the  Los 
Angeles  Herald,  is  almost  stupendous,  as  a  few  facts  and  figures  pre 
pared  by  the  National  Irrigation  Association  demonstrate.     The  Fed- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  5 

eral  Government  today  owns  100, 000, 000  acres  of  land,  which  is  worth- 
less only  because  it  is  arid.  This  "  unwatered  empire"  can  be  re- 
claimed by  irrigation  and  rendered  capable  of  sustaining  a  population 
of  at  least  50,000,000  people.  In  the  words  of  the  Secretary  of  Agri- 
culture in  his  last  annual  report:  "More than  one-third  of  the  country 
depends  upon  the  success  of  irrigation  to  maintain  the  people,  the  in- 
dustries, and  the  political  institutions  of  that  area,  and  the  future 
growth  will  also  be  measured  by  the  increase  of  the  reclaimed  area. 
In  a  region  which,  in  the  extent  and  diversity  of  its  mineral  wealth, 
has  no  equal  on  the  globe,  the  riches  of  the  mines  in  the  hills  are 
already  surpassed  by  the  productions  of  the  irrigated  farms  in  the 
valleys,  and  the  nation  at  large  is  at  last  awakening  to  the  fact  that 
the  development  of  the  use  of  the  rivers  and  arid  lands  of  the  West 
will  constitute  one  of  the  most  important  epochs  in  our  increase  in 
population  and  material  wealth." 

These  stupendous  possibilities  also  present  a  colossal  problem. 
How  may  this  gigantic  desert  be  transformed  into  a  land  of  pros- 
perity? Who  is  to  redeem  the  national  domain  by  a  comprehensive 
system  of  reservoirs?  It  has  been  demonstrated  by  twenty  years  of 
experience  in  irrigation  development  and  by  the  reports  of  Govern- 
ment experts  and  engineers  that  the  great  problem  can  only  be  solved 
by  the  Federal  Government.  Capt.  Hiram  M.  Chittenden,  Engineer 
Corps,  U.  S.  A.,  in  his  report  on  "  Surveys  for  Reservoir  Sites,"  de- 
clares emphatically  that  reservoir  construction  in  the  regions  of  the 
West  can  properly  be  carried  out  only  through  public  agencies.  "Pri- 
vate enterprise  can  never  accomplish  the  work  successfully.  As  be- 
tween state  and  nation,  it  falls  more  properly  under  the  domain  of  the 
latter." 

It  is  estimated  that  $143,000,000  would  reclaim  the  arid  lands  of 
the  West;  that  an  expenditure  by  the  Federal  Government  of 
$15,000,000  a  year  for  ten  years  would  open  up  lands  for  the  settle- 
ment of  a  population  as  big  as  that  of  the  entire  country  at  present. 
An  appropriation  of  $100,000  was  made  at  the  last  session  of  Congress 
for  preliminary  surveys  to  discover  the  best  locations  for  the  im: 
mense  reservoirs. 

The  assistance  of  every  organization  and  of  every  individual  in 
forwarding  this  all- important  work  should  be  welcomed  and  assisted 
in  every  possible  way  by  the  citizens  of  California,  who  will  substan- 
tially derive  more  benefit  from  its  consummation  than  the  inhabitants 
of  any  other  section  of  the  country. 

"  The  National  Irrigation  Association,"  continues  the  Herald,  "is 
doing  most  valuable  work  in  awakening  interest  throughout  the 
country,  East  and  West,  in  the  cause.  The  policy  that  the  association 
advocates  is,  in  brief,  that  the  Federal  Government  shall  build, 
wherever  necessary,  the  irrigation  works  required  for  the  reclama- 
tion of  the  arid  public  lands,  reimbursing  itself  from  sales  of  the  land 


6  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

reclaimed;  and  that  a  fair  share  of  each  river  and  harbor  bill  shall 
hereafter  go  for  building  storage  reservoirs.  To  carry  out  such  a 
policy  requires  an  effective  national  organization,  which  can  only  be 
realized  by  active  and  general  support.  Commercial  .organizations 
are  asked  to  endorse  this  policy  and  co-operate  with  the  National  Ir- 
rigation Association.  Personal  co  operation  and  membership  in  the 
association  are  necessary  for  the  success  of  the  movement." 

NATURAL   RESERVOIRS. 

Congress  has  for  years  been  appropriating  money  for  storage 
reservoirs  in  the  West.  This  may  seem  like  news  to  many,  but  it  is  a 
fact  with  which  they  are  in  reality  familiar.  Long  ago  the  legisla- 
tive branch  of  the  government  recognized  the  fact  that  it  is  the  duty 
of  the  government  to  protect  forests  and  to  reforest  such  districts  as 
are  burnt  over,  to  the  end  that  the  water  supply  shall  not  fail.  In 
other  words,  where  the  government  appropriates  for  the  protection  of 
a  forest  or  ihe  reforesting  of  a  tract  of  land,  it  appropriates  for  the 
building  of  or  the  care  of  a  storage  reservoir.  The  forests  are  nature's 
reservoirs,  and  if  it  is  economical  and  proper  for  the  government  to 
recognize  and  care  for  them,  why  is  it  not  equally  proper  that  it  should 
build  artificial  reservoirs  which  would  save  to  the  country  the  millions 
of  dollars  which  now  annually  sweep  to  the  sea  through  the  waste  and 
flood  waters  of  countless  rivers? 

SHAMEFUL   TREATMENT. 

According  to  recent  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  dispatches,  some  of  the  Pima 
Indians  at  the  Sacaton  agency  have  threatened  violence  and  rebellion 
if  their  children  are  forced  to  attend  school.  Before  this  time  the 
trouble  has  been  adjusted  or  suppressed,  but  in  truth  it  would  seem 
strange  if  these  Indians  refused  to  send  their  children  to  school  or  to 
believe' any  word  the  whites  may  tell  them.  Of  all  the  Indians  of  the 
West,  they,  the  most  peaceful,  friendly  and  industrious,  have  been 
treated  the  worst  by  the  government. 

These  Indians  have  always  been  irrigators — were  such  at  the  time 
of  early  Spanish  explorations  —  and  some  dozen  years  ago  the  import- 
ance of  protecting  or  increasing  their  water  supply  was  brought  forci- 
bly to  the  attention  of  the  Washington  afficials,  and  it  was  urged  that 
something  be  done  to  prevent  their  being  cut  off  from  the  water  sup- 
ply which  they  had  used  from  time  immorial  to  water  their  little  plats 
of  maize,  vegetables  and  orchard. 

The  matter  at  the  time  received  the  grave  consideration  of  the 
department,  and  since  that  time  it  has  been  referred  back  and  forth 
from  the  office  of  Indian  Affairs  to  the  Indian  Division  of  the  Interior 
Department  and  back  again,  and  then,  under  the  spnr  of  some  outside 
pressure,  to  some  special  agent  for  a  report,  and  so  on.  The  numer- 
ous reports  made  and  printed  on  this  case  would  fill  a  shelf.  In  the 
meantime  the  condition  of  the  Indians  has  grown  steadily  worse; 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  1 

practically  all  of  their  water  supply  has  been  diverted  by  white  set- 
tlers, and  they,  the  original  owners,  have  been  reduced  to  actual 
starvation.  Last  Congress  appropriated  $30,000  to  feed  them— $80,000 
to  feed  a  free  and  independent  people,  heretofore  relying  only  upon 
their  labors, — industrious,  and  asking  nothing  of  anybody. 

But  why  bother  these  department  clerks  about  such  a  matter. 
They  have  sat  at  their  desks  probably  for  twenty  years  and  they  know 
best  how  f  o  do  things.  When  the  report  comes  in  of  Inspector  Graves, 
who  has  been  sent  down  to  the  Pi  ma  agency  to  tell  the  same  old  story 
in  new  words,  it  will  be  then  time  to — labnl  and  pigeon-hole  it. 

It  might  be  well,  however,  for  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to 
himself  inquire  a  little  into  this  matter,  and  not  act  entirely  on  the 
recommendation  of  bureau  and  division  clerks,  who  apparently  desire 
never  to  see  any  definite  relief  provided.  This  case  of  the  neglect 
and  abuse  of  the  Pima  Indians  has  just  about  reached  the  straining 
point. 

THE   IRRIGATION    PROBLEM    OF   VAST   PROPORTIONS. 

Hydrographer  Frederick  H.  Newell,  of  the  Geological  Survey 
who  is  making  a  general  tour  of  the  West  in  the  interests  of  irrigation 
matters,  combines  not  only  exhaustive  knowledge  of  his  work  with  in- 
defatigable activity,  but  takes  an  interest  in  western  development 
amounting  to  nothing  less  than  great  enthusiasm.  He  usually  spends 
much  time  during  the  summer  season  in  traveling  through  the  west- 
ern states,  and  during  the  winter  months  delivers  a  goodly  number  of 
lectures  in  eastern  cities,  descriptive  of  these  travels.  In  this  manner 
the  western  country  with  its  illimitable  possibilities  and  vast  resources 
gets  an  eastern  advertisement  which  must  be  of  great  benefit.  Some 
of  Mr.  Newell's  stereopticon  lectures  on  the  great  irrigation  works  of 
the  West  are  full  of  interest  and  carry  to  easterners  some  idea  of  the 
scale  upon  which  things  are  done  in  this  part  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Newell  anticipates  the  rapid  strides  in  the  work  of  irrigation  during 
the  next  few  years,  but  he  gives  some  excellent  advice  in  an  interview 
on  the  subject  of  the  progress  possible. 

"  The  problem  of  the  complete  reclamation  of  the  desert  lands,'' 
said  Mr.  Newell,  "is  too  big  for  individual  or  corporate  enterprise. 
The  government  must  reclaim  these  new  fields,  which  will  be  the  rich- 
est in  the  world,  as  it  now,  by  spending  millions  of  dollars,  seeks  to 
save  the  productive  lands  of  the  lower  Mississippi  valley.  The  manu- 
facturing East  is  now  beginning  to  gladly  support  such  a  policy  since 
its  possibilities  are  being  properly  exploited.  The  West,  however, 
must  look  ty  its  representatives  in  Congress  to  press  matters  in  the 
most  practical  manner,  and  it  must  send  the  right  kind  of  men  to 
Congress. 

'•  The  surveys  we  are  now  making  will  furnish  facts  upon  which 
recommendations  to  Congress  can  be  made,  and  behind  the  work  of 
the  congressmen,  there  should  be  the  strong  backing  of  the  organized 
business  interests  of  the  West." 


ELWOOD  MEAD  ON   IRRIGATION 


[Read  at  the  Farmers'  Congress,  Aug.  21.] 

Elwood  Mead  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
delivered  an  address  on  irrigation.  He  said  in  part: 

"As  the  result  of  less  than  a  half  century  of  effort  and  experi- 
ence, irrigation  has  changed  arid,  desolate  plains  producing  nothing 
but  cactus  and  stunted  grass,  into  orchards  and  gardens,  created  cities 
like  Salt  Lake  and  Los  Angeles,  and  dotted  with  rural  homes,  many 
valleys  where  once  the  live  stock  industry  was  supreme.  From  being 
an  experiment  there  is  not  now  an  arid  state  or  territory  in  which  the 
products  of  the  irrigated  farms  do  not  rival  in  value  those  of  the 
mines  or  factories.  Looking  at  these  achievements  the  question  may 
well  be  asked  whether  or  not  there  is  any  need  of  state  or  national 
aid  to  promote  the  success  of  this  industry.  If  people,  to  whom  at 
the  outset  the  whole  subject  was  strange  and  new,  have  succeeded  so 
well,  cannot  the  complete  utilization  of  western  land  and  western 
rivers  be  left  to  unaided  private  effort? 

"It  is  the  opinion  of  those  best  informed  that  the  present  hap- 
hazard development  cannot  continue.  The  area  now  irrigated  is  now 
larger  than  the  state  of  New  York,  every  acre  of  which  has  been 
watered  from  one  to  six  times  each  year.  The  canals  and  literals 
which  distribute  this  water  are  many  thousands  of  miles  in  length, 
and  require  in  their  management  during  the  growing  season  an  army 
of  men  to  protect  and  regulate  headgates,  patrol  their  banks  and  ad- 
just the  measuring  boxers  of  users.  The  success  or  failure  of  these 
canals  is  a  matter  of  local  interest.  Much  of  the  money  expended  in 
their  construction  came  from  the  East. 

"Already  the  claims  to  water  amount  in  the  aggregate  to  many 
times  the  supply.  Every  transaction  which  has  thus  far  had  to  do 
with  their  disposal  has  been  marked  by  a  lavish  prodigality.  Ditches 
have  diverted  more  than  was  used,  the  owners  have  claimed  more 
than  they  could  divert,  and  the  courts  have  given  the  claimants  titles 
to  more  than  the  ditches  could  carry  and  often  many  times  what  the 
highest  floods  would  supply.  In  the  absence  of  definite  information 
of  the  quantity  needed  to  irrigate  an  acre  .of  land,  or  of  the  volume 
which  streams  will  furnish,  the  ignorance  or  greed  of  the  speculative 
appropriator  has  its  opportunity. 

"We  can  most  surely  end  this  state  of  things  by  showing  how 
much  water  is  needed  and  when  it  is  used.  To  do  this  on  a  large 
scale  is  expensive.  To  have  the  results  accepted  as  a  guide  to  legis- 
lation and  as  a  basis  for  the  important  transactions,  they  must  be 
made  by  men  of  capacity  and  experience  and  cover  a  wide  range  of 


THE  IRRIGA 7  JON  A  GE.  9 

country  and  conditions,  and  they  must  be  absolutely  freed  from  local 

•  or  selfish  influence.     All  these  mark  the  study  as  one  which  the  gen- 
eral goverment  can  carry  on  more  effectively  than  any  other  agency. 

"The  public,  East  and  West,  has  another  interest  in  this  investi- 
gation. There  are  many  million  acres  of  irrigable  land  yet  to  be  re- 
claimed. This  land  is  a  public  trust  and  the  opportunity  of  future 
home  seekers.  In  order  to  know  how  much  can  be  safely  offered  to 
settlers  we  must  know  how  much  water  each  stream  will  supply,  and 
how  much  an  acre  of  land  requires.  The  government  should  provide 
this  information  as  a  guide  to  honest  enterprise  and  protection  from 
unscrupulous  ones. '  Sooner  or  later  a  knowledge  of  the  duty  of  water 
becomes  a  necessary  in  every  irrigated  district.  It  is  required  to 
settle  disputes  over  water  right  contracts  and  provide  for  their  intel- 
ligent reconstruction.  It  is  needed  by  law  makers  in  the  framing  of 
laws  for  the  establishment  of  water  rights  and  by  the  courts  in  ren- 
dering decisions. 

"  The  issue  as  to  whether  western  rivers  are  to  remain  a  public 
trust  or  become  personal  property  is  being  waged  with  a  vigor  com- 
mensurate with  the  value  of  the  property.  The  result  will  determine 
whether  irrigated  agriculture  will  become  corporate  or  co-operative. 
Personal  ownership  creates  an  opportunity  for  monopolies  more  ab- 
solute and  oppressive  than  any  now  existing.  Those  who  do  not  ob- 
ject to  the  free  grants  of  perpetual  franchise  in  cities,  will  approve  of 
the  free  and  perpetual  surrender  of  the  water  of  streams.  It  is  my 
belief  that  both  are  alike  unwise. 

• '  The  time  to  settle  which  of  these  two  policies  should  prevail  is 
during  the  early  year  of  our  development,  in  the  pregnant  years  when 
institutions  are  forming  and  before  mistakes  or  abuses  have  become 
fixed  by  time  or  custom.  There  are  two  agencies  which  should  be  en- 
listed in  this  work.  The  national  government  should  study  the  irri- 
gation systems  of  the  different  states  and  of  other  countries,  as  the 
governments  of  Canada  and  Australia  are  now  doing.  This  the  office 
of  Experiment  Stations  has  begun.  Some  of  the  most  equable  and 
experienced  students  of.  irrigation  are  now  making,  under  its  direc- 
tion, a  careful  investigation  of  the  irrigation  systems  of  Utah  and 
California.  Their  reports  when  printed  will  show  in  concrete  form 
what  sort  of  water  ownership  now  prevails  and  the  merits  and  defects 
of  the  systems  now  in  use.  It  is  the  intention  to  extend  these  studies 
to  other  states  in  order  that  legislatures  may  profit  by  the  experience 
of  neighboring  commonwealths,  This,  however,  is  not  enough.  The 
problems  of  today  will  not  be  the  same  tomorrow.  With  growing  and 
increasing  scarcity  there  will  be  a  constant  evolution  in  water  laws. 
"The  next  generation  of  irrigators  should  be  educated  to  deal  with 
them.  A  course  of  instruction  in  the  social  and  industrial  features  of 
irrigation  should  be  provided  in  every  western  university.  A  number 

•  of  agricultural  colleges,  Colorado  being  especially   entitled   to  com- 


10  THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 

mendation,  are  rendering  valuable  service  to  the  West  by  their  in- 
struction in  irrigation  engineering  and  an  investigation  of  its  prob- 
lems. This  should  be  supplemented  by  equally  thorough  instruction 
in  the  laws  and  methods  which  should  control  the  ownership  and  dis- 
tribution of  streams.  If  Jefferson  was  right  in  believing  that  one  of 
the  functions  of  universities  is  to  form  the  statesman,  legislators  and 
judges  on  whom  public  prosperity  and  individual  happiness  so  much 
depends  there  is  no  question  that  the  state  universities  of  the  arid 
region  can  in  no  way  more  effectively  serve  the  commonwealths  which 
support  them  than  by  instructing  their  students  in  the  principles 
which  should  govern  the  disposal  of  the  commodity  which  is  destined 
to  exercise  a  larger  influence  ovt>r  the  prosperity  and  growth  of  the 
western  third  of  the  United  States  than  all  other  influences  combined.' 


The  splendid  work  which  El  wood  Mead  and  his  assistants  are  do- 
ing throughout  the  West  along  irrigation  lines,  is  becoming  well 
known.  As  state  engineer  of  Wyoming,  Mr.  Mead  achieved  for  his 
state  such  an  enviable  reputation  throughout  the  irrigated  region 
that  his  broader  work  of  investigation  under  the  general  government 
is  meeting  with  much  favor  and  is  being  watched  with  deep  interest. 
His  first  annual  report  on  "Irrigation  Investigation"  is  just  issuing 
and  will  be  found  of  great  value  to  the  West. 

It  deals  with  the  methods  in  use  in  the  arid  states  in  the  distribu- 
tion and  use  of  water  in  irrigation,  and  gives  a  large  number  of  meas- 
urements made  to  determine  the  duty  of  water,  the  losses  from  seep- 
age and  evaporation  [in  canals,  and  describes  the  methods  by  which 
the  water  supply  may  be  more  effectively  and  economically  applied 
to  crops.  It  contains  papers  discussing  the  results  of  the  year's  in- 
vestigations by  El  wood  Mead,  expert  in  charge,  Clarence  T.Johnston, 
assistant,  and  reports  and  discussions  by  special  agents  Thomas 
Berry,  Colorado;  W.  M.  Reed,  New  Mexico;  W.  H.  Code,  Arizona;  W. 
Irving,  California;  R.  C.  Gemmell  and  George  L.  Swendsen,  Utah; 
D.  W.  Ross,  Idaho;  Samuel  Fortier,  Montana,  and  O.  V.  P.  Stout 
Nebraska.  It  is  illustrated  by  views,  diagrams  and  maps  showino-  the 
location  and  character  of  the  investigations  made. 

"The  investigation,"  says  Mr.  Mead,  "deal  with  problems  which 
sorely  perplex  the  irrigators  and  canal  builders  of  the  arid  West. 
Their  comprehensive  study  is  a  new  feature  of  national  aid  to  irrio-a- 
tion  development  in  this  country.  Heretofore  the  leading  object  of 
such  aid  has  been  to  promote  the  construction  of  new  canals,  to  show 
how  much  land  there  was  above  existing  ditches  which  could  be  re- 
claimed, and  the  benefits  which  would  come  from  such  reclamation. 
It  is  believed  that  this  investigation  also  will  tend  to  secure  these 
ends,  but  its  primary  purpose  is  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  people 
living  under  the  ditches  already  built,  to  render  the  farms  now  irri- 


TEE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  11 

gated  more  profitable,  to  lessen  the  controversies  over  the  distribu- 
tion of  water  and  secure  its  more  systematic  and  economical  use." 

During  the  year  that  Mr.  Mead  has  had  the  work  of  irrigation 
investigation  in  charge  a  great  number  of  measurement  have  been 
made  of  water  used  for  irrigation  at  the  heads  of  the  large  canals,  at 
the  heads  of  the  small  canals  or  laterals  and  also  at  the  margins  of 
the  fields  when  used.  These  measurements  show  in  many  cases  a  sur- 
prising discrepancy.  The  differences  in  the  measurements  at  the 
three  places  show  the  approximate  loss  of  water  in  transit  in  canals. 
The  results  which  are  given  in  full  in  Mr.  Mead's  report  are  expressed 
in  the  depth  to  which  the  water  measured  would  cover  the  land  irri- 
gated, provided  it  all  reached  the  land.  The  table  below  gives  the 
averages  of  the  three  classes  of  measurements. 

Depth 

Measured  at  the  heads  of  large  canals. ...  2.63  feet 

Measured  at  the  heads  of  large  canals  and  laterals 2.40  feet 

Measured  at  the  margins  of  fields  when  used 1.29  feet 

The  causes  assigned  for  these  immense  losses  are  improper  con- 
struction, the  nature  of  the  soil  through  which  the  canals  pass,  and 
the  practice  of  placing  checks  in  canals  to  throw  water  on  land  too 
high  to  be  irrigated  without  their  use.  The  report  of  the  work  on 
the  Gage  Canal  in  California  shows  that  practically  all  these  losses 
can  be  stopped  when  the  value  of  the  water  will  justify  the  necessary 
expense.  This  saving  would  enable  many  existing  canals  to  irrigate 
double  the  area  now  reclaimed. 

Serious  losses  from  evaporation  do  not  occur  in  main  canals,  but 
from  the  fields  where  water  is  distributed.  During  the  midsummer 
season  the  continuous  sunshine  heats  the  surface  of  the  ground  to  a 
very  high  temperature.  A  test  made  last  summer  by  the  govern- 
ment irrigation  man,  showed  the  surface  soil  in  southern  California  to 
have  a  temperature  of  120  degrees  F.  When  a  thin  layer  of  water  is 
spread  over  land  thus  heated,  as  it  is  frequently  done  when  flooding 
is  practiced,  the  loss  from  evaporation  must  be  excessive.  Mr.  W.  M. 
Reed  discusses  this  in  his  report  on  New  Mexico,  showing  instances 
where  it  has  become  so  great  as  to  entirely  consume  the  volume  sup- 
plied. Irrigators  know  by  practice  how  much  faster  an  irrigation 
head  of  water  travels  over  fields  at  night  and  in  the  early  morning 
than  during  the  afternoon.  This  is  due  to  the  difference  in  the  rate  of 
evaporation.  In  order  to  lessen  this  loss  it  is  important  that  fields  be 
irrigated  as  quickly  as  possible.  To  do  this  each  irrigator  should  be 
supplied  with  all  the  water  he  can  distribute.  Where  only  a  small 
stream  is  used,  progress  is  slow,  the  soil  next  the  laterals  is  satu- 
rated; it  is  hard  work  to  reach  the  high  spots  while  the  low  ones  are 
over  irrigated  by  the  delay  this  causes. 

Contracts  which  provide  for  the  delivery  of  a  uniform  constant 
flow  are,  as  a  rule,  wasteful  of  water.     Contracts  which  charge  for  the 


12  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

acres  irrigated,  without  regard  to  the  volume  used  on  these  acres,  are 
a  temptation  to  extravagance  on  the  part  of  the  irrigator.  On  the 
other  hand,  contracts  providing  payment  proportioned  to  the  quantity 
delivered  and  for  delivery  in  amounts  which  can  be  most  efficiently 
distributed,  cannot  fail  to  lead  to  economy  in  the  use  of  water,  and 
consequently  to  a  high  duty.  Under  such  a  system  the  irrigator  is 
benefitted  by  his  saving  and  pays  for  his  waste.  Such  contracts  can 
only  be  employed  in  connection  with  a  system  of  rotation  in  delivery 
to  irrigators.  This  rotation  benefits  the  canal  company  as  well  as  the 
irrigator,  because  it  lessens  the  loss  from  evaporation  and  seepage. 
If  a  canal  is  large  enough  to  supply  100  farms  it  will  still  supply  them 
whether  they  are  all  irrigated  every  day  or  one-half  given  twice  the 
usual  supply  every  other  day.  On  large  canals  the  economy  of  such 
rotation  is  very  great.  It  would  permit  of  dividing  canals  in  sections 
and  supplying  the  lands  under  them,  one  section  at  a  time.  A  canal 
60  miles  long  could  be  divided  into  three  sections  of  20  miles  each,  and 
all  the  loss  from  seepage  and  evaporation  on  the  lower  forty  miles 
saved  while  the  irrigators  of  the  upper  section  were  being  supplied. 
In  the  same  way,  by  keeping  the  full  supply  in  the  canal,  water  could 
be  rushed  through  to  users  under  the  lower  section  with  less  loss  than 
where  the  flow  is  depleted  by  laterals  along  the  route.  The  greatest 
saving  in  rotation,  however,  would  be  made  in  the  laterals.  Where 
water  is  permitted  to  slowly  dribble  through  continuously  the  waste 
is  enormous.  By  devising  a  system  for  grouping  the  laterals  and 
inducing  the  irrigators  therefrom  to  take  water  by  turns,  the  engineer 
can  do  as  much  toward  raising  the  duty  obtained  as  the  actual  culti- 
vator. 

The  co-operation  of  the  western  states  with  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  in  making  this  broad  investigation  of  the  duty  of  water 
will  be  of  immense  value  just  now  when  the  time  is  ripe  for  a  western 
awakening  which  will  induce  the  government  to  enter  into  actual 
appropriations  for  the  construction  of  irrigation  works  which  will 
place  under  cultivation  vast  additional  areas.  It  is  important  that  all 
the  light  possible  should  be  thrown  upon  the  subject. 


FOR  NATIONAL  IRRIGATION. 


EASTERN  INTEREST  IN  ITS  POSSIBILITIES  IS 

GROWING. 


Evidence  comes  to  show  that  the  national  irrigation  movement  is 
not  dead,  but  that  on  the  contrary  it  has  taken  a  firm  hold,  particu- 
~arly  of  the  people  of  the  East,  where  opposition  has  been  the  strong- 
est. On  the  17th  of  August,  the  Missouri  Press  Association  adopted 
ringing  resolutions  pledging  itself  to  urge  Upon  congress  and  upon 
individual  senators  and  representatives,  irrespective  of  party,  the  ne- 
cessity for  the  construction  of  storage  reservoirs  by  the  federal  gov- 
ernment in  order  to  redeem  Arid  America  and  to  control  the  floods  of 
the  Mississippi.  The  resolutions  were  comprehensive  and  broad. 

On  the  same  day  the  National  Association  of  Merchants  and  Trav- 
elers, of  Chicago,  at  a  special  meeting  of  their  executive  committee 
to  decide  whether  they  would  take  hold  of  the  national  irrigation 
movement,  adopted  the  following  trenchant  resolutions: 

"WHEREAS,  the  building  of  great  storage  reservoirs  and  canals 
by  the  federal  government,  as  advocated  by  the  National  Irrigation 
Association,  would  transform  the  great  arid  region  of  the  west  into  a 
fertile  territory,  capable  of  sustaining  a  greater  population  than  in- 
habits the  whole  United  States  today,  and  would  practically  double 
our  national  wealth  and  resources,  enormously  enlarging  our  home 
markets  and  increasing  our  trade  and  commerce  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  whole  people  of  the  United  States.  Now,  therefore,  be  it 

" Resolved,  That  the  Federal  Association  of  Merchants  and  Trav- 
elers will  give  its  active  and  vigorous  support  to  the  national  irriga- 
tion movement,  and  we  urge  upon  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
and  especially  upon  all  merchants  and  manufacturers  and  commercial 
organizations  in  every  part  of  the  country  that  they  co-operate  in  aid 
of  the  movement."' 

The  fact  is  that  eastern  merchants  and  business  men  generally 
recognize  the  moment  that  it  is  called  to  their  attention,  the  vast  pos- 
ibilities  which  open  before  them,  in  the  reclamation  of  the  arid  west 
through  a  comprehensive  storage  reservoir  system.  It  takes  no  pro- 
phet to  see  that  with  the  opening  to  settlement  of  millions  of  acres  of 
the  most  productive  land  in  the  world  and  its  population  by  thrifty, 
industrious  and  well-to-do  farming  communities,  an  immense  market, 
the  superior  of  any  in  the  world  and  almost  at  and  within  our  very 
doors,  will  be  opened  to  the  thousands  of  American  factories  looking 
for  places  to  sell  their  products,  while  they  in  turn  would  be  so  stim- 


14  THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 

ulated  as  to  make  heavy  demands  upon   eastern   farmers  to  feed   the 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  their  employes. 

The  more  general  introduction  of  irrigation  practices  in  eastern 
humid  regions  is  a  good  sign  for  the  arid  west,  for,  with  a  more  gen- 
eral familiarity  with  the  subject,  the  better  it  is  for  that  section  en- 
tirely dependant  upon  it  when  it,  comes  to  a  question  of  needed  legis- 
lation. In  Louisiana  the  possibilities  of  irrigation  are  great,  and  for 
an  extremely  humid  state  it  has  already  a  comparatively  large  area 
under  water  systems,  amounting  to  something  over  100,000  acres, 
while  the  annual  rainfall  of  the  state  is  double  the  average  for  the 
whole  country,  being  in  the  neighborhood  of  60  inches,  yet  Louisiana 
is  subject  to  the  most'  severe  drouths,  especially  in  the  spring-time 
when  the  crops  need  moisture.  The  Mississippi  furnishes  an  unlimited 
water  source  for  much  of  the  state,  and  its  waters  hold  in  suspension 
and  solution  much  matter  of  a  fertilizing  nature. 

New  Jersey  is  another  state  which  furnishes  some  excellent  object 
lessons  on  artificial  watering,  and  in  Wisconsin,  on  land  receiving  its 
full  share  of  the  rainfall  of  the  humid  belt,  irrigation  of  small  crops 
has  been  shown  to  produce  remarkable  returns  over  and  above  cost  of 
production  and  watering.  The  more  this  sort  of  development  affects 
the  east,  the  less  novel  will  be  the  subject  and  the  less  opposition  will 
be  put  forward  by  the  intelligent  people  of  that  section  to  a  policy  of 
general  western  reclamation. 

The  opponents  of  federal  irrigation  admit  that  it  is  quite  proper 
for  the  government  to  appropriate  money  for  the  construction  of  ex- 
pensive ripraps  and  levees  for  floods  to  destroy  from  time  to  time,  in 
addition  to  causing  vast  loss  to  life  and  private  property;  yet  that  it  is 
wholly  wrong  to  build  reservoirs  to  restrain  these  floods  and  thus  get 
at  the  root  of  the  evil,  because  the  water  stored  in  these  reservoirs 
would  be  used  to  irrigate  parched  fields,  and  thus  we  would  be  adding 
too  much  to  our  productive  capacity.  Fortunately,  the  adherents  to 
this  narrow  proposition  are  not  numerous,  and  the  theory  is  not  grow- 
ing in  popularity. 

However  wise,  just  and  carefully  drawn  may  be  the  water  laws  of 
a  state,  they  do  not  afford  its  residents  complete  protection,  because 
rivers  are  bound  to  flow  across  state  lines,  and  in  such  cases  only  fed- 
eral control  will  insure  equit}'". 

Forests  and  storage  reservoirs  both  serve  the  same  purpose, 
namely,  that  of  keeping  the  waters  from  running  away  from  the 
mountains  in  spring  floods  and  letting  it  down  gradually  during  the-, 
crop  season. 


SALVATION    ARMY    IRRIGATORS. 


IRRIGATION    ENGINEER    FROM  THE  PUNJAB  TO 
INSPECT  AMERICAN  METHODS. 

The  irrigation  farms  of  the  Salvation  Army  are  attracting  consid- 
erable notice.  In  Colorado  the  Army  has  one  farm  of  a  thousand 
acres  and  is  about  to  add  another  thousand.  It  has  another  farm  in 
California  and  the  movement  generally  is  .looked  upon  as  of  some 
economic  importance. 

Commander  Booth  Tucker  invited  his  friend  E.  A.  Pargiter,a  gov- 
ernment irrigation  engineer  of  the  Punjab,  India,  to  visit  the  irriga- 
tion farms  of  the  Salvation  Army  and  Mr.  Pargiter  is  now  in  this 
country  on  two  years'  leave  of  absence. 

•'I  intend  also  to  study  irrigation  in  the  United  States  for  my 
own  benefit,"  said  Mr.  Pargiter  in  an  interview  at  San  Francisco. 
"  Methods  and  conditions  here  are  quite  different  from  in  India, where 
I  have  been  connected  with  the  Public  Works  for  some  fifteen  years. 'r 

Mr.  Pargiter  upheld  the  Indian  government  in  its  treatment  of 
the  famine  question.  "India  "he  said,  "has  reclaimed  vast  areas 
through  building  permanent  irrigation  works  for  the  watering  of  arid 
lands  which  cannot  grow  crops  without  irrigation,  and  this  has  won- 
derfully improved  the  condition  of  the  people  living  in  those  districts. 
There  are  now  about  5,000,000  acres  benefited  by  a  system  of  irriga- 
tion works. 

"Irrigation  is  under  government  control  in  India.  This  has 
proved  by  far  the  most  satisfactory  method  and  the  best  for  the  peo- 
ple. There  have  been  many  large  private  irrigation  projects  but  the 
government  has  found  it  necessary  sooner  or  .later  to  control  them  for 
the  reason  that  investments  in  large  irrigation  enterprises  do  not 
yield  an  immediate  return  on  the  money  and  private  capital  is  not 
willing  to  wait  eight  or  ten  or  even  fifteen  years  for  an  investment  to 
begin  to  pay.  But  the  government  can  wait,  and  finally  will  secure 
good  interest  on  its  money.  Some  of  the  districts  return  a  profit  to 
the  government  as  high  as  10  and  15  percent.  Rice  and  sugar  land  is 
charged  f or „ irrigation  about  $3  an  acre.  The  charge  for  cotton  lands 
is  $5.  For  wheat  and  barley  lands  $1  is  the  charge. 

"  Irrigation  can  hardly  solve  the  famine  question  for  the  reason 
that  the  famines  occur  in  regions  where  some  years  there  is  ample 
rainfall  for  the  crops.  The  drouth  comes  along  generally  about 
once  in  ten  years  and  while  an  irrigation  system  would  avert  trouble 
in  that  ye.'tr,  during  the  other  nine  years  in  would  not  be  patronized. 
The  stricken  districts  have  suffered  a  drought  for  three  years  in  sue- 


16  THE  IEEIGA  TION  A  GE 

«ssion  this  time,  something  which  will  probably  never  happen  again 
for  fifty  or  one  hundred  years.     When  it  rains  in  those  districts  there 
is  more  than  enough  of  it.     Irrigation  is  then  utterly  of  no  use." 

"Colorado  should  be  the  greatest  agricultural  state  in  the  West, 
says  the  Denver  Times.  In  its  sandy  plains  and  valleys  there  is  as 
much  gold  as  in  its  mountains.  The  only  difference  is  in  ger/ting  it 
out.  For  the  one  the  plow  and  the  harvester  are  used.  For  the 
other  the  pick  and  drill  are  necessary.  Colorado  needs  more  farmers. 
A  thickly  settled  agricultural  region  builds  up  cities.  It  makes  a 
prosperous  state." 

And  this  possibility  of  upbuilding  and  development  through  agri- 
culture will  apply  to  all  the  great  arid  west  as  soon  as  its  land  shall 
have  been  reclaimed  and  made  productive  through  the  construction  of 
great  storage  reservoirs  and  the  conservation  of  the  vast  volumes  of 
water  which  now  flow  uselessly  to  the  sea. 

In  his  last  annual  report  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  referring 
to  the  arid  lands  of  the  West  says:  "That  this  vast  acreage,  capable 
of  sustaining  and  comfortably  supporting,  under  a  proper  system  of 
irrigation,  a  population  of  at  least  50,000,000  people,  should  remain 
practically  a  desert,  is  not  in  harmony  with  the  progress  of  the  age  or 
in  keeping  with  the  possibilities  of  the  future."  The  federal  govern- 
ment should  devote  a  portion  of  its  annual  river  and  harbor  appropri- 
ation to  the  building  of  the  great  storage  reservoirs,  the  surveys  for 
which  have  been  made  by  the  geological  survey. 

The  extensive  regions  of  northern  Mexico,  are,  it  is  reported,  to 
be  irrigated  by  canals  through  aid  extended  by  the  Mexican  federal 
and  state  governments. 


THE  DUTY  OF  GIRLS. 


By  ENOCH  DIXON. 

There  are  almost  as  many  varie- 
ties of  girls  In  the  world  as  there 
are  individuals.  No  two  are  ex- 
actly alike,  yet,  if  we  dispense 
with  the  finer  distinctions  which 
would  prompt  a  sub-division  of  the 
groups,  there  are  but  a  few  general 
classes.  The  distinction  between 
these  classes  is  vague,  however, 
and  while  they  are  in  a  measure 
opposed  in  character,  disposition 
and  inclination,  yet  one  class  is 
really  synonymous  of  the  others. 
The  fact  is,  and  we  would  not  have 
it  otherwise  if  we  could,  girls  are 
girls.  One  may  be  petite  and 
vivacious,  hence  attractive  to  some, 
while  the  power  of  another  may  be 
in  her  obesity  and  timidity.  The 
gift  of  verbosity,  even  without  rea- 
son or  logic  may  insure  "the  popu- 
larity of  one,  while  her  taciturn 
sister  may  have  equally  as  large 
and  as  earnest  a  following.  The 
society  butterfly  has  a  no  more 
faithful  or  devoted  cavalier  than  has 
the  girl  who  is  a  product  of  the 
slum;  the  maiden  who  goes  out  to 
domestic  service  is  loved  as  hon- 
estly as  the  woman  who  has  gained 
fame  in  art  or  music.  The  girl  who 
teaches  a  Sunday  school  class  and 
lives  a  goodly  life  may  be  an  old 
maid  when  her  frivolous  friend  is  a 
wife — though  the  man  who  chose 
her  may  not  have  used  commenda- 
ble discrimination  in  making  his 
choice. 

There   is   a   natural   law  which 
causes  like  to  seek  like,  and  another 

ess  commonly   enforced,    which 


forges  a  chain  of  friendship  be- 
tween the  antonyms  of  character. 
Generally  a  girl  can  be  judged  by 
the  company  she  keeps,  but  some- 
times that  standard  of  measure- 
ment is  at  fault.  The  frivolous 
may  consort  with  the  sedate  and 
each  find  pleasure  in  their  inter- 
course— the  lewd  may  attach  itself 
to  virtue  without  revealing  itself 
except  to  discriminating  judges  of 
character,  but  such  cases  are  rare. 
They  are  common  enough,  how- 
ever, to  prompt  caution  and  charity 
when  passing  judgment. 

Viewed  from  the  standpoint  of 
worldly  wisdom,  it  is  a  happy  pro- 
vision of  nature  that  there  is  a  de- 
mand for  all  kinds  of  girls.  The 
rabble  takes  what  comes  its  way, 
careless  of  character,  education  and 
qualifications.  Those  of  the  middle 
class  demand  virtue  and  some  edu- 
cation, but  ask  little  else.  The 
better  class  is  content  only  with  a 
combination  of  all  the  graces — 
womanly  virtue,  developed  intelli- 
gence, housewifely  qualifications, 
amiability  and  personal  grace. 
Because  of  their  standing  in  society 
and  before  the  world  the  people  of 
this  latter  class,  being  in  demand 
as  husbands,  have  first  choice 
among  the  marriagable  girls  and 
can  place  the  standard  where  they 
will.  They  leave  that  which  does 
not  meet  their  approval  and  the 
middle  class  has  second  choice.  The 
culls,  if  you  please,  go  to  the 
rabble. 

The  girl,  then,  practically  choses 


18 


2  HE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 


her  own  after  position  in  life.  She 
is  called  to  the  rank  for  which  she 
.is  fitted.  True,  there  may  be  oc- 
casions when  the  accident  of  birth 
may  prevent  exact  justice  in  the 
classification,  but  not  often.  In 
the  home,  no  matter  how  humble, 
true  character  will  develop.  A 
mask  may  be  worn  before  the 
world,  but  in  this  day  and  age  the 
world  has  a  habit  of  looking  behind 
the  mask;  It  is  a  discerning  world. 
It  readily  detects  shant  and  hum- 
bug. It  distinguishes  between 
carelessness  and  vice;  notes  the 
difference  between  honorable 
vivacity  and  that  levity  which  is 
prompted  ,by  depravity.  In  its  es- 
timate of  character  it  does  not  often 
make  a  mistake,  and  the  daughter 
of  humble  parents  may  incite  as 
much  reverence  and  respect  as  she 
who  is  reared  in  a  more  pretentious 
home  or  in  luxury.  The  money 
standard  does  not  measure  good- 
ness; the  possession  of  wealth  car- 
ries with  it  no  monopoly  of  virtue, 
intelligence  and  the  womanly 
graces. 

In  this  age  of  efficient  public 
schools  and  splendid  public  and 
traveling  libraries  a  good  education 
is  possible  for  any  girl  who  has 
reasonable  aspirations  and  a  little 
application.  In  the  public  schools 
are  opportunities  for  gaining  an 
education  which  is  ample,  in  all  the 
walks  of  life  except  the  profes- 
sions. This  may  be  supplemented 
by  a  course  of  reading,  costing 
nothing,  which  will  include  history, 
biography,  travel,  fiction  and  a  lit- 
tle science  if  desired.  Thus 
equipped  any  girl  of  average  intel- 
ligence can  carry  her  part  in  a  con- 
versation on  almost  any  topic,  and 


these  intercourses  will  constantly 
add  to  her  knowledge. 

The  daily  walk  of  the  girl  is  of 
much  moment  in  influencing  her 
fnture  life,  yet  there  are  so  many 
standards  that  no  ironclad  rule  can 
be  laid  down.  What  would  attract 
in  one  instance  would  repel  in 
another.  Above  the  rabble,  how- 
ever, virtue  is  always  demanded 
and  a  gaod  name  is  of  first  import- 
ance. It  is  an  essential  element. 
Even  the  appearance  of  evil  is  a 
handicap  which  cannot  be  wholly 
overcome.  The  world  is  not  char- 
itable with  this  offense.  Its  judg- 
ment is  harsh  and  the  decree  irre 
vocable.  The  girl,  then,  who 
would  occupy  an  honorable  place 
in  society  should  be  discriminating 
in  selecting  her  companions  and  of 
her  every  action. 

Of  much  importance,  also,  is 
amiability,  that  combination  of 
agreeable  qualities  which  win  the 
affections.  This  power  of  pleasing 
is  inherent  with  some,  while  in 
others  it  must  be  cultivated  and 
beveloped.  It  is  beyond  no  one. 
A  sour,  churlish  disposition  can  be 
curbed  or  entirely  changed.  No 
nature  has  not  its  agreeable  and 
pleasant  traits.  These,  if  properly 
appreciated,  can  be  fostered  and  in 
time  their  softening  influence  will 
permeate  and  transforms  the  most 
disagreeable  natural  inclinations. 
Sometimes  it  may  be  a  severe 
struggle,  but  "try,  try  again"  is 
the  motto,  success  must  come. 

Personal  grace  is  akin  to  amia- 
bility. Its  component  qualities  are 
graciousness  of  manner,  neatness 
of  dress,  cleanliness  of  person, 
adaptability  and  geniality.  These 
need  no  analytical  explanation. 


THE  IR  RIGA  T10N  A  GE 


19 


they  are  pleasingly  conspicuous  if 
they  exist;  shockingly  patent  if 
they  are  absent. 

The  housewifely  qualifications 
are  of  prime  importance.  No  true 
man  of  the  substantial  and  success- 
ful sort  loves  or  wholly  respects  a 
girl  because  of  the  gaudiriess  of 
her  apparel  or  the  brilliancy  of  her 
smile.  He  may  admire  her,  but  it 
is  much  the  same  sort  of  admira 
tion  he  lavishes  upon  a  pretty  pic- 
ture or  a  plate  from  a  fashion  mag- 
azine. He  would  not  want  her  for 
his  own;  in  the  chosing  of  a  wife 
he  would  strike  her  from  the  list  of 
eligibles.  Her  nature  would  not 
be  of  the  kind  that  would  be  sym- 
pathetic in  times  of  sorrow;  her  in- 
fluence would  not  be  strengthening 
if  he  were  called  upon  to  meet  mis- 
fortune. Her  influence  in  the  home 
would  not  conserve  that  peace, 
happiness  and  quietude  which 
makes  of  home  a  retreat  from  the 
trials  and  worries  of  business. 

In  preparing  for  wifehood  the 
girl  has  a  herculean  task.  She 
must  expect  to  "love,  honor  and 


obey"  her  husband  for  an  average 
lifetime  of  thirty  years.  During 
this  time  there  are  three  meals  to 
prepare  each  day,  three  hundred 
and  sixty-five  times  each  year,  for 
the  individual  whose  stomach  if 
not-  filled  or  his  palate  gratified, 
refuses  to  be  happy  or  congenial. 
Added  to.  this  are  the  daily  duties 
of  the  house,  the  bearing  and 
bringing  up  of  children  and  the  de- 
mands of  society  to  be  met.  It  is 
a  task  which  in  its  total  is  appall- 
ing, and  for  which  careful  prepara- 
tion should  be  made.  It  is  a  task 
which  the  frivilously  inclined  do 
not  accomplish  and  the  intelligent 
man  realizes  that  the  possession  of 
housewifely  qualifications  is  a  true 
indication  of  sterling  worth  and 
good  quality. 

With  the  acquirement  of  the  vir- 
tues herein  enumerated  any  girl  of 
sound  mind  can  fit  he'rself  for  and 
rise  to  the  choicest  position  in  the 
world — that  of  the  wife  of  an  hon- 
est, loving,  discriminating  man 
She  must  either  do  this  or  become 
a  second  or  third  choice. 


PHYSICAL  ECONOMICS. 


By  E.  MARGUERITE  LINDLEY. 

Summer  is  ended.  Short  skirts 
have  been  every  woman's  bliss 
whether  or  not  she  was  a  golfist. 
What  is  she  to  do  now,  when  she 
returns  cityward?  Adopt  the  long 
street  skirt  again,  with  its  ragged, 
dirty  edge,  and  weary  her  arms  in 
her  fruitless  attempt  to  hold  it 
above  street  filth?  What  is  the 
use  of  women's  clubs  If  they  have 
no  strength  when  establishing  hy- 
gienic measures  for  our  sex  is  con- 
cerned? 

The  question  of  dress  for  club 
women  has  been  very  strongly  dis- 
cussed of  late  in  regard  to  elabo- 
rateness of  dress  while  attending 
club  functions.  Should  or  should 
not  the  woman  of  means  wear  her 
elegant  gowns  in  the  presence  of 
those  who  from  economy's  pressing 
needs  must  dress  plainly.  That,  in 
brief,  is  the  question  shorn  of  all 
apologies  and  of  all  attempts  to 
make  an  ugly  fact  appear  a  grace- 
ful one. 

The  question  has  been  met  too 
radically  in  the  positive  or  affirma- 
tive, and  by  those  who  give  a  per- 
sonal view  only,  forgetting  that 
there  are  a  great  number  of  points 
to  be  considered,  all  of  them 
equally  sensible,  and  that  to  meet 
a  question  of  such  import  one  must 
put  herself  in  the  place  of  a  score 
of  others  and  give  an  impartial 
opinion. 

Club  life  levels  all  financial 
grades.  There  the  woman  of 
means  finds  herself  of  no  more  im- 
portance than  the  woman  of  econ- 


omy, providing  their  mental  status 
is  on  an  equality.  It  would  be  a 
tooL'sh  waste  of  time  to  discuss 
the  frivolous  woman  of  wealth,  or 
her  whose  wealth  is  too  new  for  it 
to  have  become  a  part  of  her.  In- 
stead, we  will  consider  the  woman 
of  refinement  and  culture  who  is 
blessed  with  affluence  and  who  dis- 
plays no  air  of  superiority  over  her 
less  favored  neighbor.  The  true 
woman  of  economy  also  experiences 
no  feeling  of  inferiority  because  of 
her  plain  attire.  Her  paper  carries 
just  as  much  weight  in  club  life  as 
her  wealthy  neighbor's,  providing- 
it  is  equally  well  prepared. 

The  wealthy  woman  is  accus- 
tomed to  elegance  and  would  not 
appear  natural  in  inferior  clothing. 
Her  dress  is  a  part  of  her.  Let  no 
one  dispute  her  freedom  in  taste. 
When  unfavorable  criticism  is 
made  on  her  taste  and  personal  ap- 
pearance, she  is  probable  to  retire 
from  the  club.  No  one,  however 
sensitive  on  the  question  of  econ- 
omy can  desire  this. 

The  woman  who  spends  her 
money  for  expensive  fabrics,  and 
employs  dressmakers  and  other 
trades  people,  is  aiding  greatly  all 
enterprises.  Sometimes  she  fur- 
nishes clerkships  for  the  husbande 
of  the  very  women  who  are  one 
sided  enough  to  criticize  her  elabo- 
rateness of  dress. 

The  point  first  mentioned  in  re- 
gard to  club  women  and  dress, 
should  concern  us  all.  We  have 
enough  in  that  one  topic,,  "hygienic 


TEE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


21 


and  artistic  arrangement  of  dress  " 
to  occupy  us  in  club  discussion  all 
the  season,  and  we  had  best  let  the 
wealthy  woman  alone.  Until  late 
years,  we  may  as  well  say  until  to- 
day, every  thing  in  women's  dress 
has  been  decided  by  fashion.  Now, 
clubs  will  set  the  pace  and  fashion 
(whoever  she  has  been)  will  be 
under  club  rule.  The  one  great 
question,  street  skirt,  should  be 
rationally  considered  and  decided. 
The  long  skirt  gathers  up  disease 
germs,  conveys  them  into  the  house 
and  distributes  them  on  carpet  and 
upholstery.  The  wearer  herself  is 
liable  to  dislodge  the  germs  from 
dress  edge,  while  passing  it  over 
her  head  in  dressing,  and  to  swal- 
low them.  Children  at  play  on  the 
floor  are  sure  to  suffer  results 
sooner  or  later.  Even  if  not  yield- 
ing to  disease,  the  absorption  of 
germs  renders  the  system  less 
resistant  to  illness  generally. 

After  some  of  the  family  have 
been  laid  low  from  diphtheria, 
scarlet  fever  or  other  germinal  dis- 
ease, mourning  robes  are  adopted 
and  a  wail  goes  forth  against  the 
"Hand  of  Providence."  Poor  Prov- 
idence! that  he  couldn't  have  en- 
dowed women  with  sufficient  intel- 
ligence to  enable  them  to  dress  in 
cleanly  manner.  One  woman,  liv- 
ing in  a  suburb  of  New  York,  hav- 
ing searched  in  vaiu  the  location 
in  which  she  lives  for  any  trace  of 
scarlet  fever  whereby  her  child 
took  the  contagion,  finally  con- 
cluded "I  must  have  brought  it 
from  New  York  on  the  bottom  of 
my  dress;"  and  the  period  of  her 
visit  there  made  it  a  very  probable 
conclusion,  as  no  other  cases  had 
occurred  nor  did  subsequently  oc- 


cur in  the  vicinity. 

Physical  strength  should  be 
utilized  to  better  account  than  by 
holding  up  cumbersome  clothing. 
And  what  about  the  grotesque  pic- 
ture presented  by  the  average 
woman  when  thus  engaged?  She 
knows  her  neighbor  is  a  "sight," 
but  she  evidently  fancies  herself  a 
pleasing  picture.  Would  she  could 
"see  herself  as  others  see  her." 
Generally  she  raises  the  skirt  so 
high  in  plares  as  to  display  lower 
limbs,  or  draws  the  skirt  so  snugly 
as  to  outline  the  body  as  plainly  as 
though  she  had  on  tights,  or  grasps 
tightly  the  back  midway  below  the 
waist  as  though  holding  a  loosened 
garment  from  slipping  off.  The 
grotesque,  not  the  artistic  prevails 
and  will  as  long  as  the  trained 
street  skirt  is  permitted. 

In  adjusting  the  short  skirt,  the 
wearer  should  stand  on  an  eleva- 
tion while  the  dressmaker  decides 
the  exact  length,  as  the  contour  of 
instep  and  ankle  rules  the  decision. 
The  length  should  be  from  three  to 
five  inches  from  the  floor,  and  often 
half  an  inch  either  way  spoils  the 
artistic  effect.  Great  care  should 
be  taken  that  it  hangs  evenly. 
Above  all,  have  shoes,  jacket  and 
hat  up-to-date,  and  the  shortened 
skirt  will  permanently  establish 
itself  for  street  wear. 

Clubs  claim  to  bring  together 
the  leading  women  of  our  country. 
Let  these  leading  women  lead  in 
woman's  real  province,  health  and 
attractiveness,  and  let  them  anni- 
hilate the  trailing  street  skirt  that 
certainly  is  an  exceedingly  power- 
ful enemy  to  both. 

I  ask  all  clubs  who  intend  to  dis- 
cuss this  very  important  topic,  to 
kindly  send  me  communications 
that  I  may  publish  them  in  this  de- 
partment. Our  great  work  should 
be  to  make  known  our  good  works 
through  CLUB  LIFE,  for  the  good 
of  others. 


A  FAIR  SPRINKLER, 

By  GRACE  GOODMAN. 


If  it  is  true  as  my  cynical  old 
bachelor  friend  Winthrop  says, 
that  all  women  look  sallow  in  the 
morning,  it  is  equally  certain  that 
they  are  beautiful  in  the  twilight, 
especially  in  summer  when  seen  on 
a  lawn  in  white  dresses.  And  I 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
my  young  neighbor  across  the  way, 
who  every  night  about  eight  makes 
her  appearance  on  the  lawn  with  a 
hose  is  very  lovely,  though  this 
fact  I  cannot  prove.  What  I  can 
say  is  that  she  is  graceful  and 
slender,  that  she  drags  that  slimy 
old  hose  across  the  grass  in  a  really 
dignified  manner,  and  that  she  has 
a  fashion  of  holding  back  her  skirts 
with  one  hand  while  she  wields  the 
hose  with  the  other,  which  is  truly 
picturesque. 

Now  I  don't  pretend  to  be  any- 
thing of  a  student  of  human  nature, 
but  I  really  think  that  I  can  ana- 
lyze this  girl's  character  from  the 
way  she  handles  a  hose.  That  she 
handles  it  at  all  is  a  proof  of  enter- 
prise and  individuality,  for  here  in 
aristocratic  Kenwood  we  usually 
hire  someone  to  do  our  sprinkling 
for  us  and  it  is  only  because  I  enjoy 
the  opportunity  for  a  little  outing 
that  I  am  so  conscientious  about 
keeping  my  lady  mother's  grass 
well  watered  this  season,  and  the 
one  I  have  just  hinted  at,  the  fact 
that  I  am  thus  given  the  chance  to 
study  my  unknown  fair  one.  And 
as  I  was  saying  I  have  learned  to 
know  that  girl  from  her  manner  of 
sprinkling. 


In  the  first  place  she  lacks  appli- 
cation and  method,  one  can  see 
that  from  the  way  she  will  sud- 
denly desert  the  roots  of  trees  into 
wThich  she  has  been  boring  and 
turn  her  spray  to  the  topmost 
branches  of  another  on  the  other 
side  of  the  lawn.  A  man,  myself 
for  instance,  will  methodically  go 
to  work  at  one  end  of  the  garden 
and  slowly  and  systematically  cover 
every  inch  of  space,  never  going 
back  and  never  swamping  one 
flower  bed  and  neglecting  another. 
Yet  she  is  conscientious  and  always 
comes  back  to  the  deserted  tree 
and  tries  to  make  up  for  her  fickle- 
ness. Another  is  a  certain  pretty 
playfulness  about  her  too,  for  she 
likes  occasionally  to  point  the 
stream  in  a  direct  line  over  her 
head  and  allow  the.  drops  to  fall 
straight  upon  that  mass  of  chest- 
nut hair — at  least  I  think  it  is 
chestnut.  And  once  I  fancied  I 
discovered  some  consciousness  of 
my  presence  in  an  apparent  effort 
to  imitate  my  more  thorough  going 
masculine  method  of  watering  care- 
fully but  one  spot  at  a  time.  But 
it  is  simply  impossible  for  her  to 
keep  steadily  to  one  purpose  and 
off  she  goes  to  the  lilac  bush  that 
is  already  in  danger  of  being  up- 
rooted. 

And  how  fond  she  is  of  flowers. 
I  often  see  her  stoop  to  pat  a  lily 
on  its  head  and  sometimes  I  fancy 
I  can  hear  her  talking  to  the  lark- 
spurs and  phlox  which  grow  by  the 
gate.  It  has  come  to  be  the  chief 


THE  IRRIGA  '1  ION  A  GK.  23 

delight  of  my  life  to  sprinkle  our  heart  he  would  have  come  nearer 

lawn  of  an  evening,  and  only  last  to  the  truth. 

night  I  heard  mother  remarking  to  It    may   be   months   before   we 

a  neighbor  that  it  was  wonderful  to  meet,  it   may  indeed  be  after  the 

see   how    much   interest  I  took  in  water  is  frozen  and  the  lilacs  and 

keeping   the   grass   well    watered,  larkspurs   have   gone   into   winter 

And  the  other  day  when  one  of  the  retirement,    but    somehow   I  feel 

boys  in  the  store  asked  me  to  go  to  deep  in  my  heart  a  conviction  that 

a  vaudeville  performance  with  him  some  day  I  shall  be  standing  before 

I   declined,    saying   that   I  had   to  my  fair  unknown,  pleading  for  the 

water  the   lawn.      He   mattered  privilege  of  doing  her  sprinkling 

something  about  water  on  the  brain,  for  life. 
but  if  he  had   said   water  on  the 


SWEET   MEMORIES. 

By  ELIZABETH  M.  GRISWOLD. 

The  memories  which  £  love  to  store  in  mind 
And  oftenest  recall,  nre  not  the  kind 

Which  make  a  person  wise, 
I  care  not  for  the  dates  of  peace  or  war, 
For  facts  and  figures  gleaned  from  near  and  far 

In-  which  much  knowledge  lies. 

I  love  to  think  of  Nature  at  her  best 

When  gold  and  purple  paint  the  glowing  West, 

And  gild  each  peak  and  spire. 
Or  when  the  splendors  of  her  Autumn  shine 
On  every  burning  bush,  while  tree  and  vine 

Are  pillars  bright  of  fire. 

Sweet,  too,  the  memory  of  her  gentle  moods, 
The  flower  and  leaf  unfolding  in  her  woods, 

The  sweet  breath  of  her  spring, 
Of  glad  hours  when  I  rest  beneath  her  shade 
And  listen,  while  from  every  copse  and  glade 

Her  hidden  choirs  sing. 

Let  those  who  will  hoard  up  their  learned  lore, 
Their  secrets  gleaned  from  wisdom's  garnered  store 

And  kept  by  them  alone. 
I'll  hold  in  mind  where  first  the  violet  peeps, 
Where,  rocked  in  gentle  waves,  the  lily  sleeps, 

Their  secrets  are  my  own. 


LIFE'S  TRIO. 

By  H.  S.  BAKER. 

Oh  Dream  of  Life!  whose  vapory  ambitions 

And  floating,  fleeting  fortunes  fill  all  space; 
Whose  things  of  beauty  make  a  moment  happy; 

Whose  fashions,  finished  fancies  interlace; 
Whose  brightest  lights  like  rocket  stars  shall  vanish 

And  make  calm  eve  to  seem  a  darkness  felt, 
Be  part  of  life,  sweet  Dream,  till  earth  shall  perish 

And  home  be  Heaven,  where  love  has  always  dwelt. 

Oh  War  of  Life!  whose  ceaseless  strife  and  clamor 

And  blood  and  tears  make  living  seem  a  pain; 
Whose  iron  heroes  have  no  rest  till  dying; 

Where  wealth  is  law  and  wisdom  cries  in  vain; 
Where  air  is  smoke,  and  love  a  greedy  passion 

And  roses,  paint  and  music,  soulless  din; 
Do  not  invade,  Oh  War  of  Life,  the  province 

My  heart  and  I  have  taken  shelter  in. 

Oh  End  of  Life!  so  real  and  yet  mysterious; 

Whose  cold  and  darkness  awe  the  truly  brave, 
Which  gives  reprieve  to  none  for  gold  or  honor, 

And  makes  the  proudest  seek  the  lowly  grave; 
Which  gives  my  place  and  yours  to  those  who  follow, 

And  brings  to  dust  the  earth  built  works  of  man. 
Hope  calls  thee  but  "The  usher  of  the  future," 

"The  end  of  vanity,"  life's  first  short  span. 


A  PURPOSE. 

A  purpose  strong  and  high  and  true. 

Towards  which  the  daily  work  we  do 

Must  aim,  and  ever  strive  to  meet. 

'Tis  this  alone  develop  will 

And  energy  to  work  until 

Our  souls  in  striving  grow  complete. 


TO  ONOWA. 

By  WILL  SKALING. 

Oh!  the  world  is  full  of  beauty  and  the  east  is  flushed  with  light, 
And  the  stars  that  glitter  brightly,  are  fading  from  my  sight. 
Oh!  the  morn  is  full  of  music  and  the  morn  birds  matin  hymn, 
So  undeth  sweet  and  ever  clearer  as  the  light  robed  seraphim. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 

In  diversified  farming  by  irrigation  lies  tne  salvation  of  agriculture 


INFORMATION    FOR    THE    FARVIER. 

Last  year  over  $1,200,000  worth  of  red 
clover  seed  was  exported  from  the  United 
States,  principally  to  Europe;  the  year 
before  over  $1.800,000.  In  previous  years 
still  larger  exportations  have  been  made. 
But  now  Ijuropeans,  and  especially  the 
German  scientists,  are  making  great  out- 
ury  against  the  American  seed  and  against 
the  plant  resulting  from  American  seed. 
This  calls  attention  to  the  great  difference 
between  the  American  red  clover  and  the 
European  plant.  An  experimental  plot  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  shows  the 
two  plants  (both  Trifolium  pratense)  to  be 
as  widely  dissimilar  as  two  different  spe- 
cies. The  German  red  clover  has  almost 
hairless  stems,  while  those  of  the  Ameri- 
can variety  are  covered  with  hairs,  and  the 
leaf  growth  of  the  German  clover  is  much 
closer  and  heavier  than  our  clover,  which 
runs  much  more  to  stem.  The  German 
variety,  however,  does  not  stand  hot 
weather. 

''The  clover  belt  of  Europe,"  said  Mr. 
A.  J.  Pieters,  who  is  making  a  study  of 
the  different  clovers,  corresponds  in  cli- 
mate somewhat  to  Minnesota,  Wisconsin 
and  sections  of  the  United  States  much 
cooler  than  that  of  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line,-  and  our  plots  clearly  showed  during 
the  recent  hot  spell  in  Washington  that 
German  clover  is  not  adapted  to  this  part 
of  the  United  States.  Its  leaves  became 
brown  and  dry,  although  it  was  in  moist 
soil,  whereas  the  American  clover  beside 
it  stood  green  and  vigorous.  I  think, 
however,  German  clover  may  be  a  very 
valuable  forage  plant  in  our  cooler  sec- 
tions, as  its  leaf  growth  is  very  thick  and 
compact." 


Some  pure  German  seed  will  be  pro- 
cured and  trials  made  of  it  in  the  more 
northern  and  northwestern  states. 

These  experiments  with  German  clover 
are  of  interest,  too,  from  another  stand- 
point than  that  of  forage.  Germany  and 
central  Europe  generally,  cannot  raise 
nearly  enough  clover  seed  to  supply  the 
home  demand  and  must  always  import 
large  quantities.  If  they  object  to  the 
American  clover  seed  as  producing  a  stalky, 
hairy  plant  not  adapted  to  their  wants,  it 
is  important  to  see  if  we  cannot  raise  Ger- 
man clover  seed  to  perfection  and  so  keep 
up  our  large  exportation  of  this  farm 
product. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  few  of  the  farmers 
who  are  sowing  crimson  clover  know  just 
what  kind  of  seed  they  are  planting  or  how 
liable  they  are  to  have  poor  seed  sold 
them.  Crimson  clover  seed  which  has 
been  kept  over  for  a  year  is  very  little 
good.  It  will  hardly  germinate  at  all. 
The  agricultural  department  is  receiving 
samples  of  seed  which  came  originally 
from  the  various  American  seedsmen,  and 
in  almost  every  instance  the  fresh  seed  is 
more  or  less  adulturated  with  the  seed  of 
the  previous  year's  crop. 

"Many  of  these  samples,"  said  Mr.  A.  J. 
Pieters  in  charge  of  the  Pure  Seed  Bureau, 
"will  not  germinate  fifty  per  cent;  some 
will  not  germinate  fifteen.  It  is  easy  to 
tell  old  seed  or  seed  which  has  been 
spoiled  in  the  curing  by  its  dark  brown 
color.  Good  fresh  seed  is  quite  light  or 
amber  colored. 

"It  would  be  such  an  easy  matter,  too," 
he  continued,  "for  each  farmer  to  test  a 
pinch  of  his  clover  seed  on  a  damp  cloth 
and  observe  what  proportion  sprouts.  It 


30 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


layer  of  smoke  between  the  plants  and 
the  sky,  and 'so  prevent  the  loss  of  heat. 
For  this  purpose  smudge  fires  giving 
much  smoke  are  best.  Special  torches 
made  of  muck  and  clay  have  been 
patented  for  this  .purpose.  Those  who 
have  experimented  in  frost  'protection 
seem  to  think  that  the  sprink'ing  method 
is  the  most  practical  and  efficient. — Ex. 


GOOD  AND  BAD-FITTING  COLLARS. 

Every  horseman  knows  well  the  value 
of  a  perfect-fitting  collar  to  the  horse's 
neck  and  shoulders,  says  Dr.  J.  0. 
Curryer,  in  Farm,  Stock  and  Home,  and 
every  horseman  also  knows  the  annoyance, 
irritation  and  torture  to  the  horse,  to  say 
nothing  about  spoiling  an  otherwise  good 
disposition,  or  making  a  balky  horse  of 
the  naturally  true  puller,  by  a  collar  that 
is  too  long,  too  wide,  and  not  adapted  to 
the  form  of  the  shoulder.  The  harness 
horse  does  his  work  ''from  the  shoulder," 
and  certainly  everybody  will  concede  that 
for  the  comfort  of  the  animal,  and  value 
to  its  owner,  it  deserves  a  perfect-fitting 
collar,  and  that  nothing  short  of  adap- 
tation of  the  collar  to  the  shoulder  and 
neck  will  be  satisfactory  to  either  horse 
or  driver. 

Every  horseman  knows  that  not  one 
collar  in  one  hundred  in  daily  use  is  a 
perfect  fit;  many  will  do,  but  a  large 
majority  of  them  are  too  wide  for  the 
neck  and  not  adapted  to  the  shoulders. 
Every  horse  should  have  his  own  collar 
to  be  able  to  do  his  work  with  comfort, 
and  every  collar  should  be  fitted  to  the 
horse  that  is  expected  to  wear  it.  If  the 
collar  is  too  long  it  should  be  cut  off  at 
the  top;  but  if  too  wide  and  not  adapted 
to  the  shoulders  of  the  horse,  don't  think 
you  must  gtt  a  pad  to  fill  in  the  space. 
Pads  to  the  horse's  shoulders  in  summer 
are  about  what  overshoes  would  be  to  our 
feet— makes  them  tender  and  soft  instead 
of  firm  and  tough. 

Select  the  style  and  length  of  collar 
best  adapted  to  the  work  to  be  performed, 
and  whether  a  new  or  old  collar,  ^oak  it  in 


water  over  night  before  fitting  to  the 
horse.  When  ready  to  put  it  on,  wipe  off 
the  surplus  water  from  the  collar,  put  it 
on  and  adjust  the  names  at  top  and 
bottom,  so  as  to  bring  the  collar  to  the 
neck  snugly  its  entire  width.  Don't  have 
it  wide  at  the  top  and  close  at  the  bottom, 
nor  vice  versa;  but  a  close  fit  to  the  sides 
of  the  neck,  so  that  the  collar  will  sit 
firmly  and  not  slide  from  side  to  side  over 
the  shoulders,  but  as  nearly  immovable  as 
possible  sidewise.  When  the  collar  is 
soaked  thoroughly  it  can  be  brought  to 
the  sides  of  the  horse's  neck  perfectly; 
but  when  the  collar  is  dry  and  stiff  this 
cannot  be  done  with  any  degree  of  satis- 
faction. When  the  wet  collar  has  been 
fitted  to  the  horse's  neck,  with  the*hame- 
tugs  draught  at  the  proper  place  (neither 
too  high  nor  too  low),  then  work  the  horse 
in  this  wet  collar  at  moderate  draught 
until  the  collar  is  dry,  and  a  perfect  fit 
can  be  obtained.  There  is  no  other  way 
in  which  it  can  be  done  perfectly,  and  we 
should  never  be  satisfied  with  anything 
short  of  an  absolute  fie  of  the  collar  to 
both  sides  of  the  neck  and  the  form  of 
the  shoulders. 

Every  manufacturer  of  leather  to  a 
form  invariably  works  it  while  soaking 
wet  and  then  leaves  it  to  dry,  after  which 
it  will  maintain  its  form  until  soaked 
again  and  changed.  Don't  be  afraid  of 
injury  to  the  collar  by  soaking,  if  it  is  to 
be  put  on  the  horse  and  brought  to 
position  and  maintained  in  proper  place 
until  dry  again:  When  the  horses  are 
worked  down  thin  in  flesh  and  the  collars 
are  too  wide  it  is  a  simple  matter  to  soak 
them  again  and  fit  as  in  the  first  place. 
Keep  the  horse's  shoulders  sound  by 
peifect  fitting  collars  (which  costs  noth- 
ing), and  they  will  do  their  work  more 
easily  and  cheerfully,  and  you  can  sleep 
sounder.  —  California  Cultivator. 


BARS  BEET-SUGAR  BOUNTY. 

The  state  supreme  court  in  a  unani- 
mous opinion  handed  down  today  declared 
the  act  granting  a  bounty  of  1  cent  per 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


31 


pound  on  all  beet-sugar  manufactured  in 
the  state  unconstitutional.  The  act  was 
passed  by  the  legislature  of  1897.  The 
decision  is  the  result  of  a  mandamus 
asked  for  by  the  Michigan  Sugar  Com- 
pany of  Bay  City  to  compel  the  auditor 
general  to  pay  the  bounty  earned  in  1898. 


HOW  TO  KEEP  MILK  SWEET. 

How  to  keep  milk  sweet  without  preser- 
vation is  a  question  that  confronts  every 
dairyman.  The  question  is  only  half 
answered  by  some  of  our  best  dairymen, 
and  not  answered  at  all  by  others.  There 
is  probably  no  better  food  for  the  growth 
of  bacteria  than  milk,  and  once  in  it  they 
will  develop  with  astonishing  rapidity. 
In  the  udder  of  the  average  cow  there  is 
no  bacteria,  and  to  get  this  milk  into 
closed  cans  without  exposing  it  to  a  great 
number  of  bacteria  is  the  heart  of  the 
problem.  From  the  time  the  milk  leaves 
the  udder  till  it  gets  into  the  closed  can, 
it  must  run  through  the  midst  of  the 
bacteria  that  should  not  be  incorporated 
with  it.  At  the  exit  from  the  teat  it 
encounters  thousands  of  these  minute 
plants,  unless  they  have  been  washed 
out.  Other  bacteria  drop  from  the  out- 
side of  the  udder  has  been  washed.  From 
the  hands  of  the  milker  fall  several  kinds 
of  bacteria,  unless  the  hands  have  been 
washed.  Finally  in  the  bottom  and 
seams  of  the  pail  are  found  still  other 
bacteria,  unless  the  pail  has  been  made 
more  than  usually  clean.  By  close 
attention  to  all  of  these  details,  the  milk 
can  be  made  to  pa»s  through  air  that  is 
comparatively  free  from  fermentive  bac- 
teria.—  Wastern  Creamery. 


THE  DELICATE  CALF. 

The  stomach  of  a  calf  is  delicate  and 
sensitive,  and  any  change  of  feed  should 
be  made  gradually.  Do  not  change  from 
whole  milk  to  skim  milk  faster  than  a 
pound  a  day,  allowing  from  ten  days  to 
two  weeks  for  the  change.  Before  turn- 
ing on  pasture  it  is  better  to  feed  a  little 
green  feed  and  gradually  incnase  the 


amount  until  the  limit  of  the  calf  is 
reached.  Otherwise  the  calf  may  suffer 
severely  from  scours  by  the  sudden 
change  to  pasture. 

Don't  over  feed.  Calves  are  greedy  at 
feeding  time  and  there  is  often  a  great 
temptation  to  give  more  milk  than  the 
calf  can  properly  handle,  thus  causing 
them  to  scour.  Over-feeding  is  un- 
doubtedly the  main  reason  why  so  many 
farmers  are  not  able  to  raise  thrifty  calves 
on  skim  milk. 

Never  put  corn,  kafir  corn  meal  or  any 
other  grain  in  the  milk  for  calves.  The 
starch  in  the  corn  has  to  be  changed  to 
grape  sugar  before  it  is  digestible.  This 
change  only  takes  place  in  the  presence  of 
alkali,  and  is  done  chiefly  by  the  saliva  of 
the  mouth.  When  corn  is  gulped  dowa 
with  the  milk,  the  starch  is  not  acted  on 
by  the  acids  of  the  stomach,  but  remains 
unchanged  until  it  comes  in  contact  with, 
the  alkaline  secretions  of  the  intestines. 
With  hogs  the  stomach  is  small  and  the 
intestines  long.  This  allows  starchy 
matter  to  be  digested  in  the  intestines 
short.  Unless  the  starchy  matter  is 
largely  digested  by  the  saliva  of  the 
mouth,  complete  digestion  will  not  take 
place  in  the  intestines  and  the  calf 
scours.  — Exchange. 


POULTRY  NOTES. 

Many  of  those  who  raise  poultry  and 
endeavor  to  give  the  best  of  care,  make  a 
practice  of  feeding  their  fowls  at  noon. 
Nothing  is  so  injurious  or  does  more  harm 
than  the  giving  of  three  meals  a  day. 
It  is  simply  a  forced  fattening  process 
that  sooner  or  later  brings  in  its  train 
every  ill  that  can  befall  the  flock. 
Because  three  meals  a  day  gives  good 
results  at  first  it  will  be  adhered  to  as  a 
practice  and  when  disease  appears  or  the 
hens  cease  to  lay  the  cause  becomes  a 
mystery,  the  three  meals  never  being 
suspected. 

It  used  to  be  the  habit  of  farmers,  say? 
the  American  Cultivator,  to  kill  the 
largest  turkeys  fur  market,  and  save  for 


-:--. 


--   :  -  - 


. 


JL.    C. 


•--  -     :  - 
-- 


.--- 


--:>::      - 


- 


THE  IRRIGATION 


m 


pound  on  all  beet-sugar  manufactured  in 
the  state  unconstitutional.  The  act  was 
passed  by  the  legislature  of  1897.  The 
decision  is  the  result  of  a  mandamus 
asked  for  by  the  Michigan  Sugar  Com- 
pany of  Bay  City  to  compel  the  auditor 
general  to  pay  the  bounty  earned  in  1898. 


HOW  TO  KEEP  MILK  SWEET. 

How  to  keep  milk  sweet  without  preser- 
vation is  a  question  that  confronts  every 
dairyman.  The  question  is  only  half 
answered  by  some  of  our  best  dairymen, 
and  not  answered  at  all  by  others.  There 
is  probably  no  better  food  for  the  growth 
of  bacteria  than  milk,  and  once  in  it  they 
will  develop  with  astonishing  rapidity. 
In  the  udder  of  the  average  cow  there  is 
no  bacteria,  and  to  get  this  milk  into 
closed  cans  without  exposing  it  to  a  great 
number  of  bacteria  is  the  heart  of  the 
problem.  From  the  time  the  milk  leaves 
the  udder  till  it  gets  into  the  closed  can, 
it  must  run  through  the  midst  of  the 
bacteria  that  should  not  be  incorporated 
with  it.  At  the  exit  from  the  teat  it 
encounters  thousands  of  these  minute 
plants,  unless  they  have  been  washed 
out.  Other  bacteria  drop  from  the  out- 
side of  the  udder  has  been  washed.  From 
the  hands  of  the  milker  fall  several  kinds 
of  bacteria,  unless  the  hands  have  been 
washed.  Finally  in  the  bottom  and 
seams  of  the  pail  are  found  still  other 
bacteria,  unless  the  pail  has  been  Bade 
more  than  usually  clean.  By  close 
attention  to  all  rf  these  details,  the  milk 
can  be  made  to  pa»s  through  air  that  is 
comparatively  free  from  fermentive  bac- 
teria.—  Wnttfr»  Cream  fry. 


THE  DELICATE  CALF. 
The  stomach  of  a  calf  is  delicate  and 
sensitive,  and  any  change  of  feed  should 
be  made  gradually.  Do  not  change  from 
whole  milk  to  skim  milk  faster  than  a 
pound  a  day,  allowing  from  ten  days  to 
two  weeks  for  the  change.  Before  turn- 
ing on  pasture  it  is  better  to  feed  a  little 
green  feed  and  gradually  increase  the 


it  until  the  limit  of  the  eatf  is 
reached.  Otherwise  the  eatf  may  suffer 
severely  from  scours  by  the  sudden 
change  to  pasture. 

Don't  over  feed.  Calves  are  greedy  at 
feeding  time  and  there  is  often  a  great 
temptation  to  give  more  milk  than  the 
eatf  can  properly  handle,  thus  causing 
them  to  scour.  Over-feeding  is  un- 
doubtedly the  main  reason  why  90  many 
farmers  are  not  able  to  raise  thrifty  calves 
on  skim  milk. 

Never  put  corn,  kair  corn  meal  or  a»y 
other  grain  in  the  milk  for  calves.  Tfce 
starch  in  the  corn  has  to  be  changed  to 
grape  sugar  before  it  is  digestible.  Tins 
change  only  takes  place  in  the  pmcuee  of 
alkali,  and  is  done  chicly  by  the  saliva  of 
the  month.  When  corn  is  gulped  dew 
with  the  milk,  the  starch  is  not  acted  our 
by  the  acids  of  the  stomarn,  but  remains 
unchanged  until  it  comes  in  contact  with, 
the  alkaline  secretions  of  the  intestines. 
With  hogs  the  stomach  is  small  and  the 
intestines  long.  This  allows  starchy 
matter  to  be  digested  in  the  intestines 
short.  Unless  the  starchy  matter  is 
largely  digested  by  the  saliva  of  the 
month,  complete  digestion  will  not  take 
puce  in  the  intestines  and  the  calf 
*eour>. — i 


POULTRY  NOTES. 

Many  of  those  who  raise  poultry  and 
endeavor  to  give  the  Wet  of  care,  make  a 
practice  of  feeding  their  fowls  aft  BOO*. 
Nothing  is  so  injurious  or  docs  mm  karat 
than  toe  giving  of  three  meals  a  day. 
It  is  simply  a  forced  fattening  process 
that  sooner  or  later  brings  in  its  train 
every  ill  that  can  befall  the  lock. 
Because  three  meals  a  day  gives 

results  at  Srst  it  will  be  adhered  to 

practice  and  when  disease  appears  or  the 
hens  cease  to  lay   the 
•jstery,   tfce    three 
suspected. 

It  used  to  be  the  habit  of  farmers,  say? 
the  JwerKw*  €V/tr«tor,  to  kill  tke 
largest  'urkers  f.*  market,  and  save  for 


32 


THE  IRRIGA TION AGE. 


breeding  some  of  the  later  broods  that 
had  not  got  their  growth.  The  idea  was 
that  with  good  feed  and  care  these  will  be 
as  large  by  spring  as  those  hatched  early 
in  the  season,  and  which  get  nearly  their 
full  growth  by  the  holidays.  But  this  is 
rarely  the  case.  The  late  turkey,  small 
at  Christmas,  becomes  stunted,  and  never 
attains  tbe  size  it  would  if  hatched  earlier. 
Breeding  from  these  immature  and 
stunted  turkeys  runs  out  the  breed. 
Some  experienced  turkey  breeders  keep 
their  largest  fowls  for  breeding  and  retain 
them  until  they  are  two  years  old.  The 
chicks  from  these  older  turkeys  are 
stronger  and  less  liable  to  die  off  while 
young.  The  young  of  tue  turkey  is  a 
tender  bird  at  the  best.  It  will  pay  to 
breed  only  from  birds  that  have  attained 
good  size  and  full  maturity. 


WHEAT  GROWING. 

The  results  of  trials  at  the  experiment 
station  at  Stillwater,  Okla.,  and  the  prac- 
tical experience  of  wheat  growers  all  over 
the  territory  show  that  early  ploughing  and 
early  sowing  for  wheat  have  given  the 
highest  yields  and  the  best  wheat.  At 
the  experiment  station,  wheat  on  ground 
ploughed  on  July  19,  yielded  a  little  more 
than  twice  as  much  as  that  ploughed  on 
September  11,  the  seeding  in  both  cases 
being  done  on  September  15.  The  ex- 
planation of  this  is  that  the  early  ploughed 
land  is  in  condition  to  absorb  and  retain 
the  moisture  while  that  which  has  just 
been  ploughed  is  not  in  good  condition  for 
the  germination  of  the  seed. 

Wheat  seeded  September  15  yielded  37; 
October  15,  35;  and  November  15,  23 
bushels  per  acre.  The  early  seeding  was 
.much  less  affected  by  rust  than  the  last 


seeding.  These  results  agree  with  those 
of  former  years.  Seeding  should  be  com- 
pleted before  the  middle  of  October  and 
better  resulfs  will  be  obtained  from  seed- 
ing from  the  middle  to  the  last  of  Sep- 
tember. 

As  to  varieties,  the  hard  wheat  as  a 
rule  are  preferred  in  the  western  half  of 
the  territory  and  the  soft  wheat  in  the 
eastern.  At  the  station,  the  highest  yield, 
44.52  bushels  per  acre,  was  obtained  from 
Sibley's  New  Golden;  the  lowest  37.70 
from  Big  English.  German  Emyeror,  Tur- 
key, Pickaway,  Red  Russian,  Early  Ripe, 
Fulcaster,  New  Red  Wonder,  Fultz,  Mis- 
souri Blue  Stem,  and  Early  Red  Clawson 
all  gave  satisfactory  yields.  All  of  these 
varieties  aae  medium  earlw,  with  but  a 
few  days  difference  in  heading  and  ripen- 
ing. The  seed  is  all  kept  up  to  high 
standard  by  careful  selection  and  grading 
each  year.  If  more  fanning  mills  were 
used  in  the  preparation  of  seed  wheat, 
there  would  be  less  complaint  of  varieties 
"running  out"  and  less  of  demand  for  new 
varieties. 


Smooth  meadows  make  the  labor  of 
mowing  easy.  If  yours  are  all  rough  or 
stony,  it  will  pay  to  go  over  them  this 
fall  with  a  heavy  roller,  having  on  it  a 
box  in  which  to  put  the  stones:  pick  up 
every  one.  This  will  save  broken  knives 
on  your  mower  next  summer. 


Many  a  farmer  would  find  it  profitable 
to  smooth  the  roadside  and  seed  it  to 
grass,  and  then  use  it  for  pasturing  his 
own  stock  or  cut  it  for  hay.  '\  he  road 
will  be  thus  kept  much  neater  and  at 
less  expense  than  by  permitting  it  to 
remain  rough  and  to  grow  up  in  weeds. 


r"^ 

§  PULSE  OF  THE  IRRIGATION  INDUSTRY. 


NEW  METHOD  OF  IRRIGATION. 

Next  season  an  entirely  new  system  of 
irrigating  orchards  will  be  introduced  in 
the  vicinity  of  Ontario,  Ore.  It  will  be 
applied  to  the  land  that  is  above  the  canals. 
Water  will  be  hauled  in  wagons  to  where 
it  is  wanted.  At  the  root  of  each  tree  will 
be  placed  a  10-gallon  water  box.  This  box 
is  to  be  filled  once  every  two  weeks  during 
the  dry  season  until  the  tree  is  five  years 
old.  To  fill  these  boxes,  on  the  basis  of 
20  acres  of  orchard,  it  will  require  30,000 
gallons  of  water.  This  will  take  a  team 
and  one  man  six  days.  The  soil  will  be 
cultivated  thoroughly  and  about  three 
times  as  deep  as  is  usual.  It  is  claimed  by 
advocates  of  the  new  system  that,  fruit 
raised  with  a  dry  surface  will  be  far  super- 
ior to  that  raised  with  surface  watering. 
The  spider  and  moth  will  not  be  attracted 
by  damp  soil.  The  usual  water  rental  is 
$1  per  acre  for  surface  watering.  It  is 
claimed  under  the  new  system  two  inches 
of  water  will  irrigate  20  acres  of  bearing 
orchard.  It  is  proposed  to  grow  melons  in 
the  same  way,  the  water  box  at  the  melon 
root,  of  course,  being  smaller.  It  is 
claimed  that  melons  in  this  country  are 
not  of  the  best  quality  on  account  of  lying 
on  moist  ground  and  becoming  the  prey 
for  the  different  kinds  of  insects.  Under 
the  new  system,  the  melon  rests  on  a  dry 
surface,  colors  naturally,  ripens  evenly,  is 
not  filled  with  water  by  evaporation,  has 
an  even  and  regular  rind,  ships  better  and 
keeps  better  in  the  market. 


GETS  A  BIG  CONCESSION. 
The  government  federation  of  Mexico 
has  granted  a  valuable  concession  to  A.  J. 
Streeter  of  New  Windsor,  111.,  for  the 
famous  Fuerte  river  valley,  in  the  State  of 
Sinaloa.  Fuerte  valley  has  an  area  of  200- 


000  acres,  and  Mr.  Streeter  owns  65,000 
acres  near  Topolobampo  bay,  on  the  line 
of  the  proposed  Kansas  City,  Mexico  & 
Orient  railroad.  The  concession  grants 
the  holder  the  right  to  use  one-half  of  the 
water  from  the  Fuerte  river.  If  the 
scheme  is  consummated  it  will  prove  of 
great  benefit  to  the  state.  Survey  jilans 
and  a  location  of  a  canal  will  be  made  next 
winter. 


BIG  IRRIGATION  ENTERPRISE. 

State  Engineer  Ross,  of  Idaho,  has  re- 
turned from  a  trip  to  Ogden,  and  he  states 
that  final  arrangements  have  now  been 
made  between  the  state  and  the  American 
Falls  Power  &  Canal  Company  for  the 
opening  of  the  company's  canal.  The 
state  filed  on  57,000  acres  of  land  in  Bing- 
ham  and  Bannock  counties  under  the 
Carey  act  about  a  year  ago,  and  the  land 
is  all  under  the  proposed  canal. 

The  state  insisted  that  the  settler  be  al- 
lowed the  right  to  buy  shares  of  stock  in 
the  company  rather  than  be  assessed  each 
year,  and  the  company  has  given  way. 

The  work  of  construction  will  be  under- 
taken by  the  Utah  Construction  Company, 
and  the  enterprise  will  cost  $325,000,  the 
company  giving  a  bond  of  $150,000  to 
complete  the  work  within  18  months.  The 
canal  will  cover  75,000  acres  of  land  now 
arid.  The  ditch  will  be  65  miles  long,  70 
feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  will  carry 
65,000  inches  of  water. 

WATER  STORAGE  BENEFITS. 
The  western  half  of  the  United  States- 
to-day  supports  a  population  ranging  some- 
where around  5,000,000.  Much  of  this 
population  has  been  attracted  by  the  cry 
of  gold,  and  the  capital  invested  in  western 
mines  today  is  enormous.  Yet  it  is  not  a 
tithe  of  the  amount  which  the  value  of  the 


34 


IRRIGATION  AGE. 


mineral-laden  ore  of  the  West  warrants; 
only  these  minerals  are  locked  largely  in 
the  grasp  of  the  arid  belt.  Water  is  what 
is  needed.  Hills  and  mountains  of  ex- 
treme richness  lie  undeveloped  and  deso- 
late, surrounded  by  barren  deserts  or  sage- 
brush plains.  Capitol  is  slow  to  venture 
into  such  places,  even  with  the  great  min- 
eral wealth  in  sight.  Gold  is  not  the  only 
metal,  tons  of  which  are  locked  in  the 
rocky  bosoms  of  the  Western  Sierras,  but 
all  the  family  of  baser  metals  are  richly 
represented,  and  the  question  of  transpor- 
tation enters  largely  into  their  mining. 
Railroads  will  not  follow  mining  camps 
alone;  but  reclaim  the  arid  lands  of  the 
West,  give  to  them  a  settled  agricultural 
population,  and  railroads  will  quickly 
pierce  the  desert.  And  here,  too  will  be 
a  source  whence  to  feed  the  men  and  the 
mules  that  work  the  mines;  feed  them  at 
reasonable  rates.  Many  a  torrent  of  great 
volume  rushes  down  the  slopes  during  the 
period  of  melting  snows  and  spreads  away 
in  a  glistening  stream  across  the  brown 
plain,  but  before  a  crop  can  be  raised  its 
volume  has  waned  and  its  bed  becomes  dry 
sand.  Yet  store  this,  water  in  a  mountain 
reservoir  and  it  would  afford  a  perennial 
supply,  capable  of  irrigating  land  whose 
fertility  has  never  felt  the  washing,  weak- 
ening power  of  rain.  Then,  along  with 
the  agricultural  development  would  come 
mining  development. 

There  are  many  regions  where  irrigation 
has  transformed  the  agricultural  lands  and 
railroads  have  been  quickly  built,  where 
adjacent  mines — the  necessities  for  man 
and  beast  and  transportation  at  hand — 
have  been  simultaneously  developed,  add- 
ing vast  sums  to  our  mineral  output  which 
otherwise  might  have  lain  dormant. 

IRRIGATION  IN  HAWAII. 

Interesting  irrigation  development  is  re- 
ported from  the  island  of  Hawaii,  in  the 
discovery  of  underground  currents.  Im- 
mense subterraneum  streams  of  the  purest 
water  have  been  uncovered  from  1,500  to 
2,000  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  water 
will  be  flumed  down  to  the  sugar  planta- 


tions at  lower  elevations,  affording  an 
abundance  for  irrigation. 

From  five  subterranean  streams,  tapped 
within  the  past  few  weeks,  the  Olaa  plan- 
tation has  secured  a  continuous  flow  of 
20, 000. 000 gallons  every  twenty-four  hours, 
mere  than  enough  to  irrigate  the  planta- 
tion, which  is  the  largest  in  the  island. 
The  water  has  drained  from  the  surface 
into  the  subterranean  beds  of  ancient  lava. 

In  the  Hawaiian  cane-fields  under  irri- 
gation the  average  yield  is  reported  as  five 
and  three-quarters  tons  of  sugar  per  acre, 
and  reaches  in  some  cases  as  high  as  ten 
tons  per  acre.  The  Louisiana  sugar  yield 
is  on  an  average  only  2,800  pounds,  or  a 
little  over  one  and  a  half  tons. 

EASTERN   INTEREST. 

That  the  Eastern  manufacturer  is  awak- 
ening to  the  possibilities  of  an  irrigated 
West  as  a  market  for  his  products  is  shown 
to  some  extent  in  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Tom 
L.  Cannon,  the  representative  of  an  East- 
ern manufacturing  association  at  the  recent 
Trans-Mississippi  congress.  Mr.  Gannon 
said  in  part:  ''If  the  water  that  goes  to 
waste  in  the  mountains  cf  the  arid  regions 
were  stored  and  controlled,  it  would  save 
to  the  federal  government  by  preventing 
floods  in  the  overflowed  lands  along  the 
Mississippi  river,  more  than  the  cost  of 
construction  and  operation  of  reservoirs. 
If  arid  America  were  made  humid,  the 
crops  produced  would  give  the  federal 
governmentrevenue  in  the  way  of  increase'! 
taxation;  millions  of  people  would  be  em- 
ployed; millions  of  homes  would  be  estab- 
lished, and  the  richest  country  ever  known 
to  the  world  would  be  developed. 

"If  steps  were  taken  for  the  construc- 
tion of  storage  reservoirs  by  the  federal 
government  for  the  reclaimation  of  arid 
America,  the  next  fifty  years  would  show 
a  ratio  of  increase  in  population  far  greater 
in  this  section  than  during  the  past  fifty 
years. 

"I  believe  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every 
man  who  is  interested  in  populating  the 
western  half  of  this  hemisphere  as  densely 
as  the  eastern  half  is  populated,  to  aid  in 
the  reclaimation  of  arid  America  through 
irrigation  by  means  of  federal  storage  res- 
ervoirs, which  will  serve  the  double  pur- 
pose of  irrigation  supplies  and  flood  pro- 
lectors." 


WITH  OUR  EXCHANGES. 


LADIES   HOME   JOURNAL. 

A  score  of  writers  and  artists  contribute 
to  the  October  Ladies  Home  Journal, 
and  the  issue  is  one  of  commanding  excel- 
lence. The  number  opens  with  u  The 
Story  of  a  Young  Man,"  which  portraying 
Jesus  as  a  man,  and  viewing  him  in  the 
light  of  his  humanity,  fills  a  unique  and 
unoccupied  place  in  current  literature. 
The  first  of ''A  Story  of  Beautiful  Women" 
tells  of  the  romance  of  an  American  girl 
who  married  a  Boneparte,  and  a  series  of 
stirring  adventures  are  narrated  in  the 
first  of  the  "  Blue  River  Bear  Stories,"  by 
the  author  of  "When  Knighthood  was  in 
Flower."  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps' 
new  novel,  "The  Successors  of  Mary  the 
First,"  which  has  to  do  with  domestic  and 
suburban  life,  and  is  exceeding!}'  funny,  is 
begun  in  the  October  Journal.  Edward 
Bok  arraigns  the"  Pullman  Palace  Car 
Company  for  teaching  false  standards  of 
decorative  art.  Of  the  special  features  of 
interest  are:  ''The  Longings  of  a  Se- 
cluded Girl,"  "A  Minister  Among  the 
Cowboys,"  "Romances  of  Some  Southern 
Homes,"  "How  We  Can  Lead  a  Simple 
Life."  and  "Criticising  the  Clothes  of  the 
Minister's  Family,"  "A  Georgian  House 
for  $700  "  and  "A  Farmhouse  for  $3500  " 
are  given,  with  building  plans  and  details, 
and  "A  Successful  Country  Home"pictures 
the  exterior  and  interior  of  a  house  of  log 
construction.  By  The  Curtis  Publishing 
Co.,  Philadelphia.  One  dollar  a  year;  ten 
cents  a  copy. 

MC  CLURE'S. 

Especial  interest  will  attach  to  a  special 
article  in  the  campaign  number  of 
McClure's  Magazine,  entitled  "  The 
Strategy  of  National  Campaigns."  Dr.  A. 
Conan  Doyle  will  write  on  "Some  Lessons 
of  the  War,"  in  which  he  takes  up  the 


various  branches  of  the  service  in  the 
South  African  war  and  criticizes  their 
conduct  in  the  late  struggle  as  well  as  the 
general  system  governing  the  British 
army.  "The  Horse  Thief  "  is  the  title  of 
a  story  by  E.  Hough.  It  tells  how  four 
Western  ranchmen,  as  they  innocently 
would  have  put  it.  attempted  to  "run  off  a 
bunch'1  of  sever*!  hundred  horses  "up  in 
Montanny." 

THE    FORUM. 

Of  the  fourteen  articles  which  constitute 
the  October  offering  of  The  Forum  no  less 
than  eleven  may  be  classed  under  the 
head  of  timely.  In  a  ringing  article 
Senator  J.  P.  Dolliver  discusses  what  are 
"The  Paramount  Issues  of  the  Campaign" 
from  a  Republican  point  of  view.  Two 
views  of  the  Cuban  question  are  given, 
one  being  "A  Plea  for  the  Annexation  of 
Cuba,"  by  a  Cuban  whose  name  cannot  be 
disclosed,  and  the  other  a  forcible  exposi- 
tion of  the  reasons  "Why  Cuba  Should  be 
Independent."  The  Hon.  Charles  Denby 
considers  "The  Future  of  China  and  of 
the  Missionaries"  in  a  tone  that  will  find 
thousands  of  sympathizers  even  among 
those  who  decide  such  questions  by  the 
test  of  political  expediency.  "The  Negro 
Problem  in  the  South "  is  taken  up  by 
Representative  0.  W.  Underwood,  of 
Alabama,  in  an  article  that  may  be  con- 
sidered a  reply  to  Gen.  C  H.  Grosvenor's 
late  plea  against  the  disfranchisement  of 
the  ignorant  negro  voter.  In  an  article 
full  of  information  Marion  Wilcox  analyzes 
the  substance  of  "Our  Agreement  with 
the  Sultan  of  Sulu,"  and  Victor  S.  Clark, 
late  President  of  the  Insular  Board  of 
Education  in  Puerto  Rico,  tells  of  the 
strides  education  is  making  under  Ameri- 
can auspices  on  that  island.  "The  British 
General  Election  "  is  treated  bv  no  less  an 


36  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

authority  than   Henry   W.  Lucy,  the  well-  Walter  Appleton    Clark  continues  his  re- 
known  "Toby,  M.  P.,"  of  London  Punch.  markable  illustrations  to  the  series.     The 
SCRIBNER'S.  fiction  of  the  number  includes  a  story  of  a 
John    R.    Spears'  papers,    "The    Slave  convict   settlement,   by    Lloyd   Osbourne, 
trade  in  America,"  are  concluded  in   the  the  stePson   of  Stevenson;  a  New  England 
October  number,  with  an   account  of  the  story  b-v   Arthur  Coltori'  and   the   last  in- 
final   suppression    of   the   horrible  traffic.  Bailment  but  one  of  "Tommy  and  Grizel." 


A  BIT  OF  PHILOSOPHY. 

What's  the  use  o'  lyin',  cryin',  sighin'? 
What's  the  use  o'  fussin',  mussin',  cussin''? 
Does  the  savages'  complainin' 
Stop  the  rattle  o'  the  rainin'? 
Does  the  tormentin'  and  teasin' 
Make  the  winter  quit  a  freezin'? 

Quit  a  blowin'? 

Quit  a  snowin'? 

Does  the  grumblin'  and  the  groanin; 
Do  a  bit  toward  atonin' 
For  the  miserable  moanin' 

Through  the  trees'? 
Does  the  scowlin'  and  the  growlin 
Stop  the  prowlin'  and  the  howlin' 

O'  the  breeze? 

Won't  the  sunlight  be  the  brighter 
If  we  keep  our  faces  lighter? 
Don't  the  dreary  days  seern  longer, 
And  the  wailin'  wind  seem  stronger, 

If  one  frets'? 

Make  the  best  of  all  the  weather, 
Sing  an'  snrile  an'  hope  together, 

Won't  you?    Let's  ! 

—Medical  !*  imes. 


MRS.  WM.  McKINLEY. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  XV  . 


CHICAGO,  NOVEMBER,  1900. 


NO.  2 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  WESTERN  fiMERICfl, 


The  National  Irrigation  Con- 
National 
Irr  gation        gress    will     hold     its    ninth 

Congress.  annual  session  at  Central 
Music  Hall,  Chicago,  on  the  21-24  Nov- 
ember, 1900.  Reduced  railroad  rates  have 
been  arranged  for.  It  will  be  a  business 
mens'  convention.  Chicago  wholesale 
merchants  are  taking  a  genuine  interest 
in  the  proposition  to  reclaim  the  West, 
and  thereby  increase  its  population  fifty 
million,  and  the  work  of  the  Congress 
will  be  directed  toward  placing  before  the 
business  interests  of  the  West  the  trade 
possibilities  which  lie  in  the  reclamation 
of  some  seventy-five  million  acres  of  arid 
land,  whose  fertility  has  lain  dormant  for 
hundreds  of  centuries,  waiting  only  the 
touch  of  water  to  make  it  as  productive  as 
the  valley  of  the  Nile. 

The  October  just  past  was  a 
record  breaker  so  far  as 
weather  was  concerned,  it 
having  been  the  warmest  October  ever 
experienced  during  the  existence  of  the 
weather  bureau.  This  unusual  weather 
was  detrimental  to  some  lines  of  trade — 
the  dry  goods  and  clothing  business  hav- 
ing suffered  the  most  owing  to  their 
inability  to  dispose  of  the  customary  fall 
goods.  For  the  farm  work  the  month  was 
favorable,  being  mild  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  with  ample  moisture  in  most 
districts.  The  following  resume  of  the 
crop  conditions  for  the  month  of  October 
was  recently  given  by  the  Daily  Trade 
Record: 

Portions     of     the     lake    region,     Ohio 
Valley,  and  middle  Atlantic  states,  how- 


ever, needed  more  rains,  while  heavy 
rains,  principally  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  month,  caused  some  damage  in  the 
central  gulf  states  and  in  the  upper  Mis- - 
sissippi  and  Missouri  Valleys.  On  the 
north  Pacific  Coast  the  month  was  gener-1 
ally  favorable,  although  frequent  rains  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  month  retarded 
work  in  Oregon. 

In  portions  of  the  upper  Missouri  and 
Mississippi  valleys  the  mild,  moist 
weather  has  proved  unfavorable  to  corn^ 
causing  considerable  mold  and  some  ro  tr 
ting  in  localities. 

With  the  exception  of  some  damage  by 
fly  in  portions  of  Missouri,  Illinois.  Michi- 
gan and  Ohio,  the  reports  respecting  fall 
wheat  indicate  that  the  crop  is  in  promis- 
ing condition.  The  weather  conditions 
have  been  favorable  for  germination  and 
vigorous  growth. 

Cotton  picking  was  interrupted  by 
rains  in  portions  of  Arkansas,  Louisiana 
and  Mississippi,  and  in  the  last  named 
state  the  staple  suffered  some  damage. 
While  picking  is  practically  completed 
over  the  eastern  portion  of  the  cotton 
belt  considerable  cotton  remains  to  be 
gathered  over  the  northern  portion  of  the 
western  districts.  Under  the  mild 
temperature  conditions  the  top  crop  made 
considerable  growth,  especially  over  the 
eastern  districts,  but  owing  to  the  ad- 
vanced season  it  is  not  expected  to 
mature. 


38 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


It  is  claimed  that  never  before 
Rich  Uncle  in  its  history  has  this  govern- 
ment had  so  much  gold 
bullion  and  coin  at  its  disposal  as  at 
present  lies  in  the  treasury.  In  this  con- 
nection an  exchange  gives  the  following 
figures: 

"The  gold  bullion  and  coin  to  the  credit 
of  Uncle  Sam  amounts  to  $451,477,404,  and 
added  to  this  are  gold  certificates,  which 
will  be  redeemed  in  gold,  to  the  amount 
of  $35,658,180,  making  a  total  of  $487,135,- 
584.  This  fund  is  divided  into  reserve, 
trust  and  general  funds.  The  reserve 
fund  amounts  to  $150,000.000;  the  trust 
fund,  $248.409,679;  and  the  general  fund, 
$53,067,725  in  coin  and  $35,658,180  n  cer- 
tificates, making  a  total  of  $88,725,905  in 
the  latter  fund.  There  in  enough  gold  in 
the  treasury  to  give  $6  in  the  yellow 
hietal  to  every  man,  woman  and  child  in 
the  United  States,  on  the  basis  of  75.000,- 
000  population.  Even  then  there  would 
still  remain  in  the  treasury  the  $35,658,- 
180  in  notes,  which  can  be  redeemed  only 
in  gold.  To  give  an  idea  of  how  great  an 
amount  of  gold  is  stored  in  the  treasury, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  point  out  that  the 
entire  stock  of  gold  in  Great  Britain  is 
but  $462,300,000,  or  $24,835,584  less  thtra  is 
actually  in  the  United  States  at  this 
moment  when  the  gold  notes  are  included 
in  the  total. 

The  silver  figures  are  still  more  aston- 
ishing, There  is  in  the  trust  fund  $425,- 
120,000  in  silver  dollars:  $3,73,053  in 
silver  dollars  of  1890:  $62,258,947  in  silver 
bullion  in  the  reserve  fund.  Adding  the 
figures  representing  the  gold  and  silver 
coin  and  bullion  in  the  several  funds  we 
find  that  the  total  amounts  to  $890,310,679. 

There  is  enough  scattering  wealth  in 
the  treasury,  including  silver  certificates, 
silver  bullion,  treasury  notes  and  national 
bank  notes  to  bring  the  grand  total  up  to 
'$1,003,685,779. 

John  Habberton,  in  the  Satur- 
tG1Ci?y.Sh  *'y  Evening  Post,  says  that 

the  new  census  statistics  will 
be  disappointing  to  the  people  who  had 
hoped  that  the  rush  of  villagers  and 
country  people  to  the  city  was  checked. 


The  old  explanation  of  this  continuous 
rush  to  the  cities  was  that  "farmers'  sons 
and  daughters  wearied  of  work  that  was 
never  finished:  they  had  heard  of  city 
demands  for  labor  and  of  city  wages, 
payable  always  in  cash  and  at  stated 
dates.  They  had  also  heard  of  city  pleas- 
ures, some  of  which  were  said  to  cost 
nothing,  while  others  were  very  cheap. 
But  young  people  do  not  constitute  the 
whole  body  of  people  who  are  crowding 
into  the  cities,  for  mechanics  and  artisans 
of  all  kinds  are  in  the  throng,  for  in  the 
villages  and  country  districts  employment 
is  irregular  and  pay  uncertain.  The  more 
aspiring  of  the  hope  for  the  larger  oppor- 
tunities and  recognition  that  the  country 
dares  not  promise;  they  know,  too,  that 
such  of  their  children  as  incline  to  study 
may  become  fairly,  even  highly,  educated 
in  the  city  without  special. cost  to  their 
parents.  Of  the  'seamy'  side  of  city  life 
they  know  nothing,  but  their  acquaint- 
ances 'went  to  town'  have  not  returned  to 
tell  of  it;  few  of  them  could  return  if  they 
would.  The  few  who  go  back  to  the  old 
homesteads  are  the  men  who  have  suc- 
ceeded, and  in  any  village  such  a  man  in 
effect  resembles  a  gold-laden  miner  from 
Cape  Nome  or  the  Klondike;  his  example 
threatens  to  depopulate  the  town." 

Mr  habberton  takes  an  optimistic  view 
of  the  subject  and  in  conclusions  says: 
"Nevertheless,  the  rural  districts  are  not 
going  to  be  depopulated,  except  when 
their  soil  is  very  poor  and  their  malaria 
over- rich.  A  country  ward  movement 
started  in  some  cities  a  few  years  ago, 
and  it  has  been  increasing  in  volume;  it 
may  be  almost  invisible  in  some  localities, 
for  three  million  square  miles  is  an  area 
so  great  that  any  city's  overflow  might  be 
lost  in  it.  The  men  who  are  trying  scien- 
tific farming  are  all  from  the  cities  and 
they  have  carried  their  city  ideas  with 
them.  As  a  rule,  city  brain  and  city 
money  are  suggesting  and  backing  the 
rural  attempts  to  have  good  roads,  pure 
water,  perfect  drainage,  high  farming, 
high  grade  schools,  free  libraries  and 
many  other  ameliorations  of  old-time 
conditions.  Yet  in  one  respect  the  city 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


39 


man  in  the  country  is  a  disappointment  to 
all  classes  of  the  dissatisfied,  for  when 
they  talk  of  going-  to  the  city  he  persist- 
ently says  'Don't'  and  he  supports  his 
advice  with  a  dismal  array  of  facts  and 
figures." 

Redlands,  Cal.  expects  a  visit 
Eterestf*  soon  from  William  E.  Smythe, 

erstwrale  editor  of  the  IRRI- 
GATION AGE  and  a  gentleman  thoroughly 
conversant  with  the  great  problems  of 
irrigation  and  the  reclamation  of  arid 
America.  His  visit  will  be  in  the  interest 
of  the  California  Water  and  Forest  Asso- 
ciation and  will  be  accompanied  by  P.  P. 
Wood,  of  Tulare,  P.  N.  Berniger,  of  San 
Francisco,  and  S.  C.  King,  also  of  that 
city,  or,  if  not  these  gentlemen,  by  others 
interested  in  the  subject.  The  object  of 
the  visit  is  to  awaken  the  interest  of  our 
people  in  the  great  work  of  association, 
and  get  them  to  be  active  in  the  changes 
necessary  in  our  laws  to  enable  irrigation 
to  be  extended  and  made  more  secure, 
and  to  assist  in  obtaining  aid  from  the 
general  government  in  bui'ding  storage 
reservoirs  to  hold  flood  v/aters  over  for 
use  in  time  of  deficient  rainfall.  "Mr. 
Smythe  should  be  heartily  and  cordially 
received"  says  the  Citroyraph,  "and  his 
talk  listened  to  with  close  attention." 

The  egg  testers  of  Chicago 
Eggs  Galore,  have  just  organized  them- 
selves into  a  local  labor  union 
with  the  intention  to  effect  a  national 
-organization.  About  200  men  find  em- 
ployment inspecting  eggs  in  the  big 
storage  houses  of  South  Water  street  and 
vicinity.  The  egg  tester  must  daily 
handle  thousands  of  eggs  that  can  be 
guaranteed  and  sold  to  the  trusting  house- 
wife under  the  "strictly  fresh"  stamps. 

According  to  statements  furnished  by 
managers  of  cold  storage  houses  the  sup- 
ply of  eggs  in  Chicago  at  the  beginning  of 
this  year  in  round  numbers  was  252.000,- 
000,  enough  to  give  the  entire  population 
of  the  United  States  at  least  one  square 
meal.  Putting  it  in  another  form,  this 
meant  700,000  cases  of  eggs,  thirty  dozen 
or  360  to  the  case,  and  it  would  be  enough 
.to  fill  every  inch  of  space  in  the  Masonic 


Temple.  This  was  a  supply  unprece- 
dented in  the  history  of  any  city,  and  was 
largely  due  to  the  mildness  of  the  then 
prevailing  winter  weather,  when  the 
simple-minded  hen  kept  on  laying,  to  the 
great  consternation  and  financial  loss  of 
the  storage  speculators.  It  was  about  60 
per  cent,  of  all  the  marketable  eggs  in  the 
United  States  in  January.  All  the  storage 
eggs  in  this  country  during  that  month  it 
was  estimated  aggregated  1,250,000  cases, 
or  450,000,000  eggs. 

It  is  on  record  that  the  eggs  received  in 
this  city  in  1898  numbered  773,262,000;  in 
1899,  753,596,900.  The  number  reshipped 
to  other  cities  and  towns  in  1898  was  440,- 
408,160:  in  1899,  359,969,480.  It  takes 
about  50,000  to  60,000  cases  of  eggs,  or 
18,000,  to  21, 600,000  distinct  and  individual 
eggs  to  supply  the  local  Easter  market. 
The  number  of  eggs  received  during 
Easter  week,  this  year,  exclusive  of 
"through''  shipment,  was  20,250,000:  over 
50,000  cases.  The  receipts  of  eggs  in  New 
York  last  year  were  2,642,252  cases,  and 
this  Eastern  supply  was  drawn  largely 
from  the  Western  country  by  way  of 
Chicago. 

Speaking  of  the  hen  figuratively,  as 
representing  her  entire  tribe,  she  annu- 
ally earns  more  than  the  total  value  of  the 
wheat  crop,  more  than  the  total  value  of 
the  cotton  crop,  and  is  still  clucking 
cheerily  away  as  though  she  had  done 
nothing  remarkable  after  all.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  there  are  about  350,000,000 
chickens  in  the  United  States,  which  pro- 
duce each  year  something  like  14,000,000,- 
000  eggs.  This  number  of  eggs  represents 
in  money  value  about  $175,000.000.  The 
consumption  of  poultry  as  food  amounts  to 
$130.000,000  annually,  and  the  total  value 
of  living  hens  at  30  cents  apiece  is  $150- 
000,000.  Thus  the  entire  product  of  the 
humble  hen  may  be  said  to  be  some  $410, 
000,000  a  year,  while  all  the  cows  in  the 
country  foot  up  a  total  value  of  only 
$370,000. 

The  fact  is  that  egg  producing  is  carried 
on  now  not  only  far  more  extensively  but 
far  more  systematically  than  ever  before. 
The  breeds  of  chickens  everywhere  have 


40 


IRRIGATION  AGE. 


been  improved,  though  more  in  some 
parts  of  the  country  than  in  others.  This 
improvement  is  everywhere  expanding. 
There  are  many  great  chicken  farms  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  Chicago,  where 
chicken-raisers  confine  themselves  to 
special  breeds,  and  this  is  true  of  other 
localities.  The  great  egg  season  of  the 
year  is  not  winter,  but  spring.  Com- 
mercial eggs  may  vary  in  price  as  much 
as  five  cents  a  dozen;  handsome,  large 
selected,  high-grade  eggs  may  be  worth 
five  cents  a  dozen  more  than  ordinary 
eggs.  These  superior  eggs  may  be  the 
production  of  special  breeds  of  stock,  but 
the  eggs  of  comparatively  ordinary  hens 
packed  with  care  may  bring  a  ce,nt  or  two 
more  a  dozen  than  the  same  eggs  packed 
as  they  run. 

The  Commercial  Club,  of  Chi- 

Experts  cago,  had  several  experts  on 

e  Banueted.  Irrigationi  at  a  banquent  Oct. 

27,  who  discussed  irrigation  for  the  recla- 
mation for  the  arid  lands  of  the  West. 

The  addresses  were  made  by  Professor 
Elwood  Mead,  irrigation  expert  of  the 
Department  of  Agriculture;  F.  H.  Newell, 
hydrographer  of  the  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey;  George  H.  Maxwell,  exe- 
cutive chairman  of  the  National  Irrigation 
Association,  add  A.  C.  Bartlett  of  the 
Commercial  club. 

Mr  Maxwell  emphasized,  the  relation  of 
the  subject  to  Chicago  by  his  statements 
that  modest  estimates  of  what  could  be 
accomplished  by  the  irrigation  of  lands 
now  arid  placed  the  population  such 
regions  could  support  at  50,000,000  persons, 
while  with  greater  improvements  than 
those  considered  these  lands  could  be 
made  capable  of  sustaining  200,00".000 
persons. 

"With  such  a  country  in  the  West 
Chicago  would  become  the  greatest  city 
in  the  world,"  the  speaker  declared. 

The  interest  of  the  club  members  in  the 
proposed  plans  for  reclamation  of  these 
arid  lauds  was  asked.  The  direct  ques- 
tion for  discussion  was  whether  the 
federal  government  should  make  appro- 
priations for  the  construction  of  water 
storage  reservoirs  and  for  the  reclamation 


of  land.  It  was  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive by  Mr.  Maxwell  when  he  said  that 
Congress  at  its  next  session  should  make 
appropriations  for  the  construction  of 
such  water  storage  basins. 

Mr.  Newell  illustrated  his  address  with 
stereoptican  pictures  of  the  arid  land 
under  consideration.  He  showed  the  con- 
trast between  the  desert  and  the  culti- 
vated lands  and  explained  the  reasons 
why  irrigation  is  necessary  throughout 
one-third  of  the  United  States  and  is 
beneficial  to  at  least  two-thirds  of  the 
country.  He  illustrated  the  work  the 
government  now  is  carrying  on  to  locate 
reservoir  sites. 

The  necessity  for  public  improvement 
rather  than  private  improvement  was 
indicated  by  the  statements  that  nearly  all 
the  capital  which  had  become  interested 
in  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands  had 
suffered  a  loss.  It  was  asserted  that  the 
work  of  reclamation  by  irrigation  should 
be  done  by  municipalities  and  States,  and 
in  cases  in  which  the.work  overlapped  into 
several  States  by  the  federal  government. 

In  the  event  of  construction  of  storage 
basins  by  the  government  it  was  held  that 
the  benefit  should  be  received  by  the  land- 
holder, who  went  into  the  desert  to  build 
a  home. 

Professor  Mead  spoke  of  the  condition  s- 
existing  in  the  West  and  explained  the 
character  of  the  laws  regulating  water 
rights.  These,  he  said,  illustrated  the 
necessity  of  federal  supervision  to  bring 
them  into  unity. 

Colorado  business  men  recog- 
Business  nize  the  benefit  that  attaches 
Men-  to  their  state  through  the 

Government  along  the  lines  of  irrigation 
investigations  and  surveys  for  reservoir 
sites.  -The  Denver  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce and  Board  of  Trade  last  month 
adopted  rigorous  resolutions  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  great  development  possible  in 
Colorado,  through  irrigation,  and  to  the 
generally  accepted  opinion  that  only  by 
the  storage  of  flood  waters  can  the  future 
problem  affecting  successful  farming  in 
the  arid  region  be  solved,  and  pledging 
support  to  the  United  States  Geological 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


41 


Survey  in  securing  large  Congressional 
appropriations  for  carrying  on  their  work 
for  surveys  of  reservoir  sites,  and  other 
preliminary  irrigation  work. 

Many   sections    of    the  West 
Waste  of 
the  Waters.     are    beginning    to    reap    the 

bitter  fruits  of  forest  destruc- 
tion. A  few  years  ago  the  snow  would 
drift;  and  pile  up  in  tne  mountain  gulches, 
thickly  studded  with  pine  and  other  trees, 
forming  an  almost  impenetrable  forest 
protection,  and  there  gradually  melt 
away,  supplying  water  for  the  streams 
until  late  in  the  season.  This,  now,  has 
too  often  changed.  The  timber  has 
gradually,  but  surely,  been  cut  and  burnt 
away,  until  now  some  of  the  finest  forests 
of  the  mountains  have  disappeared,  and 
where  the  snow  banks  would  remain  until 
late  in  the  season,  they  now  disappear 
months  earlier,  and  instead  of  melting 
gradually,  the  flood-waters  come  with  a 


rush,  and  then  cease  when  most  needed. 
There  is  scarcely  anything  more  im- 
portant than  forest  protection  and  preser- 
vation, which  means  a  guarding  of  the 
water  supply;  and  every  state  and  every 
section  should  rouse  to  active  local  orga- 
nization and  national  co-operation. 

Every  dollar  expended  by  the 
Investment.  National  Government  for  the 

building  of  reservoirs  and 
great  irrigation  works  to  reclaim  the 
millions  of  acres  of  western  aridity  will 
return  to  the  Federal  treasury  six  to  one 
in  the  form  of  increased  taxes  on  increased 
land  values  and  population.  Every  con- 
gressman knows  this,  now  that  his  atten- 
tion is  being  called  to  the  subject  by 
eastern  manufacturers  who  want  a  largeei 
market  in  the  West  for  their  goods,  and 
all  this  is  required  for  his  favorable 
action  is  a  strong  and  aggressive  demand 
from  every  western  State  and  Territory 
and  Congr  <§  sional  district. 


IRRIGATION    FOR  THE  EAST. 

The  office  of  Experiment  Stations  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Ag- 
riculture will  soon  issue  bulletin  No.  87,  entitled  "  Irrigation  in  New 
Jersey."  It  was  prepared  by  Prof.  E.  B.  Voorhees,  of -the  New  Jersey 
Experiment  Station,  and  describes  his  experiments  in  irrigation  for 
the  season  of  1899.  It  is  generally  thought  that  the  necessity  for  irri- 
gation in  the  United  States  exists  only  in  the  region  west  of  the  Miss- 
issippi River,  but  repeated  crop  failures  in  the  East  and  successful 
farming  in  the  West  have  called  attention  to  the  importance  of  con- 
trolling the  moisture  of  soils  rather  than  accepting  the  conditions  as 
they  exist.  Professor  Voorhees  estimates  the  loss  to  the  hay  crop  of 
New  Jersey  from  the  drouth  in  May  and  early  June,  1899,  at  $1 ,500,000, 
while  small  fruits  and  vegetables  were  even  more  seriously  affected 
than  the  grasses.  The  records  kept  by  him  at  the  experiment  station 
show  that  in  1897  and  1898,  years  of  abundant  rainfall  in  April  and 
May,  the  yield  of  hay  averaged  2.65  tons  per  acre.  In  1899  it  was  but 
a  fraction  over  1  ton,  owing  to  the  deficiency  of  rainfall  in  April  and 
May,  at  the  low  price  of  §10  a  ton,  a  loss  for  the  25  acres  of  over  $400. 
The  yield  of  crimson  clover  forage  for  1897  and  1898  was  8.5  tons  per 
acre;  in  1899  the  yield  was  but  5  tons,  or  in  a  good  year  the  yield  was 
70  per  cent  greater.  The  deficiency  in  the  rainfall  at  the  critical 
period  was  alone  responsible  for  this  difference  in  yield.  Oat  and  pea 
forage  in  1897  and  the  early  seeding  of  1898  averaged  6  tons  per  acre; 
in  1899  the  yield  was  but  3.3  tons  per  acre. 

To  show  the  frequency  of  such  drouths  as  that  of  1899,  the  bulle- 
tin cites  the  rainfall  records  of  Philadelphia:  "The  rainfall  records 
in  Philadelphia  from  1825  to  1895  (seventy  years)  show  that  in  88  per 
cent  of  the  year  there  was  a  deficiency  of  over  one  inch  for  one  month, 
or  that  in  62  years  out  of  the  70  there  was  one  month  in  the  growing 
season  from  April  to  August  in  which  such  a  marked  deficiency  oc- 
curred as  to  cause  a  serious  shortage  of  crop,  and  that  for  the  same 
period  there  were  39  years  in  which  the  deficiency  extended  through- 
out two  months,  while  in  21  years  it  extended  throughout  three  month, 
or  in  30  per  cent  of  the  years  included  in  this  record  there  were  three 
months  during  the  growing  period  in  which  the  average  rainfall  was 
deficient  one  inch  or  more.  It  was  thus  observed  that  a  wide  series 
of  crops  would  be  likely  to  suffer  in  more  than  one-half  of  the  years 
for  which  the  record  is  available,  while  a  still  larger  number  would 
suffer  in  nearly  one-third  of  the  years,  for  it  must  be  remembered  that 
even  a  slight  deficiency  in  one  month  may  result  in  serious  reduction 


THE  IRRIG  TION  A  GE  43 

in  yield  and  consequent  loss  if  it  occurs  at  a  time  when  the  crop  is 
making  its  largest  development." 

The  experiment  conducted  by  Prof.  Voorhees  and  reported  in  this 
bulletin  were  for  the  purpose  of  determining  whether  irrigation  during 
these  short  periods  of  drouth  would  result  in  sufficient  increase  of 
yield  to  pay  for  the  works  necessary  to  obtain  the  supply  of  water. 
The  tests  were  made  on  small  fruits.  Careful  records  were  kept  of 
the  yield  of  plats,  which  received  identical  treatment,  except  that 
some  were  irrigated  and  other  were  not. 

The  yields  of  the  Irrigated  plats  over  and  above  those  not  irri- 
gated were  as  follows:  Blackberries,  1,038  quarts  per  acre,  worth 
$93.42;  raspberries,  329  quarts  per  acre,  worth  $32.90;  currants,  852 
quarts  per  acre,  worth  $85.20.  The  increase  in  yield  would  not  be  so 
marked  every  year  as  in  1899.  as  the  drouth  of  that  year  was  ex- 
ceptional. 

The  bulletin  contains  detailed  descriptions  and  statements  of  cost 
for  a  number  of  small  irrigation  plants  in  New  Jersey.  All  of  these 
are  pumping  plants.  The  cost  of  plants  large  enough  to  supply  10 
acres  of  small  fruits  and  garden  crops  has  varied  from  $230  to  $500.  ' 
Records  of  the  returns  from  these  plants  have  not  been  kept,  but  the 
owners  are  all  satisfied  that  their  installation  has  been  very  profita- 
ble, and  in  nearly  every  instance  have  stated  that  they  have  made  the 
cost  of  the  plant  in  the  increased  crops  the  first  year. 

So  far  as  climatic  conditions  are  concerned,  New  Jersey  may  be 
considered  typical  of  the  whole  eastern  half  of  the  United  States. 
Judging  from  the  results  reported  in  this  bulletin,  there  is  no  question 
but  that  irrigation  for  fruits  and  market  gardens,  even  in  regions  of 
abundant  rainfall,  is  a  profitable  undertaking. 

The  work  in  New  Jersey  is  a  part  of  an  investigation  of  the  prob- 
lems of  irrigation  now  being  carried  on  by  the  office  of  Experiment 
Station  in  different  regions  of  the  United  States.  Owing  to  the 
greater  importance  of  irrigation  in  the  West,  where  farming  is  impos- 
sible without  its  aid,  the  greater  part  of  the  work  is  being  done  there 
—Cheyenne,  Wyo.,  being  its  headquarters.  The  results  in  New  Jersey 
show. that  no  agent  of  agriculture  or  horticulture  is  more  effective 
than  water,  applied  when  needed,  and  that  the  eastern  farmer  can 
well  afford  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  subject. 

A  limited  number  of  copies  of  the  bulletin  will  be  turned  over  to 
the  superintendent  of  documents,  Union  Building,  Washington,  D.  C., 
for  sale  at  the  price  affixed  by  him  under  the  law. 


IRRIGATION   IN  WASHINGTON. 

BY    A.    A.    BATCHELL,EK. 

Several  irrigation  propositions  are  being  pushed  forward  in 
Washington  and  the  adjoining  states  of  Oregon  and  Idaho.  There  is 
a  very  small  percentage  of  the  area  of  the  lands  of  these  states  that 
can  be  irrigated,  and  the  arable  land  being  largely  in  the  arid  part  of 
these  states,  the  question  of  irrigation  naturally  comes  very  promi- 
nently to  the  fore  when  there  is  any  considerable  demand  for  agricul- 
tural lands.  The  development  of  the  mines  of  this  state  and  in  Alaska 
have  made  a  demand  for  agricultural  products,  especially  in  the  line 
of  butter,  eggs,  etc.,  far  beyond  the  ability  of  this  state  to  produce. 
No  time  during  the  last  five  years  has  so  much  money  been  sent  out 
of  this  state  for  these  products  as  during  the  present  season,  and  no 
state  has  better  facilities  for  their  production.  The  result  has  been 
that  prices  for  these  products  have  ruled  high  all  through  the  season. 
This  is  attracting  agriculturists  from  the  eastern  states,  and  is  bring- 
ing in  a  large  number  of  farmers  seeking  agricultural  lands. 

I  have  been  interested  in  irrigation  matters  for  the  last  eight 
years.  In  1894,  I  tried  to  do  something  in  the  line  of  irrigation  by 
endeavoring  to  induce  parties  to  become  interested  in  an  irrigation 
proposition  that  I  have  in  eastern  Washington.  But  on  account  of 
the  hard  times  and  the  price  of  agricultural  products  continuing  to  go 
down,  there  was  very  little  demand  for  agricultural  land,  and,  there- 
fore, no  inducement  for  capital  to  make  investments  in  this  kind  of 
business.  I  could  get  no  one  to  take  hold  of  my  irrigation  proposi- 
tion, although  several  times  it  was  pronounced  a  good  one. 

It  seems  to  me  that  now  is  the  time  when  a  first  class  irrigation 
proposition  ought  to  attract  capital,  and  be  readily  taken  up. 

My  proposition  covers  20,000  acres  of  the  very  best  arid  land  in  the 
state  of  Washington,  at  the  junction  of  the  Snake  and  Columbia 
Rivers  in  Walla  Walla  county,  and  of  the  lowest  elevation,  being  from 
350  to  400  feet  above  sea  level.  It  also  has  the  warmest  average 
annual  yearly  temperature  of  the  state,  being  55  degrees,  taken  from 
a  weather  record  of  nine  years.  The  winters  are  short  and  mild,  from 
two  to  five  weeks,  and  the  temperature  of  any  winter  month  seldom 
going  below  32  degrees,  and  that  only  from  2  to  4  degrees. 

Scientists  tell  us  that  the  average  yearly  temperature  of  55 
degrees  is  that  temperature  which  contributes  to  the  greatest  success 
in  agriculture  in  the  North  Temperate  Zone. 

The  total  precipitation  for  the  year  averages  a  little  over  six  inches. 
There  are  nearly  300  days  of  sunshine  during  the  year. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  45 

The  waterto  irrigate  this  land  will  be  taken  from  the  Snake  river 
at  a  place  known  as  "The  Five  Mile  Rapids;''  had  a  sample  of  this 
water  and  four  samples  of  the  soil  analyzed  at  the  Pullman  Experi- 
ment Station,  this  state.  The  analysis  showed  that  the  soil  contained 
all  the  elements  in  a  marked  degree  necessary  for  vegetable  growth, 
and  the  water  of  the  best  kind  for  irrigation  purposes.  The  practical 
tests  of  this  water  and  soil  is  shown  by  the  orchards  that  are  grown 
on  the  bottom  lands  along  the  Snake  river  which  are  irrigated  by 
current  wheels.  These  orchards  are  famous  for  their  wonderful 
growth  and  large  yearly  crops  of  fine  large  fruit.  Snake  river  fruit 
has  a  great  reputation  for  size  and  fine  quality  wherever  known. 

The  flow  of  the  Snake  river  at  extreme  low  water  is  18,000  cubic 
feet  per  second  of  time. 

One- half  of  the  20,000  acres  belongs  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
way Co.  The  other  half  is  government  land.  A  few  quarter  sections 
have  been  taken  up  by  settlers,  and  some  of  them  are  occupied. 

For  irrigation  purposes  the  railway  land  can  be  bought  very 
cheap,  in  the  neighborhood  of  one  dollar  per  acre.  The  railway 
company  also  owns  a  large  tract  of  grazing  land  above  this  irrigable 
land  and  below  the  famous  Walla  Walla  wheat  fields  which  can  be 
bought  very  cheap,  much  less  than  one  dollar  per  acre. 

The  party,  or  parties,  that  would  irrigate  this  20,000  acres  can 
get  15,000  acres  of  this  irrigable  land,  purchase  10,000  from  the  rail- 
way company,  and  obtain  one  half  of  the  other  10,000  acres  for  water 
rights  for  5,000  acres.  Also  purchase  from  20,000  to  30,000  acres  of 
fine  grazing  land  which  would  be  very  valuable  when  the  other  land 
is  irrigated.  The  land  lies  in  such  a  'position  that  it  can  be  irrigated 
with  about  twelve  miles  of  main  canal. 

No  better  arid  land  and  water  can  be  found  in  any  other  place  in 
the  United  States,  and,  I  question  if  any  better  climate  for  health  and 
temperate  zone  products  can  be  found  any  where  else,  and  not  at  a 
latitude  46  °  15  North. 

Water  in  a  sure  and  never  failing  abundance  as  long  as  water 
flows,  with  the  very  best  possible  title  to  water  rights  with  no  possi- 
bility of  any  one  ever  disputing  these  rights,  which  has  been  the  bane 
of  many  an  otherwise  good  irrigation  proposition. 

I  was  interested  in  reading  a  description  of  the  Pecos  Valley, 
New  Mexico,  as  described  in  THE  AGE  for  September.  I  have  read 
considerable  about  the  irrigation  works  in  that  valley.  In  reference 
to  climate,  products  of  the  soil,  quality  of  the  fruit,  variety  and  pro- 
duction of  agricultural  products  that  valley  cannot  surpass  this  local- 
ity. In  some  respects  in  natural  resources  this  locality  surpasses  the 
Pecos  Valley. 

As  the  railroads  are   now  giving  very  cheap  round  trip  rates 
probably  many  parties  will  be  induced  to  make  a  trip  out  to   this 
•  country  for  investigation  and  investment. 

Any  one  wanting  further  information  can  address, 

A.  A.  BATCHELLER,  at  Townsend,  Wash. 


THE  WISE  USE  OE  WATER. 

Except  for  grass  and  grain  crops  ~vater  should  not  be  used  by 
looding,  and  it  certainly  should  not  be  in  the  preparation  of  the 
ground  for  the  planting  of  either  of  them. 

There  are  certain  crops  upon  which  the  water  may  be  used  with 
impunity  so  far  as  touching  the  plant  is  concerned.  Some  of  the 
stronger  of  the  garden  vegetables  will  not  be  injured  by  any  use  of 
water,  while  others  will  certainly  be.  if  the  water  is  allowed  to  touch, 
the  stem  of  the  plant.  As  a  matter  of  safety  let  no  water  touch  any 
plant  or  the  bark  of  any  tree  or  shrub.  Under  the  best  circumstances 
it  does  no  good,  and  is  certainly  liable  to  do  injury. 

It  should  be  remembered  too,  that  running  water  upon  the  sur- 
face of  hard  baked  land,  or  of  rain  washed  land,  under  a  hot  sun,  will 
be  attended  with  almost  as  rapid  evaporation  as  it  would  be  if  poured 
upon  the  top  of  a  hot  stove,  nor  is  its  effect  advantageous  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil  when  so  applied.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  surface 
be  broken  so  as  to  apply  the  water  to  the  cool  under  soil,  the  absorp- 
tion is  much  more  rapid  and  more  thorough,  and  then,  with  the  pul- 
verized surface  soil,  no  matter  how  dry,  thrown  back  upon  it,  will 
serve  to  retain  it  there  many  times  longer  than  it  will  if  applied 
broadcast. 

In  watering  alfalfa,  if  the  water  is  applied  about  a  week  before 
cutting  while  the  ground  is  shaded,  and  consequently  cool,  and  es 
pecially  if  it  is  applied  at  night,  the  grass  will  be  in  much  better  con^ 
dition  for  cutting  and  will  start  more  promptly  after  cutting  by  far 
than  to  wait  until  after  it  is  cut  before  watering.     Then,  if  as  soon   as 
the  hay  can  be  cleared  from  the  ground,  a  harrow  be  run  over  the 
surface  to  break  the  surface  while  it  is  soft,  and  there  be  another   ap- 
plication of  water,  say  two  or  three  weeks  after  the  previous  one,  it 
will  certainly  make  a  very  great  difference  in  tho  yield  of  the  crop. 
One  watering  intermediate  between  this  and  the  watering  at  cutting, 
will  invariably  insure  a  good  crop  of  hay. 

The  most  useful  tools  that  can  be  used  is  the  disc  cultivator.  With 
these,  land  in  reasonably  fair  condition  can  be  thrown  into  ridges 
about  four  feet  apart,  either  rounding  ridges  or  sharp  ones.  In  pre- 
paring land,  best  results  come  from  throwing  the  ridges  as  high  as 
possible,  or  at  least  leaving  the  dead  furrows  between  as  deep  as  possi- 
ble and  apply  the  water  in  these  furrows.  Run  furrows  all  the  way  across 
the  block,  where  the  slope  of  the  ground  permits,  running  the  furrow 
as  full  as  possible  until  it  has  nearly  reached  the  lower  end,  and  there 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  47 

-shorten  the  supply  so  as  to  run  just  as  much  as  the  ground  will  ab- 
sorb by  the  time  it  reaches  the  lower  end  of  the  furrow. 

A  little  stream  left  in  this  way  for  five  or  six  hours  will  soften  al- 
most any  of  this  ground  so  that  it  will  mire  a  horse,  and  will  use,  in 
doing  so,  little  more  than  half  the  water  that  would  be  required,  if  ap- 
plied on  the  surface;  and  a  good  irrigator  can  run  ten  or  twelve  of 
these  furrows  at  a  time,  and  can  irrigate  more  land  with  less  labor, 
and  more  uniformly,  than  he  can  by  flooding.  With  the  same  culti- 
vator, with  the  discs  straddling  the  dead  furrow,  the  ridges  of  dry 
earth  are  thrown  down  over  the  water  furrow  as  soon  as  it  is  dry 
enough  for  the  team  to  travel  over  it.  Then  by  harrowing  the  ground 
smoothly,  the  surface  is  left  thoroughly  pulverized  and  to  a  depth  of 
six  or  eight  inches  is  as  mellow  as  ground  need  be  for  any  crop. 
Ground  watered  in  this  way  need  not  be  watered  oftener  than  once  in 
six  weeks,  and  no  matter  how  hot  the  weather,  moisture  will  be  found 
within  half  .an  inch  of  the  surface  at  any  time,  and  plants  will  thrive 
in  it.  Of  course  such  ridges  can  be  made  by  the  ordinary  plow,  but 
not  so  cheap. 

Plant  on  the  leveled  ground  with  planters  after  this  preparation, 
and  there  is  moisture  enough  to  bring  any  plant  up  and  give  it  a  rapid 
growth  until  it  is  from  six  to  twelve  inches  high.  As  soon  as  the 
plant  is  large  enough,  put  the  cultivators  in  for  simple  cultivation, 
throwing  up  as  little  ridge  as  possible.  Two  or  three  weeks  later  run 
the  cultivators  through  again,  and  then  water  in  the  dead  furrows  be- 
tween, following  watering  by  another  cultivation  with  the  discs  set 
with  a  view  to  leveling  down  the  ridges  as  much  as  possible. 

There  should  be  at  least  one  cultivation  between  the  waterings, 
and  two  will  be  preferable.  The  finer  the  surface  soil  is  kept  the  lon- 
ger will  the  ground  retain  moisture,"  and  the  more  mellow  and  pliable 
will  it  be  to  a  depth  of  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches. 

The  general  rule  would  be,  keep  the  water  off  the  surface,  get  it 
underground  from  the  outset;  keep  it  entirely  away  from  the  plants, 
trees  and  vines,  and  use  as  little  as  practicable  to  keep  the  soil  in  good 
growing  condition. 


NATIONAL    IRRIGATION    CON- 
GRESS. 

The  indications  are  that  the  coming  ninth  annual  session  of  the- 
National  Irrigation  Congress,  which  will  meet  in  Chicago  Nov.  21  to 
24  inclusive,  will  mark  a  turning  point  in  the  history  of  the  national 
irrigation  question  in  the  United  States. 

For  a  nnmber  of  years  the  national  irrigation  movement  has  been 
steadily  growing  and  advancing  its  lines  from  the  western  country, 
where  irrigation  means  life,  into  the  East,  where  the  problem  of  land 
reclamation  through  the  application  of  water  is  but  little  under- 
stood. The  crest  of  the  wave  which  marks  a  new  era  for  national  ir- 
rigation is  seen  in  the  interest  which  is  being  evinced  in  the  move- 
ment by  eastern  manufacturers  and  commercial  houses,  who  see  in 
the  general  western  reclamation  of  the  desert  a  greatly  increased 
home  market  for  their  various  lines  of  goods  and  manufactures.  The 
co-operation  and  support  of  the  eastern  business  man  in  the  direction 
of  water  storage  means  a  distinct  and  tremendous  gain  to  the  national 
irrigation  movement. 

The  ninth  annual  session  of  the  Congress,  it  is  evident,  will  be  a 
business  men's  Congress.  Instead  of  discussing  abstract  theories  of 
irrigation  and  water  conservation  with  long  scientific  articles  and  well 
rounded  speeches  generalizing  on  the  stupendous  possibilities,  enor- 
mous wealth  and  inconceivably  great  future  of  the  West  through  the 
reclamation  of  vast  areas  of  now  uninhabitable  aridity,  this  Congress 
proposes  to  get  down  to  business  and  simply  work  oul,  endorse  and 
push  a  plan  of  action  by  which  something  definite  can  be  accom- 
plished. 

"Save  the  Forests  and  Store  the  Floods,"  has  been  adopted  as  a 
motto  for  the  Convention  and  the  discussion  will  probably  be  in  the 
lines  of  how  to  get  at  this  work  and  do  it. 

An  excellent  program  has  been  arranged  which  includes  addresses 
by  some  eminent  men  in  political,  official  and  business  circles.  Some 
of  the  sessions  will  be  at  the  Auditorium  Theatre  which  has  a  capacity 
of  four  thousand,  and  the  indication  of  attendance  point  to  no  empty 
seats. 

The  following  paragraps  are  taken  from  the  Call,  which  has  just 
been  issued  by  the  Congress: 

"  The  ninth  annual  session  of  the  National  Irrigation  Congress 
will  be  held  at  Chicago,  Ills.,  on  Nov.  21,  22,  23  and  24,  1900.  The 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  4$ 

Congress  will  convene  at  8  o'clock  P.  M.  on  Nov.  21,  at  Central  Music 
Hall,  cor.  State  and  Randolph  streets. 

"In  this  session  of  the  National  Irrigation  Congress  all  disputa- 
tion and  controversy  should  be  eliminated.  Its  deliberations  should 
be  guided  by  a  high  purpose  and  a  united  determination  to  arouse  the 
whole  people  of  the  nation  to  a  realization  of  the  national  importance 
of  transforming  the  western  desert  from  uninhabitable  wastes  into  fer- 
tile and  populous  territory. 

"The  magic  touch  of  water  will  work  this  transformation.  The 
conservation  of  the  water  supplies  must  therefore  be  first  accom- 
plished. The  forests,  which  are  nature's  storage  reservoirs,  must  be 
preserved  and  the  waters  that  now  go  to  waste  in  destructive  floods 
must  be  stored  in  great  reservoirs  and  saved  for  beneficial  use.  The 
national  government  is  the  only  agency  through  which  this  can  be 
accomplised. 

"The  Chicago  Irrigation  Congress  should  be  a  great  gathering  of 
representative  men  of  the  country,  and  governors,  mayors,  Boards  of 
Supervisors,  County  Commissioners,  Chambers  of  Commerce,  Boards, 
of  Trade,  Agricultural  Colleges,  Irrigation,  Agricultural  and  Horti- 
cultural Associations,  Engineers'  Societies  and  Irrigation  Companies 
are  requested  to  appoint  delegates  at  once  who  will  attend  and  take 
part  in  the  proceedings  of  Congress. 

BASIS   OF   REPRESENTATION. 

The  governor  of  each  state  and  territory  to  appoint  7  delegates. 

The  mayor  of  each  city  of  less  than  25, 000  population,  2  delegates. 

The  mayor  of  each  city  of  more  than  25.000  population, 4  delegates. 

Each  Board  of  Trade  and  Chamber  of  Commerce,  2  delegates. 

Each  agricultural  college,  2  delegates. 

Each  organized  irrigation,  agricultural  and  horticultural  associar 
tion,  2  delegates. 

Each  society  of  engineers,  2  delegates. 

Each  irrigation  company,  2  delegates. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  the  following  persons  are  delegates 
by  virtue  of  their  respective  offices: 

The  duly  accredited  representative  of  any  foreign  nation  or  colory. 
The  governor  of  any  state  or  territory.  Any  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives.  Member  of  any  state 
or  territorial  commission. 

SOME   REASONS   WHY   THE   COUNTRY   SHOULD    ANNEX   ARID   AMERICA, 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  in  his  annual  report  for  1899,  says 
of  the  irrigable  area  of  the  arid  region  of  the  United  States:  "  That 
this  vast  acreage,  capable  of  sustaining  and  comfortably  supporting 
under  a  proper  system  of  irrigation,  a  population  of  at  least  50,OQO.;000 


50  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

people,  should  remain  practically  a  desert,  is  not  in  harmony  with  the 
progressive  spirit  of  the  age  or  in  keeping  with  the  possibilities  of  the 
future/' 

The  Secretary  of  Agriculture  in  his  annual  report  for  1899,  says: 
"More  than  one-third  of  the  country  depends  upon  the  success  of  ir- 
rigation to  maintain  the  people,  the  industries,  and  the  political  insti- 
tutions of  that  area,  and  future  growth  will  also  be  measured  by  the 
increase  of  the  reclaimed  area.  In  a  region  which,  in  the  extent  and 
diversity  of  its  mineral  wealth,  has  no  equal  on  the  globe,  the  riches 
of  the  mines  in  the  hills  are  already  surpassed  by  the  productions  of 
the  irrigated  farms  in  the  valleys,  and  the  nation  at  large  is  at  last 
awakening  to  the  fact  that  the  development  of  the  use  of  the  rivers 
and  arid  lands  of  the  West  will  constitute  one  of  the  most  important 
epochs  in  our  increase  in  population  and  material  wealth." 

Capt.  Hiram  M.  Chittenden,  Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A.,  says  in 
report  on  surveys  for  reservoir  sites:  "  Reservoir  construction  in  the 
arid  region  of  the  West  is  an  indispensible  condition  to  the  highest 
development  of  that  section.  It  can  properly  be  carried  out  only 
through  public  agencies.  Private  enterprise  can  never  accomplish 
the  work  successfully.  As  between  state  and  nation,  it  falls  more 
properly  under  the  domain  of  the  latter. " 

El  wood  Mead,  in  charge  of  the  Irrigation  Investigations  of  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  in  Agricultural  Year  book,  1899,  says: 
"The  commercial  importance  of  the  development  of  irrigation  re- 
sources is  being  realized  in  the  West  at  the  present  time  as  n'ever  be- 
fore. *  *  *  The  East,  as  a  whole,  is  beginning  to  realize  the  great 
part  which  the  West  is  to  have  in  the  events  of  the  twentieth  century. 
World-wide  forces  are  working  to  hasten  the  day  of  its  complete  de- 
velopment and  the  utilization  of  all  its  rich  resources.  The  Orient  is 
awake  and  offering  its  markets  to  the  trade  of  the  Pacific  Coast. 

"With  the  development  of  this  trade  there  will  come  an  impulse 
for  the  completion  of  the  material  conquest  of  Arid  America,  by  the 
enlistment  of  public  as  well  as  private  means  in  the  storage  and  di- 
version of  its  streams  for  the  irrigation  of  its  hundred  million  acres  of 
irrigable  soil;  the  harnessing  of  its  water  powers  to  mill  and  factory 
wheels,  the  crowding  of  its  pastures  with  new  millions  of  live  stock; 
the  opening  up  of  its  mines  and  quaries;  the  conversion  of  its  forests 
into  human  habitations;  the  coming  of  a  vast  population,  and  the 
growth  of  institutions  worthy  of  the  time  and  place." 

Frederick  H.  Newell,  Hydrographer  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  in  Survey  of  Reservoir  Sites,  says:  "Water  storage  on  a 
large  scale  can  rarely  be  made  profitable  to  individuals  or  corpora- 
tions. *  *  *  Existing  conditions,  laws  and  customs  are  such  that 
the  person  who  builds  a  dam  on  the  head  waters  of  a  stream  is  rarely 


THE  IRRIG TION  AGE  51 

in  a  position  to  be  benefited  financially  by  the  water  which  he  im- 
pounds. 

"While  reservoirs  in  general  cannot  be  made  sources  of  profit  to 
the  investors,  there  Jis  no  gainsaying  th<3  fact  that  they  are  indispen- 
sable to  the  community.  They  may  be  classed  with  lighthouses  and 
works  of  internal  improvement,  which,  under  existing  laws  and  cus- 
toms, cannot  be  made  sources  of  private  gain,  and  yet  must  be  had  if 
a  full  development  of  the  natural  resources  is  to  be  obtained." 


PORTRAIT   OF  A   CHILD, 

Sargent's  Beatrice. 

Rose  of  childhood,  sweetest  rose, 
That  on  a  painter's  canvas  glows, 

Light  of  innocence  and  grace 

O'er  the  flower- tinted  face; 
With  a  shadow  of  surprise 
In  the  sweet  and  pensive  eyes, 

Fillet-clasp  of  golden  hair, 

Ribbon,  pink  as  petal  rare, 
Spirit,  thou,  or  dream-caprice 
Figure  quaint  of  Beatrice? 

Hast  thou  seen,  A  fairy  child, 
Gretel  of  the  forest  wild, 

Heard  the  talking  leaves  repeat. 

Secrets  of  their  dim  retreat? 
Harkened  to  the  fountain  call, 
Music  of  the  Parsifal, 

Saw  the  brownies  vanish  quite — 

From  the  beams  of  jocund  light? 
Spirit-vision,  dream-caprice 
Figure  quaint  of  Beatrice! 

This  thy  Little  Self  shall  be 
Ever  young  immortally! 

Time  nor  sorrow  leave  their  brace 

On  the  the  pure  ideal  face, 
In  the  eyes,  that  sweet  express 
Childhood's  love  and  happiness. 

What  thy  thoughts  the  moment  while 

Artist  gave  the  world  thy  smile? 
Who  can  fathom  thy  caprice- 
Living,  loving  Beatrice! 

ISADORE  BAKER. 


IRRIGATION  IN  NEBRASKA. 

A  line  drawn  in  a  southwesterly  direction  across  the  state  of 
"Nebraska  from  the  northeast  corner  of  Knox  county  to  the  southwest 
•corner  of  Purnas  county,  traverses  approximately  the  medial  line  of  a 
belt  receiving  an  average  mean  rainfall  of  about  twenty-four  inches 
per  annum.  To  the  east  of  this  belt  the  precipitation  is  greater,  while 
to  the  west  it  decreases  in  a  regular  ratio.  The  line  above  referred  to 
may  be  accepted  also  as  the  line  of  demarkation  between  the  humid 
and  the  semi-humid  portions  of  the  State,  The  humid  region  of 
Nebraska,  as  thus  defined,  comprising  about  32,000  square  miles  of 
territory,  contains  a  million  inhabitants,  and  is  unexcelled  in  agricul- 
tural resources  as  compared  with  any  other  State  in  the  Union.  •  Its 
soil  is  fertile  to  a  degree;  every  cereal  and  other  product  known  to  the 
temperate  zone  can  be  cultivated  here  with  the  assurance  of  a  harvest 
as  abundant  and  certain  as  that  which  befalls  any  other  region  of  the 
ivorld  of  the  same  latitude.  Tf  Nebraska  only  included  its  humid 
•counties  alone  it  would  still  be  a  great  State,  exceeding  in  area  West 
Virginia, Maine  or  South  Carolina;  it  would  contain  four  times  as  many 
square  miles  as  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  and  its  extent  would  be 
but  one-fifth  less  than  that  of  Ohio,  Tennessee,  Virginia,  or  of  all  the 
New  England  States  combined. 

But  Nebraska  is  all  this  and  more.  To  the  west  of  the  line  above 
mentioned  are  44,000  square  m\les  of •  magnificent  prairie  lands,  car 
peted  with  grasses  that  render  this  section  one  of  the  finest  stock 
ranges  of  the  great  West.  With  the  exception  of  about  15,000  square 
miles, which  compose  the  sand  hill  areas  of  this  part  of  the  State,  the 
fertility  of  the  soil  is  as  great  as  that  of  the  lands  just  west  of  the 
Missouri  river,  and  in  years  of  plentiful  rainfall  the  crops  produced  in 
this  region  have  been  the  envy  of  the  farmers  of  the  humid  section  of 
the  State.  While  the  climate  of  this  portion  of  Nebraska  is  delightful, 
the  rainfall  is  uncertain,  and  for  this  reason  the  settlement  of  the 
buffalo  grassed  table  lands  lying  between  the  Platte  and  the  Repub- 
lican rivers  has  been  the  source  of  disappointment  and  misfortune  to 
those  who  were  lured  thither  by  the  smiling  prospects  of  the  dark 
green  prairies  in  June.  But  experience  alone  is  the  great  teacher  of 
the  limitations  and  possibilities  of  development  in  the  unpopulated 
regions  of  the  new  world,  and  so  it  came  that  a  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  people  found  themselves  located  in  the  semi-humid  portion  of 
Nebraska  before  it  became  notoriously  evident  that  the  uncertainty  of 
rainfall  in  that  part  of  the  state  renders  agriculture,  as  a  pursuit,  un- 
jcertain  and  hence  unrenumerative. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  53 

•r 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  former  hopes  for  Western  Nebraska 
as  a  rain  belt  agricultural  region  they  have  all  been  dispelled  by  the 
short  crops  harvested  since  1890.  The  people  of  the  east  have  heard 
much  of  the  suffering  and  misery  due  to  the  drought  and  hot  winds, 
and  to  those  unacquainted  with  the  situation  it  has  been  the  impres- 
sion that  the  misfortune  was  a  general  one  throughout  the  State. 
While  it  is  true  that  agriculture  was  far  from  renumerative,  even  in 
the  eastern  counties,  during  1894,  yet  it  is  equally  true  that  suffering  and 
privation  was  confined  almost  if  not  wholly  to  the  semi-humid  region, 
as  above  defined.  Eastern  Nebraska  is  no  more  subject  to  droughts 
than  Michigan,  Ohio  or  Indiana,  but  in  the  western  counties  of  the 
State  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  agriculture  without  the  aid  of  irri- 
gation is  so  uncertain  in  its  returns  as  to  render  its  pursuit,  to  say  the 
least,  undesirable.  This  conclusion  was  practically  reached  some  years 
ago,  and  since  that  time  the  progress  of  irrigation  in  the  great  valleys 
of  the  State  has  been  remarkable  indeed. 

Nowhere  in  the  semi-arid  region  is  the  altitude  so  favorable,  the 
available  water  so  abundant  or  the  problem  of  Reclamation  so  simple  as 
in  Western  Nebraska.  In  considering  locations,  altitude  is  often  lost 
sight  of  by  the  unitiated,  and  yet,  this  is  a  factor  that  has  a  most  im- 
portant bearing  upon  the  success  of  agriculture  in  the  arid  West. 
Those  looking  for  irrigated  lands,  however,  need  have  no  misgivings 
upon  this  score  so  far  as  Nebraska  is  concerned,  for  so  favorable  is  the 
elevation  of  even  the  high  table  lands  in  the  extreme  western  portion 
of  the  Stale,  that  whenever  sufficient  moisture  is  present  corn  can  be 
grown  equal  in  quantity  and  quality  to  any  produced  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Missouri  river. 

Excluding  the  Platte  river  there  are  four  water  sheds  from  which 
water  supplies  can  be  obtained:  those  of  the  White,  Nobrara,Loup  and 
Republican  rivers,  affording  in  the  aggregate  several  thousand  cubic 
feet  per  second.  The  Platte  river,  which  alone  has  its  source  in  the 
mountains,  is  a  peculiarly  favorable  stream  for  irrigation  purposes. 
Not  only  does  its  flood  season  occur  during  the  months  of  June  and 
July  when  its  discharge  varies  from  6,000  to  12,000  second  feet,  thus 
coinciding  with  the  period  of  greatest  use,  but  its  declivity,  like  that 
of  most  western  streams,  is  relatively  great  and  its  banks  low.  Here, 
as  in  the  other  valleys  of  the  State,  little  or  no  rock  that  cannot  be 
plowed,  is  met  with  in  the  construction  of  canals.  The  broad  level 
bottom  lands  and  benches  afford  especially  advantageous  opportunities 
for  the  use  of  graders  in  the  removal  of  earth.  As  a  consequence, 
earth  work  is  cheaply  done  and  the  cost  of  reclamation  correspondingly 
slow.  When  we  add  to  these  facts  the  additional  fact  that  there  is  a 
population  in  the  semi-humid  region  exceeding  that  of  Montana,  or 
that  of  Wyoming  and  Idaho  combined,  the  causes  responsible  for  the 


54  THE  IRR1 GA  21  ON  A  GE. 

rapid  advancement  of  the  irrigation  industry  in  the  State  are  rendered 
apparent. 

The  first  considerable  canal  was  constructed  in  1883,  in  Lincoln 
county  in  the  vicinity  of  North  Platte,  yet  little  water  was  used  there- 
from until  in  1889  and  1890.  Since  then,  however,  the  use  of  water  has 
rapidly  increased  and  the  number  of  canals  so  multiplied  that  in 
October  of  1894  there  were,  according  to  the  report  of  the  State  Com- 
missioner of  Labor,  689  miles  of  canal  completed,  covering  in  the 
neighborhood  of  360,000  acres  of  land,  or  more  than  half  as  much  as 
was  under  ditch  in  Utah  in  1890,  as  stated  in  the  National  Cencus  of 
that  year.  If  we  assume  that  the  cost  of  reclamation  averaged  $3.00 
per  acre, then  upon  the  basis  of  the  figures  above  given,  the  recent  ac 
tivity  in  the  irrigation  industry  of  the  State  means  an  investment  of 
more  than  $1,000,000  within  a  period  of  less  than  four  years.  When 
we  consider  the  expenditure  and  the  amount  of  land  reclaimed,  it  is 
doubtful  if  this  record  has  ever  been  equaled  by  any  other  state  of  the 
great  West. 

The  first  laws  designed  for  the  encouragement  of  irrigation  devel- 
opment in  Nebraska  were  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  1889, and  though 
meager  in  detail  and  narrow  in  application,  yet  they  were  found  suffic- 
ient to  meet  the  demands  of  the  situation.  Under  this  statute  the  right 
to  the  use  of  water  from  streams  exceeding  fifty  feet  in  width  was  se- 
cured by  posting  a  notice  of  appropriation  at  the  point  of  diversion  and 
filing  the  same  with  the  County  Clerk.  Hundreds  of  these  notices  are 
now  on  record  in  the  various  counties  of  the  State,  and  one  of  the  first 
duties  devolving  upon  the  present  Board  of  Irrigation  is  the  adjudica- 
tion of  the  rights  and  priorities  of  the  numerous  claimants  represented. 

The  inadequacy  of  the  St.  Raynor  law — as  this  act  was  called — 
soon  became  apparent,  and  the  two  succeeding  legislatures  were  applied 
to  for  relief.  It  remained,  however,  foi*  the  legislature  of  1895  to  Jully 
recognize  the  importance  of  irrigation,  and  place  it  upon  that  sound 
foundation  that  was  necessary  for  the  continued  development  of  the 
industry.  As  a  result  of  the  untiring  eflorts  of  Senator  W.  R.  Akers, 
of  Scotts  Bluff  county,  two  bills  were  passed,  and  an  appropriation  se- 
cured to  make  them  effective.  The  first,  known  as  the  control  bill 
created  a  State  Board  of  Irrigation  consisting  of  the  Governor,  At- 
torney General  and  Commissioner  of  Public  Lands  and  State  Engineer 
and  Secretary.  An  assistant  secretary  and  two  under-secretaries  were 
also  provided, with  an  additional  provision  for  under-assistants  in  each 
of  the  water  districts  of  the  state  that  may  be  hereafter  created.  One 
of  the  first  duties  of  this  Board,  as  already  stated,  is  the  adjudication 
of  the  rights  and  priorities  of  the  claims  now  on  record.  In  addition 
thereto,  the  State  Engineer  is  required  to  receive  and  pass  upon  ap- 
plications for  the  appropriation  of  water  and  the  construction  of  new 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


oo 


ditches.  .  And  further,  to  supervise  the  division  of  the  waters  of  the 
state  among  the  various  claimants  in  accordance  with  the  Board's 
decrees. 

The  second  bill  was  modeled  after  the  "Wright"  law  of  California, 
the  provisions  of  which  are  so  well  known  as  to  require  no  description 
here.  The  effect  of  this  legislation  is  already  apparent;  a  number  of 
irrigation  districts  are  now  organized  or  in  process  of  organization. 

In  view  of  the  results  thus  far  achieved,  and  the  nattering  condi- 
tions under  which  further  progress  will  be  made, the  friends  of  irriga- 
tion are  fully  justified  in  contemplating  with  complacence  'the  future 
of  that  industrv  in  Nebraska.  Though,  for  lack  of  water,  it  may  not 
be  possible  to  eventually  reclaim  more  than  six  or  seven  per  cent  of 
the  30,000,000  acres  embraced  within  the  semi-humid  portion  of  the 
state,  yet  the  intensive  cultivation  of  this  seemingly  small  area  will 
place  Nebraska  in  the  front  rank  of  the  irrigation  states,  and  in  con- 
nection with  the  stock  growing  interests,  assure  the  livelihood,  con- 
tentment and  happiness  of  a  half  million  people  west  of  the  hundredth 
meridian. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED   FARM. 


HOW   TO  RECLAIM  AN    ABANDONED 
FARM. 

Mr.  Arthur  B.  Clapp,  of  Brattleboro, 
Vt.,  is  the  possessor  now  of  the  farm  near 
West  River  on  which  his  great  grandfather 
settled  in  1765.  It  was  by  no  means  an 
abandoned  farm  when  it  came  into  his  pos- 
session, having  good  buildings  and  carry- 
ing a  stock  of  thirty  head  of  cattle,  besides 
horses  and  swine  and  a  lot  of  fowls;  and 
there  are  twelve  acres  of  corn  and  fourteen 
acres  of  oat  fodder  growing,  with  an  ex- 
pected crop  of  sixty  tons  of  hay,  at  least 
300  bushels  of  potatoes,  100  barrels  of 
winter  apples  and  other  smaller  crops. 
But  Mr.  Clapp  is  a  practical  farmer  and 
believes  that  a  man  can  reclaim  an  aban- 
doned farm  and  make  it  pro6table  while 
doing  so. 

He  says:  "The  first  thing  I  would  do 
would  be  to  provide  sufficient  fertilizers, 
and  begin  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  If 
without  capital  a  man  should  be  thrifty 
enough  to  procure  cattle  to  stock  hjs  pas- 
tures. He  should  plant  an  acre  of  corn 
for  each  head.  The  cattle  should  be 
stabled  nights  to  secure  the  manure. 
Every  farm  has  a  muck  bed.  and  this 
should  be  drawn  out  in  a  quantity  suni- 
cient  to  use  as  an  absorbent  in  stables  and 
yards,  for  which  purpose  it  is  one  of  the 
best  and  cheapest.  The  herd  should  be 
mostly  of  cows,  and  the  milk  might  be 
turned  into  butter.  A  separator  should 
be  used  if  there  were  means  to  buy  it,  and 
the  cream  might  be  sold  to  a  creamery. 
The  skimmilk  should  be  fed  to  calves  and 

Pigs- 
There  is  more  money  in  poultry   for  the 


amount  invested  than  in  anything  else  if 
they  are  properly  cared  for.  Good  fences 
are  absolutely  essential  to  good  farming. 
If  there  is  a  sugar  orchard  it  should  be 
kept  up,  as  sugar  is  made  at  a  time  when 
other  farm  work  is  not  crowding.  The 
time  is  coming  when  sugar  and  syrup  will 
bring  in  a  good  income.  Fruit  trees 
should  receive  the  same  attention  as  any 
other  crop,  so  far  as  working  the  ground 
and  fertilizing  it  goes,  and  the  trees  should 
be  kept  well  trimmed  and  healthy. 

"  The  second  year  the  fertilizers  should 
be  put  on  the  land  where  corn  had  been 
grown,  and  it  should  be  seeded  to  oats  to 
be  harvested  in  the  milk,  while  more  land 
should  be  broken  for  corn.  This  process 
should  be  repeated  for  three  or  four  years, 
increasing  the  herd  as  the  fodder  crop  in- 
creases. In  this  time  enough  should  be 
saved  to  pay  for  all  the  dairy  implements, 
and  all  necessary  labor-saving  implements 
for  the  farm.  Milk  should  be  made  the 
chief  product,  and  if  one  understands  the 
art  of  butter  making  it  should  be  the  most 
profitable  way  of  disposing  of  the  milk.'' 

With  most  of  this  we  would  agree,  but 
if  we  had  to  reclaim  a  neglected  farm  we 
would  wish  to  begin  in  the  fall,  not  only 
that  we  might  do  some  fall  plowing,  but 
get  ready  in  many  other  ways,  and  espe- 
cially in  preparing  for  a  good  garden,  even 
thongh  we  were  too  far  from  market  to  sell 
many  of  its  products.  We  have  taken  a 
run-down  farm  in  the  spring  and  found  so 
much  to  be  done  that  we  felt  like  Hamlet's 
uncle,  who  said,  "  like  a  man  to  double 
business  bound,  I  stand  in  pause  where  I 
shall  first  begin,  and  both  neglect. "- 
America ii  ( 'n/ 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGK 


57 


SILO    ON   A  SMALL  FARM. 

Having  a  small  farm,  and  consequently 
a  small  dairy,  yet  believing  that  a  silo  is  a 
necessary  adjunct  of  a  dairy  farm,  'I 
studied  to  see  how  I  could  build  econom- 
ically. My  barn  where  my  cows  are  kept, 
is  about  30x40  feet  with  the  cow  stable  on 
the  east  end,  a  driveway  floor  through  the 
center,  and  a  bay  in  the  northwest  corner. 
It  was  here  that  I  decided  to  build  my  silo. 
After  tearing  out  the  floor,  etc.,  I  exca- 
vated four  feet  beJow  the  sills.  The  posts 
of  the  barn  are  fourteen  feet.  This  gave 
a  chance  fora  silo  eighteen  feet  deep.  Its 
surface  is  15  1  2x18  1-2  feet.  Studding 
were  set  up  where  needed  to  strengthen 
the  walls  and  crosspieces  were  nailed  to 
these,  about  three  feet  apart  near  the  floor 
and  further  apart  near  the  top.  Hemlock 
boards  were  nailed  up  and  down  to  these 
and  then  double  boarded  with  spruce, 
taking  care  to  break  joints,  but  using  no 
paper  between.  Neither  were  any  of  the 
boards  planed.  The  floor  of  the  silo  was 
cemented.  A  door  was  left  next  to  the 
feeding  or  driveway  floor.  This  was 
closed  by  a  single  thickness  of  matched 
boards  placed  'horizontally  across  the 
opening  as  fast  as  filled  and  taken  out  as 
the  ensilage  was  fed.  The  lumber  was 
cut  on  the  farm  and  much  of  the  work, 
including  getting  the  lumber  to  the  mill, 
I  did  myself.  The  actual  money  paid  out 
would  not  exceed  $25. 

The  silo  was  built  in  1896  and  has  been 
filled  four  times;  in  1896  and  1897  it  was 
filled  with  cut  silage.  This  spoiled  some 
around  the  edges  near  the  top  and  a  little 
in  the  corners,  but  I  do  not  think  the 
spoiled  material  was  equal  to  the  interest 
on  the  extra  cost  of  a  more  expensive  silo. 
It  is  a  cold  place  and  the  silage  freezes 
quite  badly,  sometimes  as  much  as  eight 
or  ten  inches  being  frozen  all  around  the 
sides.  In  the  spring,  as  fast  as  this  thaws, 
it  is  fed.  I  have  never  seen  any  differ- 
ence in  the  feeding  value  of  that  which 
had  been  frozen  as  compared  with  that 


which  had  not.  In  1898  I  was  unable  to 
secure  a  cutter,  and  against  my  better 
judgment  I  filled  the  silo  with  uncut  corn. 
The  corn  was  mostly  Sanford,  and  a  very 
heavy  growth,  many  stalks  being  ten  feet 
long  and  over  and  heavily  cured.  This 
made  it  heavy  to  handle  and  very  difficult 
to  pack  in  the  silo.  Much  care  was  taken 
in  packing.  Beginning  at  one  end  the 
butts  were  placed  next  the  outside  and  a 
layer  placed  across  the  end;  then  begin- 
ning another  layer  the  butts  were  placed 
two  feet  from  the  end  and  so  on.  shingle 
fashion,  the  entire  length  of  silo.  The 
tops  of  the  last  layer  were  doubled  over 
and  a  bundle  laid  crosswise.  Then  a  new 
layer  was  begun  on  this  end,  and  so  on 
until  done,  but  in  spite  of  my  care  the  sil- 
age spoiled  badly  and  was  very  hard  to 
take  out.  Not  only  this  but  the  cows  do 
not  eat  it  as  readily  as  they  do  the  cut 
ensilage,  so  there  is  considerable  waste  in 
this  way.  From  my  experience  I  should 
say  it  is  doubtful  economy  to  fill  a  silo 
with  whole  corn  to  save  the  cost  of  a  cut- 
ter. The  principal  silage  crop  in  Vermont 
is  corn.  The  most  common  variety  is  the 
Sanford,  a  large  flint  sort  that  in  the  state 
rarely  matures  (;he  seed  being  obtained 
from  the  southern  part  of  the  state  and 
Massachusetts),  but  it  generally  reaches 
the  roasting  stage,  and  this  is  usually  con- 
sidered the  proper  condition  for  silage. 
As  it  contains  a  good  proportion  of  ears  it 
makes  capital  silage.  I  believe  the  silo  is, 
the  proper  place  for  the  entire  corn  plant. 
I  believe  there  are  few  dairy  farms  that 
can  afford  to  be  without  a  silo.  Also  that 
an  expensive  silo  is  not  necessary.  But 
good  silage  and  clover  hay  are,  in  my 
judgment,  the  cheapest  feeds  for  the  dairy 
farmer.  If  it  were  practicable  I  would 
not  cover  the  silo  at  all,  but  begin  feeding 
as  soon  as  it  was  filled  I  have  done  this 
way  and  like  it  very  much,  but  have  never 
been  able  to  cover  it  so  as  to  prevent  there 
being  more  or  les«  spoiled  silage.  I  usu- 
ally feed  about  forty  pounds  per  cow  daily 


58 


'IHZ  IRRIGATION  AGE, 


in  two  feeds,  morning  and  evening  the 
grain  ration  with  the  silage  and  giving  a 
small  foddering  of  hay  directly  afterwards. 
No  other  feeds  are  given  during  the  day. 
With  this  manner  of  feeding  silage  I  have 
had  good  results  and  I  firmly  believe  that 
it  will  pay  any  farmer  who  keeps  cows  to 
have  a  silo.— Practical  Farmer. 


ENCOURAGING  THE  FARMER. 

Secretary  of  Agriculture  Wilson,  in 
view  of  the  crop  estimates  which  his  ex-' 
perts  have  made,  looks  for  rising  prices. 
''The  outlook  for  good  prices,"  he  says 
"was  never  better.  We  have  a  shortage 
in  the  American  wheat  crop  this  year 
which  will  probably  amount  to  a  hundred 
million  bushels  in  all.  This  alone  would 
serve  to  make  the  present  yield  more  val- 
uable. There  are  additional  reasons,  how- 
ever, which  incline  me  to  believe  that 
wheat  will  make  a  marked  advance  before 
the  end  of  the  present  year.  There  is  un- 
exampled prosperity  throughout  the  coun- 
try to-day,  and  the  prospects  are  that  the 
present  year  will  be  a  record-breaker. 
This  has  been  best  instanced,  perhaps,  in 
our  enormous  export  of  niauufacured 
goods  of  various  descriptions,  while  the 
trade  balance  is  all  our  way.  But  our 
home  market  is,  and  will  continue  to  be, 
the  greatest  wheat  market  in  the  world. 
This  year  the  demand  for  the  great  bulk 
of  our  crop  is  at  home,  and  the  people 
have  the  money  with  which  to  pay  fur 
whatever  breadstuff  they  desire. 

"Not  only  will  our  people  be  the  best 
fed  people  in  the  world  during  the  present 
year,  as  they  have  been  in  years  past,  but 
they  will  be  better  fed  than  they  have 
been  in  years  past.  They  have  plenty  of 
money  to  buy  all  the  wheat  they  want  for 
bread  and  will  haye  flour  left  over  for  cake 
if  they  want  it.  Hard  times  directly  affect 
the  price  of  wheat  by  decreasing  the  de- 
mand, and  at  the  same  time  cuts  off  the 
consumption  by  decreasing  the  buying 


power  of  the  people.  The  consumption  of 
wheat  per  capita  this  year  will  go  above 
last  year  and  will  probably  be  nearer  seven 
than  six  bushels,  because  this  year  the 
people  are  better  able  to  buy  than  ever  be- 
fore, as  the  milld  and  factories  are  going 
everywhere  and  labor  is  receiving  more 
general  and  more  generous  employment 
than  ever  before.  Moreover,  the  farmers 
themselves  are  getting  good  prices  for  all 
their  products  and  will  not  be  forced  to 
stint  themselves  in  their  food  supplies  and 
in  their  buying,  as  formerly.  The  short- 
age and  the  increased  domestic  demand 
will  make  foreign  countries  who  buy  wheat 
pay  more,  and  the  price  must  advance. 

"It  will  probably  be  advisable  for  our 
farmers  to  feed  much  of  their  corn  this 
year  to  sheep,  horses,  cattle  and  hogs,  as 
the  price  of  meat  is  high  and  the  outlook 
fur  a  continuous  demand  for  our  meat  pro- 
duct, both  at  home  and  abroad,  is  excel- 
lent. Germany  can  exclude  our  meat  on 
whatever  pretext  she  pleases,  but  if  she  is 
going  to  feed  meat  to  her  soldiers  in  China 
she  must  buy  it  in  Chicago.  Moreover, 
our  meat  is  the  best  in  the  world.  With 
the  stimulus  which  our  foreign  commerce 
is  getting,  and  the  introduction  of  our 
manufactured  goods  into  other  markets, 
tLe  home  demand  for  all  food  products 
must  grow  and  steadily  increase.  More- 
over, we  may  look  for  an  increase  in  the 
average  price  of  our  farm  products  from 
this  time  on  for  the  same  reason." 

BIG  OREGON  HOP  CROPS. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  well  known  hop 
buyers  in  Aurora,  Ore.,  the  hop  crop  of 
the  state  will  reach  at  least  90,000  bales, 
tin  increase  of  about  10,01)0  bales  over  the 
yield  of  1899  Exact  figures  are  not  yet 
obtainable,  but  the  buyers  say  that  reports 
so  far  received  warrant  the  foregoing 
statement ;  also  that  the  hops  are  of  fine 
quality  and  sell  readily  at  14  and  142 
cents  a  pound,  with  a  few  sales  at  l5o 
cents.  Last  year  prices  ranged  from  4  to 
6  cents  per  pound,  or  less  than  choice  '99 
hops  bring  today. 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


IRRIGATION  IN  THE  EAST. 
Through  the  kindness  of  C.  P.  De  Field 
we  are  able  to  present  to  our  readers  the 
following  description  of  an  irrigation 
tank,  built  by  him  at  his  place  in  Field- 
home,  N.  Y.,  together  with  illustrations 
of  same. 


Ions  when  full.  There  is  a  spring  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  tank  and  an  inch  bored 
well  just  outside  of  the  wall.  We  have  a 
pump  (hot  air)  using  kerosene  for  fuel, 
ready  to  erect,  that  will  pump  water  from 
the  well  into  the  tank  or  take  water  from 
the  tank  and  pump  it  into  the  house  some 


"The  walls  of  the  tank  are  of  Portland 
cement  concrete,  two  feet  thick  at  the 
top  and  four  feet  thick  at  the  bottom, 
most  of  the  bevel  being  on  the  in  or  water 
side,  to  allow  the  ice  to  lift  rather  than 
squeeze  out  the  sides  The  tank  is  four 
and  a^half  feet  deep  with  right  angled  cor- 
ners aud  |should  hold  fifty  thousand  gal- 


100  feet  above  the  tank  or  pump  it  into 
any  of  the  irrigation  ditches  of  the  garden 
which  is  over  half  a  mile  long  (to  avoid 
many  turnings  of  the  animal  worker.) 

When  the  tank  was  first  completed  it 
was  very  dry  and  the  spring  extremely  re- 
duced and  while  the  concrete  was  harden- 
ing the  walls  became  so  warm  that  the 


60 


THE  1RRIGA  T10N  A  GE. 


production  of  the  spring  for  the  first  week 
was  entirely  evaporated  until  a  shower 
cooled  the  walls  sufficiently  to  allow  the 
water  from  the  spring  which  is  a  few  feet 
above  the  tank  top,  to  cover  the  bottom. 

Having  a  plentiful  supply  of  water  for 
domestic  purposes  from  several  good  wells 
I  have  used  a  sewerage  pump  to  empty  the 
cisterns  on  the  lawns  with  marked  success. 
Truly  the  western  expression  that  rain  is 
a  poor  substitute  for  irrigation  has  been 
demonstrated  here  this  season.  We  are 
debating  now  whether  to  catch  the  rain 
water  from  the  building  which  is  nearly 
two  hundred  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide, 
in  cisterns  or  uncovered  tanks  for  basins 
with  equatic  plants.  Stones  and  spalls 
costing  only  the  drawing  not  over  a  mile 
and  a  half  we  are  peculiarly  well  situated 
for  doing  concrete  work  and  expect  to  use 
a  thousand  barrels  of  Portland  cement  this 
season;  we  were  able  to  buy  it  put  into  our 
buildings  and  piled  up,  for  two  dollars 
and  twenty  cents  a  barrel,  while  the  local 
dealers  were  keeping  the  price  at  over 
three  dollar?  a  barrel.  We  have  several 
good  floors  (on  beams)  of  concrete,  one 
roof  and  one  floor  over  a  stretch  of  nearly 
thirty  feet  that  is  an  arch  and  that  was 
put  up  last  fall  and  seems  to  stand  admir- 
ably. One  roof  has  a  crack  in  it,  but  it 
was  done  in  freezing  weather  by  using  salt 
in  the  mixture  and  we  did  not  then  know 
that  concrete  floors  and  roofs  should,  to 
use  an  Irish  expression,  be  kept  wet 
till  dry  i.  e.  made  to  dry  very  slowly  by 
keeping  damp  bags  all  over  the  top." 


IRRIGATION    PAYS. 

•  "Myriads  of  instances  could  be  ad- 
duced in  this  semi-arid  region  to  approve 
the  assertion  that  irrigation  pays,"  says 
the  Citrograph.  "It  is  the  common  belief 
however,  that  in  the  moist — or  humid — 
regions,  irrigation  does  not  pay.  We  of 
the  irrigated  section  are  firm  in  the  belief 
that  irrigation  pays,  even  in  the  humid 
region,  and  such  a  statement  as  this, 
which  we  find  in  the  Vacaville  Reporter, 


goes  far  towards  showing  that  our  conten- 
tion is  the  correct  one.'' 

'The  benefits  to  be  derived  from  irriga- 
tion are  well  illustrated  in  an  experience 
of  Frank  Buck  this  season.  On  his 
upper  place  he  has  a  tract  of  canning 
peaches.  Without  irrigation  this  year  it 
would  probably  have  produced  about  400 
lug  boxes.  With  the  amount  of  water 
put  on  this  was  increased  to  over  1700,  an 
increase  which  well  pays  for  the  expense 
and  trouble  of  pumping  the  water  applied 
to  the  tract.  Doubtless,  the  experience 
of  others  is  in  the  same  direction.  Irri- 
gation pays.  Of  that  there  can  be  no 
doubt  even  in  season  when  this  locality 
ha&  a  normal  rainfall  of  thirty-five  inches. 

When  the  people  all  over  the  United 
States  once  become  convinced  of  the  fact 
that  irrigation  pays,  we  shall  have  no 
difficulty  in  getting  any  needed  amount  of 
appropriations  from  both  nation  and  state 
for  the  building  of  catchment  reservoirs 
for  the  conservation  of  water  for  dry  sea- 
sons." 


WOULD  ASSIST  THE  WEST. 
That  eastern  business  men  are  genu- 
inely alive  to  the  importance  of  western 
arid  land  reclamation  is  shown  by  the 
continuons  press  reports  of  the  actions  of 
various  business  and  commercial  organi- 
zations endorsing  the  national  irrigation 
movement,  and  urging  the  reelamation  of 
the  arid  region.  The  recent  action  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  National  Busi- 
ness League  at  Chicago,  whose  member- 
ship represents  tens  ot  millions,  is  an  ex- 
ample. Strong  resolutions  were  adopted 
urging  upou  congress  the  preservation  and 
development  of  national  resources  by  the 
construction  of  storage  reservoirs  by  the 
federal  government  for  flood  protection 
and  to  save  for  use  in  aid  of  navigation 
and  irrigation  the  flood  waters  which  now 
run  to  waste  and  cause  overflow  and  de- 
struction, arid  for  the  reclamation  of  the 
arid  public  lands.  Also,  the  necessity 
for  the  preservation  of  the  forest  and  re- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


61 


forestration  of  denuded  forest  areas  as 
sources  of  water  supply,  the  conservation 
of  existing  supplies  by  approved  methods 
of  irrigatiun  and  distribution,  and  the  in- 
crease of  the  water  resources  of  the  arid 
region  by  the  investigation  and  develop- 
ment of  underground  supplies  and  the 
united  ownership  of  land  and  water. 

The  resolutions  embodied  a  specific  de- 
mand for  an  annual  appropriation  of  not 
less  than  $250,000  for  irrigation  surveys 
and  maps  of  irrigable  public  lands,  with 
plans  and  estimates  of  costs  of  reservoirs, 
canals  and  irrigation  works  necessary  for 
their  reclamation  and  for  sinking  experi- 
mental artesian  wells  by  the  United  States 
Greological  Survey,  and  of  not  less  than 
$100,000  for  irrigation  investigations  by 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  the 
United  States. 

The  National  Business  League  is  send- 
ing copies  of  these  resolutions  to  all  the 
multitude  of  commercial  organizations  in 
the  United  States,  with  a  request  for 
their  endorsement  of  the  national  policy 
set  forth  therein,  and  asking  for  their  co- 
operation to  secure  the  support  of  of  their 
senators  and  congressmen  for  said  policy 
and  for  the  said  appropriations  to  carry 
the  same  into  effect. 

GUY  E.  MITCHELL. 


IRRIGATION  DECISION. 

The  suit  of  Miller  &  Lux  and  the  San 
Joaquin  and  Kings  river  canal  and  irriga- 
tion company  against  the  Enterprise 
canal  and  laud  company  and  others  and  J. 
C.  Mowry,  intervenor,  which  was  submit- 
ted on  briefs  in  Judge  Webb's  department 
of  the  superior  courts  several  weeks  ago 
has  been  decided.  The  suit  was  really  a 
contest  between  Henry  Miller  and  Jeff 
James  for  the  waters  of  the  San  Joaquin 
river  and  neither  of  the  parties  will  find 
much  consolation  in  the  judgment,  which 
was  virtually  against  both. 

Miller  &  Lux,  who  have  defied  the  law 
for  years  by  damming  up  the  San  Joaquin 


at  the  point  of  confluence  with  the  Fresno 
slough,  brought  injunction  proceedings  to 
restrain  James  from  tapping  the  river 
near  the  old  California  ranch  above-their 
dam,  claiming  that  they  would  thereby  be 
deprived  of  the  water.  To  support  the  in- 
junction proceedings  they  set  up  two 
claims — (1)  that  they  were  entitled  to  the 
water  by  right  of  prior  appropriation  and 
prescription  founded  upon  long  continued 
usei  and  (2)  that  their  lands  were  riparian 
to  the  river  and  that  the  land  of  Jamesr 
was  npt.  The  latter  contention  was  sup- 
ported by  the  court  and  the  injunction 
against  James  was  made  perpetual,  it  ap- 
'pearing  that  he  wished  to  divert  the 
waters  of  the  river  for  the  purpose  of  irri- 
gating lands  riparian  to  the  Fresno  slough 
but  not  to  the  San  Joaquin.  Judge  Webb, 
however,  emphatically  denied  the  first  and 
most  important  part  of  the  Miller  &  Lux 
claim,  that  they  had  a  right  to  the  waters 
of  the  river  by  prescription. 

The  various  parts  of  the  decision  are  as 
follows: 

"First— That  the  plaintiff,  the  San 
Jcaquin  and  Kings  river  irrigation  com- 
pany, takes  nothing  by  its  action  in  this 
matter  as  to  its  claims  of  a  right  of  diver- 
sion of  the  water  from  the  San  Joaquin 
river. 

"Second — That  judgment  in  favor  of 
the  Miller  &  Lux  corporation,  and  the  in- 
tervenor, Mowry,  be  entered  against  the 
defendants,  enjoining  each  and  all  of  them 
from  diverting  any  water  out  of  of  from 
the  San  Joaquin  river. 

"Third — That  judgment  be  entered  in 
favor  of  the  San  Joaquin  and  Kings  river 
irrigation  company,  in  so  far  as  its  right 
as  a  riparian  owner  is  concerned,  in  this 
action  against  the  defendants  enjoining 
each  and  all  of  them  from  diverting  any 
water  out  of  the  San  Joaquin  river. 

"Fourth — That  each  party  pay  their 
own  costs  herein. 

Miller,  of  course,  is  the  soul  and  spirit 
of  the  San  Joaquin  river  canal  and  irriga- 
tion company  and  the  part  of  the  decision 


62 


TEE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


applying  to  that  company  applies  to  him. 
The  important  part  of  Judge  Webb's  rul- 
ing is  that  while  it  gives  Miller  an  injunc- 
tion against  James  it  is  only  because 
James  wished  to  apply  the  water  taken 
from  the  river  through  the  enterprise 
ditch  to  lands  not  riparian  to  the  San 
Joaquin.  In  other  words,  Miller  has  not 
a  right  to  restrain  the  diversion  of  water 
for  irrigating  lands  along  the  river,  as  he 
would  have  had  if  the  court  sustained  his 
prescription  claim. 

Judge  Webb  held  that  the?  San  Joaquin 
river  is   a  -navigable   waterway   and  that 
with   its  navigability 


is  unlawful  such  as  the  diverting  of  water 
by  means  of  a  dam.  The  act  of  the  plain- 
tiff,  the  San  Joaquin  and  Kings  river 
company,"  says  the  court,  "being  unlawful 
from  its  inception  it  can  never  found  a 
right  on  an  unlawful  act  and  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  the  company  is  not  entitled 
to  recover  in  this  action  for  any  acts  com- 
plained of  by  the  defendants  for  interfer- 
ing or  threatening  to  interfere  with  the 
diversion  of  water  from  the  San  Joaquin 
by  said  plaintiffs." 

Webb  held  that  it  devolved  on  the  de- 
fendants to  show  that  their  diversion  of 
water  from  the  San  Joaquin  did  not  inter- 
fere with  Miller's  riparian  rights  and  that 
they  had  failed  to  do  so.  He  therefore 


granted  the  perpetual  injunction  with  the 
proviso,  however,  that  James  and  the 
enterprise  company  might  sue  Miller  and 
the  intervenor  to  determine  under  what 
circumstances  they  might  divert  water 
without  injury  to  the  plaintiffs." 

Short  &  Cook  and  Houghton  &  Hough- 
ton  of  San  Francisco  represented  the 
plaintiffs.  James  was  represented  by 
Archie  Borland,  N.  C.  Coldwell  and  W. 
C.  Graves.  A.  S.  Treadwell  of  San  Fran- 
cisco looked  after  the  interests  of  the  in- 
tervenor, Mowry. 


TO  STORE  SIOUX  RIVER  WATER. 
Col.  H.  M.  Chittenden,  United  States 
engineer  at  Sioux  City,  has  just  returned 
from  Watertown,  S.  D. ,  where  he  investi- 
gated the  matter  of  the  projected  reser- 
voirs in  which  to  store  the  surplus  water 
of  the  Sioux  river  in  springtime  and  re- 
lease it  when  wanted  during  the  drier 
portion  of  the  year.  The  colonel  will  re- 
port favorably  to  the  war  department  on 
this  subject.  The  plan  is  to  construct  a 
dam  across  the  Big  Sioux  river,  so  as  to 
back  the  interrupted  waters  into  Lake 
Kampeska.  During  the  summer,  when 
tock  is  looking  for  water  along  the  courses 
of  the  stream,  the  stored  water  will  be  let 
out  and  the  river  be  thus  made  a  running 
stream  during  the  whole  year. 


8 

8 


WITH  OUR  EXCHANGES. 


THE    FORUM. 

The  November  number  was  evidently 
issued  before  the  outcome  of  the  recent 
election  was  known  since  two  of  the  lead- 
ing articles  are:  "Why  the  Eepublicans 
Should  be  Endorsed,"  by  Chas.  Dick, 
and  "Eeasons  for  Democratic  Success,"  by  „ 
Chas  A.  Towne.  Both  are  well  written 
but  not  of  so  much  interest  as  they  would 
have  been  a  few  weeks  previous.  Geo.  E. 
Roberts,  director  of  the  United  States 
mint  writes  on  "Can  there  be  a  Good 
Trust?"  Archer  Brown  discusses  "  The 
Revival  and  Reaction  in  Iron,"  while  the 
advantage  of  having  mounted  infantry  in 
modern  warfare  is  ably  handled  by  Mau- 
rice A  Low  under  the  title  of  "Four  Legs 
Instead  of  Two."  "Bread,  and  Bread- 
making  at  the  Paris  Exposition,"  by  H.W. 
Wiley;  "The  United  States  and  the  Aus- 
tralasian Federation  Compared,"  by  Sir 
Robert  Stout,  K.  C.  M.  G.  ;  and  "  The 
English  Intelligence  Department,"  by 
Major  Arthur  Griffiths,  are  a  few  of  the 
other  articles  which  go  to  make  up  an  ex- 
cellent number.' 

REVIEW   OF   REVIEWS. 

In  the  editorial  department  of  the  Nov- 
ember number  the  result  of  the  presiden- 
tial compaign  is  compared  with  that  of 
1896.  and  the  following  are  a  few  of  the 
subjects  taken  up  in  connection  :  "  The 
Ebbing  of  the  Free  Silver  Tide;"  "  Silver 
in  the  Campaign;"  "Local  Politics  as  a 
Factor;"  "Mr.  Bryan  as  the  Paragon  of 
Statesmanship,"  etc.  The  situation  in 
England  and  the  election  in  Canada  are 
also  discussed  in  this  department,  which 
is  enlivened  with  the  customary  cartoons. 
The  frontispiece  is  an  illustration  of  the 
.scene  at  Mr.  Crocker's  banquet  to  the 


democratic  candidate.  Among  the  con- 
tributed articles  are  "  The  Hall  of  Fame," 
by  Henry  Mitchell  MacCracken ;  "  The 
Political  Beginnings  in  Porto  Rico,"  by 
John  Findley;  "Trusts  in  England,"  by 
Robert  Donald  and  "The  British  Czar, 
the  General  Elector,"  by  W.  T.  Stead. 
Two  other  articles  which  must  not  be  for- 
gotten are  "How  the  Republican  National 
Committee  Works  for  Votes,"  and  "  The 
Management  of  the  Democratic  C  a  m- 
paign."  The  number  is  one  of  unusual 
interest.  t 

SCRIBNER'S. 

Scribners  for  November  contains  Henry 
Norman's  article  on  the  "Great  Siberian 
Railway;"  J.  M.  Barrie's  great  serial, 
''Tommy  and  Grizel;"an  article  on  "Fa- 
mous Writers"  by  Mrs.  Rebecca  Harding 
Davis.  The  World's  Fair  in  Paris  is 
pictured  and  described  from  the  points  of 
view  of  an  expert  landscape  gardener,  Mr. 
Samuel  Parsons,  Jr.,  and  an  expert  ama- 
teur photographer,  Dwight  L.  Elmendorf ; 
a  poem  by  Benjamin  Paul  Blood,  entited 
Tithonus.  etc. 

THE    SATURDAY  EVENING   POST. 

The  opening  article  is  The  Leaders  in 
American  Diplomacy,  by  Hon.  John  W. 
Foster,  formerly  Secretary  of  State.  Hon. 
Frank  A.  Vanderlip,  Asssistant  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  contributes  The  Onward 
March  of  American  Trade.  Hon.  Carter 
H.  Harrison,  mayor  of  Chicago,  has  an 
article  on  "The  Defacement  of  the  Modern 
City.  Major  Arthur  Griffiths,  of  the 
British  Army  (retired),  has  an  anecdotal 
sketch  of  Gen.  Wolseley,  The  Adven- 
tures of  a  Pioneer  Plainsman  are  told  by 
Capt.  John  J.  Healy.  The  fiction  in- 
cludes Senate  Bill  578,  by  Brand  Whit- 


64 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE, 


lock ;  For  Divers  Reasons,  by  Charles  Bat- 
tell  Loomis ;  The  Banner  Bearer,  by  Mrs. 
Burton  Harrison ;  The  Dairy  of  a  Harvard 
Freshman,  by  Charles  Macomb  Flandru ; 
Mooswa  of  the  Boundaries,  by  W.  A. 
Fraser ;  'Enry  'Iggins'  'Eart  Story,  by  Joe 
Lincoln;  A  Supper  by  Proxy,  by  Paul 
Laurence  D  unbar. 

THE   HOUSEHOLD 

for  November  is  noteworthy.  The  stories 
are  from  such  well-known  writer  as  Sophie 
Swett,  Will  Allan  Dromgoole,  and  J.  L. 
Harbour.  There  are  illustrated  articles 
by  Col.  T.  W.  Higginson,  Kate  Sanborn, 
and  Fannie  Bullock  Workman — the  Only 
woman  who  has  climbed  the  Himalays. 
The  illustrators  for  the  month  are  Chase 
Emerson,  H.  W.  Colby,  Louis  Maynelle, 
and  E.  Jepson. 

THE  LADIES'  HOME  JOURNAL 
for  November  contains  The  Loveliest 
Woman  in  All  America,  The  Future  of 
the  White  House,  The  Man  Who  Wrote 
Narcissus,  Waiting  for  the  Mail — a  page 
drawing  by  A.  B.  Frost— and  How  Aunt 
Sally  Brought  Down  the  House,  a  short 
story,  are  some  of  the  excellect  features. 
In  the  same  issue  Clifford  Howard  con- 
tinues The  Story  of  a  Young  Man ;  Charles 
Major  his  Blue  River  Bear  Stories ;  Eliza- 
beth Stuart  Phelps  her  serial,  The  Suc- 
cessors of  Mary  the  First,  and  Josiah 
Allen's  Wife,  finally  narrates  the  incidents 
of  her  fourth  visit.  Edward  Bok  forcibly 
contends  that  the  Americans  show  exec- 
rable taste  in  furnishing  their  houses,  and 
An  American  Mother,  convicts  the  Ameri- 


cans of  having  bad  manners.  Plans  are- 
given  for  A  Quaint,  Old-Fashioned  House 
for  $6600,  and  interior  views  of  The  Most 
Artistic  House  in  New  York  City,  right 
worthily  occupy  two  pages,  as  does 
Through  Picturesque  America,  which  pic- 
tures the  scenic  beauties  of  California. 
There  are  numerous  articles  on  the 
fashions,  and  woman's  work. 

MC  CLUEE'S. 

Perhaps  the  most  timely  article  in  Mc- 
Clures  Magazine  for  November,  is  A 
Woman's  Diary  of  the  Siege  of  Pekin,  by 
Mrs.  E.  K.  Lowry,  one  of  the  besieged 
missionaries  in  the  legation  last  summer. 
Another  article  that  will  awaken  general 
interest  is  that  on  The  First  Flight  of 
Count  Zeppelin's  Air  Ship,  by  Eugen 
Wolt,  the  Count's  assistant  and  companion 
in  the  trial.  Interesting,  suggestive,  help- 
ing— that  must  be  the  verdict  upon  Wm. 
Allen  White's  Character  Sketch  of  Hanna. 
The  fiction  in  this  number  is  of  the  usual 
high  standard.  A  Temperance  Cam- 
paign, by  G.  K.  Turner;  Confusion  of 
Goods,  by  Frederic  Carrol  Baldy ;  Charles 
Warren's  story  of  How  the  Law  Came  to 
Jenkins  Creek  ;  Little  Hallujah's  Convert, 
by  Alvah  Milton  Kerr,  and  The  Love 
that  Glorifies,  by  Lilian  True  Rryant. 
Ray  Stannard  Baker's  account  of  The 
Making  of  a  German  Soldier  is  instructive 
and  well  written.  The  'story  of  The 
Crucifixion  of  the  Messiah  in  the  Rev. 
John  Watson's  Life  of  The  Master  is  a. 
worthy  continuation  of  a  notable  work. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


ILLUSTRATION. 

What  a  broad,  open,  ever  widen- 
ing field  illustrations  is  for  the 
artist.  It  reminds  one  of  the  vast 
tracts  of  uncultivated  land  in  the 
West  where  only  here  and  there 
fields  are  cultivated,  with  the  rich 
untouched  soil  still  to  be  tilled. 
Many  are  the  papers  and  maga- 
zine illustrated,  but  only  the  mar- 
gin of  the  great  field  of  work  has 
begun. 

Many  large  publishing  houses 
pay  especial  attention  to  reproduc- 
tion and  lithography,  and  employ 
regular  artists  to  execute  their 
work.  While  if  anything  of  es- 
pecial merit  comes  to  them,  or  they 
are  rushed  with  work,  other  out- 
side illustratoors  are  engaged. 

Multitudenous  are  the  means 
and  ways  of  illustrating.  The  gate 
way  if  entered  by  the  ambitious 
amateur,  must  close  it  behind  him, 
buckle  on  the  methods  that  will 
best  fit  him  for  a  long  dusty  up 
grade  road,  and  travel  it  without 
much  rest,  and  scant  nourishment, 
until  the  goal  of  success  is  reached. 
Now  and  then  he  will  be  encour- 
aged by  a  lift  from  some  friend, 
tossed  to  him  like  dry  crust — again 
he  will  have  his  dry  lips  moistened 
by  a  juicy  plumb  from  some  prom- 
ise from  a  publisher  (who  never 
pays  him)  but  he  must  grip  his 
pen  the  harder,  and  his  dusty  staff 


with  a  firmer  grasp,  and  climb  on 
to  the  top  where  the  air  is  pure  and 
the  landscape  smiles  beneath  him, 
and  the  pines  clap  their  hands  over 
his  successful  performance. 

The   avenues  are   so  varied,  a 
young   illustrator  hesitates  which 
to  enter.     He  wastes  much  valua- 
ble time  playing  around  the  gate- 
way.   There  is  such  jolly  Bohemian 
company  at  the  beginning  of  his 
journey.     They   all   like   to  play 
croquet,   tennis,   golf  and  use  the 
"lead"   occasionally.      He   is  en- 
ticed by  their  winning  manner  to 
join  in  their  excursions,  late  sup- 
pers,  and   sketching   tours,    while 
more  time  is  spent  in  reveling  than 
picture    making.      He   awakens 
from   this   dream   with  very  little 
money  but   keener  perception  — 
with  determination   to   seek  one 
avenue  in  the  field  of  illustrating,, 
and  follow   that  undeviatingly^ 
Which   shall  it  be?  —  the  charac- 
terturist,    where   some  enter   but 
few  have  the  talent  to  carry  it  to  a 
successful  issue.      The   political 
newspaper  illustrator — whose  field 
is  full  of  thorns,  but  lucrative.  The. 
poster  maker,  where  the  sailing  is, 
smooth,  subject  to  squalls,  sudden 
death  in  a  few  years,  but  profita- 
ble while  it  lasts.     Tne  illustrator 
of     books,     which     takes    intelli- 
gence,    fine     sense     of   adapt- 
ability,   keen     insight     for 


66 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


vital  points  a  great  love  of  fiction, 
and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  draw- 
ing in  every  field,  still-life,  figures, 
landscape,  both  picturesque  and 
pastural,  perspective  and  c  o  m- 
position.  Keen  wit  to  adjust  ones- 
self  to  publishers'  wants,  and  the 
author's  desires — insight  into  the 
methods  needed  for  best  reproduc- 
tive. 

Or  shall  our  embryo  illustrator, 
submerge  self  and  engage  to  fur- 
nish the  papers  with  the  "latest 
fashions"  as  a  bread  winner,  until 
he  has  reached  some  plain  in  his 
career  to  choose  an  avenue  and 
tread  it  to  the  end. 

Shall  he  bend  his  energies  to  the 
field  of  advertizement  which  is 
ever  alluring,  but  menial,  a  con- 
stant demand  on  time  and  thought 
but  the  widest  field  yet  open  to  the 
illustrator. 

Or  shall  he  be  a  "specialist"  and 
travel  some  new  road,  over  which 
no  one  has  ever  passed,  and  make 
for  himself  a  name  as  did  Charles 
Dana  Gibson,  famous  for  his 
•"American  Girl,"  Edwin  Abbey, 
noted  for  his  Shakespereian  charac- 
ief  drawing  a  Pennell  with  his 
-crisp  bits  of  Europe;  or  a  Remming- 
ton  famed  f6r  his  strong  drawing 
of  cowboys  and  mustangs. 

After  one  decides  the  avenue  to 
travel  another  tantilizing  doubt 
stops  him  at  the  beginning — what 
medium  is  best  to  use  for  repro- 
duction:' Should  he  choose  Wash 
drawing,  Dry  Point  or  Pen  and 
Ink.  It  is  universally  acknowl- 
edged pen  and  ink  drawings  repro- 
duce most  satisfactorily.  Wash 
drawings  are  best  for  some  compo- 


sition. Dry  point  for  others, 
which  ever  field  one  enters  make 
one  medium  subserve  your  pur- 
pose and  pei  severe  in  that  line 
until  the  best  work  is  reproduced 
from  it.  Let  "the  lights  and  shades 
be  crisp  and  clear,  simplify  the 
method,  use  no  extra  lines.  Tell 
the  story  direct,  so  that  the  eye 
can  see  at  once  what  the  mind 
wishes  to  unfold  and  you  are  on  a 
fair  way  to  success. 

What  an  open  field  for  women. 
One  can  mention  on  one  hand 
those  famous  as  book  illustrators, 
As  news  paper  designers,  for 
posters,  for  calendars,  for  book- 
covers  charactertures;  there  is 
much  room  in  the  front  rank. 

Who  cares  now  in  this  age, 
where  the  love  of  art  is  beginning 
to  be  felt  in  every  home,  to  read  a 
book,  paper  or  magazine  that  is 
not  illustrated.  As  the  Turk  said 
at  the  World's  Pair,  "I  cannot 
read  English  papers,  but  I  can 
read  the  pictures.''  It  is  a  uni- 
versal language. 

Illustration  brings  to  our  very 
doors  great  works  of  art.  Great 
masterpieces  are  made  a  familiar 
thing  to  the  school  children. 
Their  minds  are  enlightened  and 
kindled  with  a  desire  to  see  and 
know  more. 

We  measure  and  estimate  the 
style  of  a  book  or  magazine  by  the 
style  of  its  illustrations.  If  su- 
perior, we  enjoy  and  glow  with 
pleasure  over  a  refined  picture 
cleverly  reproduced.  While  a 
coarse  cut  repulses  us  and  we 
refuse  to  buy  a  magazine  on 
account  of  its  poor  reproductions. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


Which  volume  would  you  choose 
on  entering  a  book  store. 

The  plain  pointed  text  of  "The 
Absent-Minded  Beggar  by  Rud- 
yard  Kipiing.  Or  the  handsome 
booklet  with  uncut  edges,  margin 
and  chapter  heads  illuminated,  the 
thought  clearly  defined  by  artistic 
illustrating. 

Who  would  not  rather  see 
"Duke's  son,  Cook's  son,  son  of  a 
hundred  kings.  (Fifty  thousand 
horse  and  foot  going  to  table  Bay" 
in  a  praphic  picture,  thrilling  and 
pulsating  with  life,  than  in  cold 
print. 

Or  who  would  care  to  read  James 
Lane  Allen's  "The  Reign  of  Law," 
without  the  beautiful  interpre- 
tation by  the  facile  pencil  of 
Harry  Fenn,  who  gives  us  glimpses 
of  the  flowering  heads  of  the  wav- 
ing hemp  fields,  n  The  cutting 
March  winds  and  quiet  sheep 
pastures — the  swaying,  elastic 
figures  cutting  the  hemp. 

Or  the  vision  of  Gabriella  as  the 
shadowy  twilight  played  around 
her  while  mourning  at  the  hemp 
brake. 

Or  the  broad  expanse  of  Ken- 
tucky landscape,  "masses  of  liv- 
ing emerald,  saturated  with  blaz- 
ing sunlight." 

The  ideas  of  Mr.  Allen  so  vividly 
wrought'  out,  kindles  the  heart 
with  adimiration  for  both  author 
and  artist  alike,  and  makes  one 
acknowledge  illustrations  is  a 
unique  field  for  the  uniniatated  to 
enter. 


The  Bull  in  a    ^  ever  a  man  ^ 

China  shop,     to  regret  his  existance  it 

is  in  the   experience   of   masculine 
shopping  —  not    the    purchase    of 
a  lawn-mower  or  a   load   of  hay, 
with  which  the  descendant  of   the 
Lord's    first-born     is    comfortably 
familiar,    bub    the   business   to  be 
transacted     over     the    dry-goods 
counter  and  the  awful  presence  of 
the  "saleslady"  chilling  him  to  the 
core.     I  have  a  humorous   friend— 
thatis,  he  fancies  he   is   humorous 
—who  endeavors  to  wring  pleasure 
from  these   solemn  rites,    actually 
attempting  badinage  now  and  then. 
Lately   he   wished   to  purchase  a 
pair  of  small  gloves,  adapted  to  his 
limited   anatomy,    and   after  some 
confusion  sidled  up  to  the  "youth's 
counter,"    perfectly    conscious    of 
some  impending  danger.     "Them's 
boy's  gloves"  suddenly  broke  upon 
the  affrighted  silence,  as  a  languid 
damsel  paring  her  nails  looked  up- 
on him  superciliously.    "Well  won't 
they  do  for  an  old  boy,"  he  feebly 
asked — whereat  the  animated  phe- 
nomenon refulgent  in  kaleidoscopic 
raiment  looked  savage  and  turned 
away  in   withering  dudgeon.     My 
friend,  in  obedience  to  a  principle 
never  to  encourage  fatal  deficiency 
Of   humor,    sought   another   estab- 
lishment.    Here  he  found  the  ideal 
goddess  of  the  counter,  pretty  as  a 
picture,  radiant  with  bonhomie  and 
graciously    attentive.     "Will    you 
give  me  your  hand,  please?"    "Oh, 
this   is   really   so   sudden!  (it  hap- 
pened to  be  leap-year)  I  must  ask 
mamma."   This  woman  was  human, 
and  the  brief  yet  merry  interview 
which  followed  amply   atoned    for 


68 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


funereal  experiences  elsewhere. 
The  safest  passport  to  success  in 
ventures  of  a  dubious  nature  in 
the  "saleslady's''  domain  seems  to 
be  to  allow  the  presiding  divinity 
to  enlighten  the  purchaser  without 
hindrance  as  to  the  special  article 
he  desires,  no  matter  what,  the 
proper  amount  he  should  disburse, 
•etc  etc.  True,  he  might  find  that 
he  had  borne  away  the  wrong  trifle; 
yet  the  thought  of  a  perfectly  har- 
monious transaction  would  be  ex- 
hilarating to  the  distressed  predic- 
ament of  man  under  circumstances 
.so  wholly  foreign  to  his  natural 
genius.  Should  Eliza  Jane  affect  a 
chiding  mood,  her  beaming  spouse 
could  persuasively  descant  upon  the 
'Celerity  and  comfort  of  his  exploit. 
If  by  accident  he  has  added  to  the 
family  stock  of  blue  ribbon  or 
clothes- wringers,  having  been  com- 
missioned to  purchase  cotton  flan- 
nel and  nutmegs,  they  will  keep, 
keep,  you  know,  and  are  sure  to 
come  into  play,  if  not  in  this  in 
some  succeeding  generation. 
There's  nothing  like  proper  recog- 
nition of  the  "saleslady's"  omni- 
science and  the  calm  of  a  mercan- 
tile accord. 


The  abyss  of  waters 
ocean  Depths,  lying  beneath  us  as  we 

cross  the  ocean  is  sel- 
dom realized.  ccording  to  an  au- 
thoratative  statement  by  Sir  John 
Murray,  in  an  address  before  the 
British  Association,  it  is  knowm 
that  considerably  more  than  half 
of  the  sea  floor  lies  at  a  depth  of 
2000  fathoms,  or  more  than  two  ge- 
ographical miles.  The  charts  of 


the  noted  Challenger  expedition 
record  as  "deeps'"  all  areas  exceed- 
ing 3000  fathoms,  forty-two  such 
being  known,  twenty  four  in  the 
Pacific,  fifteen  in  the  Atlantic,  three 
in  the  Indian,  and  one  in  the  Ant- 
arctic ocean,  comprising  about  7 
per  cent,  of  the  entire  water  sur- 
face upon  the  globe.  Of  more  than 
250  soundings  twenty-four  exceeded 
2000  fathoms,  three  being  upwards 
of  5000  fathoms.  Eight  of  these 
deeps  show  more  than  4000  fath- 
oms, or  four  geographical  miles. 
Depths  exceeding  5000  fathoms 
have  been  found  in  the  south  Pa- 
cific, eastward  of  the  Friendly  is- 
lands, the  greatest  depth  being 
5,155  fathoms,  or  530  feet  more 
than  five  geographical  miles.  This 
enormous  depth  of  ocean  is  illus- 
trated by  the  fact  that  it  is  2000 
feet  more  below  the  level  of  the 
sea  than  the  summit  of  Mount  Ev- 
erest, in  the  Himalayas,  is  above 
it.  Not  an  exhilarating  thought 
for  the  Pacific  missionary  on  his 
way  to  enlighten,  or  to  be  enlight- 
ened by,  the  heathen.  Yet  even 
profounder  depths  than  this  may 
be  revealed  by  future  explorations. 


Whatever  be  their  short- 
ooi  comings,  Americans,  in 

the  opinion  of  thought- 
ful travellers,  are  gifted  with  one 
supreme  virtue — amiability  of 
temper.  Seldom  indeed  is  the 
native  wrath  or  peevishness  ex- 
cited and  in  his  most  excited 
moments  the  American,  of  all  men, 
is  amenable  to  the  mollifying  influ- 
ence of  a  bit  of  badinage  which  in 
an  instant  transforms  his  "dander" 


THE  IREIGA  TION  A  GE. 


69 


into  smiles  and  laughter.  His 
normal  mood  is  essentially  gentle, 
and,  if  his  manners  be  not  always 
well-bred,  his  innate  bonhomie 
spares  him  the  reproach  of  endur- 
ing anger. 

Contrast  with  this  native  good 
humor  the  consuming,  often  male- 
volent, passions  of  the  Latin  races, 
the  Teuton's  splenetic  scorn,  the 
Briton's  contemptous  assurance — 
all  of  which  have  an  atrabilious 
tinge  wholl3r  foreign  to  our  char- 
acter. Even  the  utmost  access  of 
our  rage  melts  away  beneath  the 
exercise  of  a  little  tact — it  is  not  in 
us  to  brood,  to  plot  revengful  evil, 
or  prolong  an  attitude  of  enmity. 
Our  contemplation  of  mankind 
is  from  the  standpoint  of  peace 
and  good  will.  Our  love  of  fellow- 
men  is  active,  as  it  is  earnest  and 
sincere. 

Upon  alighting  from  a  railway 
carriage,  the  story  goes,  an 
Englishman  was  accosted  by  a 


fellow-traveller:  "Say,  stranger, 
I  guess  you've  forgotten  your 
umbrella  have'nt  yer?"  to  which 
the  Briton  replies:  "Why,  I 
didn't  know  you  were  an  Ameri- 
can." "How  could  yer  tell?" 
"Because  you're  so  d — kind."  Re- 
versing the  situation,  would  tha 
typical  Briton  have  been  so  com- 
plaisant— and  without  an  intro- 
duction? We  doubt  it. 

We  may  justly  pride  ourselves 
upon  this  crowning  grace  of  frank- 
heartedness,  this  imperturbable 
sweetness  of  disposition  which,  if 
it  be  a  diamond  in  the  rough,  is 
still  a  diamond.  The  pitiless  rail- 
lery to  which  the  slightest  symp- 
tom of  temper  in  our  public  men  is 
subjected  attests  the  prevalence 
and  worth  of  this] national  charac- 
teristic, an  even  temper.  "  It 
makes  me  so  mad,"  is  but  a  puerile 
colloquialism — like  the  story  of  the 
empty  box,  there  is  nothing  in  it. 


4  Jfr 

The  National  Irrigation  Congress  which  will  meet  at  Chi-  \j* 

4^  cago,  111.,  Nov.  21,  22,  23  and  24,  is  creating  wide  interest  and  ftp 

4i  promises  to  be  an  unusual  success.     The  national   irrigation  p* 

iKf  W 

•n  movement  has  become  a  broad  popular  movement,  and  eastern  i^ 

4^  commercial  interests  have  readily  taken  hold  of  the  idea  of  re-  }$p 

J»  claiming  and  populating  the  arid  west  and  thus  creating  a  gj 

^o  great  home  market  for  their  goods.  ij, 

4^  The  best  authorities  on  irrigation  and  forestry  have  been  ^p 

secured  to  speak  and  give  illustrated  lectures,  andpnen  of  na- 

^|0  tional  fame  and  renown  as  orators  and  statesmen,  will  address  tfc 

4^  the  Congress  at  the  great  Auditorium  theatre  on  subjects  of  &l> 

J5  national  interest  to  the  West. 

4i  or 

40  Under  the  constitution  of  the  Congress  the  mayor  of  ]each  \jL 

41  city  of  25,000  or  less  population  is  entitled  to  appoint  two  dele-  o^ 

40  ijL 

•n  gates,  while  cities  of  greater  population  are  entitled  to  four  9T 

\|)  delegates.     Each   agricultural   college,    organized    irrigatio^  ft 

agricultural  and  horticultural  association,  each  society  of  en- 

£O  gineers,  irrigation  company  and  each  board  of  trade  and  cham-  ^T 

4^  ber  of  commerce  is  also  entitled  to  two  delegates.  *  |» 

^  Reduced  railway  rates  have  been  arranged  of  one  fare  ofc 

^o  plus  two  dollars  for  the  round  trip  to  Chicago  from  nearly  all  PJ 

4^  western  points,  good  until  November  28th.     All  delegates  or  ftp 

^  persons  receiving  invitations  to  the  Congress  can  obtain  this  oF 

40  rate  on  the  certificate  plan.     That  is,  travelers  should  buy  a  FT 

4^  single  trip  ticket  to  Chicago  and  take  a  certificate  (not  a  re-  ftp 

T5  ceipt)  from  the  ticket  seller  at  the  point  of  starting.     This  cer- 

40  tifieate  will  be  stamped  at  the  Central  Music J3all,  Chicago,  i^ 

4^  where  the  sessions  of  the  National  Irrigation  Congress  will  be  &V 

Tj  held,  and  will  then  entitle  the  holder,  upon  presentation  to  the 

^1  oV 

4Q  ticket  agent  at  Chicago,  to  a  return  ticket  for  only  two  dollars,  tfc 

4^  This  liberal  reduction  will  enable  a  great  many  people  to  $f 

4f  Lfe 

mQ  take  the  trip  to  Chicago  at  a  moderate  cost.                                          ,. 


PRESIDENT  McKINLEY. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  xv  . 


CHICAGO,  DECEMBER,   1900. 


NO.  3 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  WESTERN  flMERICfl. 


West  Should 

Stand 

Together 


There  is  great  need  that 
everyone  interested  in  seeing 
the  Government  take  hold  of 
the  question  of  the  reclamation  of  its  arid 
lands  should  stand  together  at  this  session 
of  Congress,  and  be  ready  to  do  whatever 
possible  to  secure  concerted  action. 

The  great  prominence  given  to  the 
meetings  of  the  National  Irrigation  Con- 
gress at  Chicago,  and  other  influences, 
have  shown  to  thoughtful  members  of  both 
houses  of  Congress  that  this  irrigation 
question  is  something  that  has  to  be  set- 
tled with,  and  that  there  is  no  use  in  trying 
to  think  it  can  be  indefinitely  put  off.  The 
question  with  them  is  how  to  do  it.  East- 
ern statesmen  are  asking  this  question 
now. 

It  is  possible  that  some  defi- 
Reservoir  nite  plan  of  action  will  be  put 
Construction  forward  this  winter  to  secure 

reservoir  construction.  If  so,  every  man 
in  the  West  should  wake  to  the  opportun- 
ity. The  favorable  action  of  Congress  on 
the  question  of  building  some  particular 
reservoir  would  ba  the  beginning  of  a 
general  policy  of  reclaimation  of  the  des' 
erts.  It  would  be  an  entering  wedge.  It 
is  a  matter  of  the  most  tremendous  inter- 
est to  the  West  and  to  every  interest  in 
the  West. 

This  point  should  not  be  overlooked; 
that  whatever  reservoir  site  it  is  proposed 
to  concentrate  the  attention  of  Congress 
upon,  and  in  whatever  State  or  locality, 
-every  other  State  and  Territory  should 


bend  every  effort  to  secure  the  construc- 
tion of  this  first  reservoir.  This  would 
start  the  movement. 

T  .     u  In    the    meantime    every 

The  Fight  newspaper  in  the  arid  belt 
should  take  up  the  fight  from 
o  w  on  and  urge  upon  the  people  of  the 
West  the  great  opportunity  which  is  now 
before  them.  Congress  is  now  ready  ap- 
parently to  listen  to  some  fair  proposition 
which  does  not  resemble  a  raid;  but  the 
West  should  back  up  the  demands  of  its 
representatives  in  Washington  by  a  united 
and  persistent  demand  that  the  time  has 
come  for  some  Governmental  action. 

There  are  enough  Western  Senators  and 
Congressmen  to  carry  the  Federal  irriga- 
tion proposition  to  a  triumphant  issue,  if 
they  will  stand  together,  and  every  man 
of  the  West  should  sit  down  and  write  a 
personal  letter  to  his  member  of  Congress 
and  to  his  Senator  at  Washington,  and 
tell  them  why  they  should  work  to  get  a 
bill  passed  providing  for  the  construction 
of  reservoirs  by  the  Government  to  store 
the  floods. 

No  man,  no  locality  is  unin- 
You  are  terested  in   this  plan.     Every 

Interested.      industrv   of  the   West  would 

be  stimulated  and  developed  wonderfully 
through  the  carrying  out  of  a  policy  which 
would  reclaim  75  million  acres  of  arid 
land. 

If  the  people  of  the  great  West  ever 
were  interested  in  anything,  they  are  in. 


72 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGL. 


terested  now  in  seeing  that  this  question 
of  national  irrigation  is  pushed  forward 
and  pushed  forward  strongly  within  the 
next  two  months. 

The  motto  stretched  above 
The  Forestry  the  platform  of  the  National 
Question.  Irrigation  Congress  while  in 
session  at  Central  Music  Hall  read:  "Save 
the  forests  and  store  the  floods,"  The 
storing  of  flood  waters  in  vast  reservoirs, 
with  the  two-fold  purpose  of  obviating  de- 
structive torrents  and  of  feeding  out  the 
reserved  waters  later  for  irrigation  pur- 
poses, was  the  subject  which  naturally  en- 
gaged the  attention  of  the  congress  almost 
exclusively  in  its  earlier  years.  But  more 
recently  and  particularly  at  this  annnal 
convention,  the  subject  of  perpetuating 
forests  where  they  now  exist,  and  of  affor- 
esting denuded  areas,  has  come  to  be 
looked  on  as  an  important  item  in  the  gen- 
eral subject  of  irrigation. 

This  importance  is  due  chiefly  to  two 
facts,  the  first  of  which  is  that  timber,  or 
even  a  scrub  growth,  protects  the  snow 
fall  from  the  sun  and  so  from  disappearing 
in  a  destructive  flood.  The  second  fact  is 
that  forests  protect  mountain  sides  from 
erosion  and  reservoirs  from  being  filled  up 
with  the  detritus.  These  two  points  were 
emphasized  at  the  meeting  of  the  con- 
gress held  at  the  Auditorium,  both 
in  the  extended  letter  from  Governor 
Roosevelt  and  in  that  from  General  Miles. 

A  considerable  and  growing  number  of 
persons  are  curious  to  know  what  the 
United  States  is  doing  and  to  know  what 
more  ought  to  be  done  to  protect  and  in- 
crease cur  forest  areas.  It  is  not  to  be 
questioned  that  people  in  general  are  be- 


coming more  and  more  concerned  about 
forests,  not  alone  in  respect  to  the  lumber 
supply,  but  with  respect  to  water  supply 
and  national  scenery.  They  should  be 
given  more  information  at  the  next  con- 
vention than  they  received  this  year. 

At  the  annual  International 
Criming.  Shoe  and  Leather  Fair,  re- 
cently held  in  London,  the 
American  exhibits  were  so  good  and  num- 
erous that  the  English  called  it  "a  huge 
Yankee  Show." 

John  T.  Day,  editor  of  the  London  Shoe 
and  Leather  Record,  is  quoted  as  saying 
in  a  published  interview: 

"Our  dependence  on  American  ideas  and 
raw  material  may  be  gauged  by  the  fact 
that  90  per  cent,  of  the  machinery  in  Brit- 
ish factories  comes  from  the  United  States. 
Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  leather  we 
consume  is  imported  from  American  tan- 
neries. Even  thus  equipped  we  seem 
powerless  to  repel  the  invasion  of  Ameri- 
can made  shoes. 

In  1898  $370,000  worth  of  American  shoes- 
were  sold  in  the  United  Kingdom.  In 
1899  the  amount  increased  to  $715,000. 
This  year  I  suppose  our  purchases  will  ap- 
proximate $2,000,000.  Superior  workman- 
ship, combined  with  prices  home  manu- 
factures cannot  meet, have  given  American 
competitors  a  winning  advantage.  They 
have  already  captured  the  Australian 
trade.  They  are  beginning  to  take  our 
European  customers  away  from  us. 

Even  in  our  new  African  dominions  they 
have  begun  to  press  us.  It  is  the  same 
old  story — American  enterprise  and  Brit- 
ish lethargy.  This  fair  ought  to  prove  a» 
eye-opener  for  British  manufacturers." 


NATION     AS    ARID   LAND   RE- 
CLAIMER. 

At  the  National  Irrigation  Congress  lately  held  in  Chicago,  two 
hundred  delegates  were  present,  and  their  motto  was:  "Save  the  For- 
ests, Store  the  Floods,  Reclaim  the  Deserts,  and  Annex  Arid  America." 

President  Mead  in  his  opening  address  told  of  the  inception  of  the 
movement  and  recounted  the  questions  now  facing  it,  In  speaking  of 
the  need  of  national  legislation  he  said: 

"While  no  question  has  yet  arisen  of  greater  importance  than  the 
necessity  of  securing  such  changes  as  will  unite  land  and  water  under 
one  control,  other  questions  besides  ceding  the  public  lands  to  the 
states  have  finally  relegated  this  to  a  subordinate  position.  It  is  now 
realized  that  watering  these  deserts  is  not  solely  a  problem  for  the 
states,  that  the  nation  has  certain  duties  and  responsibilities,  and  that 
there  are  certain  questions  which  require  national  legislation  and 
oversight. 

"The  need  of  national  laws  grows  out  of  the  fact  that  in  the  West 
it  is  water  and  not  land  which  is  of  overshadowing  importance.  Many 
western  rivers  are  interstate  streams.  The  laws  of  the  states  through 
which  they  flow  differ  widely  in  character,  while  in  some  they  are  both 
inadequate  and  dangerous.  The  appropriation  of  these  interstate 
rivers  under  these  lax  and  conflicting  state  laws  threatens  to  become 
a  fruitful  source  of  litigation  and  social  disturbance,  unless  in  some 
way  the  conflicting  rights  and  warring  policies  can  be  reconciled  and 
adjusted/' 

National  govermental  control  of  the  water  supplies  in  the  arid  and 
subarid  lands  of  the  West  was  strongly  advocated.  General  Nelson 
A.  Miles,  Governor  Roosevelt,  and  former  Senator  Dubois  of  Idaho 
emphasized  this  idea,  the  two  former  by  letter,  and  the  latter  in  an 
informal  speech. 

"The  government  of  our  country  has  an  important  mission  to  per- 
form," said  General  Miles  in  his  letter  to  the  congress.  "Now  that  it, 
has  taken  hold  of  the  work  it  is  presumed  that  it  will  continue  until  a 
time  when  the  entire  irrigation  system  will  be  under  control,  with  one 
simple  law  governing  it  alike  in  all  the  western  states  and  territories. 
Extravagance  in  expenditure  should  be  avoided,  and  the  government 
should  systematically  improve  only  such  lands  which  will  repay  the 
expenditure,  and  divide  the  same  in  such  manner  that  they  can  never 
be  monopolized  by  a  few,  but  shall  be  cultivated  by  an  industrious, 
enterprising  and  intelligent  people,  who  will  build  for  themselves  and 


74  fHE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

their  posterity  homes  that  will  enrich  and  beautify  the  region,  thus 
sustaining  and  promoting  the  general  welfare. " 

Governor  Roosevelt  outlined  a  plan  for  government  supervision, 
which  he  summed  up  in  the  following  points,  which  he  said  must  be 
attained : 

Government  study  of  the  streams  upon  which  the  plans  depend. 

Government  construction  and  control  of  great  irrigating  plants. 

The  preservation  of  forests  by  the  extension  of  the  forest  reserve 
system  and  government  control  of  the  forests. 

National  protection  and  use  of  the  forests  under  expert  supervision. 

The  instruction  of  private  owners  of  forests,  East  and  West,  that 
timber  can  be  cut  without  forest  destruction,  and  that  ownership  of 
water  rights  in  the  arid  country  and  of  forest  lands  anywhere  entails 
public  as  well  as  private  duties  and  responsibilities. 

Mr.  Dubois  expressed  hope  that  the  water  supply  of  western  lands 
would  never  fall  into  the  hands  of  corporations. 

Professor  Willis  L.  Moore,  chief  of  the  United  States  Weather 
Bureau,  told  of  the  achievements  of  the  weather  bureau  in  relation  to 
irrigation  problems.  He  said  the  department  had  been  able  to  forcast 
far  in  advance  of  the  season  the  probable  character  of  the  water  sup- 
ply on  the  plains.  This  is  done  by  measuring  the  snowfall  in  the 
mountains,  where  the  packing  of  snow  and  ice  in  ravines  forms  great 
natural  reservoirs. 

Gifford  Pinchot,  forester  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, in  an  illustrated  lecture  on  "Forestry  is  Business,"  pointed 
out  the  many  economic  reasons  for  the  preservation  of  the  forests. 
The  department,  he  said,  is  accomplishing  great  results  in  the  West 
by  showing  timber  owners  how  they  can  cut  this  timber  and  yet  pre- 
serve the  forests  Destruction  of  the  forests,  he  said,  will  mean  more 
floods. 

H.  B.  Maxson,  the  secretary  of  the  congress,  reported  that  the 
National  Irrigation  Association  now  has  1,000  members,  representing 
the  leading  agricultural,  commercial  and  labor  organizations.  The 
reclaimation  of  the  arid  lands  of  the  West  would  provide  homes  for 
100,000,000  people,  he  said. 

Captain  Hiram  M.  Chittenden,  of  the  United  States  Engineer 
Corps,  said  that  the  building  of  great  storage  reservoirs  at  the  head 
waters  of  the  western  rivers  would  not  only  impound  water  for  the 
irrigation  of  millions  of  acres  of  arid  land,  but  would  prevent  the  floods 
of  the  lower  rivers.  This  work,  he  said,  came  properly  under  the  gen- 
eral government. 

George  H.  Maxwell,  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the 
congress,  declared  that  too  many  men  are  fighting  for  water  instead 
of  getting  together  and  starting  a  campaign  for  government  action 


THE  IR  RIGA  TION  A  GE.  75 

•"Get  to  work  and  see  if  we  cannot  get  one  great  'object  lesson'  reser- 
voir built  by  the  government,"  he  said. 

Thomas  Knight,  of  Kansas  City,  contended  that  the  reclaimation 
of  the  arid  lands  of  the  West  could  not  be  detrimental  to  the  interest 
of  the  farmers  of  the  East. 

Herbert  Myrick,  editor  of  the  American  Agriculturist,  declared 
that  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands  would  create  a  large  field  for  the 
development  of  the  sugar  beet  industry,  saying:  "The  arid  regions 
are  free  from  droughts  or  unusual  rainfall,  which  are  alike  injurious 
to  beets." 

Hugh  M.  Wiley,  chemist  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  also 
declared  the  sugar  beet  was  well  adapted  for  growth  on  irrigated  soil. 

Henry  James,  editor  of  the  Forester,  declared  the  preservation  of 
the  forests  would  prevent  an  exhaustion  of  the  water  supply. 

By  a  unanimous  vote  Thomas  F.  Walsh,  the  mine  owner  and  for- 
mer United  States  Commissioner  to  the  Paris  exposition,  was  elected 
president.  Mr.  Walsh  resides  in  Washington.  J.  Bradford  Prince,  of 
New  Mexico,  was  elected  first  vice-president,  and  P.  B.  Thurber,  of 
New  York,  was  selected  for  second  vice  president.  H.  B.  Maxson  was 
re-elected  secretary. 

Mr.  Walsh  said  that  upon  the  proper  development  of  irrigation 
depended  the  future  prosperity  of  the  West  and  to  a  large  extent  the 
welfare  of  the  whole  nation. 

"Above  all  is  to  be  emphasized  the  fact,"  he  said,  "that  in  the 
West  are  opportunities  for  making  thousands  of  homes,  where  men 
can  earn  their  living  from  the  soil  and  be  practically  independent  of 
hard  times.  The  safety  of  our  institutions  rests,  to  a  large  extent, 
upon  the  ownership  of  small  farms  by  the  men  who  live  upon  them 
and  derive  their  support  from  the  products  of  the  soil.  In  all  the 
great  centers  of  population,  like  New  York  and  Chicago,  are  thous- 
ands of  unemployed  men,  constant  sources  of  Danger.  There  is  no 
higher  duty  for  the  citizens  of  the  country  at  large  than  to  make  it 
possible  for  these  unemployed  men,  who  are  willing  to  work,  to  make 
for  themselves  homes  upon  the  national  domain." 

John  W.  Ela,  of  Chicago,  spoke  on  "A  Forecast  of  the  Future.' 
He  said  in  part:  "The  more  small  farmers  we  have  in  this  country  the 
more  prosperous  the  country  will  become.  We  are  particularly  fortu- 
nate in  that  we  have  a  large  area  of  land  which  will  some  day  become 
the  homes  of  the  small  farmers.  There  is  such,  an  expanse  of  territory 
that  it  will  prevent  syndicates  from  owning  and  controlling  it,  and 
when  reduced  to  cultivation  with  the  assistance  of  irrigation  it  will 
become  the  homes  of  the  small  farmer." 

A.  C.  Bartlett  read  a  paper  written  by  Dwight  B.  Heard,  of  Ari 
zona,  on  "Government  Irrigating  Works  in  India  and  Egypt,"  and 


76  THE  IRRIGA 1 1  ON  A  GE. 

C.   B.   Booth  read  a  paper  prepared  by  Harrison   Gray  Otis  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.,  on  the  "Reclaimation  of  Arid  America."    Frederick  H. 
Newell,  hydrographer  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  in  an. 
illustrated  lecture  told  of  "Our  National  Irrigation  Resources." 

J.  B.  Whittemore  explained  the  primitive  irrigation  of  the  Pima 
Indians  in  Arizona,  and  Milton  Whitney,  of  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  spoke  on  "Alkali  and  Its  Remedies."  Alexander 
H.  Rev  ell  delivered  an  address  on  "The  Grandest  Opportunity  in  the 
Pathway  of  Nations." 


PRACTICAL  IRRIGATION. 

Although  the  general  subject  of  irrigation  and  the  reclaimation  of 
arid  lands  is  discussed  widely,  and  has  come  to  be  one  of  the  great 
questions  before  the  people  of  this  country,  yet  there  is  probably  a 
considerable  number  of  persons  who  have  a  very  vague  idea  as  to  the 
methods  by  which  the  water  is  brought  to  the  land.  A  few  element- 
ary statements  may,  therefore,  not  be  out  of  place. 

As  a  fundamental  proposition,  it  may  be  said  that  irrigation  on 
any  considerable  scale  is  possible  only  by  means  of  gravity  systems 
and  open  ditches.  In  other  words,  the  amount  of  water  required  is  so 
great  that  it  will  not  pay  to  bring  it  to  the  agricultural  lands  unless  it 
can  flow  through  ditches  or  channels  dug  into  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  In  exceptional  instances  pumping  has  been  employed,  and 
the  water  conveyed  through  pipes,  as  is  customary  in  municipal 
supplies. 

In  order  to  irrigate  land,  it  is  necessary  to  dig  a  ditch  leading 
from  a  stream  whose  slope  is  so  great  that  the  ditch,  following  its 
bank  on  a  lesser  grade,  can  gradually  be  diverted  from  the  river.  If, 
for  example,  the  stream  falls  at  the  rate  of  10  feet  per  mile  and  the 
ditch  only  one  foot,  it  is  evident  that  the  water  in  the  ditch  only  one 
foot,  it  is  evident  that  the  water  in  the  ditch  will  be  9  feet  above  that 
in  the  river  at  the  end  of  the  first  mile,  and  in  10  miles  will  be  90  feet 
above  the  river,  and  usually,  looking  down  over  a  large  extent  of  bot- 
tom land.  If  now  allowed  to  escape  from  the  ditch,  it  will  find  its  way 
back  to  the  river  across  the  intervening  low  lands.  Successful  irriga- 
tion consists  in  guiding  this  water  in  Its  journey  back  to  the  river  in 
such  a  way  that  it  will  cover  the  largest  area  of  land,  saturating  it  to 
the  proper  degree. 

The  methods  by  which  the  water  is  thus  conducted  are  numerous, 
the  water  in  the  supply  ditch,  following  the  contour  of  the  land,  is 
allowed  to  escape  in  temporary  ditches,  and  from  these  it  is  turned 
out  and  guided  by  a  shovel,  so  that  it  flows  outwardly  along  the  slope 
of  the  land  and  finds  its  way  by  innumerable  tiny  rivulets  down  the 
slope.  Considerable  skill  is  required  to  distribute  the  water  uniformly 
in  this  so-called  "wild  flooding,"  and  as  a  rule  the  lower  parts  of  the 
field  receive  an  excess  of  water  while  the  higher  portions  are  left  dry. 

The  supply  ditch  follows  the  general  contour,  dropping  slightly; 
below  this  the  land  is  divided  into  rectangular  fields,  each  of  a  size 
such  that  by  means  of  a  low  ridge — say  2  feet  in  height — the  water 
can  be  held  back  and  flooded  over  the  entire  surface.  If  the  slopes 
are  steep  these  checks  or  little  leeves  must  be  near  together,  while  if 


78 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  AGE. 


the  land  is  nearly  level,  they  can  be  far  apart.  Water  is  turned  into 
each  of  these  compartments,  which  may  contain  from  1  to  20  acres  or 
more,  and  the  stream  from  the  ditch  is  allowed  to  flow  until  the  entire 
compartment  is  flooded.  A  small  gate  is  then  opened,  or  the  check 
cut  with  a  shovel  and  the  water  drained  off  until  the  next  compart- 
ment is  full,  and  so  on  until  the  entire  area  has  been  thoroughly  wet. 
In  the  case  of  crops  cultivated  in  furrows,  such  as  potatoes,  it  is 
customary  to  run  water  down  the  furrows  -these  being  laid  out  so 
that  the  water  will  flow  freely,  yet  without  washing  the  soil.  In  prac- 
tice, the  water  flows  down  four  or  five  of  these  furrows  at  once  until  it 
reaches  tne  lower  end,  and  then  it  is  shut  off  and  turned  into  another 
series  of  furrows. — Buffalo  Voice. 


"SAVE  THE   FORESTS  AND  STORE 
THE  FLOODS." 

The  holding1  of  the  National  Irrigation  Congress  in  the  East,  as  it 
turned  out,  was  a  wise  move.  The  people  of  that  half  of  the  country 
have  had  the  subject  of  national  irrigation  brought  home  to  them  in  a 
manner  not  otherwise  possible.  The  far-reaching  importance  of  the 
problem  has  been  presented  to  them  and  a  genuine  interest  has  been 
awakened.  Instead  of  finding  opposition  in  the  East,  the  Congress 
found  that  eastern  men  of  prominence  were  more  than  interested  in  a 
proposition  which  promised  an  increased  western  population  of  mil- 
lions of  people. 

As  the  "enemy's  country"  has  been  invaded,  the  myth  of  eastern 
opposition  has  faded  away  and  its  people  are  found  to  be  anxious  to 
see  inaugurated  a  national  policy  of  western  arid  land  reclamation. 

The  western  delegates  went  home  with  the  feeling  that  they  have 
the  hearty  support  of  eastern  interests  in  securing  action  which  will 
open  to  settlement  a  half  a  continent,  capable  of  supporting  fifty  mil- 
lion people.  They  cannot  but  feel  that  this  support  is  growing;  that 
it  is  developing  into  a  great  movement;  that  many  people  are  realizing 
that  national  action  would  meet  such  a  western  development  as  would 
increase  the  national  wealth  beyond  measure. 

The  time  seems  fully  ripe  for  the  west  to  take  a  firm  and  decided 
stand  on  the  question  of  national  irrigation  and  something  great  may 
be  accomplished  at  once.  Why  not?  It  is  as  right  that  Congress 
should  appropriate  money  for  storage  reservoirs  as  for  river  and  har- 
bor improvements.  The  building  of  storage  reservoirs  would  obviate 
the  necessity  for  much  river  expenditure  and  would  help  navigation, 
and  the  home  building  area  of  the  United  States  would  be  vastly  in- 
creased. And  now  if  the  West  makes  this  demand  the  East  will  back 
it  up,  for  the  benefit  would  not  be  local. 

Every  western  paper  is  interested  in  seeing  this  development  ac- 
complished. What  would  be  the  result  of  an  appropriation  of  eight 
or  ten  million  dollars  spent  annually  in  the  west  for  irrigation  con- 
struction? The  immediate  stimulation  would  be  enormous  and  the  fu- 
ture benefit  greater.  This  policy  should  be  inaugurated  and  the 
western  press  should  urge  it  with  one  voice.  It  is  a  national  matter; 
it  can  be  productive  only  of  great  good;  the  East  is  responsive;  will 
the  West  be  aggressive;  it  is  time  to  work. 

It  is  the  opinion  at  Washington  that  $40, 000, 000  will  be  appropria- 
ted by  this  congress  for  river  and  harbor  improvements.  Of  this  the 


80  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

western  half  of  the  United  States  will  get,  judging  by  previous  rec- 
ords a  couple  of  million  or  so.  Whatever  are  her  possibilities,  it  is 
not  contended  that  the  West  is  as  important  or  influential  as  the  East. 
She  has  not  yet  the  dense  population;  but  why  should  she  not  get  at 
least  a  fair  share  of  this  great  appropriation?  Why  should  she  not 
get  a  fourth  of  it,  to  be  applied  to  the  building  of  great  storage  reser- 
voirs to  be  filled  with  flood  waters  for  use  in  irrigation,  under  a  sys- 
tem of  internal  improvements? 

The  government  is  spending  large  sums  in  aiding  in  the  develop- 
ment of  foreign  trade  and  the  opening  of  foreign  markets  for  Ameri- 
can manufacturers.  It  is  believed  that  we  should  push  our  goods  into 
every  market  of  the  world  and  sell  them.  The  belief  is  also  gaining 
ground  that  the  government  should  also  develop  its  home  market  for 
American  products  and  manufacturers.  This  it  could  do  by  reclaiming 
the  75,000,000  acres  of  western  arid  land  and  settling  them  with  thous- 
ands of  industrious  home  builders.  Eastern  merchants  are  more  than 
willing  to  see  such  an  undertaking.  The  west  should  take  the  in- 
itiative. 

The  telegram  sent  by  the  National  Irrigation  Congress  at  Chicago, 
urging  upon  President  McKinley  the  importance  of  the  irrigation  and 
forestry  problem  and  requesting  him  to  in  turn  urge  upon  Congress 
the  advisability  of  some  definite  action,  has  done  more  to  direct  public 
attention  to  these  important  national  questions  than  any  other  one. 

To  the  President: 

The  ninth  annual  session  of  the  National  Irrigation  Congress  now 
in  session  in  the  City  of  Chicago,  respectfully  urges  that  in  your  mes- 
sage to  Congress  you  call  attention  to  the  national  importance  of  the 
preservation  of  our  forests  and  of  the  extention  and  conservative  use 
of  the  forest  preserves,  and  further  that  you  emphasize  the  need  of 
national  action  to  store  the  flood  waters  that  now  go  to  waste. 

"Save  the  Forests  and  Store  the  Floods"  proved  a  popular  motto 
at  the  Chicago  Irrigation  Congress.  Its  sessions  bore  a  marked  at- 
mosphere of  thoughtful  consideration  of  how  these  great  objects  could 
be  accomplished  and  a  general  spirit  of  harmony  and  co-operation 
pervaded  the  atmosphere.  Much  satisfaction  was  expressed  at  the 
growth  of  the  national  irrigation  sentiment  in  the  East  and  the  inter- 
est and  active  co-operation  afforded  by  eastern  business  men. 

Great  as  is  Chicago,  with  her  people  equaling  in  numbers  a  third 
of  the  entire  population  of  the  western  half  of  the  United  States,  yet 
the  National  Irrigation  Congress  was  recognized  as  the  exponent  of  'a 
national  movement,  and  caused  no  little  local  and  general  comment. 
Chicago  newspapers  devoted  their  columns  to  its  meetings  and  Chi- 
cago's largest  business  men  attended  them.  The  great  problem  of  the 
reclamation  of  the  millions  of  arid  acres  was  recognized  at  its  true 


I  HE  IRR1 GA1ION  AGE.  81 

value  and  the  incalculable  benefits  to  result,  appreciated,     The  nat- 
ional irrigation  question  is  an  assured  fact. 

The  following  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  National  Irrigation 
Congress,  November  24,  1900: 

"We  hail  with  satisfaction  the  fact  that  both  of  the  great  politi- 
cal parties  of  the  nation  in  the  last  campaign  declared  in  favor  of  the 
reclamation  of  arid  America,  in  order  that  settlers  might  build  homes 
on  the  public  domain,  and  to  that  end  we  urge  upon  Congress  that  na- 
tional appropriations  commensurate  with  the  magnitude  of  the  prob- 
lem should  be  made  for  the  preservation  of  the  forests  and  the  refor- 
estation of  denuded  areas  as  natural  storage  reservoirs  and  for  the 
construction  by  the  National  Government  as  part  of  its  policy  of  inter- 
nal improvement  of  storage  reservoirs  and  other  works  for  flood  pro- 
tection and  to  save  for  use  in  aid  of  navigation  and  irrigation  the 
waters  which  now  run  to  waste  and  for  the  development  of  artesian 
and  subterranean  sources  of  water  supply. 

'  "The  waters  of  all  streams  should  forever  remain  subject  to  pub- 
lic control  and  the  right  of  the  use  of  water  for  irrigation  should  in- 
here in  the  land  irrigated,  and  beneficial  use  be  the  basis  of  measure 
and  the  limit  of  the  right. 

"The  work  of  building  the  reservoirs  necessary  to  store  the  floods 
should  be  done  directly  by  the  government  under  existing  statutes  re- 
lating to  the  employment  of  labor  and  hours  of  work  and  under  laws 
that  will  give  to  all  American  citizens  a  free  and  equal  opportunity  to 
get  first  employment,  and  then  a  home  on  the  land. 

"We  commend  the  efficient  work  of  the  various  bureaus  of  the  na- 
tional government  in  the  investigation  of  the  physical  and  legal  prob- 
lems and  other  conditions  relating  to  irrigation  and  in  promoting  the 
adoption  of  more  eff ectine  laws,  customs  and  methods  ot  irrigated  ag  • 
riculture,  and  urge  upon  Congress  the  necessity  of  providing  liberal 
-appropriations  for  this  important  work. 


.< 


EXTRACT    FROM    REPORT    OF 
SECRETARY    OF    AGRI- 
CULTURE. 


Much  progress  has  been  made  during  the  past  year,  in  the 
organization  and  development  of  the  irrigation  investigations  con- 
ducted through  the  Office  of  Experiment  Stations. 

•  In  accordance  with  tho  terms  of  the  appropriation  act,  two 
general  lines  of  investigation  have  have  been  pursued:  (1)  The  study 
of  the  laws  and  institutions  relating  to  irrigation  in  different  regions 
and  (2)  the  determination  of  the  actual  use  made  of  irrigation  waters. 

The  largest  single  enterprise  connected  with  these  investigations 
has  been  in  the  State  of  California.  The  growing  value  and  increas- 
ing scarcity  of  water  in  that  state  are  creating  imperative  need  of 
better  laws  to  control  the  distribution  of  streams,  and  there  is  much 
public  interest  in  this  subject.  This  local  interest  has  been  shown  in 
a  most  substantial  and  gratifying  form  by  the  co-operation  of  the 
California  Water  and  Forest  Association  in  our  work  and  the  contri- 
bution of  several  thousand  dollars  to  be  expended  under  the  direction 
of  the  agents  of  the  Department.  The  University  -of  California  and. 
Leland  Stanford  University  have  also  given  efficient  aid  to  this  enter- 
prise, and  have  been  represented  on  the  staff  of  agents  employed  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  work. 

Eight  typical  streams  in  different  parts  of  the  state  have  been 
thoroughly  studied  with  reference  to  the  conditions  under  which  the 
water  for  irrigation  is  owned,  distributed,  and  used.  A  compre- 
hensive report  on  these  investigations  is  now  in  course  of  preparation. 
It  is  believed  that  this  is  the  largest  and  most  comprehensive  inquiry 
regarding  irrigation  laws,  customs,  and  conditions  which  has  been 
undertaken  in  this  country.  Similar  investigations,  though  on  a 
smaller  scale,  have  been  made  in  Utah,  Colorado,  and  other  States. 

The  measurements  of  the  duty  of  water  undertaken  last  year 
have  been  extended  this  season,  regular  stations  for  this  purpose 
having  been  maintained  in  eleven  States  and  Territories  in  the 
irrigated  region.  A  detailed  report  on  the  observations  of  the 
previous  season  is  now  in  press,  which  includes  a  larger  amount  of 
data  on  this  subject  than  has  ever  been  brought  together  before. 
Studies  of  the  losses  from  evaporation  and  seepage  and  of  the  amount- 
and  character  of  sediment  contained  in  irrigation  waters  have  also 
been  carried  on  in  a  number  of  localities. 


1  HE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE.  88 

Interest  in  the  use  of  irrigation  to  supplement  rainfall  in  the 
humid  regions  of  the  United  States  is  constantly  growing.  In  a 
number  of  sections  this  has  been  greatly  stimulated  daring  the  past 
season  by  long-continued  drought.  Interesting  and  valuable  investi- 
gations regarding  the  use  of  water  for  irrigation  in  New  Jersey  have 
been  made  by  Professor  Voorhees,  director  of  the  New  Jersey  agri- 
cultural experiment  stations.  The  results  of  these  investigations 
have  recently  been  published,  and  they  indicate  that  the  practice  of 
irrigation  has  been  quite  profitable  in  that  state  as  far  as  it  has 
been  tried. 

Similar  investigations  are  being  undertaken  in  Missouri  and 
Wisconsin  in  co-operation  with  the  experiment  stations  in  those 
States.  A  preliminary  survey  was  also  made  of  the  conditions  of 
irrigation  practice  in  the  rice  fields  and  sugar  plantations  of  the 
Southern  States.  This  indicated  that  there  is  great  opportunity  for 
improvement  in  the  methods  and  use  of  water  in  that  region,  and  it  is 
hoped  that  it  may  be  possible  to  undertake  a  study  of  some  of  these 
problems  in  the  near  future. 

A  report  on  the  irrigation  system  of  Hawaii  is  now  in  press. 
A  popular  bulletin  on  the  practice  of  irrigation  in  connection  with 
horticulture  has  been  issued  and  widely  distributed. 

Although  the  irrigation  investigations  now  in  charge  of  this 
Department  have  been  in  progress  too  short  a  time  to  permit  the 
publication  of  extended  reports,  it  is  believed  that  they  have  already 
had  important  results.  As  the  basis  for  these  investigations,  an 
effort  has  been  made  to  ascertain  the  actual  needs  of  the  people  of 
the  irrigated  region  as  regards  the  investigation  of  irrigations 
problems.  This  has  led  to  widespread  discussion  of  this  subject  in 
agricultural  and  other  associations,  as  well  as  in  the  public  press. 
Through  the  publications  of  this  Department  already  issued  and  the 
addresses  of  our  agents  in  public  meetings  in  different  parts  of  the^ 
irrigated  region,  the  existing  conditions  have  been  described  as 
accurately  as  a  preliminary  survey  would  permit.  The  lines  along 
which  investigations  must  proceed  have  also  definitely  been  pointed 
out:  In  this  way  the  experience  already  obtained  by  the  experiment 
stations,  State  engineers,  and  officers  and  experts  in  irrigation 
matters  has  been  brought  to  bear  on  the  public  mind  more  effectively 
than  heretofore.  The  result  has  been  a  great  quickening  of  interest 
in  this  matter  throughout  the  West,  cogether  with  a  large  and  more 
definite  realization  of  the  importance  of  the  development  of  our 
irrigation  system  and  the  intricate  nature  of  the  problems  involved. 
A  great  desire  has  been  awakened  to  have  an  accurate  and  complete 
showing  of  facts,  on  which  permanent  improvement  alone  can  be 
based.  This  has  led  to  hearty  co-operation  of  the  people  and  local 


84  THE  IR  RIGA  T10N  A  GE 

authorities  in  our  investigations  wherever  they  have  been  undertaken 
and  demands  for  our  work  far  beyond  our  ability  to  meet. 

While  the  earnestness  with  which  these  demands  are  pressed  is 
very  largely  due  to  the  urgent  needs  of  localities  and  individual 
farmers  and  ditch  owners  for  the  remedying  of  evils  affecting  their 
immediate  interests,  it  is  also  beginning  to  be  seen  quite  clearly  that 
the  questions  involved  in  this  and  kindred  investigation  have  a  direct 
bearing  on  the  problems  which  are  of  national  and  even  international 
importance.  On  the  supply  of  water  for  irrigation  and  its  equitable 
'distribution  depends  the  permanent  existence  of  civilized  life  in  one- 
third  the  area  covered  by  the  forty-eight  States  and  Territories  of 
the  Union.  Questions  relating  to  irrigation  are  vital  not  only  to 
agricultural,  but  also  to  all  other  interests  of  this  vast  region,  and 
the  ultimate  solution  of  the  problems  relating  to  irrigation  will  be 
found  not  only  in  State  legislation  and  administration,  but  also  in  the 
^action  of  the  National  Government.  Most  of  the  streams  used  for 
irrigation  cross  State  lines,  and  some  of  them  run  partly  in  foreign 
•countries. 

The  nation  still  owns  large  areas,  the  development  of  which  will 
necessarily  depend  on  national  land  laws  recognizing  the  importance 
of  extending  the  irrigated  region  as  far  as  possible.  Sooner  or  later 
these  questions  must  be  taken  up  by  the  United  States  as  well  as  by 
the  individual  States  and  settled  on  a  just  basis  and  in  accordance 
with  actual  conditions.  What  is  needed  in  this  matter  at  the  present 
time  above  everything  else  is  the  impartial  ascertaining  and  record- 
ing of  the  facts  relating  to  irrigation  in  this  country.  It  is  this  task 
which  this  Department  has  set  for  itself.  It  is  believed  that  an 
efficient  organization  for  the  prosecution  of  this  work  has  been  estab- 
lished and  that  in  this  way  a  basis  has  been  laid  for  the  prosecution 
and  extension  of  the  work  as  rapidly  as  the  necessary  conditions  of 
the  investigations  arid  the  available  funds  will  permit. 

In  view  of  the  urgent  need  for  the  extension  of  these  investi- 
gations, I  recommend  that  the  appropriation  for  the  ensuing  fiscal 
year  be  increased  from  $50,000  to  $75,000. 


WASHINGTON   LETTER. 

A  statistical  abstract  of  the  world  which  will  show  the  imports 
and  exports  of  every  country  in  the  world  having  statistical  reports 
is  the  ambition  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  the  Treasury  Depart- 
ment. To  present  in  a  single  volume  a  picture  of  the  world's  com- 
merce not  only  of  to  day  but  extending  back  over  a  long  term  of 
years,  and  to  show  that  commerce  in  detail  as  to  principal  arti- 
cles, country  by  country  with  quantities  and  values  stated  in 
United  States  currency  and  measures  of  quantity,  is  a  work  of  no- 
small  magnitude,  but  of  such  great  importance  to  the  commercial  in- 
terests of  the  country  that  it  is  being  resolutely  undertaken  by  the 
Bureau  of  Statistics.  The  details  of  this  work,  which  will  be  carried 
on  under  the  personal  supervision  of  the  Chief  of  the  Bureau,  have 
been  entrusted  to  Mr.  Benjamin  T.  Welch,  whose  long  service  in  the 
Bureau  especially  tits  him  for  this  duty. 

The  opening  chapter  of  the  proposed  volume  has  already  been 
completed.  It  shows  the  total  imports  and  exports  of  each  country 
of  the  world  having  statistical  records,  from  the  earliest  datfe 
for  which  the  figures  are  attainable  down  to  the  present  time.  In 
the  case  of  the  United  Kingdom  the  report  begins  with  the  year  1800, 
and  shows  the  total  imports,  total  exports,  and  excess  of  imports  or 
exports  in  each  year  from  that  date  to  the  present  time.  In  the  case 
of  Austria-Hungary  Ihe  record  begins  with  the  year  1800;  Belgium,, 
1831;  France,  1831;  Germany,  1872;  Italy,  1861;  Netherlands,  1860; 
Russia,  1861;  Spain,  I860;  Norway,  1860;  Sweden,  1860;  Canada,  18")  1; 
Mexico,  1873;  Argentina,  1870;  Chile,  1860;  China,  1868;  Japan,  1874; 
India,  1851;  Australia,  1851;  Egypt,  1874;  and  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
Natal  1851.  in  each  case  the  figures  covering  the  entire  period  from 
the  earliest  date  named  to  the  present  time.  The  subsequent  chapters 
will  give  the  details  of  the  commerce  of  each  of  these  countries,  the 
principal  articles  imported  and  exported  during  a  term  of  years  down 
to  the  latest  attainable  date,  and  the  principal  countries  from  which 
its  exports  are  obtained  and  to  which  its  exports  are  distributed. 

The  figures  on  the  total  commerce  country  by  country,  which 
have  already  been  completed,  afford  matsrial  for  some  interesting 
comparisons  with  our  own  growth  meantime.  The  imports  for  home 
consumption  of  the  United  Kingdom,  for  instance,  which  in  the  year 
1800  amounted  to  $81,310,000,  amounted  in  1899  to  $2,043,896,450,  an 
increase  of  2400  per  cent. ;  while  in  the  case  of  the  United  States  the 
imports  for  home  consumption  in  1800  were  $52,121,891;  and  in  1899, 
5,  Hl,S,)2,  an.  increase  of  1215  per  cent.  Taking  the  export  side  the. 


'86  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

contrast  is  much  more  clearly  in  favor  of  the  United  States.  The  ex- 
port of  articles  of  home  production  from  the  United  Kingdom  in  1800 
were  $11 1,107, 000,  and  in  1899  $1,287,151,345,  an  increase  of  1059  per 
cent;  in  the  case  of  the  United  States,  the  export  of  home  products  in 
1800  were  $31, 840, 903,  and  in  1899,  $1,203,931,222,  an  increase  of  3681 
per  cent. 

In  the  case  of  France  the  comparison  is  equally  interesting.  The 
imports  for  consumption  into  France  in  1831  were  $72,182,000,  and  in 
1899,  $872,032,000,  an  increase  of  1108  per  cent.;  while  the  export  of 
articles  of  home  production  were  in  1831  $88,088,000,  and  in  1899,  $801,  - 
452,000,  an  increase  of  810  per  cent.  In  the  case  of  the  United  States 
the  imports  for  home  consumption  in  1831  were  $82,008,110,  and  in 
1899,  $685,441,889,  an  increase  of  734  per  cent.,  and  the  export  of  arti- 
cles of  home  production  were  in  1831,  $59,218,583,  and  in  1899,  $1,203,- 
931,222,  an  increase  of  1933  per  cent. 

The  official  data  covering  the  commerce  of  the  German  Empire  in 
its  present  form  begins  with  the  year  1872,  in  which  year  the  imports 
ior  home  consumption  were  $793,726,000,  and  in  1899,  $1,304, 977, 000,  an 
increase  during  that  period  of  64  per  cent.  The  export  of  home  pro- 
ducts were,  in  1872,  $564,165,000  and  in  1899,  $801,452,('00  an  increase 
of  42  per  cent.  A  comparison  of  the  figures  of  the  commerce  of  the 
U.  S.  covering  the  same  period  shows  the  imports  for  home  consump- 
tion in  1872  to  be  $560,419,034,  and  in  1899,  $685,441,892,  an  increase  of 
24  per  cent.,  and  the  export  of  home  products  in  1872,  $428,487,131, 
and  in  1899.  $1,203,931,222,  an  increase  of  181  per  cent. 

One  especially  interesting  fact  developed  by  a  study  of  these  fig- 
ures is  that  in  the  case  of  the  United  States  they  show  with  much 
greater  frequency  than  in  any  other  countries  a  favorable  "balance  of 
trade,"  or  excess  of  exports  over  imports.  In  the  United  Kingdom, 
Germany,  France,  Belgium,  Italy,  Netherlands,  Sweden  and  Norway, 
and  practically  all  European  countries  excepting  Russia,  Austria- 
Hungary  and  Spain,  the  imports  exceed  the  exports,  in  some  cases  by 
large  sums,  and  this  is  true  also  of  China  and  Japan.  In  the  newer 
and  great  producing  countries,  Canada,  Mexico,  Argentina,  Australia 
and  India,  the  exports  exceed  the  imports  in  nearly  every  case,  though 
in  sums  which  are  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  enormous 
balance  of  trade  in  favor  of  the  United  States  in  recent  years. 

The  commerce  of  47  countries  other  than  the  United  States  is  pic- 
tured in  the  opening  tables  of  the  proposed  volume.  Of  this  number, 
18  countries  show  an  excess  of  exports  over  imports,  and  29  show  an 
excess  of  imports  over  exports.  The  principal  countries  which  show 
an  excess  of  exports  over  imports  are  Canada,  Mexico,  Argentina, 
Chile,  Australasia,  India,  Egypt,  Spain,  Austria -Hungary,  and  Russia. 
A  study  of  the  detailed  figures  in  this  group  of  favored  countries 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  87 

-whose  exports  exceed  their  imports,  and  a  comparison  of  their  exports 
with  that  of  the  United  States  alone  furnishes  a  striking  evidence  of 
the  phenomenal  prosperity  of  our  own  conntry.  No  one  of  the  18 
countries  whose  exports  exceed  imports  shows  a  favorable  balance  of 
trade  approaching  that  enjoyed  by  the  United  States,  and  a  compila- 
tion of  the  excess  of  exports  in  the  entire  group  of  18  countries  having 
such  excess  gives  a  grand  total  of  only  $414,845,000,  in  the  latest  at- 
tainable year,  as  against  an  excess  of  $544,542,131  in  favor  of  the 
United  States  alone  in  the  fiscal  year  1900, 

A  good  deal  of  anxiety  seems  to  have  been  wasted  with  reference 
to  the  trade  relations  between  the  United  States  and  Germany.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  a  fear  was  expressed  some  months  ago  that 
certain  trade  restrictions  proposed  in  Germany  might  seriously  inter- 
rupt the  commercial  relations  between  that  country  and  the  United 
States  and  especially  decrease  our  exports  to  that  country  in  agricul- 
tural products.  Figures  just  issued  by  the  Treasury  Bureau  of  Sta- 
tistics show  that  our  exports  to  Germany,  in  the  ten  months  ending 
with  October,  1900,  were  $27,000,000  greater  than  those  in  the  corres- 
ponding months  of  last  year,  an  increase  of  about  20  per  cent,  and 
that  our  imports  from  Germany  show  an  increase  of  $8,000,000,  a  gain 
of  over  10  per  cent.  Of  the  forty  great  articles  which  compose  the 
bulk  of  our  exports  to  Germany  more  than  two-thirds  show  an  in- 
crease in  1900  as  compared  with  1899.  Those  which  show  the  princi- 
pal decrease  are  hog  products,  corn,  wheat,  fertilizers  and  certain 
lines  of  machinery.  Those  which  show  an  increase  are  cotton,  flour, 
fruits,  tobacco,  timber,  mineral  oils,  cotton  seed  oil,  oilcake  and  meal, 
tallow,  parrafin,  rosin,  turpentine,  coal,  copper,  builders'  hardware, 
scientific  and  electrical  instruments,  agricultural  implements,  sewing 
machines,  cars  and  furniture. 

Copper  shows  an  increase  of  more  than  $3,000,000,  mineral  oils 
$2. 000, 000,  tobacco  a»nd  agricultural  implements  nearly  $1,000,000  each, 
and  unmanufactured  cotton  over  $28,000,000,  while  in  the  list  of  arti-, 
cles  which  show  a  decrease  there  are  but  two  cases  in  which  the  fall- 
ing off  is  as  much  as  $1,000,000 — corn  showing  a  reduction  of  a  little 
more  than  $1,000,000  and  wheat  a  little  more  than  $2,000,000. 


American  trade  with  China  shows  a  more  rapid  growth  than  that 
of  any  of  the  European  countries.  The  official  reports  of  the  Chinese 
Government  for  1899,  the  details  of  which  have  just  reached  the 
Treasury  Bureau  of  Statistics,  show  that  the  imports  into  China  from 
the  United  States  in  that  year  amounted  to  22,288,745  Haikwan  taels 
(Haikwan  tael-72  cts.),  against  17,163,312  taels  in  1898,  12,440,302  in 
1897,  11,929,853  in  1896,  and  5,093,182  taels  in  1895.  Thus  in  the  four 
years  from  1895  to  1899  the  imports  into  China  from  Great  Britain  in- 


TEE  IRRIGATION    AGE. 

creased  from  33,960,050  haikwan  taels  in  1895  to  40,161,115  in  1899,  and 
from  the  continent  of  Europe  (Russia  excepted),  they  increased  from 
7,552,099  Haikwan  taels  in  1895  to  10,172,398  in  1899.  Thus,  while  the 
imports  from  Great  Britain  show  an  increase  of  18  per  cent,  from 
1895  to  1899,  and  those  from  Europe  show  an  increase  of  35  per  cent., 
those  from  the  United  States  show  an  increase  of  337  per  cent.  Tak- 
ing the  imports  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  the  figures  for  1895  show 
a  total  of  171,696,715  Haikwan  taels  and  in  1899,  264,748,456,  or  an  in- 
crease in  the  entire  importation  of  54  per  cent,  against  an  increase  of 
337  per  cent,  in  the  imports  from  the  United  Sta.tes. 

Reporting  upon  the  foreign  trade  of  Shanghai,  the  Commissioner 
of  Customs  at  that  port  says:  "The  import  trade  in  piece  goods  dur- 
ing the  year  showed  great  vitality.  Almost  every  item  of  importance 
show  improvement,  the  most  remarkable  being  found  in  white  shirt- 
ings, sheetings  of  all  descriptions,  chintzes  and  twills,  handkerchiefs, 
towels  and  cotton  flannel.  Notwithstanding  the  continued  increase  in 
the  consumption  of  American  domestics,  English  goods  have  managed 
to  show  satisfactory  progress.  There  are  several  makes,  notably 
prints  and  dyed  fancy  fabrics,  which  are  not  interfered  with  by  Amer- 
ican competition  as  yet;  and  although  they  must  be  looked  upon  more 
as  luxuries  than  as  actual  necessities,  the  trade  in  them  is  growing  in 
importance  and  value." 

The  Commissioner  of  Customs  at  Canton  reports  as  follows:    "The 
value  of  our  foreign  imports  exceeded   that  for  1898  by  nearly  two- 
million  taels,  being  13,861,995  Haikwan  taels.     With  the  exception  of 
cotton  yarn,  nearly  all  the  staple  articles,  such  as  Manchester  goods, 
kerosene  oil  and  American  flour  advanced  considerably." 

Commenting  upon  the  growth  in  the  import  trade  at  Tientsin, 
which  showed  a  gain  of  6,700.000  taels  over  1898,  the  commissioner  at 
that  point  says:  "  The  conspicuous  gains  are  in  white  shirtings,  and 
more  especially  in  American  sheetings;  this  last  article  having  gained 
90,000  pieces  over  the  record  of  1898.  American  drills  have  declined 
17  per  cent,  below  the  import  quantity  of  1898,  although  as  regards 
value  they  show  a  gain  of  6  per  cent.  American  kerosene  oil  has 
fallen  off  greatly,  the  import  (1,868,000  gallons)  being  only  half  that 
of  1898.  Machinery,  railway  materials,  munitions  of  war  and  govern- 
ment stores  all  show  an  increase  over  the  figures  for  1897  and  1898." 


Imports  into  the  United  States  from  Porto  Rico  have  trebled,  and 
exports  to  that  island  from  the  United  States  have  quadrupled  in  the 
five  months  since  the  enactment  of  the  new  Porto  Rican  tariff  act,  as 
compared  with  those  of  the  corresponding  months  of  1896  and  1897 
when  Porto  Rico  was  under  the  Spanish  flag.  The  Porto  Rican  tariff 
act  went  into  effect  May  1,  1900.  The  imports  from  the  island  in  the- 


THE.  IRRIGATION  AGE.  89 

five  months  whose  record  the  Treasury  Bureau  of  Statistics  has  just 
completed,  amount  to  $3,316,334,  against  $1,169,128  in  the  correspond- 
ing months  of  1897,  or  practically  three  times  as  much  in  the  five 
months  of  1900  as  in  the  corresponding  five  months  of  1897.  The  ex- 
ports to  the  island  in  the  five  months  of  1900  are  $2,807,909,  against 
$717,744  in  the  corresponding  months  of  1896  and  $768,802  in  the  cor- 
responding months  of  1897,  or  practically  four  times  as  much  in  1900 
as  in  1896  or  1897. 

These  figures  are  especially  interesting  because  of  the  fact  that  it 
was  supposed  when  the  act  went  into  effect,  that  the  commerce  of  the 
first  year  would  be  very  small  by  reason  of  the  hurricane  of  last  year 
which  proved  so  damaging  to  the  chief  industries  that  it  was  thought 
the  island  would  in  the  present  year  have  little  to  sell  and  conse- 
quently little  with  which  to  buy.  Yet  the  figures  given  below  show 
that  it  has  sent  to  the  United  States  in  the  five  months  from  May 
1,  1900,  to  October  1,  1900,  twice  as  much  in  value  as  in  the  corres- 
ponding months  of  1899  and  three  times  as  much 'as  in  the  same  months 
of  1897,  and  that  it  has  bought  from  the  United  States  more  than 
twice  as  much  as  in  the  corresponding  months  of  1899  and  practically 
four  times  as  much  as  in  the  corresponding  months  of  1896  or  1897. 

The  table  which  follows  shows  the  imports  from,  and  exports  to 
Porto  Rico  in  its  commerce  with  the  United  States  during  May,  June, 
July,  August  and  September  of  1896,  1897,  1899  and  1900,  respectively, 
and  the  total  for  each  period,  and  thus  enables  a  comparison  by  months 
and  by  the  entire  period  both  with  1899,  when  the  island  was  under 
the  American  flag  but  subject  to  the  general  customs  laws  of-  the 
United  States,  and  with  1896  and  1897,  when  it  was  Spanish  territory. 
It  will  be  seen  that  every  month  since  the  enactment  of  the  new  law 
shows  a  marked  increase  over  1899  and  a  still  greater  increase  as  com- 
pared with  1897  and  1896;  while  the  total  imports  from  the  island  in 
the  five  months  of  1900  show  an  increase  of  62  per  cent,  over  1898  and 
172  per  cent,  over  1897,  and  the  exports  to  the  island  show  an  increase 
of  104  per  cent,  over  1899  and  265  per  cent,  over  1897. 

IMPORTS   FROM   PORTO   RICO   INTO    THE   UNITED    STATES. 

Month  of                             1896  .   1897  1899  1900 

May $430,821  $553,938  $647,1791,  $103,867 

June 516,746  361,328  814,803  1,218,257 

July . .  .254,676  145,373  448,267  .  640,023 

August 107,880  72,625  74,323  281,903 

September 125, 369  35, 864  56, 167  72, 284 


Total,  5  months... .$1,485, 492       $1,169,128       $2,040,739      $3,316,334 


90  THE  IRRIGA 2 ION  AGE. 

EXPORTS   TO   PORTO   RICO  FROM   THE   UNITED   STATES. 

Month  of                                1896                  1897  1899  1900 

May $113,069          $161.845  $305,564  $696,479 

June 173,313            167,138  361,423  890,999 

July 101,944            156,296  213.302  529,729 

August 194,361            143,945  251,843  408,638 

September 130,058  .        130,578  246,490  282,064 


Total,  five  months. .  .  .$717,744          $768,802       $1,378,622  $2,807,909 
The  following  table  shows  the  exports  from  the  United  States  to 
Porto  Rico  of  fifteen  representative  articles  during  the  five  months 
ending  October  1,  1900,  compared  with  the  same  months  of  1897: 
Articles.  Five  months  ending  Oct.  1. 

1887  1900 

Cotton  cloth $    1,423  $406,194 

Flour 294,278  402.912 

Pork 75,829  94,567 

Petroleum 12,930  65,956 

Bacon 6,949  28,481 

Coal 14,680  26,565 

Cheese 1,062  26,463 

Furniture 3,392  23,220 

Builders' hardware 4,335  22,086 

Cars  and  carriages  .  , 2,344  12,209 

Books,  maps,  etc 2,516  11,034 

Fruits  and  nuts 399  6,077 

Butter 3,151  5,420 

Agricultural  implements 1,217  3,856 

Sewing  machine 1,508  3,132 


The  abrogation  of  the  Porto  Rican  tariff  is  being  seriously  dis- 
cussed by  the  press  of  Porto  Rico.  The  Porto  Rican  Tariff  Act  it 
will  be  remembered  provides  that  "whenever  the  legislative  assembly 
of  Porto  Rico  shall  have  enacted  and  put  into  operation  a  system 
of  local  taxation  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  government  of  Porto 
Rico,  by  this  act  established,  and  shall  by  resolution  duly  passed  so 
notify  the  president,  he  shall  make  proclamation  thereof  and  there- 
upon all  tariff  duties  on  merchandise  and  articles  going  into  Porto 
Rico  from  the  United  States  or  coming  into  the  United  States  from 
Porto  Rico  shall  cease,  and  from  and  after  such  date  all  such  mer- 
chandise and  articles  shall  be  entered  at  the  several  ports  of  entry 
free  of  duty.  The  Porto  Rican  Legislature  elected  on  November  6th, 
the  date  of  the  general  election  in  the  United  States,  is  to  meet 
shortly  and  will,  under  the  provisions  of  the  Porto  Rican  Act  above 
quoted,  have  the  power  to  immediately  terminate  the  Porto  Rican 
tariff  by  enacting  legislation  which  will  provide  funds  for  the  neces- 
sities of  the  government,  of  Porto  Ri.co  and  the  question  whether  this 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE.  91 

•action  shall  be  taken  and  the  15  per  cent,  tariff  thus  terminated,  is 
being  discussed  by  the  press  and  public  of  that  island  as  is  shown  by 
the  following  leading  editorial  taken  from  the  San  Juan  (Porto  Rico) 
Daily  Neivs  of  November  13,  1900,  just  received  by  the  Treasury  Bu- 
reau of  Statistics: 

"We  have  lived  now  for  six  months  under  the  85  per  cent,  prefer- 
ential tariff.  The  question  now  is — is  it  good  or  bad?  Has  it  helped 
or  injured  us?  The  Legislature  will  have  these  questions  to  decide. 

"We  now  have  the  question  to  deal  with  aside  and  apart  from  poli- 
tics. Its  use  as  a  campaign  club  is  past  and  gone.  The  burden  of  de- 
ciding this  very  important  question  is  solely  upon  the  Legislature.  As 
it  decrees,  so  shall  it  be.  If  it  desires  to  abolish  the  tariff  and  operate 
the  island  upon  a  free  trade  basis,  it  can  be  so  ordered. 

"If  the  people  of  Porto  Rico  through  the  Legislature,  desire  to 
continue  the  tariff  it  can  be  done.  A  precedent  has  been  established 
which  will  permit  this  taxation.  It  has  been  legally  decreed  that  such 
action  is  constitutional. 

"If  the  tariff  is  abolished,  it  is  at  once  evident  that  a  more  bur- 
densome and  higher  rate  of  internal  taxation  must  be  imposed.  Where 
and  upon  what  shall  this  be  levied,  is  indeed  a  perplexing  question. 

"Aside  from  all  the  difficulties  that  may  or  will  arise  from  the 
abolition  of  the  tariff,  let  us  glance  at  the  tariff  itself  and  see  what  it 
has  done.  In  the  last  six  months  the  15  per  cent,  tariff  has  afforded 
the  island  as  much,  if  not  more  revenue  than  the  100  per  cent,  tariff- 
'The  theory  that  '  the  way  to  increase  revenue  is  by  lowering  the 
taxes,'  is  proven  to  be  true  for  Porto  Rico.  This  revenue  will  be  con- 
stantly increasing  as  our  trade  increases,  as  it  is  sure  to  do.  It  has 
helped  the  consumer,  for  it  has  lowered  the  taxes  he  has  to  pay,  not 
only  on  American  goods,  but  upon  all  goods  that  enter  our  market  in 
competition  with  them.  This  results  in  an  increase  of  importations. 
This  helps  the  producer  by  constantly  providing  him  a  means  to  carry 
his  goods  to  the  great  American  market,  which  is  always  so  hungry 
for  the  products  this  island  has  to  dispose  of.  Again,  unless  we  have 
a  traffic  both  ways,  the  steamers  must  make  one  trip  without  a  cargo 
and  the  freight  is  thereby  doubled. 

"A  tariff  helps  us  as  borrowers;  it  will  give  our  securities  a  stand 
in  the  United  States,  which  they  could  not  have  without  a  permanent 
revenue  like  the  tariff  revenue.  The  argument  so  often  advanced  in 
favor  of  a  tariff  tax  as  against  other  means  of  raising  revenue,  that  it 
is  easily  collected,  is  especially  forcible  in  Porto  Rico,  We  would  ad- 
vise that  the  tariff  is  necessary,  and  if  it  were  not  it  would  still  be  the 
most  convenient  and  logical  means  of  raising  our  revenue.  Let  the 
tariff  stand  at  15  per  cent." 


MKS.    McKlNLKY  AND  H  KR  1'RKSENT  HOME. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED   FARM, 


THE  ENGLISH  SPARROW. 

The  war  which  is  being  waged  on  the 
English  sparrows  in  some  farm  sections  is 
only  partially  successful  through  lack  of 
co-operation.  If  every  farmer  would  de- 
termine to  keep  the  sparrows  off  his  farm 
place,  they  could  easily  be  kept  in  check. 
I  have  never  allowed  this  species  of  Pas- 
ser, which  Congressman  Lacey  designates 
"rats  of  the  air."  to  build  or  stay  upon  my 
Virginia  place,  and  my  several  immediate 
neighbors  through  my  solicitation  have 
joined  hands  with  me  on  this  issue.  Once 
rid  of  them,  we  have  had  but  little  trouble 
in  keeping  them  away.  They  are  ever 
ready  to  return  however.  During  a  year's 
sojourn  in  Florida  two  pair  discovered  my 
absence  and  built  and  reared  breeds,  keep- 
ing up  a  continual  warfare  with  other 
birds.  By  fall  the  sparrows  were  thick  on 
the  place.  On  my  return  I  commenced 
picking  them  off  at  odd  times  with  a  small 
rifle.  In  a  week  I  had  them  so  terrorized 
that  they  would  fly  away  at  sight  of  me, 
and  after  a  little  while  they  disappeared. 
The  harsh  things  that  are  said  about  the 
English  sparrow  are  none  too  severe.  Its 
meanest  trait  is  that  of  driving  off  other 
birds.  •  Among  those  which  it  whips  are 
the  wren,  song  sparrow,  chipping  sparrow, 
yellow  bird,  cat  bird,  oriole,  blue  bird  and 
•even  the  robin;  in  fact,  fighting  as  it  does 
in  numbers,  it  will  thrash  and  even  kill 
almost  any  other  bird.  These  insectivor- 
ous birds  which  the  sparrow  drives  away 
are  of  more  use  to  the  farmer  than  he  per- 
haps realizes. 

Then  the  English  sparrow  preys  upon 
almost  every  product  of  the  farm  and  gar- 
-den,  from  the  early  fruit  bud  to  the  ripe 
fruit  and  the  mature  grain.  An  exhaus- 


tive investigation  made  by  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  shows  that  hardly  a  crop  is 
exempt  from  this  pest's  ravages.  The  evi- 
dence secured  shows  the  sparrow  to  be  so 
destructive  as  to  be  a  serious  menace  to 
farm  industry  in  many  sections.  Farmers 
report  of  their  entire  grape  and  other  fruit 
yield  being  almost  ruined  and  of  thous- 
ands of  the  birds  appearing  persistently  in 
thoir  grain  fields. 

After  all  this,  the  English  sparrow 
causes  an  increase  in  the  multiplication  of 
destructive  insects  and  caterpillars  instead 
of  acting  as  a  deterrent  on  them  as  was  ex- 
pected when  the  bird  was  foolishly  impor- 
ted from  England.  It  does  not  eat  the 
caterpillar  itself  and  it  keeps  away  the 
American  birds  which  would  feed  upon 
them. 

"The  English  sparrow,"  said  Dr.  G. 
Hart  Merriam,  the  ornithologist  of  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture,  in  discussing  the 
pest,  "is  a  curse  of  such  virulence  that  it 
ought  to  be  systematically  attacked  and 
destroyed  before  it  becomes  necessary  to 
deplete  the  public  treasury  for  the  pur- 
pose, as  has  been  done  in  other  countries. 
By  concerted  action  in  the  towns  and  on 
the  farms  and  by  taking  advantage  of  this 
sparrow's  gregarious  habit  much  effective 
work  can  be  accomplished  against  it  with 
small  expenditure.  In  the  winter  time,  if 
food  is  placed  in  the  same  spot  at  the  same 
hour  each  day  for  a  week,  the  sparrows 
will  gather  in  dense  flocks  to  feed  and 
great  numbers  can  be  killed  at  a  time  by 
firing  upon  them  with  small  shot." 

Dr.  Merriam  states  that  the  sparrow  ia 
an  excellent  article  of  food,  equaling  many 
of  the  smaller  game  birds.  This  would 
not  be  strange  considering  its  diet.  At 


94 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


restaurants  it  is  commonly  sold  under  the 
name  of  "rice-bird,"  even  at  times  of  the 
year  when  there  are  no  rice-birds  in  the 
country.  Nobody  need  have  any  scruples 
about  killing,  and  eating  if  he  wants,  as 
many  English  sparrows  as  possible. 

If  the  Department  of  Agriculture  could 
only  arrange  to  cross  the  English  sparrow 
with  some  bird  of  brilliant  plumage  so  that 
all  sparrows  would  have  beautiful  red  or 
blue  wings  or  tails  then  there  would  be 
some  prospect  for  their  depletion  of  their 
numbers  since  American  women  will  wear 
birds  and  bird*  feathers  on  their  hats. 
This  would  be  doing  the  farmer  more  ser- 
vice than  all  the  gseat  work  of  free  seed 
distribution  which  Congress  forces  the 
Secretary  of  Agriculture  to  carry  out,  each 
year. 


SEED  DISTRIBUTION. 

Frederick  V.  Coville,  the  Botanist  of 
the  Department  of  Agriculture  has  a  well 
thought-out  plan  in  hand  whereby  the  free- 
for-all-seed  distribution  now  operated  in 
the  interests  of  ''close  Congressional  dis- 
tricts" can  be  gradually  transformed  into  a 
system  of  seed  collection  and  distribution 
under  which  the  original  intention  of  the 
Department  can  be  carried  out,  and  new 
and  presumably  valuable  seeds  distributed 
to  the  proper  localities  throughout  the 
country  and  experimented  with,  tn  other 
words  Mr.  Coville  thinks  it  is  possible  to 
substitute  a  rational  seed  distribution  for 
one  which  is,  to  say  the  least,  almost  use- 
less from  an  agricultural  point  of  view. 

"There  has  been  set  aside,"  said  Mr. 
Coville,  "from  the  Congressional  seed  dis- 
tribution appropriation,  a  special  fund 
which  the  Department  of  Agriculture  now 
devoting  to  a  systematic  prosecution  of 
plant  introduction  work.  Within  the  past 
three  years  new  plants  have  been  imported 
which  are  capable  to  adding  enormously  to 
the  agricultural  products  of  the  country." 
He  cited  the  introduction  of  Kiushu  rice 
brought  from  Japan  two  years  ago  by  one 


of  the  Department's  agricultural  explorers 
Dr.  Knapp,  as  a  means  of  saving  the 
Louisana  rice-planters  a  million  and  a  h  alf 
dollars  a  year.  Mr.  Coville  also  called  at- 
tention to  the  introduction  of  Kafir  corn, 
Turkey  wheat,  Turkestan  alfalfa  and  the 
date  palm,  with  which  the  Agricultural 
Department  had  more  or  less  to  do. 

He  said:  "About  in  1888  Kansas  began, 
the  cultivation  of  a  cereal  and  forage  plant 
from  Egypt  and  India  known  as  Kafir 
corn.  In  1893  the  value  of  the  Kansas 
crop  was  $653,000;  in  1896,  $3,599,000;  in 
1897,  $4,375,000;  and  in  1898,  $5,842,000. 
The  Turkey  wheat  now  so  extensively 
grown  in  the  Great  Plains  is  an  immigrant 
from  Russia.  The  cold-resistant  variety 
of  alfalfa  recently  introduced  from  Turk- 
estan by  the  Department  of  Agriculture 
promises  to  effect  an  important  extension 
in  the  cultivation  of  this  crop  into  the 
higher  and  more  northern  plains.  The 
date  palm  has  not  been  successfully  intro- 
duced into  southern  Arizona  and  extensive 
experiments  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Government  are  underway." 


SUGAR    BEET   EXPERIMENTS  IN 
INDIANA. 

For  the  past  thirteen  years  the  Indiana 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station  has  been 
conducting  experiments  on  sugar  beets  in 
Indiana.  The  main  purpose  of  this  work 
has  been  to  determine  whether  or  not 
sugar  beets  might  be  profitably  grown  in 
this  state,  for  sugar  producing  purposes. 

This  work  has  been  conducted  year  after 
year  with  much  care,  and  every  opportun- 
ity has  been  made  use  of  to  ascertain  Indi- 
ana's adaptability  as  a  state  to  produce 
sugar  from  the  beet.  For  years  the  sta- 
tion has  distributed  free  seed  each  spring 
to  hundreds  of  farmers  over  the  state,  who 
agreed  to  follow  the  directions  given 
them,  to  plant  the  seed,  grow  the  crop  and 
send  the  station  samples  of  the  beets  in 
the  fall.  Thousands  of  pounds  of  beet 
seed  have  thus  been  distributed,  and  each 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


95 


fall  a  large  number  of  beets  have  been  re- 
ceived at  the  station  from  different  parts 
of  the  state,  and  their  sugar  contents  de- 
termined. No  other  experiment  station  in 
the  United  States,  excepting  Nebraska,  so 
far  as  we  are  informed  has  attempted  to 
conduct  such  long  continued  experiments 
with  sugar  beets,  or  grown  experimental 
crops  for  so  many  years  in  the  state,  as 
has  Indiana.  Since  1888  inclusive,  we 
have  had  experimental  plats  of  beets  in 
one  or  more  parts  -of  the  state.  In  1890 
there  were  eight  of  these,  in  1891  thirty- 
eight,  in  1892  thirty-nine,  in  1893  twenty- 
seven,  in  1894  forty-seven,  in  1896  five,  in 

1897  one   hundred   and    forty-three.     In 

1898  the  station  sent  seed  to  1,169  persons 
over   the    state,  while    in  1899  and   1900 
large   amounts   of   seed  were  distributed, 
which  farmers  agreed  to  grow  under  the 
direction  of  the  station.     For  years  grow- 
ers have  planted  one-eighth  acre  or  more 
of  beets  under  our  instructions. 

As  a  result  of  this  work  a  great  number 
of  samples  of  the  beets  from  nearly  70 
counties  in  the  State  have  been  received 
at  the  station  and  their  sugar  contents  de- 
termined. We  have  now  on  our  records  a 
large  amount  of  information  as  a  result  of 
these  years  of  work,  which  is  favorable  to 
the  profitable  production  of  sugar  beets  in 
the  northern  third  of  Indiana  on  certain 
soils  suited  to  this  crop. 

In  consequence  of  all  this  work,  the 
station  has  decided  to  discontinue  further 
distribution  of  beet  seeds  to  our  people 
and  to  largely  curtail  its  sugar  beet  inves- 
tigations. The  station  however,  desires 
to  keep  in  touch  with  our  sugar  beet  grow- 
ers, and  will  be  pleased  to  examine  free  of 
charge  all  samples  of  beets  sent  us,  under 
station  instructions,  in  the  fall  of  1901. 
Farmers  desiring  to  secure  free  seed  for 
further  trial  on  their  farms,  can  no  doubt 
obtain  the  same  by  applying  to  their  con- 
gressman during  the  winter  of  1900-1901. 

Some  time  early  in  1901  a  bulletin  will 
be  published  by  the  station  giving  a  record 


of  the  sugar  beet  work  of  this  institution 
during  the  past  thirteen  years,  and  the  re- 
sults attained.     This  will  be  mailed  free 
to  any  one  desiring  a  copy  of  the  same. 
C.  S.  PLUMB,  Director. 

THE  CULTURE  OF  AMERICAN 
GINSENG. 

The  subject  of  growing  Ginseng  has  re- 
cently received  so  much  attention  from 
the  agricultural  press  of  the  country  and 
from  circulars  and  pamphlets  sent  broad- 
cast throughout  the  country  by  dealers, 
that  hundreds  of  people  are  being  induced 
to  try  its  culture. 

Many  of  the  articles  are  written  by  peo- 
ple who  have  no  personal  knowledge  of  the 
best  way  to  grow  it  or  of  the  profits  to  be 
derived  thereby,  Others  are  written  by 
dealers  who  have  seeds  and  plants  to  sell, 
and  in  both  instances  as  a  rule  the  infor- 
mation is  second  hand  and  unreliable. 
The  most  extravagant  figures  are  given 
showing  enormous  yields  produced  on  a 
given  acreage  and  Monte  Cristo  fortunes 
to  be  made  out  of  a  paltry  investment 
while  one  loafs  in  the  back  yard  watching 
the  gold  dollars  sprouting. 

Certain  dealers  have  sent  out  figures  in- 
forming the  public  that  $5.00  invested  in 
their  seeds  and  plants  will  show  a  value  of 
$44,340.00  the  fifteenth  year. 

A  million  dollar  bed  in  twelve  years 
from  a  $1000  investment  is  advertised  on 
another  page.  A  value  ivhich  cannot  be 
obtained  except  perhaps  in  small  quantities 
is  placed  on  the  seeds  and  young  plants 
and  the  ratio  of  increase  and  loss  is  given 
very  accurately  and  more  extravagantly  on 
paper.  Can  any  of  these  versatile  writers 
plea?e  inform  us  how  many  turnips  can  be 
grown  on  a  $5.00  investment  in  twelve 
years,  the  price  the  roots  and  seeds  will 
bring  each  year  and  how  rich  a  man  will 
be  at  the  end  of  that  period?  Certainly 
not  and  information  pretending  to  figure 
it  out  would  be  absolute  nonsense. 

An  article  on  Ginseng  entitled  "Valu- 
able Farm  Land"  appeared  in  the  St. 


96 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


Louis  Republic  a  short  time  ago  and  was 
extensively  copied  by  other  papers  in  the 
South  and  Southwest.  Among  other  wild 
statements  the  writer  said  that  seeds  bring 
five  cents  each  (another  writer  says  there 
is  unlimited  demand  at  twenty-five  cents 
each)  and  yearling  roots  20  cents  each; 
that  the  eighth  year  an  acre  should  pro- 
duce 3,120,00o  seeds  which  sell  at  five 
cents  each,  giving  an  annual  income  to 
the  fortunate  grower  of  1100,000.00  from 
the  seeds  alone.  He  further  states:  "Say 
that  a  full  crop  of  seed  from  one  acre  is 
available  for  planting.  That  will  be  3,120- 
000  seeds.  Allow  for  the  loss  and  failure 
to  generate  or  120,000  seeds.  This  will 
leave  2,000,000  seed  that  are  practically 
sure  to  generate  and  create  2,000,000 
roots.  In  eighteen  months  these  roots 
will  be  ready  for  market,  and  can  be  sold 
direct  to  consumers,  the  present  price  be- 
ing 20  cents  each  or  a  total  of  $400,000 
from  the  Ginseng  crop  in  eighteen  months. 
This  crop  of  2,000,000  roots  would  require 
a  space  of  approximately  forty  acres.  One 
acre  should  produce  52,000  roots,  which  at ' 
the  market  price  of  20  cents  each,  should, 
after  eighteen  months  bring  a  return  of 
$10,400." 

Could  anything  be  more  baldly  ridicu- 
lous. Let  us  suppose  that  only  1000  gar- 
deners had  the  above  success  as  to  yield. 
This  would  mean  over  three  billion  seeds 
put  on  the  market  each  year,  which  at  five 
cents  each  would  require  $150,000,000  an- 
nually to  pay  for  them,  not  to  mention 
the  value  of  the  roots. 

Suppose  further  that  the  ratio  of  in- 
crease both  in  yield  of  crops  and  number 
of  growers  continued  the  same  for  twenty- 
five  years  there  would  not  be  money  enough 
in  the  world  to  buy  a  single  year's  crop. 
China,  the  source  of  demand  for  Ginseng, 
would  have  used  all  their  wealth  in  its 
purchase  long  before  the  twenty-five  years 
had  elapsed:  notwithstanding  these  air 
castles  there  is  an  enormous  profit  in 
growing  the  plant,  but  it  depends  on  the 


individual  grower  as  in  any  other  crop. 
The  right  conditions  for  its  culture  must 
be  supplied,  either  naturally  or  artificially 
and  intelligent  cultivation  given.  There 
will  probably  always  be  a  good  demand  for 
the  root  at  high  prices,  and  it  is  an  article 
commanding  cash  at  all  times. 

These  conditions  for  growing  are  readily 
found  in  nearly  all  the  States  of  the  Union 
or  can  be  produced  at  reasonable  cost  of 
labor  and  material.  They  may  be  stated 
in  a  few  words:  A  rich,  deep,  well-drained, 
and  moist  soil,  containing  abundant  de- 
cayed vegetable  matter  and  not  too  heavy 
or  clayey.  Humus  or  vegetable  mold,  ob- 
tained by  using  decayed  forest  leaves  is 
extremely  beneficial,  as  is  also  thoroughly 
rotted  compost.  Shade  sufficient  to  keep 
off  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  is  almost 
necessasy,  particularly  in  sections  where 
the  heat  is  exccessive.  Add  to  this  care- 
ful cultivation  and  you  have  the  secret,  if 
there  really  be  any,  of  growing  Ginseng 
successfully.  Lath  covers  are  perhaps 
the  best  artificial  shade  and  apple  trees 
have  been  found  good  to  keep  the  ground 
protected  from  the  sun.  At  maturity  the 
roots  must  be  carefully  and  properly  pre- 
pared for  market,  and  the  extra  care  taken 
to  produce  a  fine  article,  clean,  well  graded 
and  perfeccly  dry  is  more  than  repaid  by 
the  much  higher  price  such  roots  will 
bring. 

The  writer  who  has  had  many  years  of 
experience  growing  this  root  will  be  glad 
to  give  fuller  information  as  to  the  best 
modes  to  be  used  in  its  cultivation,  but 
would  warn  the  reader  ag&inst  the  wildly 
extravagant  articles  that  appear  from  time 
so  time  and  which  will  damage  rather  than 
help  an  industry  that  really  does  promise 
most  unusual  returns  for  the  labor  and  ex- 
pense necessary  to  cultivate  it  success- 
fully. 

HARLAN  P.   KELSEY. 


THE  IREIGA  TION  A  GE. 


97 


SHEEP  KILLED  IN  FEUD. 
Reports  from  Sharpsdale  say  that  the 
feud  over  the  use  of  the  range,  which  has 
long  existed  between  cattlemen  and  sheep 
men,  reached  a  climax  this  week  when  the 
cattlemen  drove  three  thousand  sheep 
over  a  high  precipice.  The  entire  coun- 
try has  taken  up  arms. 


Germany's  trade  relations  with  this 
country  are  closely  watched.  Every  at- 
tempt at  German  regulation  of  commerce 
is  heralded  as  portending  evil  for  Ameri- 
can exporters  to  that  country,  notably  the 
case  last  summer.  Some  tables  just  com- 
piled by  the  Treasury  Department,  how- 
ever, show  that  our  exports  to  Germany  in 
the  ten  months  ending  with  October  1900, 
were  $27,000,000  greater  than  those  in  the 
corresponding  months  of  last  year,  an  in- 
crease of  about  20  per  cent,  and  that  our 
imports  from  Germany  show  an  increase 
of  $8,000,000  a  gain  of  over  10  per  cent. 
Of  the  forty  great  articles  which  compose 
the  bulk  of  our  exports  to  Germany  more 
than  two-thirds  show  an  increase  in  1900 
as  compared  with  1899. 

Exports  to  Germany  of  agricultural  im- 
plements increased  from  $1,600,000  to 
$2,800,000;  flour  from  $1,700,000  to 


$2,400,000;  cotton  from  $30,000,000  to 
$58,000,000;  fruits  and  nuts  from  $450,000 
to  $1,400,000;  cotton  seed  oil  from  $810,- 
000  to  $1,000,000;  salt  beef  from  $210,000 
to  $360,000;  also  oil  from  $1,600,000  to 
$2,000,000;  tobacco  from  $1,700,000  to 
$2,800,000. 

The  principal  agricultural  articles  whose 
exportation  to  Germany  have  decreased 
are  corn,  from  $14,400,000  to  $13,000,3005 
wheat  from  $6,000,000  to  $3,400,000  and 
ham  and  bacon  from  $2,300,000,  to  $1,- 
400,000. 

In  spite  of  the  report  at  every  hand  of 
the  farm  population  turning  city  wards,  the 
Census  says  that  the  farmers  in  the 
United  States  have  increased  1,400,000 
during  the  last  10  years.  It  would  be  a, 
good  thing  if  we  could  believe  that  men 
are  going  back  to  the  land  and  away  from 
the  congested  centers. 

Humus  is  a  term  applied  to  the  organic 
partially  decayed  matter  in  the  soil.  Leaf" 
mold,  wood  dirt  or  a  green  crop  plowed 
under  form  humus.  Humus  is  the  prin- 
cipal source  of  nitrogen  in  earth.  Its  ac- 
tion is  beneficial  not  only  in  enriching  but 
mechanically  improving  both  heavy  and 
light  soils. 


WITH  OUR  EXCHANGES. 


THE   FORUM. 

From  the  thirteen  articles  that  make  up 
the  December  issue  of  The  Forum,  one 
may,  without  invidiousness,  choose  that  by 
Mr.  Henry  L.  West  as  likely  to  attract 
most  attention.  Mr.  West  reviews  "The 
Programme  for  Congress"  and  his  forecast 
is  luminous  and  convincing.  The  Secretray 
of  the  Republican  National  Committee, 
Hon.  Perry  S.  Heath,  enumerates  the 
"Lessons  of  the  Campaign"  in  a  pardonably 
exultant  tone,  and  Mr.  John  Ball  Osborne 
recounts  "The  Work  of  the  Reciprocity 
Commission,"  which  should  prove  inter- 
esting reading  for  the  tariff-tinkers.  In 
distant  relation  to  the  latter  stands  an 
article  by  Mr.  John  P.  Young,  the  manag- 
ing editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle, 
entitled  "The  Economic  Basis  of 
Protection."  In  answer  to  Mr.  Eugene  T. 
Chamberlain,  the  United  States  Commis- 
sioner of  Navigation,  is  an  article  entitled, 
"The  Development  of  British  Shipping," 
by  Mr.  Benjamin  Taylor,  an  acknowledged 
authority  on  British  navigation  figures. 
Mr.  J.  I.  Rodriguez,  who  was  the  unofficial 
adviser  in  Spanish  law  to  the  American 
Peace  Commissioners  at  Paris,  asks:  "Can 
there  ever  be  a  Cuban  Republic?"  in  an 
essay  which  may  possibly  foreshadow  the 
course  of  the  Administration  in  regard  to 
Cuba.  The  "Progress  in  Penology"  is 
reviewed  at  length  by  ex-Congressman 
S.  J.  Barrows,  who  is  now  the  Correspond- 
ing Secretary  of  the  New  York  Prison 
Association,  and  the  "burning"  question 
of  "American  Coal  for  Englaud"  is  con- 
sidered by  Mr.  George  C.  Locket,  who  is 
heavily  engaged  in  England  in  that  impor- 
tant branch  of  industry.  Some  of  the 
remaining  titles  are  "America  in  the 


Pacific,"  by  Hon.  John  Barrett,  late  U.  S. 
Minister  to  Siam;  "The  Chinese  System  of 
Banking,"  by  Hon.  Charles  Denby; 
"Vacation  Schools,"  by  Dr.  Helen  C.  Put- 
nam; "  The  Education  of  a  Millionaire," 
by  Hon.  Truxtun  Beale;  and  "The  Higher 
Education  of  Women  in  France,"  by 
Anna  Tolman  Smith. 

MO  CLURE'S. 

In  McClures  Magazine  for  December 
appears  the  first  instalment  of  "Kim,''  the 
latest  and  most  important  novel  from  Kip- 
ling's pen.  From  the  beginning  it  reveals 
itself  as  a  masterpiece,  worthy  alike  of  its 
theme  and  of  its  author.  Anthony  Hope 
begins  a  series  that  will  be  welcomed  by 
every  wise  reader.  The  '  'Dolly  Dialogues ' 
won  for  this  brilliant  writer  his  first  pres- 
tige. The  "Dolly"  of  those  beguiling  con- 
versations was  an  artist's  creation,  a  per- 
sonality absolutely  new  in  literature  yet 
true  living.  That  daintiest  and  most  de- 
licious of  modern  matrons  was  beloved  by 
all  for  her  piquant  graces,  her  adorable 
minglings  of  naive  and  worldly  wisdom. 
Now  the  author  permits  us  new  glimpses 
of  this  delictable  lady,  and  in  "More 
Dolly  Dialogues,"  her  witcheries  re-assert 
their  gentle  way.  An  article  of  permanent 
value  in  this  issue  is  the  first  of  two  in 
which  are  repeated  "The  Last  Days  of  the 
Confederate  Government."  This  was 
written  by  the  late  Stephen  R.  Mallory, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  the  Confederate 
Government.  He  shared  in  the  experi- 
ences of  the  administration  during  the 
closing  days  of  the  war  and  his  personal 
nairative  of  those  thrilling  times  is  here 
given.  There  are,  too  some  notable  short 
stories  in  this  issue,  and  the  illustrations 
throughout  are  of  exceptional  merit. 


THE  IRRIGA210N  AGE. 


90 


SCRIBNER'S. 

Baffles,  the  hero  of  E.  W.  Hornung's 
-stories  of  the  "Amateur  Cracksman,"  will 
appear  in  the  January  number  of  &crib- 
ner's  with  a  most  remarkable  adventure  in 
crime.  It  has  been  suggested  that  Sher- 
lock Holmes  is  the  only  man  who  could 
catch  Raffles.  Conan  Doyle,  the  creator 
of  Sherlock  Holmes,  is  brother-in-law  to 
Mr.  Hornung.  Other  articles  are: "Rodin" 
will  be  the  subject  of  a  critical  article  by 
W.  C.  Brownell.  Henry  Norman  "Rus- 
sia of  Today."  "Scappa"  is  a  society 
which  has  done  good  work  in  England  by 
•devoting  itself  to  the  prevention  of  dis- 
figuring, advertisements,  particularly  in 
landscapes.  The  work  is  spreading  to 
this  county,  and  it  will  be  fully  described 
in  the  January  Scribner's  by  Arthur  Reed 
Kimball.  Thomas  F.  Millard  will  con- 
tribute a  critical  comparison  of  the  merits 
and  defects  of  the  various  armies  in  the 
field  in  China. 

THE   DELINEATOR. 

In  the  December  Delineator  are  two 
Christmas  stories  by  well  known  authors. 
-One  a  negro  story  by  Paul  Laurence  Dun- 
bar,  the  colored  protege  of  William  Dean 
Howels,  entitled  "One  Christmas  at 
Shiloh."  It  tells  of  the  home-coming  of  a 
reformed  negro,  and  is  very  touching.  The 
other  by  Beulah  Marie  Dix,  who  has  dated 
her  story  in  Colonial  times  and  entitles  it 
"In  the  Reign  of  Peggy."  Kemble  illus- 
trates Dunbar's  story  with  some  of  his  fa- 
mous negro  faces,  and  F.  M.  Arnold  illus- 
trates the  Colonial  story.  This  famous  old 
magazine,  which  for  27  years  has  occupied 
a  unique  position  in  the  American  literary 
world  makes  a  great'  departure  with  the 
January  number,  just  out,  by  printing  a 
prospectus  of  what  will  appear  in  the 
twelve  issues  for  1901.  With  the  Delin- 
eator in  the  house  half  a  million  women 


know  that  they  have  the  very  latest  news 
at  hand,  set  forth  in  such  a  way  that  by 
her  own  needle  each  woman  can  keep  up 
to  date  positively  and  inexpensively.  The 
science  of  housekeeping,  the  care  of  chil- 
dren in  sickness  and  in  health,  the  art  of 
living  and  of  living  well,  a  life  progressive 
in  a  home  beautiful— all  of  these  things 
the  Delineator  is  acknowledged  to  be  the 
best  exponent  in  the  world. 

LADIES'  HOME  JOURNAL. 
The  Christmas  Ladies'  Home   Journal 
offers   a  superabundance   of  literary   and 
artistic  features  in  attractive  form.   Among 
its  nearly  twoscore  contributors  are  Mrs. 
Lew  Wallace,    Elizabeth    Stuart   Phelps, 
Charles   Major,  William   Perine,    Clifford 
Howard   and    Elizabeth    Lincoln    Gould, 
while  A.  B.  Frost,  W.  L.  Taylor,  Reginald 
B.  Birch,  Henry  Hunt,  George  Gibbs  and 
as  many  other  illustrators  supply  its  pic- 
torial features.     Apart  from   the  articles 
having  special  holiday  timeliness  of  inter- 
est, the  notable  features  of  the  Christmas 
Journal  include  The  Innkeeper's  Daughter, 
Who   Dissolved   a    President's    Cabinet, 
What  May  Happen  in  the  Next  Hundred 
Years,    Jerusalem   as  We   See   it   Today, 
Two  Women's  Gifts  of  Twenty-five  Mil- 
lions, The  "Little  Men"  Play,  a  dramati- 
zation  of  Louisa  M.   Alcott's   delightful 
story;   Where   Children   See   Saint  Nick, 
The    Fourteenth    Man,    Two     Christmas 
Days  at  Rock  Farm,  and  The  Successors 
of  Mary  the  First,  The  Story  of  a  Young 
Man,  and  The  Blue  River  Bear  Stories, 
which  are  continued.     Edward  Bok  has  a 
thoughtful   article  on   Christmas  celebra- 
tion,   and   there   are   various   articles   on 
women's  wear,  Christmas  presents  arid  edi- 
bles, while  various  other  practical,  helpful 
themes  are  ably  presented.     By  the  Curtis 
Publishing  Company,  Philadelphia.     One 
dollar  the  year;  ten  cents  a  copy. 


WILL  IT  PASS? 

REPRESENTATIVE  SHAPROTH  INTRODUCED 
THE  FOLLOWING  BILL;  WHICH  WAS  RE- 
FERRED TO  THE  COMMITTEE  ON  PUBLIC 
LANDS,  AND  ORDERED  TO  BE  PRINTED. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House 
of  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America  in  Congress  assembled,  that  the 
Geological  Survey  is  hereby  directed  to 
make  accurate  surveys  of  at  least  four  prac- 
tical reservoir  sites  and  of  the  irrigating 
ditches  leading  to  the  reser  v  o  i  r  s  and  to 
the  public  lands  irrigated  therefrom, 
in  each  of  the  arid-land  States  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  and  estimate  the  coat  of  the  con- 
struction and  completion  of  the  same  as 
well  as  the  quantity  of  water  which  can  be 
stored  in  each. 

SEC.  2.  That  the  Director  of  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  shall  make  a  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  as  to  each  reser- 
voir and  irrigating  ditch,  showing  the  sur- 
vey, cost  of  construction,  quantity  of  pub- 
lic land  in  such  State  which  can  be  irrigat- 
ed from  such  reservoir,  and  the  location  of 
the  said  lands,  as  well  as  all  other  facts 
relative  to  the  practicability  of  the  enter- 
prise. 

SEC.  3.  That  upon  the  filing  of  such  re- 
port the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  may,  in 
his  discretion,  withdraw  from  the  public 
entry  the  lands  embraced  within  the  reser- 
voir sites  at  high  water  mark,  and  a  strip 
of  ground  fifty  feet  in  width  bordering  on 
the  same,  and  the  land  within  fifty  feet  on 
each  side  of  the  center  line  of  the  irrigat- 
ing ditches  to  be  constructed  in  connec- 
tion therewith,  together  with  the  public 
lands  which  it  is  proposed  to  irrigate  from 
such  reservoirs. 


SEC.  4.  That  upon  the  determination 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  that  the 
reservoir  and  irrigation  project  is  practi- 
cal, he  shall  cause  to  be  let  upon  proper 
public  notice  contracts  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  same:  Provided,  however,  That 
contracts  for  the  construction  and  comple- 
tion of  reservoirs  and  the  irrigating  ditcher 
connected  therewith  in  any  one  State  shall 
not  exceed  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars. 

SEC.  5.  That  the  foil  owing  named 
States  shall  be  considered  as  arid-land 
States  within  the  meaning  of  this  Act,  to- 
wit:  California,  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho 
Nevada,  Utah,  Montana,  Wyoming,  Color- 
ado, Kansas,  Nebraska,  South  Dakota  and. 
North  Dakota. 

SEC.  6.  That  the  sum  of  thirteen  mil- 
lion dollars,  or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be 
necessary,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  ap- 
propriated* out  of  any  money  in  the  Treas- 
ury not  otherwise  appropriated,  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  into  effect  the  provis- 
ions thereof. 

SEC.  7,  That  upon  the  completion  of 
each  irrigation  project  the  lands  to  be  ir- 
rigated thereby  shall  be  subject  to  home- 
stead entry  after  notice  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  upon  the  condition  that,  in- 
addition  to  the  requirements  of  the  home- 
stead Act,  the  entryman,  on  the  making 
of  a  final  proof  of  settlement,  shall  pay 
to  the  Government  the  sum  of  two  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  per  acre  and  each  entryman 
shall  be  limited  to  the  entry  and  settle- 
ment of  eighty  acres. 

SEC.  8.  That  when  the  major  part  of 
the  land  intended  to  be  irrigated  from 
each  reservoir  has  been  duly  located  upon 
as  aforesaid,  the  management  of  the  reset- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


101 


voir  and  irrigating  ditches  connected  with 
the  irrigation  project  shall  be  turned  over 
to  the  said  homesteaders,  who  shall  man- 
age and  maintain  the  same  either  as  a  body 
or  through  a  corporation  formed  by  them. 
SEC.  9.  That  nothing  in  this  Act  shall 
be  construed  as  interfering  with  the  laws 
of  said  States  concerning  irrigation. 
.  SEC.  10.  The  Secretary  of  the  Inter- 
ior is  hereby  authorized  to  make  such  rules 
and  regulations  for  the  purpose  of  enforc- 
ing the  provisions  thereof  as  may  be  just 
and  proper. 


WHATCHANCE  HAS  A  MAN  AT 
FIFTY? 

The  critical  age  in  the  life  of  a  man  well 
preserved  is  certainly  50.  At  that  age 
tnan  really  reaches  his  maturity.  His 
mind,  having  spent  half  a  century  acquir- 
ing knowledge  of  the  world,  ought  to  be  in 
condition  to  do  its  best  work.  His  body 
should  be  vigorous  as  ever  and  more  than 
ever  free  from  illness  or  other  troubles  that 
go  with  youth. 

At  50  man  is  either  hopelessly  gone  to 
the  bad  or  he  has  recovered  from  his  foolish- 
•ness,  got  over  experimenting  with  folly  on 
his  own  hook, as  we  all  do,  and  has  begun  to 
live  the  serious  life  that  was  mapped  out 
'for  him  in  the  earth's  planning. 

A  few  freaks  in  history  have  achieved 
their  great  success  long  be  fore  50  and  are 
old  at  that  age.  But  of  the  world's  great 
•men  a  mijority  have  begun  to  be  something 
only  50  years  after  birth. 

Modern  life  has  two  ways  of  looking  at 
•the  man  of  50.  The  successful  man  is  the 
'*  wonderfully  successful  man, and  so  young, 
too"  Mr.  Bryan,  nearing  50,  is  called  a 
"boy  orator."  Mr.  Chamberlain,  past  60, 
is  a  considerable  English  statesman,  "con- 
-sidering  how  young  he  is." 

The  man  not  successful  is  seen  at  50  in 
a  sadly  different  light. 

When  he  wants  to  work,  there  is  noth- 
ing against  him  except  that  a  "young  man 
-is  wanted."  If  he  seeks  work  as  a  mechanic, 


or  on  a  railroad,  he  is  afraid  to  take  off  his 
hat,  lest  the  thin  hair,  turning  gray,  be 
noticed. 

Hair  dye,  almost  unknown  now  in  bar- 
ber shops  frequented  by  prosperous  men, 
is  sold  extensively  in  cheap  little  shops — 
men  of  50  dye  their  hair  to  get  work. 

There  is  no  reason  why  any  man  who  has 
lived  sensibly  up  to  50  should  not  be  at 
his  best  when  50  comes.  There  is  no  rea- 
son why  a  man  should  not  at  50  take  a 
new  start,  if  he  has  the  mental  energy  and 
hopefulness  to  do  it. 

The  trouble  with  the  average  man  past 
50  is  this: 

C  He  thinks  he  is  old.  He  allows  himself 
to  sink  down  and  begins  looking  backward. 
The  elasticity  dies  out  of  him,  and  elasti- 
city means  success  in  a  man  as  it  does  in 
a  sword  blade. 

Human  beings  are  largely  made  byauto- 
hppnotism,  or  unmade  by  the  lack  of  it. 
We  hypnotize  ourselves.  We  believe  that 
we  can  do  a  thing,  and  then  we  do  it. 

Ask  a  young  woman  to  break  down  a  cer- 
tain door,  and  without  hesitation  she  says 
that  she  can  not  do  it.  She  thinks  she  can 
not  and  therefore  she  can  not.  But  let  the 
house  be  burning  and  her  child  on  the 
other  side  of  that  door.  A  different  story 
may  be  told.  She  thinks  she  can  burst 
open  the  door.  She  feels  that  she  must 
and  will.  And  hypnotized  by  her  own  will 
power,  she  performs  marvels  almost  incred- 
ible. 

So  it  is  with  men  and  women  at  all  stages. 
While  the  determination  and  will  power 
are  there,  they  are  young  and  capable  of 
successful  accomplishment,  no  matter  what 
their  age. 

Success  keeps  us  confident,  and  the  suc- 
cessful man  at  50  works  well — better  than 
ever.  Lack  of  success  weakens  confidence 
in  one's  self,  and  that  weakened  self-con- 
fidence accounts  for  the  sad  and  unneces- 
sary failures  of  many  middle-aged  men. 

A  man  of  middle  age — if  he  has  not 
wasted  his  force  in  dissipation — is  as  good 


102 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


as  any  younger  man,  and  usually  better. 
But  he  mnst  believe  that  he  is  good,  he 
must  feel  confidence  in  himself. 

One  good  thing  for  a  man  of  middle  age 
to  do  is  to  read  the  lives  of  successful  men. 
Read  of  Admiral  Blake,  whof  saved  Eng- 
land's naval  reputation,  yet  never  went  to 
sea  in  command  until  past  middle  age. 
Read  of  almost  any  of  the  world's  great 
successes.  You  will  find  that  success 
comes  late.  Of  course  it  must  come  late 
in  the  natural  order  of  things.  The  man 
who  succeeds  must  surpass  others.  No 
matter  how  able  he  may  be  he  must  first 
learn  what  others  know,  and  that  takes 
time.  It  usually  takes  about  fifty  years. 
After  spending  about  one-half  of  his  in- 
tellectual life  getting  even  with  other -men 
of  ability,  acquiring  his  supply  of  knowl- 
edge the  successful  man  goes  ahead  and 
beats  his  fellows  in  the  race. 

The  great  thing  is  not  to  be  discouraged 
— discouragement  means  failure  inevita- 
ble. 

Another  very  important  thing  is  to  re- 
member that  middle  age  is  really  youth, 
or  should  be,  therefore,  let  the  man  of  50 
not  be  ashamed  or  hesitate  to  do  at  50 
the  work  that  he  w'ould  do  at  30  or  20. 

Let  the  middle  aged  man  simply  say  to 
himself:  ''I  am  not  old,  and  I'll  prove  it. 
I'll  take  the  work  that  comes.  I'll  succeed 
in  it  better  than  the  very  young  man  be- 
cause of  my  steadiness,  and  although  I  am 
beginning  now  where  I  should  have  begun 
ten  years  or  more  back,  I'll  not  let  that 
fact  discourage  or  handicap  me.  I'll  suc- 
ceed now  and  think  of  other  things  later 
on." 


COLONIZING  CRUSOE'S  ISLAND. 

Robinson  Crusoe's  island,  Juan  Fernan- 
dez, is  about  to  be  turned  into  a  colony. 

Robinson  Crusoe,  or  rather  a  prototype 
of  Robinson  Crucsoe,  existed  under  the 
name  of  Alaxander  Selkirk.  That  Defoe 
knew  Selkirk's  story  there  can  be  no  doubt, 
for  he  closely  kept  to  the  facts  of  Selkirk's 


existence  on  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez. 

Even  the  story  of  Crusoe's  man  Friday 
has  a  foundation  of  truth,  for  Selkirk  res- 
cued a  stray  Indian  from  death. 

Barren  as  the  place  seemed  to  Selkirk,  it 
contains  many  flourishing  spots.  The  fruit 
trees  which  he  planted  have  reproduced 
themselves,  and  peaches,  quinces,  pears 
and  grapes,  are  in  abundance.  A  man  who 
had  a  stock  farm  on  the  island  for  some 
reason  abandoned  the  undertaking  several 
years  ago  and  turned  his  live  srock  loose. 
Cattle,  sheep,  goats  and  pigs  are  now  found, 
in  a  wild  state,  so  that  the  colonists  are 
likely  to  have  some  good  sport. 

The  island,  which  is  in  the  Pacific  ocean, 
has  been  occupied  by  a  few  German  and 
Chilian  families,  numbering  about  fifteen, 
persons  in  all.  It  is  now  proposed  by  the 
Chilian  government  to  turn  the  island  into 
a  colony,  and  about  150  hardy  Chilians  will 
form  the  nucleus  of  the  settlement,  which 
it  is  proposed  to  christen  "Crusoe's  Island." 
The  cottage  which  Selkirk  built  snd  which 
Defoe  describes,  still  exists  as  a  broken- 
down  shanty. 

WEIGHING  THE  BABY. 

The  story  is  of  a  young  and  devoted 
father.  The  baby  was  his  first,  and  he 
wanted  to  weigh  it. 

"It's  a  bumper!"  he  exclaimed.  "Where 
are  the  scales?" 

The  domestic  hunted  up  an  old-fashioned 
pair,  the  proud  father  assuming  charge  of 
the  operation. 

"I'll  try  it  at  eight  pounds/'  he  said 
sliding  the  weight  along  the  beam  at  that 
figure. 

"It  wont  do.  She  weighs  ever  so  much. 
more  than  that." 

He  slid  the  weight  along  several  notches- 
further. 

"By  George!"  he  said.  "She  weighs 
more  than  ten  pounds-11-12-13-14!  Is  it 
possible?" 

He  sat  the  baby  and  the  scales  down, 
and  rested  himself  a  moment. 


IRE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


103 


"Biggeit  baby  I  ever  saw,"  he  panted, 
resuming  the  weighing  process.  Fifteen 
and  a  half-16!  This  thing  won't  weigh 
her.  See,  16  is  the  last  notch,  and  she 
jerks  it  up  like  a  feather!  Go  and  get  a 
pair  of  scales  at  some  neighbor's.  I'll  bet 
a  tenner  that  she  weighs  over  20  pounds, 
Millie!''  he  shouted,  rushing  into  the  next 
room;  "she's  the  biggest  baby  in  this  coun- 
try -  weighs  over  16  pounds!" 

"What  did  you  weigh  her  on?"  inquired 
the  young  mother. 

"On   the   old   scales   in   the   kitchen." 

"The  figures  on  those  are  only  ounces," 
she  replied,  quietly.  "Bring  me  the  baby, 
John." — Pearsons  Weekly. 


GOV.  MOUNT'S  ADVICE. 

Governor  Mount,  of  Indiana,  has  writ- 
ten some  suggestions  to  boys  which  are 
wise  and  well  put.  We  quote  the  "five 
fundamental  principles"  which,  he  declares, 
are  essential  to  success,  and  lie  at  the  foun- 
dation of  good  citizenship; 

Discipline.  Obedience  to  constituted 
authority,  self-control,  discipline  of  th» 
will,  of  the  tastes,  the  passions,  the  aspira- 
tions, the  habits.  "He  that  ruleth  hia 
spirit  is  greater  than  he  that  taketh  a  city 

Love  of  home  and  country.  I  never 
knew  a  boy  who  loved  his  home,  his  par- 
ents, his  brothers  and  sisters,  and  to  whom 
it  was  a  joy  and  pleasure  to  respect  and 
obey  his  parents,  who  ever  brought  grief  to 
his  home  or  dishonor  to  his  family. 

Through  the  tempting  and  dangerous  en- 
vironments of  war,  and  the  multiplied  con- 
ditions since,  I  have  found  it  a  pleasure 
steadfastly  to  keep  the  boyhood  promise  I 
made  my  mother  never  to  use  tobacco  or 
intoxicants.  From  a  life  of  experience  I 
can  earnestly  commend  the  wisdom  of 
making  and  keeping  such  promises.  The 
love  of  country  is  interwoven  with  the  love 
of  home. 

Habits  of  industry.  I  would  prefer  that 
my  child  be  reared  in  the  most  unpreten- 
tious cottage  and  trained  to  habits  of  indus- 


try and  economy  than  to  be  brought  up  in 
a  stately  mansion,  surrounded  by  the  ener- 
vating influences  of  wealth,  ease  and  idle- 
ness. "An  idle  mind  is  the  devil's 
workshop." 

Principles  of  temperence.  If  greater 
energy  were  expended  in  teaching  the 
principles  of  temperence  to  the  youth  in 
the  schools  and  in  the  home  there  would  be 
less  demand  for  temperence  laws  and  fewer 
victims  to  the  drink  habit.  The  increased 
consumption  of  tobacco  and  the  widespread 
indulgence  and  the  evil  effects  of  cigarette 
smoking  are  assuming  alarming 
proportions. 

A  purpose  in  life.  I  would  impress 
upon  the  mind  of  every  youth  the  motto 
of  Longfellow  "I  am  determined  to  be 
intensely  something;"  or  that  of  Em- 
erson: "Hitch  your  wagon  to  a  star.' 
Intensity  of  purpose,  a  resolute  deter- 
mination, with  indomitable  will-power 
oupled  with  the  foregoing  principles,  are 
he  essential  factors  which  will  win  in  the 
battle  of  life. 


MIKE'S    SONG. 

I'm  Michael  McCarty, 
So  hale  and  so  hearty — 

I  work  ivery  day  in  the  year; 
The  horses  all  know  me, 
The  cattle  all  show  me 

They  know  they  have  nothing  to  fear. 
Stan'  up  for  the  brutes, 
An'  the  birds  if  it  suits, 

An'  the  chickens. an'  turkeys  alone, 
For  God  made  'em  all, 
An'  they  came  at  his  call, 

An'  He  gave  them  to  man  for  his  own. 
We  shouldn't  abuse  'em, 
Nor  cruelly  use  'em; 

Begorra!  I  know  I  am  right, 

An'  before  ye  shall  do  it, 
I'll  have  ye  to  know  it, 

'Tis  Michael  McCarty  y'll  fight. 

{From  '.'The  Strike  at 


104 


THE  IRRIGA  T ION  A  GE. 


THE  WAY  WARS   BEGIN. 

Tommy    was    reading    the    war    news. 
When  he  finished  reading  he  came  over  to 
his  mother  and  said : 
"Mamma  how  do  wars  begin?" 

Well,  suppose  the  English  hauled  down 
the  American  flag,  and  that  the 
Americans — " 

Here  Tommy's  father  intervened. 
"My  dear,"  he  said,  "the  English  would 
not — " 

Mother-    "Excuse   me,    they  would-" 

"Now,  dear,  who  ever  heard  of  snch  a 
thing?" 

"Pray  do  not  interrupt." 

"But  you  are  giving  Tommy  a  wrong 
idea!" 

"I'm  not  sir!" 

"You  are,  madam!" 

"Don't    call    me      madam!     I     wont 
allow  you!" 

"I'll  call  you  what  I  choose!" 

"I'm  sorry  I  ever  saw  you;  you  are  so — 

Tommy  (going  out)— "It's  all  right; 
I  think  I  know  how  wars  begin." 
—Tit-Bits. 


WHAT  I  LIVE  "FOR. 

I  live  for  those  who  love  me, 

Whose  hearts  are  kind  and  true, 
For  the  heaven  that  smiles  above  me, 

And  awaits  my  spirit,  too; 
For  the  human  ties  that  bind  me, 
For  the  task  that  God  assigned  me, 
For  the  bright  hopes  left  behind  me, 


And  the  good  that  I  can  do. 
I  live  to  learn  their  story 

Who've  suffered  for  my  sake, 
To  emulate  their  glory, 

And  to  follow  in  their  wake; 
Bards,  patriots,  martyrs,  sages, 
The  noble  of  all  ages, 
Whose  deeds  crowd  history's  pages, 

And  time's  great  volume  make-. 
I  live  to  hold  communion 

With  all  that  is  divine, 
To  feel  there  is  a  union 

'Twixt  Nature's  heart  and  mine; 
To  profit  by  affliction, 
Reap  truths  from  fields  of  fiction, 
Grow  wiser  from  conviction, 

And  fulfill  each  grand  design. 
I  live  to  hail  that  season, 

By  gifted  minds  foretold, 
When  men  shall  rule  by  reason, 

And  not  alone  by  gold; 
When  man  to  man  united, 
And  every  wrong  thing  righted, 
The  whole  world  shall  be  lighted 

As  Eden  was  of  old. 
I  live  for  those  who  love  me, 

For  those  who  know  me  true, 
For  the  heaven  that  smiles  above  me: 

And  awaits  my  spirit,  too; 
For  the  cause  that  lacks  assistance, 
For  the  wrong  that  needs  resistance, 
For  the  future  in  the  distance, 

And  the  good  that  I  can  do. 

—  Gtorge  Linnaeus  Banks. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  XV  . 


CHICAGO,  JANUARY,  1901. 


NO.  4 


Philip   D.    Armour,    the    Chi- 

ca^°  Packer>  died  Jan-  6-  He 
made  a  success  of  his  life  from 
beginning  to  end.  He  never  allowed  his 
accumulating  wealth  to  lead  him  out  of 
his  accustomed  life  of  liberality  and 
honesty.  From  a  farm-boy  he  started  for 
•California  where  he  first  made  a  begin- 
ning, and  ended  in  Chicago,  from  where 
lie  fed  the  world.  The  Armour  Institute 
you  might  say  was  an  inspirateon,  for  it 
was  after  listening  to  a  discourse  by 
Dr.  Gunsaulus  where  he  told  what  he 
thought  should  be  done  for  the  boys  and 
girls  of  the  present  generation,  that  Mr. 
Armour  ask  the  doctor  if  he  believed  in 
the  views  he  had  just  expressed. 

"I  certainly  do"  responded  Dr.  Gun- 
saulis. 

"And  would  you  carry  them  out  if  you 
had  the  means?" 

"Most  assuredly"  came  the  reply. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Armour  "give  me 
five  years  of  your  time  and  I  will  give  you 
the  money." 

The  institute  was  built,  and  will  be  a 
monument  to  as  good  a  man  as  ever  lived. 

The  war  in  South  Africa,  that 
the  Englsh  have  tried  to 
pursuade  the  universe  is  but  a 
skirmish  with  a  few  insane  bushwhackers 
and  amounted  to  merely  nothing,  has 
assumed  new  proportions.  Several  en- 
gagements lately  have  reached  the 
dignity  of  actual  battles,  and  under  the 


South 
Africa. 


leadership  of  Gens.  Dewet  and  Delarey 
the  Boers  have  shown  a  bravery  that 
surpassed  anything  of  the  kind  in  the 
early  part  of  the  war.  Not  long  ago  the 
band  of  Delarey  swooped  down  upon  Gen. 
Clements  men,  and  after  a  sharp  engage- 
ment made  prisoners  of  550  of  the  North- 
umberland and  fusileers,  and  killed  and 
wounded  many  others.  This  was  in  the 
Western  Transvaal.  Down  near  the 
Orange  river  Gen.  Dewet  has  been  con- 
ducting some,  extraordinary  military 
operations,  and  all  England  is  in  despair 
over  the  showing  of  the  Boer  strength. 
That  the  Boers  must  ultimately  succumb 
to  the  superior  number  is  inevitable,  but 
those  who  are  supplying  the  money  and 
men  are  about  discouraged.  Meanwhile 
Mr.  Kruger  has  dined  with  Queen  Wil- 
hemina  been  entertained  by  the  French, 
and  is  receiving  invitations  from  all  over 
the  world  by  the  common  people  to  come 
in  person,  to  agitate  intervention,  and 
though  the  rulers  may  stand  by  England, 
the  sympathy  of  the  masses  is  with  the 
Boers. 

Last  spring  a  young  couple  of 
Fora^Baby  Kenosha,  Wis.,  eloped  and 

were  married  at  Milwaukee. 
In  the  fall  the  young  wife  was  stricken 
with  a  fatal  malady  and  recently  died 
leaving  a  young  babe.  Last  week  the 
father  called  at  the  residence  of  his  wife's 
mother  and  demanded  the  child  that  had 
been  left  by  its  mother  to  be  cared  for  by 


106 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 


its  grandmother.  The  grandmother  re- 
fused to  give  it  up.  The  father  persisted. 
When  the  grandmother  ran  to  the  tele- 
phone, which  was  in  another  part  of  the 
house,  the  father  ran  into  an  adjoining 
room  where  the  nurse  was  washing  the 
baby  and  took  it  from  her  arms  before  she 
realized  what  he  was  doing:  with  the  half 
dressed  child  in  his  arms  he  rushed  out  of 
the  house,  followed  closely  by  its  grand- 
mother, who  ran  back  at  the  nurse's 
screams. 

The  grandmother  overtook  the  father 
in  the  middle  of  the  lawn  and  seized  him 
by  the  throat.  He  struck  at  her  desper- 
ately, but  was  handicapped  by  having  the 
baby  in  his  arms.  And  there,  in  the 
most  aristocratic  part  of  Kenosha,  facing 
the  Simmons'  Library,  in  Central  Park, 
the  grandmother  and  the  father  did 
battle. 

In  the  midst  of  the  struggle,  which 
attracted  a  crowd  of  neighbors  and  passers 
by,  the  nurse  succeeded  in  wrestling  the 
baby  from  the  father,  who  was  being 
choked  on  the  ground  by  the  maddened 
grandmother. 

The  doctors  were  immediately  called 
who  pronounced  the  child  in  a  precarious 
condition  from  the  exposure. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
in  his  late  report  takes  the 
position  that  private  enter- 
prise in  irrigation  has  used  up  all  the 
opportunities  in  its  reach,  and  have 
thereby  demonstrated  its  value,  so  that 
the  nation,  in  taking  hold  of  irrigation  on 
a  lareer  scale  can  do  so  with  practical 
assurance  that  it  will  be  a  success.  He 
does  not  make  specific  recommedations, 
contenting  himself  with  the  feasibility 
and  leaves  the  rest  to  congress. 

A    subject  for    general    con- 

oMhe1  Press.  gratulation  to  the  West  is  the 
broad  national  manner  in 
which  the  Eastern  press  has  treated  the 
problem,  since  the  Chicago  Irrigation 
Congress  brought  the  subject  prominently 
before  the  country.  With  hardly  an 
exception  the  great  dailies  from  Omaha  to 


Its  all 
Right. 


Cape  Cod  have  cordially  commended  tfie 
national  irrigation  movement  from  every 
standpoint,  and  have  pointed  out  the 
great  good  which  would  accrue  to  the 
nation  through  its  practical  applicationr 
at  the  same  time  showing  that  the 
Federal  Government  is  the  logical  and 
only  agent  which  can  most  successfully 
put  into  operation  a  plan  of  general 
reclamation . 

Tf  this  is  the  sentiment 
Western  throuhout  the  East — a  feeling 
Pushing.  of  -willing  and  friendly  co- 

operation— the  West  should  certainly 
arise  stimulated  to  lend  every  energy  and 
pat  forth  every  possible  effort  to  push  it& 
case  before  Congress. 

Lack  of  organization  and  failure  to 
co-operate  are  main  causes  which  have 
retarded  the  development  of  the  West  and 
kept  Congress  from  taking  up  the  ques- 
tion of  the  reclamation  of  the  arid  lands, 
Were  they  organized  there  are  enough 
non-resident  property  owners  of  the  West 
to  carry  through  Congress  any  legitimate 
measure  for  public  improvement. 

Opportunity  Tne  failure  of  Western  com- 
for  organized  mercial  interests  to  recognize 
the  opportunity  of  pushing 
the  national  irrigation  movement  as  a 
national  issue,  and  act  unitedly  in  urging' 
the  matter  upon  Congressmen,  is  respon- 
sible for  the  apparent  lack  of  interest  in 
the  cause  shown  by  some  localities,  and 
this  has  prevented  the  Western  members- 
of  Congress  from  pushing  the  fight  as 
they  would  have  done  had  they  been, 
loyally  and  vigorously  supported  at  home. 

The  indications  are,  however, 
that  the  country  is  approach- 
ing the  time  when,  if  the 
people  of  the  West  will  use  plain,  ordi- 
nary business  sense,  and  stand  solidly 
together  behind  their  representatives  in. 
Congress,  eliminating  any  sectional  con- 
troversies, the  appropriations  bill  mayr 
without  opposition,  contain  each  year 
good  sized  sums  for  the  systematic  recla- 
mation of  the  irrigable  area  of  the  West- 


DESERT  RECLAIMED    BY  IRRIGA- 
TION. 

Prof.  F.  H.  Newell,  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey, 
writes  in  the  Boston  Herald  that  the  tree  is  the  mother  of  the  fountain. 
"Save  the  forests.  Store  the  flood  waters.  Reclaim  the  deserts. 
Annex  arid  America." 

That  is  the  slogan  of  the  National  Irrigation  Association.  The 
marvelous  growth  of  the  movement  fostered  by  this  organization, 
which  held  its  ninth  annual  congress  at  Chicago  a  few  weeks  ago,  is 
attracting  the  attention  of  the  public  in  the  East,  as  well  as  in  the 
central  and  far  West.  The  magnitude  of  the  problem  the  organiza- 
tion has  bravely  set  out  to  solve  and  the  influence  and  energy  it  is 
bringing  to  bear  are  well  worth  considerate  attention. 

Millions  of  acres  of  barren  land  that  might  be  made  arable;  miles 
of  territory  now  uninhabited  that  should  support  many  thousands  of 
prosperous  families.  That  is  the  proposition  now  being  wrought  out. 

To  persons  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  matter  many  questions 
naturally  arise.  The  first  and  most  comprehensive  is:  What  is  the 
National  Irrigation  Association,  and  what  does  it  seek  to  accomplish? 
Briefly,  this  organization,  composed  of  men  identified  with  the  manu- 
facturing, transportation,  and  commercial  interests  of  the  country,  as 
well  as  those  in  professional  occupations,  is  seeking  to  provide  the 
largest  possible  number  of  homes  upon  the  public  domain. 

This  can  come  about  only  through  a  wise  administration  of  the 
resources  in  water  and  forests,  since  upon  these  depend  directly  the 
value  of  the  vacant  public  lands.  But  why  should  not  these  matters 
be  left  to  the  Washington  authorities  to  settle?  Simply  because  the 
congress  at  Washington  has  not  given  serious  attention  to  the  matter, 
and  the  conditions  are  becoming  so  ominous  for  the  future  that  the 
business  interests  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the  philarthropists,  have 
begun  to  take  alarm. 

The  great  public  domain,  one- third  of  the  whole  United  States,  is 
being  administered  not  to  make  the  largest  number  of  homes,  but 
rather  the  reverse.  Under  wise  laws  and  institutions,  framed  with  a 
knowledge  of  the  facts,  ten  families  can  obtain  a  good  living  where 
now  one  is  scantily  fed. 

But  why  should  not  this  be  left  to  private  enterprise?  It  has 
thus  been  left,  and  individuals  have  siezed  upon  all  they  could  grasp, 
and  in  many  instances  have  ruined  the  opportunities  for  making  homes 
for  tens  or  hundreds  of  other  individuals.  The  treatment  of  the  arid 


103  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

public  land  has  been  comparable  to  that  of  a  poorly  tended  orchard, 
where  each  apple  has  been  bitten  by  a  bird  or  insect — the  amount  act- 
ually consumed  is  relatively  insignificant,  but  the  fruit  is  spoiled. 
One  man  by  securing  title  to  a  few  acres  controlling  the  water  supply, 
nas  virtually  become  possessor  of  thousands  of  additional  acres  which 
might  otherwise  have  been  used  for  farms.  The  opportunities  for 
doing  this  on  a  small  scale  Lave  largely  been  seized,  but  by  combina- 
tions of  capital  they  may  be  indefinitely  extended. 

Why  not  leave  the  development  to  corporate  enterprise,  as  in  the 
case  of  railroads?  This  also  has  been  tried,  and  large  irrigation  sys- 
tems have  been  built.  In  nearly  all  instances  these  have  been  finan- 
cial failures,  although  of  great  benefit  to  the  country.  It  is  highly 
improbable  that  more  capital  can  be  brought  to  construct  those  costly 
works  unless  the  most  stringent  and  oppressive  monoply  can  be  cre- 
ated. If  well  administered  the  benefits  are  such  that  they  cannot  ac- 
crue solely  to  a  water  company,  but  the  public  gains  at  the  expense  of 
the  investor.  The  latter  becomes  an  involuntary  philanthropist,  sim- 
ply because  he  cannot  control  all  the  returns  which  come  from  his  in- 
vestment. 

In  other  words,  these  works,  when  successfully  built,  benefit  the 
community,  but  not  the  owner  The  situation  is  comparable  in  some 
respects  to  that  in  building  lighthouses,  improving  harbors  or  public 
roads— the  corporation  or  the  individual  who  expends  the  money  can- 
not be  sure  of  securing  remuneration  for  his  enterprise. 

Why  not  turn  over,  to  the  states  in  which  they  are  situated  all 
these  lands,  and  let  each  state  attend  to  the  matter?  This  has  been 
frequently  advocated  and  tried  in  a  small  way,  but  the  state  in  which 
these  lands  are  situated  are  for  the  most  part  poor,  and  the  lands  them- 
selves mus,,  be  used  as  a  basis  of  security  for  money  obtained;  in  other 
words,  the  lands  must  be  sold  or  rented  to  secure  funds,  and  this  in 
the  past  has  invariably  resulted  in  putting  the  lands  into  the  hands  of 
speculators — the  very  thing  to  be  avoided. 

The  national  government  is  the  owner  of  these  millions  of  acres 
of  fertile  but  arid  land,  and,  as  the  owner,  has  duties  as  well  as  privi- 
leges. But  the  question  may  be  asked:  Why  should  the  East  be 
taxed  to  assist  in  developing  the  West?  The  answer  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  prosperity  of  one  part  of  the  country  is  closely  linked  with 
that  of  another. 

But  the  farmers  of  Illinois  and  Indiana  say:  We  do  not  want  more 
agricultural  land  and  more  products  brought  into  the  market,  as  will 
result  from  the  creation  of  more  small  farms  in  the  West. 

This  is  a  mistake  founded  upon  ignorance.  The  products  of  the 
arid  and  semi- arid  region  cannot  compete  with  those  of  the  humid. 
Different  crops  seeking  a  different  market  are  produced.  The  products 


rIHE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE.  109 

which  come  East  are  almost  wholly  semi-tropical  or  the  more  expen- 
sive dried  fruits.  The  ordinary  farm  crops  of  Illinois  are  protected 
by  the  heavy  railroad  tariff  from  the  competion  of  the  far  West. 

Now,  what  is  the  reclaimed  country  like,  and  what  is  to  be  done? 

Briefly  stated,  there  are,  in  round  numbers,  nine  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  square  miles,  or  six  million  acres  of  vacant  public  lands.  Of 
these  three  hundred  and  seventy -four  million  acres  are  suitable  for 
grazing,  ninety- six  million  acres  are  covered  with  woodland  in  which 
there  is  also  grazing,  and  from  which  fuel,  fence-posts,  etc.,  can  be 
had;  there  are  seventy  million  acres  of  forests  of  commercial  value, 
and  about  an  equal  area  of  absolutely  desert  land,  having  no  present 
value. 

There  is  water  sufficient  for  the  irrigation  of  from  seventy-five 
million  to  one  hundred  million  acres,  depending  upon  the  methods  of 
conservation  employed.  The  average  size  of  an  irrigated  farm  is 
about  forty  acres  to  a  family  of  five  persons,  not  including  in  this  the 
grazing  or  range  land. 

Probably  ten  million  people  could  find  homes  on  farms  and  be 
self-supporting  if  the  water  supply  were  properly  regulated. 

This  would  mean  an  enormous  development  of  the  mineral  and 
other  resources,  which,  with  the  prevailing  scanty  population,  will 
thus  be  vastly  augmented  by  the  mining  and  other  industrial  occupa- 
tions, as  well  as  by  the  merchants  and  related  trades.  The  experi- 
ence of  the  old  world  has  shown  that  there  is  almost  no  limit  to  the 
density  of  population  within  the  arid  region,  where,  with  ample  water 
and  continuous  sunshine,  the  soil  produces  the  most  wonderful  suc- 
cession of  crops. 

At  present  the  vacant  public  laud  can  be  considered  under  two 
heads;  that  which  is  truly  arid  and  that  which  is  semi- arid  or  sub- 
humid.  In  the  case  of  the  first,  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  home  with 
out  providing  a  water  supply.  In  the  case  of  the  second,  however, 
there  are  years  when  large  crops  can  be  produced.  Settlers  have 
rushed  in  during  these  times  of  unusual  moisture,  have  attempted  to 
make  homes,  and  when,  year  after  year,  the  crops  have  been  lost 
through  the  prevailing  drought,  the  farmers  have  become  impov- 
erished and  have  finally  abandoned  their  homes,  as  has  been  the  case 
in  western  Kansas  and  western  Nebraska. 

The  soil  of  these  drought-stricken  regions  is  notably  fertile  when 
watered,  and  the  luxuriant  vegetation  which  followed  an  occasional 
rain  lured  on  the  pioneer  to  his  ruin.  Farming  there  is  a  gambling 
operation,  in  which  the  occasional  high  winnings  cause  thousands  to 
lose  their  judgment  and  risk  their  efforts  in  a  hopeless  undertaking. 

The  semi-arid  regions  include  the  great  belt  of  country  extending 
from  western  North  Dakota,  through  the  wastarn  pDrtioas  of 


1 10  THE  1RBIGA 110N 

Dakota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  Texas,  and  the  eastern  part  of 
Colorado.  Here  may  be  found  thousands  of  ruins,  indicating  the  at- 
tempts made  to  secure  a  foothold  without  first  providing  a  water  sup- 
ply. It  is  truly  the  land  of  famine,  for,  like  all  the  great  famine  regions 
of  the  world,  its  soil  is  extraordinarily  rich  and  everything  is  conduc- 
ive to  prosperity  except  the  one  factor  of  rainfall. 

While  the  government  has  not  taken  up  seriously  this  matter  of 
the  reclamation  of  the  arid  and  semi-arid  lands,  congress  has  author- 
ized various  investigations  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior,  in  whose 
charge  are  the  public  lands,  and  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture , 
In  1888  the  geological  survey  was  authorized  to  investigate  the  extent 
to  which  the  arid  lands  could  be  redeemed  by  irrigation,  and  since 
that  time  it  has  been  systematically  measuring  the  streams,  survey- 
ing reservoir  sites,  and  obtaining  facts  and  figures  on  which  to  base 
an  estimate  of  the  cost  of  reclamation. 

Not  only  are  the  surface  streams  being  measured,  but  investiga- 
tions are  being  made  of  the  underground  waters  and  their  movements. 
Maps  showing  the  depth  of  water-bearing  beds  beneath  the  surface 
are  being  prepared,  showing  by  lines  or  colors  the  depth  to  which  a 
well  must  be  sunk  in  order  to  reach  the  pervious  rocks.  In  localities 
where  artesian  wells  occur  these  maps  also  show  the  height  to  which 
water  will  rise  above  the  surface.  Many  of  the  desert  valleys  of  the 
West  are  thus  being  watered  by  the  apparently  unlimited  supply  ly- 
ing far  beneath  the  dusty  surface. 

Among  the  most  notable  of  the  recent  works  of  the  geological 
survey  are  the  examination  of  St.  Mary's  River  In  Montana,  and  of 
Gila  River  in  Arizona.  St.  Mary's  River,  receiving  water  from  the 
snow  clad  Rocky  Mountains  flows  along  the  eastern  base  of  these  into 
Canada  and  carries  away  to  the  north  the  waters  needed  on  the  dusty 
plains  still  further  to  the  east.  Milk  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Mis- 
souri, rises  against  the  side  of  St,  Mary's  River,  and  is  cut  off  by  the 
well-watered  mountain  area.  It  is  thus  a  mere  brook  or  rivulet,  ex- 
cept in  times  of  storm. 

The  division  of  hydrography  of  the  geological  survey  has  demon- 
strated that  the  water  from  St.  Mary's  River  can  be  conducted  around 
into  the  head  waters  of  Milk  River  and  kept  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Canadian  boundary,  flowing  eastward  to  the  parched,  fertile  lands  of 
the  Milk  River  valley. 

The  surveys  have  not  yet  been  brought  to  completion,  but  it  is 
probable  that  several  hundred  thousand  acres  can  be  irrigated  at  a 
cost  not  prohibitory,  providing  homes  for  thousands  of  families. 

In  the  extreme  south  it  has  been  shown  that  reservoirs  can  be- 
foul It  on  the  Gila  River,  storing  up  the  flood  water  for  the  public  lands 
and  for  the  supply  of  the  Indian  tribes  residing  along  this  stream. 


THE  IR RIGA TION  AGE.  Ill 

These  Indians  have  from  time  immemorial  supported  themselves  by 
agriculture  through  the  use  of  these  waters;  but  in  recent  years  the 
activity  of  the  white  settlers  has  resulted  in  depriving  them  of  the 
water  and  they  are  reduced  to  penury.  Thousands  of  dollars  are  be- 
ing expended  to  educate  these  Indians,  but  at  the  same  time,  they  are 
forced  to  live  in  idleness  and  are  not  allowed  to  continue  the  agricul 
ture  of  their  forefathers. 


IRRIGATION  IN    RHYME. 

How  dear  to  my  heart  is  the  prospect  of  riches, 
When  dizzy  old  age  comes  along  by  and  by, 

A  farm  in  the  west  with  a  number  of  ditches, 
And  life  would   be   one   constant   Fourth   of 
July. 

How  sweet  is  the  sound  of  swift  flowing  waters, 
That  course  near  the  fields  of  alfalfa  and  oats, 

A  sod  house  to  shelter  my  sons  and   my   daugh- 
ters, 
A  monster  frame  barn  for  the  horses  and  colts. 

Thus  blessed  in    old    age   life   would    be   worth 

living; 

No  failure  of  crops  from  the  desolate    drouth, 
Each  day  would  indeed  be  a  day   of  thanksgiv- 
ing; 
A  prayer  in  my  heart  and  a  song  in  my  mouth. 

The  best  thing  I  know  of  for  saving  the  nation, 

Is  found  in  the  creed  of  the  people  now   here, 
Whose  motto  is  "ditching,"  whose  pass    "irriga- 
tion," 
Who  stand  up  for  water  as  some  do  for  beor. 

No  more  hot  winds  will  sweep  over  the  prairies. 

To  wilt  the  potatoes  and  wither  the  rye, 
When  the  people   dig   ditches   from    Dundy    to 

Cherry, 

And  keep  them  bank   full    in   the    sweet   bye 
and  bye. 

There'll  be  ample  cause   then   for   constant    re- 
joicing, 

When  money  is  plenty  and  crops  never  fail, 
For  all  will  be  happy  and  nobody  voicing, 
The  gruesome  refrain  of  calamity's  wail. 

— National  Advocate. 


CONDITIONS  FAVORABLE  AND 

UNFAVORABLE  TO 

IRRIGATION. 


BY  J.  ULRICH. 

Irrigation,  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  States,  is  almost  wholly  a- 
matter  of  gravity.  The  stream  is  tapped  at  a  point  where  its  channel 
is  higher  than  the  field  to  be  watered.  Thence  the  water  is  carried 
down  hill  in  the  ditch  to  the  highest  point  to  be  covered.  In  spread- 
ing it  over  the  field  the  laterals  run  on  the  ridges,  and  the  shovel  of 
the  irrigator  manipulates  its  distribution  along  or  across  the  slopes 
below.  When  it  has  thus  been  brought  to  a  level  with  the  most 
elevated  points  upon  the  tract  to  be  irrigated,  it  can  be  made  to  flow 
out  over  the  laud  by  the  force  of  gravity  alone,  without  any  assistance 
from  the  irrigator  beyond  such  manipulation  as  may  be  required  to 
effect  its  uniform  distribution  over  the  minor  irregularities  of  surface, 
which  are  eliminated  as  far  as  possible  by  careful  leveling  and 
preparation  of  the  ground  before  irrigation  is  attempted. 

Sometimes  the  water  supply  lies  at  a  lower  level  than  the  land  to 
be  irrigated,  and  has  to  be  raised.  This  occurs  where  the  water 
supply  comes  from  wells  or  other  subterranean  sources.  In  such 
cases  it  is  raised  to  the  required  elevation  by  pumping,  or  by  any 
other  method  which  is  found  most  convenient  and  economical. 
Pumping  water  for  irrigation,  because  of  the  large  volume  required, 
is  attended  with  great  expense  and  can  not  usually  be  employed  with 
profit  except  for  the  reclamation  of  land  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of 
crops  which  represent  great  value  per  unit  of  area  devoted  to  their 
production.  In  the  cultivation  of  oranges,  lemons,  and  other  fruits 
which  yield  a  product  whose  value  is  several  hundred  dollars  per 
acre,  and  where  the  amount  of  water  required  is  relatively  small, 
pumping  may  be  resorted  to  with  profit;  but  in  the  growing  of  cereals 
and  the  ordinary  farm  products  of  the  temperate  regions,  the  cost  of 
the  pumping  plant  and  its  operation  is  often  prohibitory. 

In  most  cases,  however  (in  all  where  irrigation  is  conducted  upon 
an  extensive  scale),  the  water  supply  is  obtained  from  running 
streams,  which  in  the  arid  region  generally  have  very  high  gradients, 
thus  rendering  their  diversion  upon  the  adjoining  lands  compara- 
tively easy.  Where  the  land  to  be  irrigated  lies  along  the  immediate 
border  of  the  stream  and  is  but  little  elevated  above  the  latter  a  dam. 


THE  IREIGA T10N  AGE.  113 

may  be  constructed  which  will  serve  to  elevate  the  water  to  the 
required  level.  This  is  a  practice  very  frequently  adopted  in  irri- 
gating low  bottoms,  but  is  applicable  only  where  the  land  is  but 
slightly  elevated  above  the  stream;  as  where  its  elevation  is  very 
considerable  the  height  of  dam  thus  required  would,  in  most  cases 
involve  an  expense  prohibiting  its  building. 

Frequently  the  lands  to  be  reclaimed  occupy  positions  remote 
from  the  streams  whose  waters  are  to  accomplish  their  irrigation, 
and  are  elevated  several  hundred  feet  above  it.  In  such  cases  neither 
pumping  nor  damming  the  stream  would  be  feasible,  on  account  of 
the  expense  involved.  If  the  stream  had  but  a  slight  fall,  land  so 
situated  could  not  be  irrigated  from  it  at  all.  One  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  streams  of  the  arid  regiou,  however,  as  noted  above, 
is  the  excessive  declivity  of  their  slopes.  There  are  few  whose  fall 
is  less  than  4  or  5  feet  per  mile  and  40  feet  is  not  unusual,  especially 
in  the  case  of  the  smaller  streams  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mountains. 
When,  therefore,  it  is  desired  to  irrigate  a  body  of  land  which 
occupies  a  position  of  great  elevation  above  the  stream  selected  as  its 
source  of  supply,  the  elevation  of  the  latter  does  not  necessarily 
prohibit  the  enterprise,  because,  while  at  all  contagious  points  along 
the  stream  the  water  is  much  below  the  land,  the  excessive  fall 
characteristic  of  these  water  courses  permits  of  the  selection  of  some 
point  farther  upstream,  whose  elevation  exceeds  that  of  the  land 
whose  irrigation  is  desired,  and  from  this  point  its  waters  may  be 
conducted  by  means  of  a  gravity  canal  to  the  lands  to  be  reclaimed. 
This  point  of  diversion  may  be,  and  frequently  is,  many  miles  up  the 
river  from  the  lands  to  be  watered. 

The  lands  irrigated  usually  lie  between  the  ditch  or  canal  and  the 
stream  furnishing  the  supply,  and  below  the  former.  The  water 
is  drawn  off  by  letting  it  out  of  the  artificial  conduit  and  permitting  it 
to  run  over  the  lands  below. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  under  some  conditions  irrigation  can 
not  be  thus  accomplished.  If,  for  example,  the  irrigating  of  a  body 
of  elevated  lands  were  contemplated  from  a  stream  whose  rate  of  fall 
does  not  exceed  that  required  by  the  canal  through  which  the  waters 
are  to  be  conveyed  to  the  land,  the  latter  could  not  be  covered. 
It  would  also  be  impracticable  to  irrigate  an  elevated  body  of  land 
from  a  stream  whose  fall  exceeded  but  slightly  that  required  for  the 
canal  through  which  the  water  is  to  be  conveyed  to  the  land.  If  a 
canal  whose  slope  must  be  6  inches  per  mile  is  designed  for  the  irri- 
gation of  land  lying  150  feet  above  a  stream  whose  slope  is  1  foot  per 
mile,  its  point  of  diversion  would  have  to  be  located  300  miles  up  the 
stream  from  the  lands  to  be  irrigated,  and  the  enterprise  would 
consequently  be  impracticable.  For  these  reasons  much  of  the  land 


114  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

in  the  humid  regions  could  not  be  irrigated  by  gravity  canals,  even  if 
the  necessity  existed,  since  the  streams,  while  affording  an  abundant 
supply,  have  generally  such  low  gradients  that  the  diversion  of  their 
waters  through  gravity  canals  could  not  be  successfully  accom- 
plished. 

HOW   CANALS   AND   DITCHES   HAVE   BEEN   BUILT. 

It  is  not  so  very  long  since  the  settlement  of  the  arid  portion  of 
the  United  States,  and  especially  the  carrying  on  of  agricultural 
operations  within  its  limits,  was  pretty  generally  regarded  as  imprac- 
ticable if  not  impossible.  Its  actual  development  is  already  far 
beyond  the  dreams  of  half  a  century  ago,  and  we  do  not  yet  realize 
its  ultimate  possibilities.  As  a  consequence  the  importance  of  irri- 
gation and  the  various  problems  connected  therewith  have  not  been 
generally  realized  or  understood.  In  the  older  irrigated  countries 
the  construction  and  operation  of  canals,  as  well  as  the  distribution 
of  water,  is  under  the  most  strict  government  supervision  and 
control,  if  not  ownership.  The  wisdom  of  the  system  of  operation 
measures  in  a  large  degree  the  prosperity  of  the  people  who  live 
under  it.  Our  system  is  yet  in  a  primitive  condition.  The  develop- 
ment thus  far  reached  has  been  under  any  comprehensive  public 
policy,  but  is  rather  a  natural  outgrowth  of  conditions. 

THE    SMALL   DITCH   OF   THE   PIONEER   IRRIGATOR 

During  the  earlier  period  of  the  settlement  of  the  arid  region, 
before  the  possibilities  of  irrigation  had  come  to  be  generally  recog- 
nized, and  prior  to  the  advent  of  a  population  sufficient  to  warrant 
definite  efforts  toward  organization  in  the  development  of  its 
resources,  irrigation  was  limited  to  the  individual  enterprise  of 
pioneer  settlers  who  formed  the  advance  guard  of  civilization  upon 
the  frontier.  These  pioneers,  have  selected  suitable  locations  for 
farming  and  ranching  operations,  constructed  each  his  own  ditch  for 
the  irrigation  of  his  individual  lands,  and  operated  it  independently 
in  the  manner  best  suited  to  his  interests. 

The  individual  ditch  appeals  to  the  inherited  prejudices  and 
habits  which  the  settler  brings  with  him.  Even  if  it  costs  more,  he 
often  prefers  it  to  the  enforced  submission  to  regulations  which 
dependence  on  partnership  ditches  or  canals  involves;  hence  on  each 
stream  the  locations  for  such  ditches  are  early  sought  out.  When 
those  in  the  main  valley  are  gones,  locators  look  higher  up  in  the 
mountain  valleys  and  along  the  rivulets  which  go  to  make  up  the 
main  stream.  These  opportunities  still  exist  in  some  parts  of  the 
country,  but  they  are  rare,  and  hard  to  find.  Tne  pioneer  makes  use 
of  all  such  opportunities,  and  they  are  now  to  be  found  only  along 
water  courses  remote  from  the  centers  of  population,  where  all  the 
drawbacks  of  the  frontier  mast  b3  encountered.  The  gain  in  first 


TRE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  115 

•cost  is  thus  counterbalanced  by  the  attendant  disadvantages  of 
location.  The  building  of  individual  ditches  is,  therefore,  largely  a 
thing  of  the  past. 

EVOLUTION    OF   THE   COMMUNITY   DITCH. 

The  evolution  of  irrigation  on  the  majority  of  streams  has 
followed  the  same  successive  steps.  Frequently  the  ditch  of  the 
pioneer  was  so  located  as  to  be  conveniently  and  economically 
enlarged  and  extended  to  cover  the  lands  of  the  subsequent  settlers. 
In  such  cases  arrangements  were  often  made  with  the  original  owner 
by  which  such  enlargements  and  extensions  were  made  and  the  later 
settlers  became  part  owners  in  the  ditch,  which  has  often  been 
enlarged  and  extended  many  times  and  thus  grown  from  the  small 
ditch  constructed  and  owned  by  the  first  settler  to  a  large  partner- 
ship or  community  canal,  in  which  each  owner  of  lands  irrigated  by 
it  has  purchased  or  worked  out  an  interest,  and  contributes  to  its 
annual  maintenance  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  water  used 
by  him. 

After  the  available  lower  lands  near  the  stream  have  been  taken 
up  and  rendered  irrigable  by  the  individual  or  partnership  ditches, 
larger  and  longer  canals  are  often  projected  to  cover  the  mesas  and 
benches  above.  These  are  also  often  built,  owned,  and  operated  by 
the  owners  of  the  lands  to  be  reclaimed  by  them,  the  principal  outlay 
being  their  own  labor.  These  partnership  or  community  canals  have 
generally  proven  successful  and  satisfactory,  and  have  been  a  most 
important  factor  in  the  development  of  the  agricultural  resources  of 
the  arid  region.  Their  construction  and  operation  are  usually  simple, 
and  their  value  represents  wealth  created  by  the  people  who  live 
under  them.  The  operation  and  maintenance  of  such  canals  is 
generallv  satisfactorily  accomplished  through  mutual  agreement,  by 
proportionate  assessments  of  labor  or  money  upon  the  various 
owners.  The  annual  expense  of  operation  is  generally  very  small, 
and  the  value  of  land  under  such  canals  (which  usually  includes  a 
proportiooate  ownership  in  the  canal  itself)  is  usually  greater  than 
that  of  similarly  situated  land  under  corporation  cinals.  In  many 
respects,  where  it  is  applicable,  this  individual  or  partnership  system 
of  canal  ownership  is  an  ideal  one. 

Although  partnership  and  community  canals,  especially  those 
which  have  grown  up  by  the  enlargement  and  extension  of  smaller 
individual  ditches,  are  usually  unincorporated  mutual  associations  as 
above  described,  yet  it  often  happens  that  a  closer  and  stronger 
organization  than  one  department  upon  mutual  agreement  is  desired 
by  the  irrigators,  and  the  result  is  the  formation  of  the  community 
irrigation  stock  company.  In  sucb  a  corporation  the  stockholders, 
as  a  general  rule,  are  the  farmers  who  expect  to  use  the  water  thus 


116  1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

made   available.       It   generally   originates   and   is  organized  in  the- 
following  manner: 

A  body  of  lands  suitable  for  farming  purposes,  and  so  situated 
with  reference  to  a  river  or  other  satisfactory  source  of  supply  that  it 
can  be  irrigated  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  economy,  is  located  and 
acquired  by  digerent  individuals.  If  government  land,  it  is  secured 
through  the  regular  homestead  or  desert-land  filings.  If  belonging 
to  the  state  or  a  railroad  company,  it  is  acquired  through  purchase. 
Sometimes  both  State  and  Goverment  lands  are  available,  of  which 
the  alternate  sections  belong  to  each,  respectively.  In  the  case  of 
Government  lands,  many  of  the  filings  may  have  been  made  long  be- 
fore the  irrigation  proposition  in  question  had  assumed  definite  form, 
the  same  having  been  made  upon  the  assumption  that  irrigation  was 
sposible  and  would  sooner  or  later  become  an  accomplished  fact. 

For  the  purpose  of  specifically  illustrating  the  method  of  organizing 
and  conducting  the  affairs  of  such  a  community  irrigation  enterprise, 
it  will  be  assumed  that  a  number  of  individuals  have  made  filings  upon 
different  tracts  of  Government  land,  comprising  in  the  aggregate  an 
area  of  8,000  acres,  or  that  they  have  acquired  the  same  area  through 
purchase  from  the  state  or  from  a  railroad  company  This  land  is,  of 
course,  arid  and  unproductive  without  water,  and  before  its  irrigation 
can  be  effected  a  canal  or  other  conduit  must  be  constructed  for  con- 
veying thereto  the  waters  of  some  adjacent  stream.  A  meeting  of  the 
owners  of  claimants  is  therefore  held,  and  the  necessary  plant  is  agreed 
upon;  the  amont  of  water  required,  the  size  of  canal  needed,  and  the 
approximate  cost  of  the  undertaking  are  determined;  and  a  board  of 
directors  is  elected,  who  appoint  the  executive  officers  for  conducting 
the  affairs  of  the  company.  It  will  be  assumed  that  the  probable 
cost  of  the  works  has  been  determined  to  be  $5,000.  The  capital 
stock  is  then  fixed  at  this  amount,  and  is  divided  into  500  shares  at  a 
par  value  of  $100  each.  It  will  be  assumed  that  the  canal  is  to  carry 
100  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second  of  time.  Under  this  assumption 
each  proposed  cubic  foot  of  proposed  capacity  is  represented  by  a 
capitalization  of  $500,  and,  as  there  are  500  shares,  each  of  the  latter 
would  represent  one  fifth  of  a  cubic  foot  of  water.  If  1  cubic  foot  be 
considered  as  the  amount  required  for  80  acres  of  land,  each  of  those 
who  desires  to  irrigate  this  area  should  subscribe  for  five  shares  of 
stock,  and  for  larger  areas  in  the  same  proportion.  These  would, 
however,  be  no  condition  specifying  the  number  of  shares  which  any 
purchaser  must  acquire,  though  it  would  be  advisable  that  each  land- 
holder purchase  the  number  necessary  to  accomplish  the  satisfactory 
irrigation  of  the  area  proposed  to  be  cultivated,  since  the  number  of 
shares  held  will  determine  the  amount  of  water  which  he  will  receive.. 
Each  land- owner  or  other  person-  desiring  water  shares  now  enters. 


THE  IRRIGA  7 ION  A  GE.  1  17 

his  name  upon  the  subscription  or  stock  book  of  the  association,  and 
the  secretary  enters  opposite  thereto  the  number  of  shares  for  which 
he  has  subscribed,  opening  at  the  same  time  an  account  with  the 
subscriber,  upon  which  he  is  charged  with  the  value  of  the  stock 
contracted  for,  and  given  credit,  under  the  proper  dates,  for  any  pay- 
ments made  thereon. 

While*  it  is  generally  a  fact  that  a  majority  of  the  holders  of 
stock  in  these  concerns  are  actual  farmers  who  propose  to  live  upon 
and  themselves  farm  the  land  to  which  the  water  thus  acquired  is  to 
be  applied,  this  is  noC  a  necessary  requirement,  and  frequently  a 
number  subscribe  for  stock  who  do  not  own  any  land,  but  acquire  the 
water  either  with  the  intention  of  selling  it  to  others  or  because  they 
intend  subsequently  to  acquire  land  to  which  it  may  be  applied. 
There  are  others,  still,  who,  while  owning  land  capable  of  irrigation 
from  the  proposed  system,  do  not  subscribe,  because  they  do  not 
intend  to  farm  the  land,  but  expect  to  sell  it  at  an  advanced  figure, 
after  the  works  are  in  operation,  to  those  who  already  own  or  may 
subsequently  acquire  stock,  either  from  the  company  direct  or  from 
other  stockholder  who  may,  for  any  reason,  desire  to  reduce  their 
holdings. 

Each  subscriber  now  becomes  nominally  a  stockholder,  though 
certificates  of  stock  may  never  be  issued,  and  he  may  proceed  to 
work  in  the  construction  of  the  plant  at  a  price  for  labor  which  has 
been  fixed  and  scheduled  by  the  board  of  directors,  which,  through 
the  president  of  the  association,  has  appointed  a  foreman  and  time- 
keeper to  supervise  the  details  of  the  work  and  keep  the  time  of  the 
operators  engaged  thereon.  At  the  end  of  each  month  the  foreman 
or  timekeeper  turns  in  to. the  secretary  a  statement  setting  forth  the 
amount  and  value  of  the  work  contributed  by  each  subscriber,  and 
these  amounts  are  by  the  secretary  credited  upon  the  accounts  of  the 
several  stockholders  in  partial  liquidation  of  their  indebtedness  to 
the  association,  incurred  through  the  purchase  of  stock. 

When  the  construction  of  the  plant  has  been  completed,  the 
various  accounts  are  made  out  and  certificates  of  paid-up  stock  are 
issued  to  those  who  are  found  to  have  worked  out  the  full  amount  due 
therefor.  Those  who  are  found  not  to  have  contributed  the  amount 
of  work  necessary  to  liquidate  their  indebtedness  are  given  credits 
representing  the  amounts  paid,  and  their  accounts  remain  charged 
with  the  balance  yet  due,  the  adjustment  of  whlcti  may  be  required 
in  the  form  of  a  cash  payment,  or  may  be  permitted  to  stand  on  the 
books  until  an  opportunity  arises  for  working  it  out  at  a  future  date. 
Where  stockholders  at  the  completion  of  the  construction  have 
contributed  work  in  excess  of  their  stock  subscriptions,  the  amount 
thus  overpaid  may  be  refunded  in  cash  or  allowed  to  stand  as  a  credit 


118  1  HE  IRRIG  TWN  A  GE. 

upon  the  books  of  the  association  and  subsequently  applied  in  liqui- 
dation of  assessment  liabilities  arising  through  expenditures  incident 
to  operation  and  maintenance  of  the  plant. 

If  it  should  be  found,  upon  the  completion  of  the  works,  that  the 
expense  of  construction  was  less  than  the  amount  realized  through  the 
sale  of  stock,  the  difference  may  be  distributed  to  the  stockholders  in 
the  form  of  a  dividend,  to  each  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  his 
stock,  or  it  may  be  permitted  to  remain  in  the  treasury  and  applied  to 
the  liquidation  of  subsequent  indebtedness  incurred  in  operation  and 
maintenance.  It  more  frequently  occurs,  however,  that  the  actual 
cost  of  the  works  exceeds  the  estimate  upon  which  the  capitalization 
was  based,  and  that  additional  funds  are  required  to  complete  the 
enterprise.  These  may  be  realized  by  the  levy  of  the  pro-rata 
assessment  upon  the  outstanding  stock,  or  through  the  issue  and  sale 
of  additional  stock  to  the  amount  required.  The  general  method  of 
organization  and  procedure  is  similar  in  the  case  of  unincorporated 
community  associations. 

When  the  works  have  been  completed  and  actual  operations 
inaugurated,  certain  expenses  incident  thereto  are  encountered. 
These  consist,  in  the  main,  of  salaries  and  expenses  of  officers,  wages 
of  ditch  riders  or  patrolmen,  repairs  necessary  to  structures,  and 
other  incidental  expenditures  that  need  not  be  enumerated  in  detail. 
These  liabilities  are  usually  provided  for  pro-rata  assessments  against 
the  stockholders. 

As  noted  above,  the  essential  features  of  this  kind  of  stock 
irrigation  company  and  of  the  unincorporated  community  canal  are 
not  dissimilar.  The  works  of  both  are  created,  owned  and  operated 
by  local  capital  and  labor,  and  their  inception  and  organization  are 
brought  about  by  similar  causes  and  carried  out  along  similar  lines. 
Both  depend  for  their  success  largely  upon  local  ownership,  econo- 
mical management,  and  the  lack  of  necessity  for  any  great  cash 
outlay  in  their  construction  and  operation.  Communities  with  little 
capital  except  pluck  and  muscle  have,  under  these  methods,  created 
canal  systems  that  are  among  the  best  and  most  successful  in  the 
whole  arid  region,  and  which,  from  modest  beginnings,  have  ulti- 
mately resulted  in  the  growing  up  of  thriving^towns  and  populous 
and  prosperous  farming  districts  under  them.  This  is.  the  system  of 
construction  and  management  common  in  Utah  under  the  operation 
of  the  district  irrigation  law  formerly  in  effect  in  that  state.  The 
districts  formed  under  this  law  are  in  effect  voluntary  mutual  asso- 
ciations or  companies  for  the  purpose  of  construction  and  operation 
of  canals,  the  cost  of  which  is  raised  by  assessments  on  the  various 
owners  in  proportion  to  their  respective  interests  in  the  works  and 
quantity  of  water  used  by  them. 


THE  IRRIGA TION  A GE.  119 

The  farmers  in  many  localities  are  prejudiced  against  stock 
corporations  and  prefer  to  operate  their  canals  under  mutual  agree- 
ment. In  Wyoming,  for  example,  it  is  doubtful  if  one  in  fifty  of  the 
community  ditches  are  incorporated.  As  trouble  sometimes  arises  in 
regard  to  collection  of  assessments,  a  law  has  been  enacted  in  that 
state  the  object  of  which  is  to  compel  the  payment  of  such^assess- 
ments  in  case  of  unincorporated  community  canals.  The  same 
aversion  to  corporations  in  connection  with  irrigation  is  noticeable 
in  greater  or  less  degree  in  the  other  states. 

Although  opportunities  for  participation  in  the  development  of 
new  enterprises  under  the  community  system  still  exist  throughout 
many  parts  of  the  arid  region,  they  are  becoming  more  rare  with  the 
advance  of  time.  This  is  particularly  true  with  reference  to  those 
localities  in  convenient  proximity  to  the  more  important  towns  and 
cities,  where  lands  and  water  rights  under  such  organizations  can 
now  generally  be  acquired  only  through  purchase. 

THE   CORPORATION   CANAL. 

Throughout  all  parts  of  the  arid  region  there  are  found  areas  of 
superior  land  in  the  form  of  high  plateaus  or  mesas,  located  some- 
times at  considerable  distances  from  the  more  important  streams, 
usually  occupying  positions  of  great  evolution  above  the  latter,  and 
frequently  separated  therefrom  by  high  rocky  bluffs  or  ranges  of 
hills  and  mountains.  The  exceptional  fertility  of  many  of  these 
lands,  together  with  their  wonderful  uniformity  of  surface,  render 
them  especially  attractive  to  the  irri gator.  They  are  the  best  lands, 
but  their  location  is  frequently  such  that  to  secure  the  proper 
elevation  dams  have  to  be  built  to  raise  the  water  at  the  head,  and 
the  canal  must  wind  its  way  for  many  miles  through  rock  canyons 
and  along  precipitous  cliffs,  and  be  carried  across  ravines  and  chasms 
in  pipes  or  flumes,  whose  design  and  construction  require  the  best 
engineering  talent  and  experience.  The  expense  thus  incident  to  the 
construction  of  the  works  is  frequently  so  great  that  neither  the 
individual  nor  the  community  can  successfully  undertake  its  exe- 
cution; hence  they  await  the  coming  of  national  aid.  The  agency 
through  which  many  of  these  comprehensive,  difficult,  and  expensive 
works  of  irrigation  have  been  accomplished  is  the  institution  known 
as  the  land  and  irrigation  corporation,  which  has  been  the  successor 
to  the  individual  community  enterprises  in  the  development  of  the 
agricultural  resources  of  the  arid  West.  The  latter  successfully  held 
the  field  so  long  as  the  propositions  open  to  consideration  were 
simple,  inexpensive,  and  readily  available.  In  the  development  of 
these  they  proved  to  be  admirably  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the 
situation,  but  as  the  simple  problems  were  solved  first,  operations 
became  more  difficult  and  expensive  with  the  increasing  magnitude 


120  THE  IREIGA  T10N  A  GE. 

and  complexity  of  undertakings,  and  finally  a  point  was  reached 
where  progress  must  cease  unless  the  assistance  of  some  more 
powerful  factor  could  be  enlisted  which  might  successfully  grapple 
with  the  greater  issues  presented. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  the  irrigation  corporation  came  to 
the  rescue,  and  it  has  since  become  a  prime  factor  in  the  development 
of  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  arid  region.  The  individual  and 
community  efforts,  however,  have  paved  the  way  for  the  new 
departure,  and  the  substantial  results  achieved  by  them  made  it 
possible  for  this  powerful  agency  to  become  a  factor  in  the  work.  It 
was  their  successful  efforts  that  had  first  subdued  the  implacable 
desert  and  demonstrated  the  fertility  of  its  lands  and  the  possibility 
of  creating  prosperous  agricultural  homes  and  communities  in  a  land 
which  had  long  been  regarded  as  a  suitable  dwelling  place  for  only 
the  buffalo,  the  coyote,  and  the  Indian.  These  pioneers  had  demon- 
strated that  the  so-called  desert  lands  of  the  arid  region,  whose 
acquisition  from  the  Government  could  be  accomplished  practicaliy 
without  cost,  assumed  a  value  under  the  practice  of  irrigation  equal 
to  that  of  the  very  choicest  farming  regions  of  the  Eastern  and 
Middle  States,  and  the  uniform  success  which  crowned  their  efforts 
in  this  field  attracted  the  attention  of  capitalists  to  these  enterprises 
as  presenting  unusual  opportunitids  for  profitable  investment. 

Under  the -individual  and  community  regimes  the  prime  incentive 
was  the  transformation  of  certain  desert  lands  in  productive  farms, 
which  were  to  serve  as  ,the  permanent  homes  of  the  individuals  who 
inaugurated  and  executed  this  work,  of  reclamation,  and  they 
expected  their  profits  through  the  actual  farming  of  the  lands  so 
reclaimed. 

(To  be  continued). 


THE  DIVERSIFIED   FARM. 


A  TRAVELER'S   GIFT    TO   THE    FAR- 
MERS OF  AMERICA. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  collections 
of  rare  economic  plants  and  seeds  is  now 
being  worked  up  by  the  department  of 
agriculture.  Mr.  Barbour  Lathrop  of 
Chicago,  with  Mr.  David  G.  Fairchild  as 
assistant  recently  completed  a  tour  of  the 
world,  covering  a  period  of  two  years  and 
embracing  travels  which  amounted  to  ex- 
plorations. Mr.  Lathrop  has  given  the 
results  of  the  expedition,  undertaken  at 
his  own  expense,  to  the  farmers  of  the 
United  States  through  the  medium  of  the 
section  of  seed  and  plant  introduction  of 
the  department  of  agriculture. 

The  expedition  left  New  York  Dec.  31st 
1898,  and  returned  last  fall,  having  visited 
in  order  the  following  countries  and  sent 
in  from  each,  living  economic  plants  and 
seeds  for  cultivation  by  American  farmers 
and  horticulturists:  Jamaica,  Grenada, 
Barbadoes,  Trinidad,  in  the  West  Indies; 
Venezuela,  Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru, 
Chili,  Argentine,  Brazil  in  South  Amer- 
ica; Portugal,  Tyrol  and  Bohemia  in 
Austro-Hungary,  Italy,  Egypt,  Amboina, 
Banda,  Lombok  Bali,  Moluccas,  Aru  and 
Kei  Islands,  Tenimber  archipelago  and 
New  Guinea  in  the  Dutch  East  Indies; 
Hong  Kong,  Canton  in  South  China;  the 
Philippine  Islands;  Bankok,  Siam;  and 
^Sweden  and  Finland  in  northern  Europe. 
Many  thousands  of  dollars  have  been 
spent  by  Mr.  Lathrop  upon  this  expedi- 
tion and  he  has  put  into  it  some  of  the 
best  thought  of  a  practical  man  who  is 
alive  to  the  general  wants  of  his  country- 
men. He  is  not  an  agriculturist  and  en- 
trusted the  technical  part  of  the  work  to 


his  assistant,  Mr.  Fairchild,  who  was  de- 
tailed by  Secretary  Wilson  from  his  posi- 
tion as  chief  of  the  section  of  seeds  and 
plant  introduction.  The  dangers  of  such 
a  trip  into  malarial-infested  regions  will  be 
evident  to  old  travelers,  and  is  a  matter  of 
deep  regret  to  Mr.  Lathrop's  friends  that 
the  Caracas  fever  so  seriously  affected  his 
health  that  two  visits  to  Carlsbad  were 
necessary,  while  the  botanist  of  the 
expedition  was  laid  up  with  malaria  in  the 
Moluccas  and  with  typhoid  in  Stam  and 
Ceylon.  Notwithstanding  these  serious 
drawbacks  the  expedition  has  been  brought 
to  a  successful  conclusion  and  the  farmers 
of  this  country  should  be  made  acquainted 
with  this  valuable  gift  which  Mr.  Lathrop 
has  patriotically  but  modestly  made  to  his 
country. 

The  trip  was  primarily  planned  to  be 
one  of  reconnaisance.  The  object  in  the 
first  place  was  to  find  out  what  each 
country  offered  in  inducements  for  ex- 
ploration work,  how  it  should  be  entered 
and  studied,  whom  of  its  inhabitants  could 
be  relied  upon  as  correspondents  and  what 
would  be  the  probable  expense  of  an  ex- 
haustive study  from  the  standpoint  of 
plant  introduction.  This  object  has  been 
attained  and  is  embodied  in  a  mass  of 
notes  and  piles  of  publications  and  note 
books. 

The  secondary  aim  of  the  expedition 
was  to  purchase  and  import  for  trial  such 
promising  seeds  and  plants  as  were  suited 
for  culture  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States.  The  material  thus  purchased  has 
not  all  come  in  yet  but  the  maiu  part  has 
been  distributed  or  will  shortly  be  sent 
out  by  the  department  to  the  various  ex- 


122 


THE  IBE1GA  TION  A  GE. 


periment  stations  and  private  experi- 
menters for  trial  and  report.  Over  four 
hundred  and  fifty  different  purchases  were 
sent  in  from  the  various  countries,  each 
purchase  accompanied  ^by  careful  notes  on 
its  culture  and  the  climatic  soil  conditions 
to  which  the  plant  or  seed  was  best 
adapted.  The  noted  list  has  been  in  part 
published  or  is  in  progress  of  publication 
by  the  section  of  seed  and  plant  introduc- 
tion. It  covers  a  wide  range  of  horticul- 
tural plants  suited  to  variety  of  conditions 
from  the  tropical  surroundings  of  Porto 
Rico  and  Hawaii  to  the  Artie  climate  of 
Alaska. 

Although  it  is  premature  at  this  early 
day  to  predict  the  fate  of  these  introduced 
plants  it  will  be  of  interest  to  point  out 
some  of  their  prospects  and  the  reasons  for 
their  trial. 

A  spineless  succulent  cactus  of  the  Ar- 
gentine suitable  for  fodder  purposes  in  the 
desert  regions  of  Arizona. 

A  series  of  West  Indian  yams  of  which 
at  least  one  is  superior  in  flavor  to  the 
Irish  potato.  Suitable  for  culture  in 
Florida  and  Louisiana  but  demanding 
special  care  and  a  special  market. 

The  Alexandrian  clover  from  Egypt. — 
a  late  fodder  crop  for  irrigated  lands  in 
southern  California  and  Arizona.  This  is 
the  principal  fodder  crop  of  Egypt. 

Some  of  the  finest  varieties  of  Bohemian 
hops  to  replace  the  culture  of  inferior 
sorts  now  almost  exclusively  grown  in 
America. 

Varieties  of  "pedigreed"  barleys  origin- 
ated in  Sweden  and  of  superior  value  for 
brewing  purposes.  Varieties  which  took 
20  out  of  28  prizes  at  the  Swedish  brewers' 
exposition. 

Fine  West  Indian  manges  and  superior 
sorts  of  East  Indian  bananas  for  culture  in 
Porto  Rico. 

An  evergreen  poplar  from  Chili  for  the 
Pacific  slope. 

A  frost  hardy  aligator  pear  for  the  com- 
ing industry  of  this  fruit  growing  in 


Florida  and  California. 

The  Lapland  six-rowed  barley  and  the 
early  ripening  finish  black  oat  for  experi- 
ments in  Alaska  and  such  short  season 
regions. 

Chilian  alfalfa  varieties  for  breeding  ex- 
periments on  this  most  remarkable  of  all 
fodder  plants. 

Several  novel  Swedish  leguminous 
(clover-like)  fodder  plants  lately  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  agricultural  public  of 
Sweden. 

A  Bohemian  horse  radish,  superior  in 
size  and  flavor  to  any  American  sort. 

The  "  Jannovitch "  Egyptian  cotton 
which  is  now  being  tested  by  over  one 
thousand  experimenters  in  the  upland  cot- 
ton regions  of  the  south  and  regarding 
which  many  encouraging  reports  have  been 
received.  It  is  a  stronger  grower  and  has 
a  much  longer  staple  than  any  American 
upland  cotton.  It  also  has  proven  resist- 
ant to  "root  rot"  of  cotton  to  a  very  great 
degree  which  will  make  its  culture  possi- 
ble on  lands  previously  totally  unfitted  for 
cotton  growing. 

The  "Algarobillo  "  a  tannin  producing 
shrub  from  the  Chilian  deserts  with  most 
remarkable  desert  resisting  characteristics 
and  large  tannin  producing  capacity  for 
Arizona  conditions. 

A  fodder  bamboo  for  the  arid  regions  of 
the  Southwest  which  forms  in  South  Chili 
one  of  the  principal  sources  of  fodder  for 
large  herds  of  cattle. 

A  variety  of  onion  from  the  islands  of 
the  Nile  which  is  pronounced  by  our  ex- 
pert onion  growers,  the  best  pickle  ever 
grown. 

''Zuccini"  from  northern  Italy.  One  of 
the  most  important  vegetables  of  the  Vene- 
tians and  worthy  serious  consideration  by 
our  truck  growers. 

The  seedless  Sultanina  grape  from 
Padua,  Italy,  for  the  seedless  raisin  in- 
dustry of  the  Colorado  desert  region. 

This  list  might  be  largely  extended  and 
were  it  possible  to  collate  the  ass  c 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


123 


ports  upon  the  various  things  already  dis- 
tributed it  is  certain  several  other  most 
important  things  would  need  to  be  added. 
Of  course,  the  value  of  most  of  the  arbor- 
escent plants  can  only  be  decided  after 
several  years  of  culture  and  the  fate  of 
many  of  the  annuals  only  after  numerous 
repeated  trials. 

In  addition  to  the  four  hundred  and 
more  products  secured  and  shipped,  many 
important  plants  were  learned  of,  but  not 
secured.  Quantities  of  important  tropical 
fruit  varieties  for  Porto  Rico  and  Hawaii 
are  on  the  books  of  the  expedition  and 
wait  only  for  suitable  experiment  condi- 
tions on  those  islands.  A  seedless  Siam- 
ese grape  fruit  was  ferreted  out  but  owing 
to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  country,  not 
securable.  This  one  variety  it  is  pre- 
dicted, would  if  introduced,  like  the  seed- 
less Bahia  naval  prange,  revolutionize  the 
grape  fruit  industry. 

Enough  has  been  cited  to  show  the 
American  farmers  what  has  been  accom- 
plished by  private  means,  and  in  how  great 
a  measure  their  thanks  are  due  to  the  true 
American  who,  with  neither  land  of  his 
own  nor  agricultural  interests  in  his  charge, 
has  put  at  their  disposition  his  money  and 
time  and  health. 

The  great  results  likely  to  cyome  from 
Mr.  Lathrop's  explorations  will  be  due  to 
his  wisdom  in  associating  with  him  expert 
botanists  and  scientists  and  securing  the 
most  complete  data  and  information  con- 
cerning the  new  and  strange  plants  se- 
cured, relating  to  their  habits  of  growth 
and  the  character  of  their  natural  sur- 
roundings, thus  enabling  the  department 
of  agriculture  to  intelligently  experiment 
with  them.  There  is  in  the  broad  area  of 
the  United  States  somewhere,  a  spot 
which  is  a  counterpart  of  almost  every  re- 
gion of  the  eastern  hemisphere,  but  it  is  a 
work  of  great  magnitude  to  fit  the  plants 
of  the  older  country  to  their  congenial 
spots  on  this  hemisphere.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  important  lines  of  work  which  is 


being  .carried   on    by   the  department    o 
agriculture. 


FARM  NOTES, 

A  novel  way  of  booming  farm  lands  is 
credited  by  the  Philadelphia  Record  to 
the  general  passenger  agent  of  the  Atchin- 
son.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  R.  R.  He  has 
had  traveling  about  the  West  an  expert 
shorthand  writer  to  visit  individual  far- 
mers in  their  homes,  find  out  what  success 
had  been  met  with  and  then  write  letters 
at  their  dictation,  addressed  to  eastern 
friends,  telling  all  about  the  big  crops  and 
resultant  good  times.  This  private  sec- 
retary goes  about  with  a  team  and  carries 
a  small  typewriting  machine  and  station- 
ery. He  interviews  the  owner  or  renter  of 
each  quarter  section  on  his  route  and 
writes  down  the  industrial  situation  as  it 
really  is  in  that  neighborhood.  He  tells 
just  what  luck  was  had  with  wheat,  cattle 
and  hogs,  describes  climatic  conditions, 
mentions  Mary  and  the  baby,  and  some- 
times winds  up  the  story  of  a  lifted  mort- 
gage and  money  in  the  bank.  This  per- 
sonal correspondence  is  followed  up  at  the 
head  offices  of1  the  road  by  mailing  appro- 
priate advertising  literature  to  the  farmer's 
friends.  Beneficial  results  are  said  to  be 
already  manifest  to  the  railroad.  When  a 
person  living  back  in  Ohio  receives  a  let- 
ter from  his  former  neighbor  written  on  a 
typewriter,  he  naturally  concludes  that 
any  country  which  is  prosperous  enough  to 
warrant  a  plain  farmer  owing  his  own 
writing  machine  is  worth  investigation. 

The  department  of  agriculture  has  ad- 
dressed inquiries  to  over  l(i,000  peach 
growers  in  the  United  States,  the  great 
majority  of  whom  have  replied  that 
"peach-curl-leaf  may  be  prevented  with 
an  ease,  certainty  and  cheapness  rarely  at- 
tained in  the  treatment  of  any  serious  dis- 
eases of  plants,  and  there  is  no  longer  a 
necessity  for  the  losses  annually  sustained 
from  it  in  the  United  States."  The  rem- 


124 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


edy  is  spraying  with  winter  strength  of 
Bordeaux  mixture  when  the  buds  begin  to 
swell. 

A  government  report  states  that  the 
horses  of  our  cavalry  and  artillery  branches 
of  the  army  in  the  Philippines  would  not 
feed  on  their  hay  rations,  and  become  very 
weak.  They  were  given  one  part  of  cheap 
brown  sugar  or  molasses  to  every  eight 
parts  of  hay,  and  soon  recovered. 

Dr.  Harvey  W.  Wiley,  the  chief  chem- 
ist of  the  department  of  agriculture,  is 
preparing  a  report  covering  the  work  done 
by  his  office  during  the  year  and  outlining 
the  work  for  1901. 

"The  utilization  of  the  stalks  of  Indian 
corn  is  one  of  the  subjects,"  said  Dr. 
Wiley,  "to  which  we  have  given  some  at- 
tention. The  subject  affords  more  field 
for  study  and  has  more  possibilities  than 
might  at  first  be  supposed: 

"The  possibility  of  utilizing  the  stalks 
of  Indian  corn  as  a  cattle  food  has  long 
occupied  the  attention  of  our  agricultural 
chemists.  A  large  amount  of  experimen- 
tal and  analytical  work  has  been  done  in 
this  direction  by  the  experiment  stations, 
notably  by  those  of  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania. Our  work  has  been  directed 
chiefly  to  the  study  of  the  rations  com- 
posed of  the  fine  ground  stalks  of  maize 
mixed  with  blood,  molasses,  ground  bone, 
Indian  corn  meal,  other  cereal  products, 
and  various  other  ingredients. 

"The  previous  grinding  of  the  stalk  is  a 
primary  necessity,  since  otherwise  it  can 
not  be  properly  masticated.  When  con- 
venient, it  is  also  advisable  to  remove  the 
pith,  which  can  be  used  to  better  advan- 
tage for  other  industrial  applications. 

"The  ground  stalk  has  a  nutritive  value 
equal  to  that  of  coarse  hay  and  absorbent 
power  for  blood,  molasses  and  other 
liquids  which  makes  it  an  ideal  vehicle  for 
offering  these  bodies  in  an  appropriate 
form  for  consumption  to  domesticated 
animals.  The  value  of  both  blood  and 
molasses  as  cattle  foods  has  long  been  es- 


tablished, but  until  the  employment  of 
fine  ground  Indian  corn  stalks  as  an  ab- 
sorbent was  proposed  no  entirely  satifac- 
tory  method  of  utilizing  these  products 
was  known. 

"During  the  past  year  many  different 
corn  stalk  rations  have  been  mixed  and 
subjected  to  analytical  study,  with  the 
result  of  showing  both  high  nutritive 
properties  and  so  adaptability  to  particular 
purposes.  This  mayjbe  illustrated  by  cit- 
ing some  of  the  particular  rations  which 
have  been  prepared,  viz.,  the  rations  for 
the  maintenance  of  horses  and  cattle  not 
being  fattened;  rations  for  animals  at  hard 
work;  rations  for  fattening  animals;  ra- 
tions for  poultry,  both  for  egg  production 
and  for  preparing  poultry  for  market. 
Various  forms  of  rations  for  each  particu- 
lar purpose  were  prepared  with  the  object 
of  securing  the  best  balanced  and  also  the 
most  economic  product. 

"Our  experiments  demonstrated  beyond 
a  doubt  that  fiue  ground  maize  stalks  are 
by  far  the  best  material  known  for  utiliz- 
ing blood  and  molasses  as  animal  foods. 
Although  cattle  foods  are  now  very  cheap 
and  abundant  in  our  country,  it  is  some- 
what interesting  to  know  that  in  the  al- 
most inexhaustible  quantity  of  this  ma- 
terial we  have  a  resource  for  the  future 
which  will  supply  every  demand.  In  this 
material  also  we  find  a  means  of  utilizing 
in  the  most  economical  way  the  waste  pro- 
ducts of  the  slaughterhouses,  of  our  beet 
sugar  factories,  and  of  the  cane  sugar  fac- 
tories of  Louisiana,  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  and  of  our  tropical  dependencies. 

"Another  subject  which  may  be  con- 
sidered of  general  interest  is  the  chemical 
examination  which  the  department  is 
making  of  foreign  food  products.  We 
wish  to  keep  a  high  reputation  for  Ameri- 
can exports  and  we  desire  to  send  abroad 
only  those  food  products  which  are  whole- 
some and  free  from  adulteration.  In  like 
manner  we  ask  that  similar  products  sent 
to  us  from  foreign  countries  be  true  to 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


125 


vname  and  label  and  free  from  adulteration 
and  injurious  ingredients.  To  this  end  an 
extensive  study  of  such  imported  products 
has  been  authorized  by  congress  and  has 
been  rigorously  prosecuted  during  the  year. 
The  results  of  these  studies  have  been  in 
a  measure  confidential,  and  instead  of  be- 
ing published  have  been  transmitted  to  the 
secretary  of  agriculture  for  his  guidance 
in  discharging  the  duties  imposed  upon 
him  by  the  act  of  congress  authorizing  the 
investigation. 

''The  extension  of  this  investigation  to 
all  imported  food  product  will  undoubtedly 
prove  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  our 
people,  since  it  will  result  in  the  exclusion 
of  harmful  and  adulterated  articles  and  of 
those  which  are  sold  under  a  false  and 
misleading  name  of  labels.  In  securing 
these  samples,  we  have  had  the  active 
co-operation  of  the  secretary  of  the  treas- 
ury and  of  the  officials  of  the  custom 
.house  at  the  more  important  ports  of  entry. " 

The  Chicago  Tribune  comments  on  a 
musical  folly  announced  by  a  German 
scientist.  He  has  discovered  that  plants 
are  sensitive  to  music  and  that  some  plants 
unfold  their  leaves  and  are  stimulated  to 
growth  when  sweet  music  is  made,  while 
they  close  them  again  if  the  music  be- 
comes discordant.  The  Tribune  thinks 
well  of  the  discovery  and  suggests  that  a 
brass  band  might  be  usefully  employed  in 
forcing  the  products  of  a  truck  farm, 
while  a  mandolin  orchestra  could  be  used 
•to  stimulate  a  flower  garden. 

During  the  past  year  the  weather  bureau 
ihas  furnished  daily  weather  forecasts  in 
11,621  cases,  most  of  them  to  farmers. 
Mr.  Willis  Moore  the  chief  of  the  bureau 
believes  that  no  class  of  people  better  ap- 
ipreciate  these  forecasts  than  those  living 
in  agricultural  communities.  Farmers 
^who  are  provided  with  rural  free  delivery 
and  desire  to  receive  these  forecasts  should 
^request  the  same  from  the  Secretary  of 
Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 


In  his  annual  recommendation  to  con- 
gress, the  director  of  the  office  of  Experi- 
ment Stations  urges  the  establishment  of 
an  experiment  station  in  Porto  Rico  (in 
the  vicinity  of  San  Juan)  on  the  usual 
lines  of  such  institutions  except  that  in- 
formation may  be  disseminated  through 
both  the  English  and  Spanish  languages. 
Secretary  Wilson  seems  to  think  that  con- 
gress will  so  provide. 

The  entomologist  of  the  department  of 
agriculture  is  endeavoring  to  improve  in 
living  condition  certain  European  tree- 
inhabiting  predatory  beetles  for  use  against 
the  Tussock  mothcaterpiller  in  the  United 
States,  and  especially  against  larva  of  the 
gipsy  moth.  The  lapse  of  appropriations 
by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  against  this 
last  named  insect  and  its  possible  great 
increase  and  spread  renders  the  introduc- 
tion of  its  European  natural  enemies  very 
desirable.  The  bug  scientists  state  that 
if  allowed  its  own  sweet  will,  the  gypsy 
moth  would  spread  over  the  entire  country. 

A  visit  to  Dr.  Victor  A.  Norgaard, 
Chief  of  the  Pathological  Division  of  the 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  of  the  Agri- 
cultural Department,  found  him  care- 
fully perusing  some  statistics  which  had 
been  compiled  on  the  disease  of  black-leg 
among  cattle. 

"The  action  of  Congress  last  session  in 
making  an  increase  in  the  appropriation 
for  the  distribution  of  black-leg  serum," 
he  said  after  a  few  moments  reflection, 
"practically  settled  the  controversy  be- 
tween the  drug  firms  and  the  Department. 
During  the  past  year  we  sent  out  over 
2,000,000  doses  and  the  results,  so  far  as 
we  have  been  able  to  learn,  are  more  than 
satisfactory.  Of  a  total  of  430,000  head 
of  cattle  which  had  not  been  inoculuted 
with  the  serum,  the  annual  loss  was  some- 
thing over  13  per  cent,  and  last  year  an 
examination  by  our  assistants  revealed  a 
loss  of  16,000  or  nearly  4  per  cent  of  the 
entire  number.  But  since  the  dia- 


126 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


tribution  the  decrease  in  the  mortality 
has  been  very  marked.  Our  records  show 
about  2,500  deaths  from  black-leg  or  a 
resultant  three-fifths  of  one  per  cent,  of 
the  total  amount.  That  the  farmer  is 
benefited  by  our  work  there  is  not  a 
doubt.  Of  course  this  is  not  the  only 
important  work  which  we  are  doing,  but  I 
have  called  attention  to  black-leg  because 
it  is  one  of  the  most  serious  obstacles 
with  which  the  agriculturist  has  to  con- 
tend. The  loss  from  this  source  is  more 
than  from  all  other  causes, — disease, 
accidents,  etc." 

When  asked  about  what  has  been  done 
toward  relieving  cows  from  the  attack  of 
flies,  Dr.  Norgard  said:  "There  are 
many  remedies,  both  from  private  sources 
and  our  own,  with  which  to  keep  flies  off 
of  cows,  but  none  of  these  are  lasting, 
continued  application  being  necessary. 
Now  the  horn  fly  is  very  troublesome  to 
many  cows  and  fish  oil  is  extensively 
used.  It  is  applied  to  the  frontal  bone 
and  head  of  the  animal.  It  is  sticky  and 
only  has  a  lasting  effect  for  a  short  time. 
Two  of  the  most  prominent  sheep  dips  on 
the  market  used  at  a  strength  of  about  2 
per  cent,  are  known  to  be  beneficial. 
Then  different  coal-tar  preparations, — 
kerosene,  a  solution  from  juniper  and 
cockle-berries  and  numerous  other  con- 
coctions may  be  of  some  benefit,  but 
when  their  strength  begins  to  weaken, 
the  flies  continue  to  annoy  the  cows  and 
can  only  be  kept  away  by  renewal  of 
the  remedy.  Trouble  from  the  cause  is 
not  so  serious,  however,  for  whatever  loss 
in  milk  or  weight  is  occasioned  by  the 
attacks  of  the  flies,  the  coming  winter 
will  see  a  corresponding  gain." 

European  dairymen  buy  large  quantities 
of  American  feeding  stuffs.  Experiments 
are  now  being  made  in  compressing  bran 
into  bricks  for  more  convenient  expor- 
tation. While  the  success  of  this  line  of 
work  might  lead  to  a  still  greater  expor- 
tation of  American  raw  farm  products, 


the  failure  of  the  experiment  would  be 
America's  gain.  Bran  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  feeds  for  the  dairy.  It  is 
recommended  by  many  feeders  as  especi- 
ally useful  for  feeding  in  conjunction 
with  corn-meal  which  is  concentrated  and 
tends  to  "pack"  in  the  stomach.  Bran  is 
cooling  and  can  be  used  in  almost  any 
reasonable  quantity.  It  is  a  food  rich  in 
protein  and  contains  a  large  amount  of 
the  nitrogenous  element  of  fertility  in 
soils.  What  is  known  to  be  extremely 
hard  on  soil  and  the  chemist  has  found 
that  most  of  the  soil  strength  goes  into 
the  bran.  Broadly  speaking,  therefore, 
the  extreme  folly  can  be  seen  of  exporting 
bran  and  letting  that  much  fertility  go  out 
of  the  country  to  enrich  foreign  lands, 
necessitating  the  purchase,  in  lieu  thereof, 
of  artificial  fertilizers  of  all  kinds  to  keep 
up  our  fertility  of  soil. 

Mr.  Herbert  J.  Webber  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  is  now  in  the  South 
making  experiments  in  the  hybridization  of 
cotton.  Abont  a  year  ago  the  Department 
sent  out  several  thousand  pounds  of  seeds 
to  different  parts  of  the  cotton  growing 
States.  These  seeds  were  of  Egyptian  and 
sea  island  species  and  from  the  reports 
now  being  received,,  these  plants  are  grow- 
ing very  well  and  the  officials  are  much 
encouraged  in  their  work.  Mr.  Webber  is 
superintending  the  hybridizing  of  cotton 
which  will  produce  a  long,  firm  staple. 

Every  year  there  is  about  $20,000,000 
of  Egyptian  cotton  imported  into  this 
country.  The  cotton-growers  cannot  com- 
pete with  this  variety  of  cotton,  but  if  the 
experiments  prove  successful  the  farmers 
will  be  able  to  raise  hybrid  cotton  which 
will  equal  the  staple  from  Egypt.  The 
department  is  of  the  opinion  that  this  new 
variety  can  be  grown  in  all  parts  and  will 
prove  a  boon  to  the  important  commodity 
of  the  South. 

In  many  portions  of  the  South  there  is  a 
peculiar  fungi  in  the  soil  which  attacks  the 
roots  of  cotton  and  its  work  is  so  complete 


J27 


that  it  cuts  off  the  water  supply  from  the 
plant.  This  disease  is  knowh  as  "wilt" 
and  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,has  been  growing 
rapidly.  The  Department  has  found 
several  species  which  will  resist  the  attacks 
of  this  destructive  pest  and  its  work  along 
this  line  through  Mr.  Webber  will  be  the 
hybridization  of  these  with  plants  more 
liable  to  be  destroyed  by  "wilt." 

A  manufacturing  company  in  the 
United  States  recently  made  inquiries  of 
the  State  Department  regarding  the  use  of 
harvesting  machinery  in  India,  in  cutting 
grass  and  grain.  India  is  not  a  hay- 
producing  country,  writes  Consul-General 
Patterson  from  Calcutta.  The  grass  is  cut 
and  used  green  for  horses,  but  is  not 
cured  as  hay.  The  common  fodder  for 
cattle  is  rice  straw.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Bengal,  rice  and  jute  are  the  principal 
crops,  and  the  quantity  of  grass  grown  is 
extensively  grown  in  the  western  part  of 
India  for  which  Bombay  is  the  principal 
shipping  port. 

A  colony  of  vegetarians  are  living  on 
Tagula  Island,  a  tiny  bit  of  land  in  the 
Dutch  archipelago,  about  700  miles  south- 
east from  New  Guinea  and  1,000  miles 
northeast  from  Australia.  Under  the 


leadership  of  a  Methodist  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  James  Newlin  of  Ohio,  some  seventy 
people  sailed  from  San  Francisco  in  1890 
for  Hawaii.  They  believed  that  a  higher 
plane  of  Christianity  was  to  be  reached  by 
a  vegetarian  diet  and  freedom  from  con- 
tamination with  degenerate  mankind.  So 
they  gave  up  their  friends  and  homes  in 
the  eastern  states.  Tagula  Island  was 
fiually  chosen  for  their  colony,  and  the 
fifty  good  natured  natives  there  welcomed 
the  new  comers.  There  have  since  been 
accessions  to  the  colony  of  people  from 
England,  Australia,  and  America. 

Time  and  time  again  has  the  question  of 
docking  the  tails  of  horses  been  discussed 
and  always  humanity  comes  out  on  top. 

All  the  driving  horses  in  Russia  have 
long  tails  and  the  coachman  of  an  ordinary 
Russian  carriage  takes  no  trouble  to  pre- 
vent the  reins  from  dropping  about  his 
horse's  hind  quarters.  In  spite  of.  this, 
however,  the  reins  rarely  become  entangled 
with  the  tail,  and  even  if  they  should  do 
so  the  horses  never  kick.  This  striking 
fact  is  an  eloquent  answer  to  those  who 
uphold  the  cruel  practice  of  docking,  on  the 
grounds  that  otherwise  the  horse  is  liable 
to  flap  his  tail  over  the  reins. 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


EDITORIAL  COMMENTS. 

If  these  floods  could  be  stored  and  re- 
leased gradually  as  required  for  purposes 
of  irrigation,  these  dry  and  barren  areas 
might  be  rendered  as  highly  productive  as 
the  land  now  under  cultivation,  whose 
products  are  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
the  world.  The  people  of  this  state 
should  get  behind  the  movement  to  have 
the  general  government  adopt  the  motto  of 
"Save  the  Forests  and  Store  the  Floods," 
and  should  demand  of  their  representa- 
tives in  both  houses  of  congress  active 
support  for  measures  designed  to  put  it 
into  effect. — San  Jose  (Cal.)  Mercury. 

In  the  nature  of  thing?  the  construction 
and  maintenance  of  irrigation  works  are 
public  functions  like  the  building  of  light- 
houses or  public  highways,  and  the  former 
can  as  ill  be  made  objects  of  commercial 
enterprise  as  the  latter.  There  is  water 
sufficient  for  the  irrigation  of  from  75,000,- 
000  to  100,000,000  acres  depending  upon 
the  methods  of  conservation'  employed. 
Probably  10,000,000  people  could  find 
homes  on  farms  and  be  self  supporting  if 
the  water  supply  should  be  properly  regu- 
lated. A  better  investment  was  never 
made  by  a  government  since  the  world 
began. — Philadelphia  Record. 

The  problem  that  will  confront  congress 
is  what  methods  and  measures  of  legisla- 
tion will  open  and  develop  the  resources 
of  the  arid  region,  which  comprise  millions 
of  acres  of  fertile  lands  that  are  now  wastes 
for  want  of  fructifying  waters  that  can  be 
utilized. — Dallas  News. 

The  meaning  of  the  enterprise  is  one 


that  ought  to  enlist  enthusiasm.  It  means 
peace  and  prosperous  homes,  good  citizen- 
ship and  a  very  appreciable  addition  to 
our  national  wealth.  It  means  actual  ex- 
pansion from  within.  It  means  life  to  a- 
vast  section  that  is  now  dead  and  deserted. 
Some  may  feel  that  the  enterprise  is  not 
one  of  national  concern.  It  is  the  nation's 
business  to  strengthen  the  nation,  and 
this  can  be  done  quite  as  surely  by  devel- 
opment from  within  as  by  extension  from 
without. — Boston  Transcript. 

We  have  an  arid  area  in  our  great  West 
large  enough  to  give  every  poor  man  in 
the  United  States  a  comfortable  little 
home  if  only  such  lands  were  rendered 
habitable  and  productive  by  irrigation. 
Just  now  when  the  nation  is  taking  so 
much  of  "expansion,"  and  the  people  have 
seemingly  endorsed  the  proposition  that 
we  need  "more  territory,"  it  ought  to  be 
comparatively  easy  to  arouse  national  ac- 
tion to  acquire  thousands  of  square  miles 
of  practically  "  new  territory. " — Houston 
Post. 

Irrigation  has  long  since  passed  beyond 
the  experiment  stage.  It  has  even  reached 
the  point  where  little  can  be  done  by  pri- 
vate capital.  Yet  vast  areas  of  the  public 
domain  remain  unclaimed  in  localities 
where  land  would  have  a  high  value  if  an 
artificial  water  supply  were  assured  the 
year  round.  Without  storage  reservoirs 
they  would  be  barren  and  useless  indefi- 
nitely, but  once  irrigation  becomes  possi- 
ble they  will  be  quickly  settled  and  will 
support  a  much  larger  population  than  the 
same  number  of  acres  of  land  maintained 


THE  1RR1GA  T10N  A  GE. 


129 


in  regions  where  normal  rainfall  prevails. 
— Philadelphia  North  American. 

The  West  is  a  unit  in  desiring  the  re- 
clamation of  its  arid  lands.  Appropria- 
tions for  this  purpose  are  demanded  not 
only  by  reason  of  the  obligation  of  the 
nation  to  improve  its  property,  but  as  an 
offset  to  the  great  sums  contributed  by  the 
arid  interior  for  the  improvement  of  the 
rivers  and  harbors  of  the  rest  of  the 
country.  T.he  work  of  the  National  Irri- 
gation Association  has  been  mainly  a  prop- 
aganda among  the  merchants  and  manu- 
factures of  the  East  for  the  purpose  of 
arousing  them  to  the  importance  of  open- 
ing new  markets  by  irrigation.  This  prop- 
aganda has  been  remarkably  successful. — 
San  Francisco  Chronicle. 

The  people  of  the  arid  region  who  un- 
derstand the  irrigation  problem  desire  na- 
tional appropriations  to  be  confined  to  the 
construction  of  storage  reservoirs,  and,  in 
a  very  few  cases,  to  long  and  expensive 
canals,  the  construction  of  which  is  be- 
yond the  ability  of  private  or  state  enter- 
prise. If  the  reclamation  of  the  arid  region 
makes  homes  for  10,000,000  people  it  will 
more  than  justify  all  the  expense  involved. 
— Denver  Republican. 

The  advocates  of  Federal  aid  to  irriga- 
tion declare  that  the  scientific  storing  and 
distribution  of  water  would  so  regulate  the 
amount  which  finds  its  way  to  the  rivers 
as  to  make  extreme  fluctuations  almost 
unknown.  Wing  dams,  levees  and  rip- 
rap would  not  be  destroyed,  channels 
would  not  be  suddenly  choked  with  sand, 
and  thus  millions  would  be  saved.  The 
argument  is  an  interesting  one,  and  there 
are  others  in  support  of  irrigation  under 
government  control  that  are  evep  more 
forcible.  — Minneapolis  Timzs. 

What  the  nation  is  asked  to  do  for  the 
arid  lands  of  the  West  is  just  what  the 
nation  has  been  doing  for  almost  a  century 
for  the  low-lying  bottom  lands  of  the 


lower  Mississippi,  and  that  is,  to  construct 
such  works  for  the  government  of  the 
water  offthe  country  as  will  render  the 
land  habitable  and  tillable. — Albuquerque 
(N.  M.)  Journal  Democrat. 

The  question  of  irrigation  has  passed 
beyond  the  experiment  stage,  and  both 
theory  and  practice  have  demonstrated  the 
necessity  of  the  reclamation  of  the  vast 
quantities  of  arid  land  now  neglected, 
which,  as  was  once  said  about  Australia, 
will,  "if  tickled  with  a  straw,  be  taught  to 
laugh  a  harvest" — the  straw  in  this  case 
being  water. — E.  A.  Hitchcock,  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  in  Annual  Report  for 
1900. 

The  great  scramble  for  farm  lands  re- 
ported from  Minnesota  in  the  White 
Earth  reservation,  including  only  four 
townships  lately  ceded  for  occupation  by 
white  settlers,  certainly  indicates  that  the 
reclaiming  of  land  by  irrigation  would  be  a 
popular  measure  of  government.  More 
than  2,000  people  joined  in  the  rush  to 
secure  homes,  and  for  days  hundreds  of 
men  waited  at  the  door  of  the  land  office 
to  buy  homes  at  $1.25  per  acre.  These 
are  genuine  home  seekers.  —  Youngstown 
(0.)  Vindicator. 

Under  government  supervision  and  con- 
trol irrigation  will  make  a  garden  land  out 
of  what  has  bee/i  called  a  desert,  and  the 
entire  community  will  share  in  the  great 
benefits.  — Minneapolis  Progress. 

In  calling  attention  to  the  National  Ir- 
rigation Congress,  the  president  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  College  refers  to  "  the 
planting  on  the  soil  of  a  great  population 
with  the  employments  and  habits  of  rural 
life,  and  yet  so  compactly  settled  as  to  be 
able  to  secure  the  advantages  in  the  way 
of  schools,  colleges,  churches,  entertain- 
tainments  and  all  that  goes  to  make  up 
the  best  social  and  public  life  which  can 
commonly  be  secured  only  in  the  largest 
towns. — Aew  York  Journal  of  Commerce* 


130 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


Captain  Chittenden  of  the  Engineering 
Department  of  the  Government  asserts 
that  there  are  75,000,000  acres  that  might 
be  made  highly  profitable  agricultural 
lands  at  a  cost  of  $2.00  an  acre.  It  is 
probable  that  in  the  near  future  the  gov- 
ernment will  take  the  matter  up.  It  cer- 
tainly seems  worth  while. — Kansas  City 
World. 

Ordinary  business  sense  demands  that 
the  federal  government  take  up  the  work 
of  irrigation.  National  irrigation  enter- 
prise would  be  beneficial  in  more  ways  than 
one.  It  would  be  profitable  to  the  gov- 
ernment because  it  would  enhance  the 
value  of  government  laud.  It  would  pro- 
vide an  immense  amount  of  work  for  men 
anxious  to  earn  fair  wages.  It  would 
build  up  a  great  section  of  the  country 
that  would  be  a  splendid  market  for 
American  manufacturers.  Government 
neglect  of  irrigation  i?  criminal — Omaha 
World-Herald. 

It  is  eminently  wise  and  proper  that  the 
national  government  should  do  its  part  in 
creating  proper  storage  reservoirs  and 
proper  means  for  distributing  water.  The 
national  government  should,  in  my  juog- 
ment,  do  its  part,  for  here  in  the  West 
the  next  great  stride  must  be  made  by 
means  of  irrigation. — Gov.  Roosevelt  in 
speech  at  Salt  Lake,  Sept.  21,  19UO. 

A  national  system  of  irrigation  and  forest 
protection  will  be  a  gigantic  proposition, 
and  can  be  handled  with  success  alone  by 
the  national  government.  Like  the  deep- 
ening of  the  waterway  channels,  the  build- 
ing of  lighthouses  and  government  locks 
for  the  immediate  benefit  of  a  few,  but  for 
the  ultimate  benefit  of  all,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  system  of  irrigation  to  bring 
under  cultivation  the  vast  arid  tracts  of 
the  West,  is  also  an  enterprise  within  the 
peculiar  province  of  the  central  govern- 
ment.—^. Paul  Globe. 

It  is  the  experience  of  the  whole  West 
that  companies  that  sell  water  rights  are 


not  successful;  but  the  farmers'  canal  com- 
panies, where  the  men  who  own  the  land 
they  irrigate  also  own  the  water  system, 
have  been  successful.  The  right  to  the 
use  of  water  for  irrigation  should  vest  in 
the  user  and  become  appurtenant  to  the 
land  irrigated,  the  theory  being  that  the 
water  necessary  to  irrigate  an  acre  of  land 
should  belong  to  the  acre  of  land  itself. — 
George  H.  Maxwell. 

The  construction  of  storage  reservoirs  is 
no  longer  looked  upon  as  a  scheme  to  loot 
the  national  treasury,  but  as  a  proposition 
which  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  na- 
tion as  the  improvement  of  rivers  and 
harbors,  the  construction  of  the  Nicaragua 
Canal,  the  building  of  the  Pacific  roads 
and  the  laying  of  ocean  cables.  There  is 
no  more  certain  method  of  promoting  com- 
merce, domestic  and  interstate,  as  well  as 
foreign  and  international,  than  by  build- 
ing up  and  promoting  the  industries  of  all 
portions  of  the  nation. — Denver  News. 

The  country  cannot  afford  to  permit  the 
monopoly  of  the  flowing  streams.  In 
many  western  localities  growers  are  de- 
pendent upon  those  who  by  prior  water 
right  control  the  water  supply.  It  is  time 
our  statesmen  were  listening  to  the  vast 
and  important  new  issues  coming  up.  — 
Racine  (Wis.)  Journal. 

The  most  interesting  argument  advanced 
at  the  recent  irrigation  convention  is  that 
the  controlling  of  water  sources  for  irriga- 
tion purposes  which  prevent  the  great 
floods  which  annually  destroy  river  im- 
provements, and  that  thus  federal  invest- 
ment in  irrigation  reservoirs  would  be 
federal  economy. — Seattle  Times. 

As  the  scheme  of  irrigation  like  that  of 
transportation  covers  many  states,  it  pro- 
perly belongs  to  the  federal  government. 
Here  is  a  million  square  miles  of  territory 
lying  wholly  untouched  for  the  want  of 
moisture.  When  we  remember  the  fact 
that  less  than  500,000  square  miles  of 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


131 


^arable  land  produce  all  our  grain,  hay, 
cotton,  sugar  and  vegetables,  the  impor- 
tance of  the  reclaiming  of  this  vast  terri- 
tory appears  in  its  true  light.  —  St.  Paul 
Globe, 

The  systematic  irrigation,  through  gov- 
ernment appropriations  of  the  arid  West 
would  mean  a  greater  advantage  to  New 
'England,  beyond  a  doubt,  than  any  other 
measure  of  national  legislation  which  is 
likely  to  be  adopted. — Boston  Dispatch  to 
New  York  Mail  and  Express. 

The  reclamation  of  one  hundred  million 
acres  of  arid  land  capable  of  supporting 
50,000,000  inhabitants  has  become  a  na- 
tional issue,  and  it  is  believed  will  be 
•settled  by  the  present  administration, 
which  is  pledged  to  this  end  by  its  party 
platform. —  Columbus  (0.)  Dispatch. 

The  East  is  much  interested  in  a  gen- 
eral reclamation  of  arid  western  lands. 
There  is  just  as  much  argument  to  be  ad- 
vanced in  favor  of  national  irrigation  in 
the  West  as  there  was  in  favor  of  national 
control  and  improvement  of  rivers  and 
harbors. — New  York  News. 

There  are  many  manufactures  in  Massa- 
chusetts, for  instance,  whose  prosperity 
and  that  of  those  dependent  upon  them 
depend  very  largely  upon  the  western 
markets.  They  see  clearly  enough  the  re- 
lation of  the  reclamation  of  the  West  to 
the  business  interests  of  the  East. — 
Brooklyn  Citizen. 

Fortunately  for  us  we  still  have  a  domain 
of  almost  illimitable  extent  which  is  capa- 
ble of  supporting  a  population  as  large  in 
itself  as  that  we  have  at  present,  once 
water  is  brought  to  it.  Water  is  all  that 
is  needed  to  make  the  now  arid  West  the 
garden  of  the  world.  The  time  has  now 
come  when  this  matter  demands  the 
country's  earnest  attention.  —  Chicago 
Journal. 

One  of  the  greatest  physical  and 
-economic  problems  that  today  is  attract- 


ing the  attention  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  is  the  reclamation  of  arid 
lands.  Nor  is  there  another  problem,  the 
solution  of  which  will  bring  about  such 
far-reaching  and  beneficial  results.  Now 
that  the  presidential  question  has  been 
disposed  of,  the  problem  of  reclamation  of 
arid  lands  by  the  government  and  for  the 
people  will  be  in  order. — Buffalo  (N.  Y.) 
Enquirer. 

Much  misinformation  exists  in  the  East 
regarding  the  national  irrigation  move- 
ment, and  some  eastern  agricultural  papers 
even  go  so  far  as  to  oppose  the  whole 
thing,  fearing  that  it  will  mean  an  in- 
crease of  western  competition.  On  the 
contrary,  the  peopling  of  the  now  arid 
region  would  furnish  a  home  market  for 
vast  quantities  of  eastern  manufacturers, 
and  would  produce  comparatively  little 
surplus  farm  crops  for  shipment  to  the 
East.- — Orange  Judd  Farmer 

The  reclamation  of  the  arid  iands  will 
furnish  comfortable  homes  for  teeming 
myriads  of  people.  Their  settlement  will 
furnish  traffic  for  the  railroads  and  a  mar- 
ket for  endless  quantities  of  manufactured 
articles  while  the  surplus  products  of  tb,e 
field  will  be  sent  to  the  remotest  markets 
of  the  world.  The  problem  is  certainly 
important  enough  to  command  general  at- 
tention.—  Chicago  Post. 

Irrigation  is  a  subject  about  which 
Americans  should  be  concerned.  There 
is  no  movement  which  could  do  so  much 
for  the  United  States  as  the  irrigation  of 
the  arid  plains.  The  Journal  hopes  that 
an  effort  will  be  turned  in  that  direction. 
There  is  no  work  which  could  so  certainly 
add  to  the  wealth  of  the  nation.  In  the 
center  of  the  continent  lies  the  grandest 
possibilities  of  the. nation.  —  Lafayette 
(Ind.)  Journal. 

When  the  government  has  done  its  duty 
toward  that  (western)  poition  of  the  con- 
tinent, the  cities  of  the  Pacific  coast  will 
soon  be  larger  and  more  magnificent  than 


132 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


the  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast.  California 
alone  will  have  someday  thirty  millions  of 
people,  and  that  day  will  dawn  in  the  new 
century  if  the  government  will  but  act  the 
part  of  of  a  shrewd  landlord  on  the  Pacific 
coa&t. —  Chicago  Chronicle. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  vast  areas  of 
land  can  be  reclaimed  by  irrigation.  What 
congress  has  to  guard  against  is  schemes 
to  benefit  mere  private  enterprise  at  public 
expense.  The  government  should  control 
the  distribution  and  settlement  of  the  land 
reclaimed,  to  permit  its  people  every- 
where to  share  in  the  advantages  to  be 
provided.  A  project  so  guarded  will  be 
beneficent,  and  the  people  of  every  section 
of  the  country  can  consistently  approve  of 
it. — Springfield  (III.)  Register. 

Any  great  improvement  that  will  bene- 
fit not  only  the  territory  adjacent  but  the 
whole  country  should  be  made.  The 
Isthmian  canal  would  do  this,  and  there- 
fore should  be  constructed.  Of  scarcely 
less  importance  is  the  proposed  plan  to  re- 
claim the  vast  extent  of  the  arid  lands  of 
the  West.  The  fact  that  vice  president 
elect  Roosevelt,  Gen.  Miles  and  other 
prominent  officials  of  the  government  are 
in  favor  of  the  great  improvement,  must 
be  encouraging. —  Cleveland  (0.)  World. 

The  government  experts  have  surveyed 
the  arid  lands,  measured  the  water  supply 
and  made  estimates  as  to  the  cost  of  in- 
creasing or  regulating  the  latter.  All  that 
congress  is  asked  to  do  now  is  to  make  a 
beginning.  It  is  believed  that  such  suc- 
cess will  follow  the  building  of  one  storage 
reservoir  that  the  advisability  of  others 
will  never  be  questioned,  and  that  they 
will  thereafter  be  built  whenever  oppor- 
tunity presents  and  the  financial  resources 
of  the  national  government  allow. — New 
York  Commercial  Advertiser. 

When  in  his  letter  to  the  irrigation  con- 
gress Gen.  Miles  ?aid  that  private  or  cor- 
porate enterprise  could  not  be  trusted 
with  the  water  monopoly  in  the  arid  re- 


gions of  the  West,  he  expressed  a  senti" 
ment  that  will  meet  with  a  chorous  of  ap- 
proval in  every  state  and  territory  where 
irrigation  is  employed.  There  is  work  of 
great  magnitude  to  be  done  which  would 
be  impossible  to  any  other  agency  than  the 
federal  government.  —  Chicago  Times- 
Herald. 

It  is  probably  true  that  the  millions  of 
acres  of  arid  lands  still  existing,  which 
might  be  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose  if 
water  could  be  turned  through  them,  must 
remain  arid  unless  the  national  govern- 
ment takes  some  action.  Enormous  pos- 
sibilities of  material  development  are 
wrapped  up  in  this  question.  There  are 
sections  of  the  country  where  one  piece  of 
land  is  worth  $500  an  acre,  while  land  ad- 
joining is  not  worth  more  than  fifty  cents; 
the  difference  being  that  one  is  irrigated 
and  the  other  is  not. — Boston  Journal. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  farmers  settled 
upon  small  but  highly  productive  farms 
would  add  greatly  by  their  labors  to  the 
agricultural  products  of  the  United  States, 
and  would  be  new,  good  customers  of  its 
manufacturers  and  merchants.  There  is 
one  reason  why  so  many  prominent  Chi- 
cago business  men  are  interested  in  this 
irrigation  question.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  any  extensive  plan  for  the  reclama- 
tion of  the  arid  lands  can  be  carried  on  to 
much  better  advantage  by  the  general 
government  than  by  the  states.  —  Chicago 
Tribune. 

The  problem  of  the  arid  land  is  one  of 
the  prettiest  and  most  promising  problems 
before  the  country.  The  government  alone 
can  secure  the  preservation  of  the  forests 
of  the  West  which  are  vital  to  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  water  supply.  It  can  con- 
trol the  water  supply  itself  and  this  no 
private  corporation  can  do.  Irrigation  is 
a  matter  demanding  public  supervision 
and  control,  and  the  national  government 
alone  is  in  a  position  of  carrying  on  the 
work  of  promoting  it.  What  concerns  th,e 


THE  IRRIGASION  AGE. 


133 


arid  lands  of  the  Bocky  Mountain  region 
concerns  every  part  -of  the  United  States. 
— Syracuse  (N.  Y.)  Post- Standard. 

The  government  is  spending  large  sums 
in  aiding  in  the  development  of  foreign 
trade  and  the  opening  of  foreign  markets 
for  American  manufacturers.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  we  should  push  our  goods  into 
every  market  of  the  world  and  sell  them. 
The  belief  is  also  gaining  ground  that  the 
government  should  develop  its  home  market 
for  its  products  and  its  manufacturers. 
This  it  could  do  by  reclaiming  the  75,000,- 
000  acres  of  western  arid  land  and  settling 
thena  with  thousands,  of  industrious  home 
builders.  Eastern  merchants  are  more 
than  willing  to  see  such  an  accomplish- 
ment. — National  Irrigation. 

Captain  Chittenden's  report  puts  the 
area  that  might  be  reclaimed  at  75,000,- 
000  acres.  Here  is  size  enough  for  an 
impcrium  in  imperio;  or,  if  the  term  of- 
fends, a  republic  within  the  the  republic. 
The  eastern  overflow  will  need  its  outlet 
for  population  for  many  years  to  come, 
and  it  is  that  fact  which  makes  this  inter- 
esting proposition  worthy  of  consideration 


in  this  section.  There  would  be  no  grea- 
risk  taken  in  the  proposed  expenditure,  as 
gradually  as  it  would  have  to  be  made,  be 
cause  the  government  could  make  its  own 
terms  and  guard  itself  effectually  againzt 
any  ultimate  loss  by  the  outlay. — Boston 
Transcript. 

The  disadvantage  of  permitting  the- 
work  of  irrigation  to  be  done  by  private 
corporations  or  syndicates  is  that  the  irri- 
gation companies  secure  control  of  the 
water  supply.  Having  done  this,  they 
forever  afterward  hold  the  key  to  the  situ- 
ation, and  unless  their  plans  are  compre- 
hensive, their  construction  work  sub- 
ftantial,  and  their  water  rates  reasonable 
— which  conditions  are  seldom  or  never 
fully  realized — they  are  a  hindrance  to  the 
complete  irrigation  of  the  dependent  lo- 
cality. For  these  reasons  the  national 
government  ought  to  take  hold  of  the  irri- 
gation problem  and  work  it  out  on  a 
thorough  and  homogenous  plan.  The 
newly  elected  national  administration  and 
congress  are  fully  committed  to  the  policy 
of  nationalizing  the  work  of  irrigation. — 
Chicago  Record. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


CHRISTMAS  IN  A  RICH  FAMILY. 

MARIE  CONRAD-RAMLO. 
If  the  walls  in  the  old  city  of 
Hamburg  had  been  transparent  or, 
at  least,  if  people  could  have 
looked  in  at  the  windows — the 
general  verdict  of  all  the  curious 
would  have  surely  been,  "the 
Kaunitz  home,  the  house  of  the 
rich  wholesale  dealer,  looks  cer- 
tainly the  nicest.  Everything  ar- 
ranged so  thoughtfully,  in  such  a 
sweet  way — in  one  word — incom- 
parable!" 

One  would  not  at  first  sight  have 
given  credit  to  the  little,  insignifi- 
cant looking  Prau  Kaunitz  for  so 
much  inventive  power,  such  capa- 
bility to  appreciate  and  utilize  the 
humorous  side  of  life  and  sbove  all 
for  the  infallible  taste  and  tact  with 
which  she  arranged  everything. 

She  did  not  copy  the  custom  of 
most  families,  where  a  large  table 
stands  in  the  center  of  the  room 
with  a  large  Christmas  tree  upon  it 
while  under  the  glistening  branches 
lie  the  presents  in  ugly,  prosaical 
heaps  as  though  they  were  on  the 
counter  of  a  store. 

No,  in  this  house,  the  entire 
place  was  like  an  immense  Christ- 
mas table.  Halls  and  stairway, 
every  room,  sometimes  oven  the 
stable  was  utilized  for  the  placing 
of  presents.  The  most  precious 
gifts,  however,  were  invariably 


hidden  in  the  mother's  boudoir — a 
room  that  led  from  the  salon 
through  a  door  curtained  with  rich 
and  heavy  draperies;  this  the  chil- 
dren knew  and  waited  with  all-dis- 
guised impatience  for  the  moment 
when  the  velvety  portieres  would 
be  drawn  aside  and  the  long  de- 
sired love-token  of  their  mother 
would  be  found. 

In  this  same  way  the  Christmas 
tides  of  many  years  were  greeted 
as  long  as  the  two  children  were 
at  home. 

Then  all  at  once  things  changed, 
the  house  became  silent.  Amalie, 
the  blond,  pretty  daughter,  was 
betrothed  to  an  immensely  wealthy 
ship  builder  of  America,  while  the 
son  Bruno  went  to  a  celebrated 
college. 

Longingly  the  mother  sought 
for  the  expression  of  bliss  in  her 
daughter's  face,  for  brimful  eyes 
and  quivering  lips.  She  did  not 
find  it.  With  dry,  questioning 
eyes  the  girl  looked  at  her  mother. 
"Are  you  happy  my  child, ';  wrs 
the  tearful  inquiry. 

'"'I  hope  to  become  happy.  I 
shall  live  like  a  queen.  I  shall 
possess  all  a  human  heart  can 
desire  and  my  betrothed  loves 
me." 

"Yes,  yes,  he   loves  you,  he  wil 
make    life   happy    for  you."    Bu* 
Prau  Kaunitz    knaw  thit  nona  of 


THE  IRR1 GA Tl ON  AGE. 


135 


the  happiness  had  yet  entered 
into  the  girl's  heart.  She  had 
accepted  her  suiter,  because  her 
father  had  wished  her  to  do  so, 
and  she,  the  loving  daughter,  hav- 
ing no  will  of  her  own,  was  accust- 
omed to  be  ruled  by  his  victorious 
authority. 

"Wealth  is  happiness,"  the 
father  had  said.  "I  wish  to  see 
my  children  rich — I  want  to  see 
them  great." 

"I  would  rather  see  them 
happy,'-'  sighed  the  mother. 

But  should  she  influence  her 
daughter  against  this  marriage? 
No,  she  could  not  do  it.  For  this 
union  was  the  realization  of  one  of 
her  husband's  most  ardent  desires! 
And  Aamlie's  intended  husband 
truly  loved  her.  That  was  the 
reason  which  silenced  her  above 
any  other.  "What  bliss  it  must 
be  to  be  loved!"  It  was  more  than 
she,  Frau  Kaunitz,  could  grasp. 
The  little  woman  had  a  wide  kind 
heart  opening  towards  all  the 
world.  But  the  heart  of  her  hus- 
band, the  handsome  stately  Herr 
Kaun  z,  was  small,  narrow,  Phili- 
stine. Now  she  was  alone  with 
him.  Her  deep,  gray  eyes,  the 
only  truly  beautiful  feature  of  her 
whole  person,  were  often  filled 
with  tears. 

"Great  my  son  shall  be,  great 
and  famous!  Law  shall  be  his 
profession,  not  painting  nor  music 
as  he  would  have  it.  Law  leads  to 
everything.  Therefore  it  is  law. 
He  shall  be  a  Bismark  or  some- 
thing on  that  order,  for  we  possess 
the  means  to  achieve  it.  Then 
he'll  be  knighted,  later  he'll  marry 


a  rich  daughter  of  the  nobiliiy  and 

then,  then ,"    Thus  dreamt  the 

merchant  and  the  dreams  made 
him  happier.  Frau  Kounitz  knew 
this  and  she  allowed  her  son  to 
leave. 

To  make  people  happy!  That 
was  always  her  desire.  Only  he 
who  can  make  others  happy  may 
himself  be  truly  happy.  But 
Bruno,  her  cherished  son,  was  not 
happy.  What  could  she  do?  She 
thought  and  thought,  all  in  vain. 

There  was  no  more  Christmas 
joy  in  the  luxurious  mansion. 
Only  the  servants  received  the 
expected  gifts  and  the  city's  chil- 
dren of  the  poor  spoke  of  the 
"angel  kindness  of  Frau  Kaunitz." 
But  her  home  was  very  quiet.  To 
a  holy  child  this  day  was  conse- 
crated and  glorified  for  Him  and, 
therefore,  will  Christmas  be  a  holi- 
day for  the  children  for  all  time  to 
come.  Old  people  are  only  happy 
on  this  day  if  they  witness  the 
happiness  of  children. 

Frau  Kaunitz  looked  sadly 
around  her  in  the  quiet  room 
where,  in  former  years,  the  very 
air  seemed  saturated  with  christ- 
mas  whisperings  and  the  scent  of 
fire  and  pine. 

"Let  Bruno  remain  at  college. 
The  few  days  short  and  frequent 
vacations  are  always  hurtful. 
Mister  student  readily  acquires 
the  habits  of  idleness  at  home  and 
we  need  no  such  sentimentalities 
anyway!"  So  spoke  the  father, 
and  when  had  the  "master's" 
energetic  will  not  carried  the  day 
in  this  house? 

And  Amalie,  although  she  often 


136 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


wrote  to  her  good  mother  explicit 
letters,  never  replied  to  the 
anxious  question:  "Are  you 
happy  now?" 

Bruno  thus  studied  jurispru- 
dence. Aside  from  his  studies  he 
painted,  played  the  piano,  wrote 
poems  and  —  failed  in  his  exami- 
nation. His  father  raged  and 
raved:  he  thundered:  "Bruno  is 


"Good  son"  the  mother  inter- 
posed, and  she  was  right. 

"He— 

"He  has  a  great  heart." 

Herr  Kaunitz  trembled  with 
anger.  "A  son  who  fails  has 
never  a  great  heart,  don't  talk  so 
ridiculous." 

And  yet  the  mother  was  right 
again. 

"And  he  shall  be  great  and 
famous  in  spite  of  it,"  the  father 
snarled. 

"Oh  that  he  may  be  happy," 
whispered  she.  But  the  man  did 
not  hear. 

'  'Never  a  painter  nor  a  musician,  " 
he  continued,  "they  are  all  poor 
devils.  A  merchant,  yes,  he  may 
be  that,  if  law  won't  go;  then  he 
can  at  least  make  money.  And 
money  is  power,  too.  Millions 
make  famous.  When  Bruno  will 
have  his  millions  —  he  hasn't  got 
them  yet  —  he  can  allow  himself 
the  luxury  of  daubing  or  thump- 
ing." 

Thoroughly  crushed  Bruno 
entered  his  father's  presence  and 
with  a  painful  shock  he  listened  to 
this  decision. 

"Yes"  he  replied,  "I  will  do 
your  bidding;  I  owe  you  this 


obedience,  for  I  brought  disgrace 
on  your  name;  I  know  my  failure 
is  a  greater  affliction  to  you  than 
my  death  might  have  been." 

He  paused  and  waited  for  a 
reply,  a  refutation  but  heard  only 
an  undefinable  grunt,  and  he  went 
away. 

He  settled  down  to  work  in  the 
office,  day  and  night  with  untiring 
zeal,  straining  all  of  his  faculties 
to  their  utmost.  He  wanted  to 
gain  his  father's  respect,  for  he 
possessed  his  mother's  heart. 

Herr  Kaunitz  could  nurse  the 
symptoms  of  his  gout.  Bruno 
took  his  place  in  many  things. 
But  the  deed,  the  great  redeeming 
deed,  he  still  lacked,  and  at  last 
his  opportunity  arrived.  In  the 
great  Kaunitz  store-houses  in 
Kaiser  Wilhelmsland  in  the  South 
sea  a  rebellion  had  arisen,  great 
embezzlements  were  discovered 
and  quite  a  large  part  of  the 
for-tune  was  at  stake. 

The  old  man  could  not  leave  or 
he  would  have  been  the  first  to  be 
on  the  scene.  But  the  gout  just 
then  troubled  him  greatly  and  so 
he  wailed: 

"That  requires  a  man  of  my 
experience,  my  energy,  my  cour- 
age! But  I  have  no  such  person." 

"I  will  go  there  father,"  said 
Bruno. 

"You?"  Herr  Kaunitz  grinned 
in  an  unbelieving  almost  derisive 
way,  "you  would  be  the  last, 
whom  I  would  credit  with  sufficient 
intelligence  or  courage" — Bruuo 
blushed.  "Enough,  father,  I  shall 
go  there." 

And  he  he  went,  settled  every. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


137 


thing,  displaying  great  prudence 
and  calmness  and  started  on  his 
homeward  journey,  though  the 
fever  had  taken  hold  of  him. 
Chills  and  heart  were  alternately 
shaking  him  and  when  home  at 
last,  he  fell  exhausted  into  his 
mother's  arms,  who  saw  his  pallor 
with  trembling  fear. 

"Why  did  you  inflict  this  on  me, 
Bruno?"  She  cried." 

"Why  did  you  leave?" 

"To  save  for  father  a  part  of  his 
fortune.  Wealth  is  the  only  thing 
that  can  make  him  happy — I  went 
with  the  secret  hope,  he,  too, 
would  some  day — if  I  asked  him — " 

That  was  all.  They  were  his 
last  coherent  words,  after  that 
there  was  only  unintelligible  mur- 
muring, broken  sentences  and  then 
his  lips  and  eyes  were  closed  as  in 
•death. 

The  mother  sat  at  his  bedside 
night  and  day  and  listened  with 
breathless  attention  to  everything, 
but  she  could  find  no  connection, 
only  now  and  then,  the  clearly 
pronounced  name  "Regina."  She 
waited  and  wondered  but  nothing 
more  came  than:  "Repina,  Re- 
gina." Sometimes  softly,  lovingly, 
sometimes  with  a  sigh  and  again  in 
reproachful  accents . 

"Who  is  that?  I  know  of  no 
such  person,"  thought  she.  "I 
have  never  heard  of  her." 

And    then    she    would    lay  her 

hand   on  Bruno's    feverish    brow. 

He  took  her  hand  and  pressed  it  to 

his  lips  [first,    then  to  his  breast. 

The    mother    prayed,    lifted    her 

right  hand  as  onerdoes  with  a  vow 

and  her  face  assuming  an  expres- 


sion of  heroic  resolution  seemed  to 
be  transfiguring  into  beauty. 
Bruno  recovered. 
His  mother  asked  him  without 
any  introduction  whatsover: 
"Do  you  love  Regina?" 
He  looked  into  his  mother's  face 
with     astonishment,     but    full    of 
earnestness. 

"I  do,  mother  more  than  I  can 
describe — as  much  as  man  can  love 
a  woman."  / 

"Why  did  you  never  tell  me 
of  it?" 

"Oh  mother,  you  never  can  help 
things,  anyhow." 

He  said  it  quietly  and  meant  no 
harm,  but  the  simple  words  struck 
his  mother  like  an  awful  reproach. 
Never-  can  help  things!     She  bit 
her  lips  in  humiliation.     He  con- 
tinued:      "And    father — well  you 
know    his    plans    for    my    future. 
Wealthy,  distinguished — immeasur- 
ably rich  must  be  his  daughter-in- 
law's  portion!     He  would  laugh  as 
he  has  never  laughed  in  his  life 
before,   if  I   should   tell  him  how 
poor,  how  terribly  poor,  Regina  is. 
Oh  mother  say  no  more  of  it,  I  beg 
of  you — for  she  too,   is  so  proud, 
incredibly  proud.     Her  pride  is  as 
great   as  her    love    for    me    or    I 
should  have  gone   into  the  world 
long  ago  to  make  a  living  for  her 
with  my  incomplete  abilities." 
"Why — she  refuses?" 
"Yes,  she  refuses  to  bear  father's 
name   against    his    will.       And  it 
would  be  dreadful  for  me  to   lead 
the  wife  of  my  heart  to  an  uncer- 
tain fate.      She,   who  has  always 
lived  on  the  dark  side  of  life  and 
battled  with  poverty  and  trouble. 


138 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


I  would   make  a  soft,   warm   nest 
for  her  and  I  cannot.'' 

Ho  said  no  more;  she  also 
remained  silent. 

***** 

Regina's  mother  who  lived  at 
the  city's  farthest  end  did  not 
wonder  a  little  to  see  the  rich 
Frau  Kaunitz  one  day  walk  into 
her  shabby  home.  But  even  more 
astonished  was  the  rich  woman 
when  she  met  Regina,  so  beautiful, 
so  prond,  yet  of  such  earnest  mild- 
ness as  a  god- sent  being,  like  one 
imagines  the  protecting  angels  of 
the  little  children  to  be. 

It  was  hours  before  Frau 
Kaunitz  walked  with  smiling  lips 
the  short  distance  from  the  little 
house  to  her  carriage  at  the  next 
corner.  With  decisive  steps  she 
entered  her  husband's  room  that 
day  and  actually  heard,  when  she 
began  her  tale  of  Regina,  the 
brutal,  exaggerated  laughter  which 
Bruno  had  mentioned.  Verily, 
never  in  his  life  before  had  Herr 
Kaunitz  laughed  like  this. 

But  the  woman  kept  on  in  a 
quiet,  resolute  manner,  though 
her  weak  body  shook  with  a  wild 
tremor.  She  gathered  all  her 
strength  unto  her.  With  pale 
lips  she  told  him,  how,  as  a  young 
bride  she  had  cleaned  his  desk  one 
day  and  had  found  a  letter  from 
her  guardian,  which  plainly  stated 
that  the  stately  handsome  Herr 
Kaunitz  had  sold  himself  to  her. 
the  little,  sickly  girl.  She  told 
him,  that  the  sale  passed  through 
the  hands  of  her  unscrupulous 
guardian  without  her  knowledge. 
She  had  thought  that  her  wooer 


had  loved  her  and  she  had  not 
known  that  the  stately,  handsome 
Herr  Kaunitz  was  a  bankrupt,  who 
only  wished  to  marry  the  large 
money-bag  of  the  small  girl,  but 
who,  to  his  sorrow,  was  obliged  to 
take  the  "little  charmless  invalid," 
whom  he  dreaded,  into  the  bargain. 

She  had  learned  all  this  through 
the  letter — which  she  now  held  in 
front  of  her  husband's  eyes — 
learned  it  all  even  in  her  honey- 
moon and  thus  she  had  become  his 
silent,  faithful,  but  joyless  wife, 
till  the  children  came.  The  little 
darlings  had  brought  her  happi- 
ness, so  pure,  so  immense,  and  yet 
painful,  for  the  father  remained 
hard  and  rough  even  to  them. 
Then  her  beloved  daughter  Amalie 
left  her  according  to  his  wishes 
and  she  suffered  her  to  go;  then 
the  son  went  and  again  she  suffered 
his  departure  to  place— she  ac- 
quiesced every  thing  in  slavish 
subjection,  because  she  loved  the 
man  wildly,  passionately,  because 
her  very  breath,  her  entire  life 
had  been  love,  a  wonderful  love  of 
the  hate-worthy  man  from  the 
beginning  of  her  married  life  until 
now. 

For  his  pleasure  only  were  the 
affairs  of  the  family  arranged. 
Amalie,  Bruno,  and  she,  herself, 
sacrificed  everything  and  did  any- 
thing for  his  sake.  For  it  was 
that  which  had,  in  spite  of  all, 
commanded  the  admiration  of  the 
little  woman.  The  power  of  his 
indomitable  will;  the  firmness  with 
which  he  alone  of  all  of  them  was 
endowed.  Amalie  and  Bruno  were 
his  children  in  appearance  by  their 


THE  1RRIGA  TION  A  GE. 


139 


imposing  statures,  but  they  had 
also  inherited  a  part  of  her  nature, 
her  lack  of  decision,  her  weak 
will — but  also  her  magnamimous, 
childish  heart. 

Frau  Kaunitz  spoke  long  with 
her  husband.  He  had  never 
listened  with  such  patience  before. 
The  heart  of  the  stately  man 
expandep  as  he  listened,  and  it 
became  larger,  wider,  softer.  He 
wondered :  Can  a  woman  so  love  a 
man  a  whole  life  long,  who  does 
not  love  her,  a  man  of  whose 
degradation  of  soul  she  is  con- 
vinced? He  did  not  exprese  this 
wonder,  far  from  it,  but  he  medi- 
tated upon  it  as  one  does  on  some- 
thing incomprehensible,  incon- 

vincible,  something  abnormal. 
***** 

And  Christmas  returned  once 
more. 

"Let  it  pass  quietly,  mother," 
begged  Bruno,  "just  like  any  other 
gray  winter's  day.  It  is  only  for 
children,  and  we  have  none." 

The  mother  nodded,  Bruno 
sighed  deeply.  He  longed  for  a 
home  of  his  own.  Both,  mother 
and  son  looked  straight  ahead  into 
blankness  and  the  eyes  of  both 
grew  moist.  A  bright  multi- 
colored vision  passed  through 
their  minds.  A  sweet,  earnest 
wife  among  a  crowd  of  laughing 
children.  However,  the  mother 
only  said: 

"But  at  least  be  at  home  this 
evening,  Bruno." 

"Oh  yes.  you  dear  good,  mother, 
I  shall  be  with  you." 

Christmas  surprises!  It  re- 
mained the  little  Prau  Kaunitz's 


specialty  after  all. 

She  had  to  arrange  for  a  few 
pleasant  surprises  for  Bruno,  even 
though  she  had  bade  him  to  desist. 
And  once  more  there  were  christ- 
mas  whisperings,  a  hurrying  softly 
by,  Christmas  odors  and  Christmas 
glory  all  over  the  house  as  in 
olden  days. 

When  Bruno,  in  coming  home 
crossed  the  yard,  Fritz,  the  little 
stable  boy  in  full  uniform,  called 
him  to  the  stalls. 

There  stood  a  beautiful  riding 
horse  of  noble  race,  a  present  from 
his  father.  Bruno  petted  it,  smil- 
ing, and  assended  the  steps. 
There  on  the  clothes-rack  in  the 
upper  hall  hung  a  fur  top-coapt 
for  him. 

"Ah,"  he  thought,  "mother 
could  not  forego  it."  In  his  room 
there  was  all  the  necessary  para- 
phernalia for  painting.  easel, 
palette  and  everything  in  luxuri- 
ous, tasteful  perfection.  On  the 
grand  piano  of  the  salon  lay  a  pile 
of  new  music  and  so  on  step  for 
step  a  surprise  awaited  Bruno. 

"And  now  see  my  Christmas 
present,"  said  the  mothet,  at  last 
waving  with  a  radiant  smile  and 
triumphant  flourishing  a  bit  of 
paper.  A  caplegram  from  Am- 
erica. And  Bruno  read:  Born,  a 
son  yesterday.  Now  I  am  com- 
pletely happy.  Amalie. 

"Hurrah — mother!" 

"But  seek  father  Bruno,"  urged 
his  mother. 

"Still  more'?.  But  mother  what 
else  can  there  be  that  you  can. 
give  me?" 

"Oh    there   may    be    something 


140 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


else.     Just  look   for   it,    'Seek   ye 
and  ye  shall  find,'  says  the  gospel." 

"Really  another  present?  I 
have  so  much  already,  where  shall 
I  put  it  all?" 

"Oh,  you  will  find  some  corner 
for  this  present.  The  last  one  and 
that  you  know,  is  always  the  best,'' 
replied  his  mother  with  a  roguish 
twinkle  and  yet  a  trembling  voice. 
She  pointed  to  the  dividing  cur- 
tains between  the  parlor  and  her 
boudoir. 

"That's  so,"  said  Bruno,  "that 
always  was  the  holy  of  holies." 

Smiling  but  almost  wearied  he 
approached  the  door  and  drew  the 
curtain — "Oh  God!"  he  exclaimed. 
There  stood  Regina  in  her  plain, 
woolen  gown,  her  rich  hair 
werathed  in  myrtle,  at  her  corsage 
were  fastened  myrtle  and  orange 
blossoms.  With  beaming  eyes  she 
looked  at  her  lover,  then  slowly 
raised  her  arms  toward  him. 

And  now  all  was  forgotten! 
The  father's  hardness,  Regina's 
sad  youth,  the  mother's  years  of 
suffering — all — everything.  The 
whole  house  was  full  of  kindness 
and  joy.  Even  Herr  Kaunitz  had 
a  joyful  smile  on  his  lips.  He,  too 
had  received  a  novel  Christmas 
joy;  he  felt  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  what  he  had  never  known 
before,  the  consciousness  of  having 
made  somebody  happy. 

"And  that  is  not  such  a  bad 
feeling  after  all,"  he  thought. 

"I  am  the  happiest  here  any- 
way," thought  little  Frau  Kaunitz, 
for  only  a  mother  can  be  so  happy. 
Regina's  mother  knows  it  and 
now,  even  Amalie  knows  it  and  I 


hope,  Regina  will  learn  it  also." 

Bruno  led  his  beloved  to  the 
instrument  and  put  his  hands  on 
the  keys  and  like  a  happy  sob 
the  old  Christmas  carol  broke  forth. 
"Oh  thou  happy,  oh  thou  merry, 
grace-inviting  Christmas  tide." 

The  stately  Herr  Kaunitz  even 
could  not  restrain  his  lips  from 
forming  a  sort  of  a  pout  and  softly 
humming  the  air,  while  he  walked 
slowly  up  and  down  the  room,  his 
hands  on  his  back.  Frau  Kaunitz 
looked  at  him  in  amazement  and 
for  the  first  time  in  her  life  she 
had  to  laugh  at  her  husband. 


NEXT  .STAGES    OF    MAN'S   DE- 
VELOPMENT. 

BY  ERNEST  MAECKEL. 
The  first  stages  of  the  development  of 
mankind  will  be  mostly  mental,  the  evo- 
lution of  a  better  and  finer  brain.  When 
man's  brain  begins  to  develop  rapidly 
there  is  no  further  nee'!  for  great  changes 
in  his  body.  And  yet  some  physical 
changes  are  still  going  on.  Man  will  prob- 
ably lose  some  of  his  teeth,  there  being 
not  the  use  for  them  that  there  was,  and 
there  are  signs  that  the  little  toes  will  also 
disappear,  leaving  man  a  four  toed  animal. 

But  these  changes  are  of  small  signifi- 
cance compared  with  our  mental  develop- 
ment. There  are,  however,  tremendous 
influence  at  work  in  developing  mankind- 
a  vast  and  fasinating  field  of  stndy.  Man 
being  a  product  of  natural  evolution  and 
development,  his  institutions  must  necess- 
arily be  a  like  product,  and  the  application 
of  the  theory  to  political  and  social  econ- 
omy, statecraft,  and  education  offers  the 
most  hopeful  fields  of  work  for  future 
thinkers. 

Life  was  never  more  complex  than  it  is 
today,  and  there  is  no  prophesying  the 
exact  lines  of  future  development.  Man 
at  present  seems  to  be  developing  or  retro- 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


141 


grading  in  masses-by  nations,  and  yet 
under  different  influence.  In  Germany 
the  tendency  is  all  toward  the  centralizal 
tion  of  power  in  government,  the  remova- 
of  individual  responsibility,  and  the  work- 
iug  together  of  large  masses  of  men  as  one 
man.  In  America  the  tendency  has  been 
different;  there  the  individual  is  developed; 
he  has  great  powers  and  responsibilitiep- 
the  man  is  the  unit.  Who  shall  say  how 
these  great  influences  will  work  out? 

The  beautiful  and  accurate  pictures  of 
animals  and  plants  now  obtainable,  where 
thirty  years  ago  there  were  almost  none,  is 
an  instance  of  one  of  the  smaller,  and  yet 
important  influences  of  modern  life.  Pic- 
tures convey  ideas  swiftly  and  accurately 
therefore  they  serve  as  a  new  and  power- 
ful factor  in  education,  scientific  education, 
in  paticular.  A  man  may  become  com- 
paratively familiar  with  the  animal  forms 
of  the  world  in  a  short  time  through  the 
perfect  pictures  now  obtainable,  whereas  a 
few  years  ago  it  would  have  taken  a 
lifetime. 

Then  there  are  other  influences.  In 
Europe  there  is  the  influenc  of  what  is 
military  selection,  all  the  younger  men 
being  taken  at  a  certain  age,  removed  from 
productive  labor  or  study,  and  put  through 
exactly  similar  traingng  for  one  or  two 
years,  In  Americr  there  is  no  such 
influence.  How  such  training  or  lack  of 
it  will  develop  the  race  is  a  question  to 
which  the  future  must  furnish  the  solution. 

Medical  selection  is  one  of  the  most 
powerfuf  modern  influences.  Medical 
science  has  made  great  srtides  in  the  last 
few  years;  it  saves  many  lives  that  other- 
wise would  have  been  lost  and  frequently 
it  keeps  people  with  dangerous  diseases 
alive  for  years.  This  must  not  only  tend 
to  bread  a  sickly  race,  but  it  necessarily 
swells  the  population  largely,  the  crowding 
bringing  with  it  new  and  difficult 
problems. 

The   earth  is   now  almost  wholly  inha. 
bited;  there  are  no  longer  any  new   places 


for  immigration  and  the  development  of 
virgin  land-  This  means  the  elimination 
of  that  potent  influence  which  has  had  sq 
great  a  share  in  the  progress  of  the  world 
during  the  last  few  hundred  years.  The 
contest  must  npw  change.  Instead  of  dis- 
covering and  settling  new  continents  and 
fighting  savages,  civilized  man  must  set 
himself  to  a  terrible  new  struggle  for  exis- 
tence, between  the  older  nations;  for 
instance,  in  commerce  and  trade,  tariffs, 
spheres  of  influence,  and  so  on;  and  the 
strongest,  most  easily  adaptable,  most 
resourceful,  most  favored  nations  will  win. 

The  remarkable,  retrogression  of  the 
Latin  races  during  the  last  few  decades  is  a 
striking  instance  of  this  new  struggle- 
especially  the  retrogression  of  the  once  pow- 
erful Spain. 

The  nineteenth  century  has  been  the  gol- 
den era  of  science — there  will  never  again 
be  so  many  discoveries  of  profound  impor- 
tance. There  are  no  more  great  universal 
generalizations  to  be  made,  like  the  law  of 
conservation  of  energy,  the  attraction  of 
gravitation,  and  the  theoary  of  natural 
evolution.  The  work  of  future  scientists 
will  deal  largely  with  the  application  of 
the  great  principles  and  generalizations 
already  well  known.  This  does  not  mean 
that  wonderful  new  scientific  discoveries 
will  not  be  made,  but  that  they  will  not 
have  the  profound  importance  of  these 
laws. 

I  look  for  the  greateat  future  develop- 
ment in  the  science  of  chemistry.  Some 
day  by  its  aid  man  will  be  able  to  produce 
a  living  substance  by  artificial  processes; 
in  other  words,  to  make  life  is  not  at  all 
beyond  the  range  of  science,  strange  and 
improbable  as  it  may  seem.  It  is  only 
what  plants  are  doing  all  the  time,  taking 
so  many  parts  of  carbon,  hybrogen,  nitrogen 
and  so  on,  and  combining  them  into  the 
albuminous  substance  which  we  call  proto- 
plasm, the  living  substance.  Science  can 
combine  these  elements  just  as  nature  does, 
the  proportion  being  exactly  known,  but 


142 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 


not  yet  to  produce  life.  The  album 
molecule  is  complicated.  Science  does  not 
know  yet  how  the  various  atoms  of  carbon- 
oxygen,  and  so  on,  which  compose  it,  are 
united,  and  all  attempts  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem of  the  albumen  molecule,  what  it 
really  is,  and  how  the  elemenns  are  joined 
with  it,  have  been  so  far  without  avail. 
But  I  believe  firmly  that  this  great  question 
will  some  day  pe  solved.  If  it  is,  then  the 
artificial  production  of  life  will  be  a 
possibility. 


"I    PRAISE     THE    LOARD,     AND    ASK 
FORGIVENESS." 

The  United  States  Treasurer  has  re- 
ceived the  following  letter,  inclosing  a 
contribution  to  the  Conscience  fund: 

"GRAND  ISLANDS,  NEB.,  Aug.  29,  1899. 
Auditor  Treasurer,  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment, Washington,  D.  C. 

Dear  Sir  and  Brother: — Since  I  became 
a  Christian  the  loard  has  shown  me  that 
many  years  ago,  when  I  was  postmaster  at 
Lodge,  Platt  County,  111.,  that  I  fell  into 
a  snare  of  the  devil  and  yielded  to  temp- 
tation by  raising  my  cancellation,  and 
wronged  the  Department  out  of  65  cents. 
He  has  also  led  me  to  make  this  statement 
and  ask  forgiveness.  Inclosed  65  cents  in 
coin,  which  I  send  you  as  restitution  mon- 
ey. 1  praise  the  loard  for  salvation,  and 
I  leave  the  results  with  Him  who  doeth 
all  things  well. 

I  am  now  engaged  on  mission  work.  My 
wife  and  I  travel  together.  We  visit  jails 
and  preach  to  the  prisoners,  also  we  visit 
county  poor  farms,  and  carry  the  gospel  to 
the  poor  as  taught  in  the  Word.  I  will 
say  to  you,  if  you  are  an  unsaved  man,  let 
me  exhort  you  to  give  your  heart  to  Jesus. 
May  God  bless  you,  is  my  prayer.  Inclos- 
ed find  one  of  my  tracts  and  some  others. 
Please  read  all  of  them  with  a  prayerful 
heart.  Will  praise  the  loard  your  salva- 
tion full  and  free.  Your  brother  in  the 
work  for  the  Master  blessedly  sacred  and 
sanctified." 


MCCLURE  S. 

McClures  Magazine  for  January.  The 
first  in  a  series  of  memoirs  by  Miss  Clara 
Morris. 

There  is  a  careful  and  vivid  pen-picture 
of  the  Emporer  William,  that  most  inter- 
esting figure  of  contemporary  royalty. 
A  third  article  of  merit  is  entitled  "Great 
Achievements  of  Modern  Bridge  Build- 
ing." 

A  second  installment  of  Mr.  Rudyard 
Kipling's  new  novel  "Kim,"  appears  with 
illustrations  by  Mr.  Edwin  Lord  Weeks 
and  Er.  J.  Lockwood  Kipling.  The 
short  stories  cover  a  wide  range,  and  they, 
are  splendidly  illustrated. 

LADIES'  HOME  JOURNAL. 

"The  Baltimore  Belle  Who  Made  the 
Most  Brilliant  Match  of  any  Girl  in 
America"  is  the  title  of  an  article  in  the 
Ladies'  Home  Journal  for  January. 
"Housekeeping  in  a  Millionaire's  Family" 
"The  Little  Woman's  Play,"  adapted  for 
Miss  Alcott's  charming  story,  for  stage 
presentation,  and  illustrated  by  Reginald 
B.  Birch,  and  two  pictorial  pages,  "A 
Winter  Service  at  Church,"  by  W.  L. 
Taylor,  and  "The  Town  Meeting,"  by 
A.  B.  Frost,  are  some  others  of  the 
leading  literary  and  artistic  features  with 
which  the  journal  begins  the  twentieth 
century.  "The  Forehandedness  of 
Lucinda  Smith,"  by  "Josiah  Allen's 
Wife,"  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelp's  "The 
Successors  of  Mary  the  First,"  "The 
Story  of  a  Young  Man,"  by  Clifford 
Howard,  and  another  "Blue  River  Bear 
Story,"  by  Charles  Major,  are  also  among 
the  many  excellent  things  presented  in. 
the  January  journal. 

SCRIBNER'S. 

iScribners  for  January  contains  "The 
Sinecure,"  by  E.  W.  Horning,  "Russia  of 
Today,"  by  Henry  Norman,  "A  Compari- 
son of  the  Armies  in  China,"  by  Thomas 
F.  Millard.  "The  Plague  Ships, ""by 
Stephen  Bonsai,  and  plenty  of  other 
interesting  reading. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  xv 


CHICAGO,  FEBRUARY,  1901. 


NO.  5 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  WESTERN  AMERICA, 


Victoria  When  the    great  bell  of  St. 

the  Great.  Pauls  proclaimed  to  London 
the  passing-  of  Queen  Victoria,  and  later 
when  the  sad  news  was  transmitted  over 
continents  and  under  seas  to  all  quarters 
of  the  globe,  there  was  only  one  feeling  in 
all  hearts — that  of  love  and  admiration 
and  tenderest  regret  and  sorrow  for  one 
whose  life  and  name  stood  not  alone  for 
the  sceptered  majesty  of  a  great  kingdom 
and  empire,  but  also  for  one  of  the  noblest 
and  purest  ideals  of  womanhood. 

Kindred  in  race  and  blood,  speaking 
the  same  tongue  and  claiming  part  of  the 
same  glorious  heritage  of  ancient  renown, 
A.merica  today  stands  side  by  side  with 
Britania  at  Victoria's  bier. 

Americans  have  warm  hearts  and  recog- 
nize their  friends  whoever  they  may  be. 
And  in  Queen  Victoria,  throughout  her 
long  life,  this  country  always  had  a  firm 
friend.  In  the  dark  days  of  civil  strife 
and  war,  when  some  of  her  statesmen 
faltered  and  declared  the  union  was  about 
to  be  dissolved,  Queen  Victoria  was  stead- 
fast and  never  ceased  to  uphold  the  side 
and  cause  she  believed  to  be  for  the  right 
and  whose  triumph  would  .mean  most  for 
advancing  humanity.  It  is  matter  of  his- 
tory that  but  for  her  influence  England 
probably  would  have  gone  to  war  with  the 
United  States,  o/er  the  Slidell  and  Mason 
affair,  and  in  the  early  days  of  the  Spanish 
American  trouble  it  is  now  known  that 


Queen  Victoria  also  expressed  to  the 
president  of  the  United  States 'her  belief 
in  the  righteousness  of  America's  cause, 
and  assured  him  of  England's  friendship 
and  sympathy.  '; 

In  Europe,  also,  her  name  was  a  bulwark 
of  peace.  Connected  by  ties  of  relation- 
ship with  most  of  the  crowned  heads  of 
Europe,  all  European  rulers  were  ready 
to  strain  a  point,  if  need  oe?  to  keep  on 
terms  of  peace1  with  the  empire  over  which 
Victoria  ruled..  Like  Alexander  III.  of 
Russia,  "the  peacemaker  of  Europe." 
Queen  Victoria's  counsel  and  influence  al- 
ways were  cast  on  the  side  of  peace.  That 
events  which  were  too  strong  for 'her  to 
overrule  led  to  the  South 'African  war  and 
its  many  disasters  was  the  greatest  sorrow 
of  the  closing  days  of  her  life.  This  tra- 
gic finale  to  her  reign  adds  a  pathos  to 
her  death,  which  was  probably  hastened 
by  worry  and  .  sorrow :  over'  the  South 
African  tragedy  and  events  she  felt  her- 
self powerless  to  control.  And  it  is  signi- 
ficant of  the  place  Victoria  held  in  the 
world  ?s  heart  that  not  'one,1  hot '  even  the 
embattled  Boers' of  South' Africa,  held  her 
responsible  for  the  mistakes  which  precip- 
itated England's  most  disastrous  war  of 
the  century,  or  for  'the"  cruelties  with 

which,  in  part  at  least, 'it  has 'been   con- 
,      .'>j   BVfffife  '  vj.:rr   <)•          ;      .  , 
ducted. 

'-'  • '    >l['/li  A!1"  •     (3*    flcr.a.i_ii     •    •  i 

As  to  her  epitaph,  that  is  characteris- 
tic and  was  written  by  herself  against  the 
time,  now1  at  hand,  when  '  she1  should  be 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


laid  in  the  marble  sarcophagus  at  Frog- 
more  beside  that  of  Prince  Albert: 

"Victoria- Albert, 

Here  ftt  last  I  shall 

Rest  with  thee; 

With  thee  in  Christ 

Shall  rise  again." 

The  San  The  committee  on  Indian  af- 
CarlosDam.  fairs  of  the  senate  considered 
and  favorably  reported  an  amendment 
providing  $100.000  for  the  beginning  of 
work  on  the  San  Carlos  reservoir  in  Ari- 
zona. If  this  amendment  is  made  part  of 
the  Indian  appropriation  bill,  it  will  afford 
work  for  the  starving  Pima  Indians,  and 
will  be  the  commencement  of  one  of  the 
best  reservoir  propositions  in  the  arid 
regions,  one,  too,  which  will  perhaps  best 
demonstrate  the  practicability  and  ex- 
cellence of  the  national  irrigation  policy. 

Irrigation  The  irrigation  debate  in  the 
Debate.  house  of  representatives,  in 

connection  with  the  river  and  harbor  bill, 
brought  forth  the  best  showing  which  has 
yet  been  made  in  that  branch  of  congress 
on  this  subject. 

The  managers  of  the  river  and  harbor 
measure  claimed  that  irrigation  and  the 
reclamation  of  the  arid  West  were  not 
subjects  properly  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  River  aud  Harbor  Committee,  and 
that  appropriations  for  reservoir  con- 
struction should  n^t  be  inserted  in  the 
River  and  Harbor  bill.  The  Western 
members  however  took  the  ground  that 
the  contrl  of  the  floods  and  regulation  of 
the  flow  of  the  streams  by  reservoir  con- 
struction were  properly  within  the  scope 
of  the  River  and  Harbor  bill,  and  the  rul- 
ing of  the  Speaker  that  the  amendment 
offered  was  germane  to  the  bill  is  signifi- 
cant. 

The  reclamation  of  the  arid  region  is  a 
question  which  is  strong  enough  to  stand 
entirely  upon  its  own  foundation  and  be 
treated  as  a  separate  proposition.  At  the 
same  time  the  problem  of  river  control  and 
of  the  utilization  of  the  flood  waters  for 
irrigation  are  so  inter-related  that  it  is 
inevitable  that  appropriations  will  ulti- 
mately be  made  along  the  same  lines  as  they 
are  for  river  and  harbor  improvement. 


The  sentiment  in  the  House  in  favor  of 
irrigation  recognition  of  some  sort  is  be- 
coming stronger  and  stronger  and  cannot 
much  longer  be  successfully  overcome.  In 
the  Senate  the  sentiment  favorable  to  arid 
land  reclamation  is  yet  stronger.  Mean" 
time  the  feeling  throughout  the  country 
generally  is  growing,  growing  East  as  well 
as  West,  into  a  great  national  movement 
which  will  sooner  or  later  have  its  way. 
The  time  is  approaching.  Ic ,  cannot  be 
far  distant. 

Cause  for        The  friends  of  Irrigation  need 
Encourage-      not  fear  that  because  of  the 
ment-  adverse  treatment  received  by 

the  great  number  of  irrigation  bills  and 
amendments  introduced  in  congress,  espe- 
cially in  the  house  of  representatives,  the 
national  irrigation  cause  has  suffered.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  the  irrigation 
movement  is  a  new  thing  in  the  East. 
Prior  to  the  present  session  of  congress  it 
has  hardly  been  considered  seriously  by 
ten  per  cent,  of  the  Eastern  congressmen. 
And  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  what 
may  be  considered  the  early  stages  of  a 
new  movement,  a  great  mass  of  literature 
and  discussion  and  effort  must  be  put  forth 
which  will  serve  simply  as  a  means  of  di- 
recting attention  to  the  subject  and  indi- 
cating the  variety  of  interests  and  purpo- 
ses favoring  and  behind  it.  When  indi- 
vidual efforts  and  attempts  at  legislation 
in  the  shape  of  bills  introduced  and  amend- 
ments offered  in  congress  become  so  nu- 
merous and  insistent  as  to  assume  the 
nature  of  a  public  clamor,  then  the  proper 
committee,  whether  hostile  or  favorably 
disposed  to  the  project,  must  give  the 
matter  consideration;  must  gather  all  the 
kindred  bills  together  and  formulate  from 
them  a  comprehensive  measure,  and  make 
a  report  upon  it.  This  is  the  situation  in 
the  present  short  session  of  congress.  Old 
and  expected  legislation  is  pressing  in 
great  volume  for  enactment,  and  congress- 
men are  not  willing,  in  the  limited  time 
at  their  disposal  this  winter,  to  take  up- 
exhaustively  a  new  question,  nor  is  it  the 
purpose  of  the  friends  of  irrigation  to  at- 
tempt to  force  the  subject.  Nevertheless 
very  congressman  now  knows  that  the 


THE  IRRIGATION  A  GL 


145 


question  is  a  coming  one  and  a  question 
considered  to  be  of  great  and  pressing  in- 
terest to  a  large  number  of  people,  includ- 
ing the  commercial  sections  of  the  East 
with  their  vast  manufactories  looking  for 
a  market  for  their  products. 

The  desultory  agitation  of  this  session 
on  the  irrigation  subject  is  serving  its 
purpose  well. 

New  What  would  be  the  result  of 

Markets,  opening  any  one  of  the  thous- 
and valleys  of  the  West  which  only  await 
the  building  of  great  storage  reservoirs 
and  the  utilization  of  the  water  saved  to 
convert  them  into  thriving  communities 
of  small  rural  homes?  A  thousand  farms 


would  be  quickly  created.  A  thousand 
houses  would  go  up,  a  thousand  families 
would  move  into  them,  and  a  thousand 
farms  would  want  plows  and  wagons  and 
machines  and  harnesses,  while  a  thousand 
housewives  would  want  kitchen  and  house- 
hold utensils,  and  several  thousand  people 
would  want  clothes  and  boots  and  shoes 
and  hats  and  books  and  papers  and  fifty 
other  articles.  This  demand  instead  of 
being  supplied  once  only,  would  increase 
and  go  on  perpetually.  And  the  demand 
for  these  things  would  go  to  the  producing 
East.  This  is  why  the  reclamation  of  the 
West  would  help  Massachusetts. 


CONDITIONS     FAVORABLE     AND 

UNFAVORABLE  TO 

IRRIGATION. 

BY  J.  ULRICH. 

(Continued  from  last  month.) 

With  the  corporation,  however,  it  is  different.  The  opportunity 
thus  presented  for  investment  was  with  it  the  prime  consideration.  It 
was  no  part  of  its  program  to  actually  improve  and  farm  these  lands; 
none  of  the  individuals  composing  its  personnel  ever  expected  to  make 
a  home  thereon.  In  most  cases  they  were  all  non-residents,  whose 
homes  were  not  even  within  the  limits  of  the  arid  region.  The  object 
of  their  operations  -was  the  acquisition  of  large  bodies  of  lands  and 
valuable  water  franchises,  which  were  to  be  sold  at  a  profit,  after  the 
development  of  their  proposed  irrigation  plant,  to  people  who  might 
desire  to  improve  and  actually  farm  the  lands.  The  actual  relation  of 
the  real  owners  of  these  enterprises  to  the  properties  themselves  is 
usually  even  more  remote  than  this.  The  financial  interests  are  gen- 
erally represented  by  the  bondholders,  who  through  the  purchase  of 
bonds  have  advanced  the  money  for  the  building  of  works. 

The  stock  of  the  corporation  irrigation  systems  is  not,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  community  stock  organization,  in  the  hands  of  the  farmers 
and  actual  water  consumers  under  the  system;  it  is  held  and  controlled 
by  the  promoters  and  organizers  of  the  enterprise.  Its  affairs  are  also 
controlled  by  a  board  of  directors,  who  are  elected  by  a  vote  of  the 
stockholders.  The  executive  officers  are  the  president,  secretary,  and 
treasurer,  but  the  details  of  the  executive  management  usually  devolve 
upon  an  officer  appointed  by  the  board,  who  is  called  the  manager 
(sometimes  the  general  manager),  who  lives,  or  should  live,  within 
easy  access  to  the  works.  The  manager  has  the  appointing  of  and  di- 
rects the  operations  of  all  the  employees  beneath  him  in  rank,  and  is 
in  fact  the  local  dictator  of  the  policy  and  management  of  the  concern, 

In  most  cases  these  corporations  own  and  handle  lands  as  well  as 
water,  the  land  feature  being  frequently  the  most  important  of  the 
two.  Where  they  own  lands  the  latter  are  generally  sold  in  connec- 
tion with  water,  at  a  price  which  includes  both.  The  land  is  rarely 
sold  alone,  since  it  has  no  value  except  in  connection  with  the  water, 
which  usually  can  not  be  secured  except  from  the  irrigation  company. 

Under  this  corporation  regime  water  is  not  represented  by  shares 
of  stock,  as  it  is  in  the  community  organizations,  but  by  a  "  water 


THE  IRHIGA  T10N  A  GE.  147 

right,"  which  is  a  right  to  a  certain  specified  quantity  of  water,  or  to 
the  amount  necessary  to  irrigate  a  certain  tract  of  land,  the  amount 
given  for  this  purpose  varying  with  different  companies.  The  quantity 
of  water  really  necessary  to  irrigate  an  acre  varies  widely  in  different 
localities,  and  again  materially  with  the  crop  under  consideration. 
While  in  Colorado  and  Idaho  a  flow  of  1  cubic  foot  per  second  is 
usually  furnished  and  applied  to  50  acres  of  alfalfa,  the  same  volume 
will  supply  the  necessities  of  500  acres  of  citrus  fruits  in  southern 
California. 

The  irrigation  corporation  constructs,  operates,  and  maintains  the 
main  line  of  canal  or  other  conduit  by  which  the  water  is  diverted 
from  the  river  and  conveyed  to  or  within  easy  access  to  the  land  to  be 
reclaimed;  and  in  addition  thereto,  and  particularly  where  these  lands 
belong  to  the  corporation,  it  usually  constructs  a  number  of  large 
lateral  branches,  which  are  diverted  from  the  main  line  at  convenient 
points  and  traverse  the  principal  bodies  of  lands.  These  are  designed 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  water  within  reasonable  proximity  to 
such  lands  as  are  located  at  considerable  distances  from  the  main 
works.  The  main  canal  or  conduit  necessarily  occupies  a  position 
outside  and  above  all  the  area  to  be  reclaimed.  Without  these  branches 
a  decided  hardship  upon  some  of  the  water  consumers  would  be  in-, 
volved  in  the  necessary  construction  of  private  ditches  of  great  length 
for  conveying  their  water  from  the  main  works,  a  condition  which 
would  tend  to  place  an  embargo  upon  the  sale  of  water.  By  means  of 
this  arrangement  is  also  avoided  the  necessity,  which  would  other- 
wise exist,  for  tapping  the  main  line  at  a  great  number  of  points  for 
the  diversion  of  water  for  individual  consumers,  as  well  as  the  objec- 
tional  feature  involved  in  the  great  multiplicity  of  private  lateral 
ditches  across  the  entire  body  of  lands. 

The  main  canal  and  these  principal  branches  are  operated,  main- 
tained, and  controlled,  by  the  corporation,  and  are  patrolled  and  regu- 
lated by  ditch  riders  in  its  employ. 

The  settler  or  farmer  who  has  purchased  water  rights  from  the 
corporation  is  generally  permitted  to  divert  the  water  from  any  point 
on  the  main  canal  or  any  of  the  laterals  found  to  be  most  convenient, 
subject,  however,  to  the  approval  of  the  general  manager  or  local 
superintendent.  In  either  case  a  head  gate  or  regulating  structure 
is  placed  at  the  point  selected,  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  the 
amount  diverted.  This  structure  is  the  private  property  of  the  individ- 
ual for  whose  use  it  is  erected,  though  it  is  designed  and  placed  in 
position  by  the  company,  and  is  controlled  and  regulated  by  the  ditch 
rider,  who  keeps  it  locked  at  the  required  degree  of  opening  and  him- 
self carries  the  key.  The  ditch  conveying  the  water  from  this  struc- 
ture to  the  land  to  be  irrigated  is  most  frequently  constructed,  main- 


148  1HE  1RR1 GA110N  A  GE. 

tained,  and  operated  by  the  owner  of  the  land  at  his  own  expense.  It 
is,  however,  not  usually  of  very  great  length,  and  is  comparatively 
simple  and  inexpensive.  In  some  cases  the  company  contracts  to  de- 
liver the  water  at  some  convenient  point  on  th°,  tract  of  land  to  be  ir- 
rigated by  it,  in  which  cases  all  the  lateral  ditches  are  constructed 
and  controlled  by  the  company.  This  method  involves  a  great  addi- 
tional expense  of  management  and  operation,  and  is  not  usually 
followed. 

The  practical  results  from  operations  conducted  under  the  cor- 
poration regime  do  not  materially  differ,  so  far  as  the  actual  user  of 
water  is  concerned,  from  those  realized  under  the  auspices  of  the  com- 
munity organization.  The  farmer's  success  is  measured  and  deter- 
mined almost  entirely  by  the  certainty  and  permanence  of  a  satisfac- 
tory supply  of  water  at  a  reasonably  price.  When  these  conditions 
are  fulfilled  it  makes  little  difference  under  what  character  of  organ- 
ization he  operates,  the  advantage  of  one  system  over  the  other  being 
measured  by  the  relative  certainty  of  supply  and  the  expense  of  get- 
ting it. 

That  the  annual  cost  of  water  from  a  large  corporation  system  is 
in  most  cases  greater  than  from  the  smaller  partnership  or  community 
canals  is  inevitable  for  several  reasons.  The  latter  are  nearly  always 
constructed  first  and  occupy  the  best  locations  for  cheap  diversion  and 
economical  construction  and  do  not  usually  require  such  extensive  and 
costly  headworks  nor  such  a  long  line  of  expensive  canal  to  be  con- 
structed and  maintained  before  the  irrigable  area  can  be  reached. 
These  are  advantages  which  the  earlier  enterprises  have  secured.  In 
addition  to  more  expensive  construction  and  maintenance  in  the  case 
of  the  larger  canals,  the  salaries  of  general  officers  often  materially 
increase  the  fixed  charges,  while  the  interest  on  the  investment  dur- 
ing the  period  between  the  construction  of  the  canal  and  the  settle- 
ment of  lands  and  consequent  sale  of  water  rights  and  the  expense 
incident  to  securing  such  settlements  are  always  very  large  items  of 
expense  which  do  not  figure  in  the  community  systems.  More  individ- 
ual and  community  canals  involve  scarcely  greater  expense  in  con- 
struction and  maintenance  than  do  some  of  the  individual  and  com- 
muuity  lateral  ditches  which  have  to  be  constructed  by  the  irrigators 
to  convey  their  water  from  the  company's  main  canal  to  their  lands. 
So  if  the  completed  main  canal  systems  should  be  turned  over  free  to 
the  land  owners  under  them,  they  would  have  but  similar  advantages 
for  irrigating  their  lands  to  those  which  many  of  the  earlier  settlers 
secured  from  the  natural  streams.  To  offset  this  added  cost  of  irriga- 
tion which  often  prevails  under  these  extensive  corporate  canals,  the 
quality  of  the  land  covered  by  them  is  often  superior  to  that  of  the 
ands  along  the  river  bcttom  and  adjacent  which  were  settled  upon. 


THE  IRRIGA 11  ON  A  GK.  149 

and  irrigated  by  the  cheaper  and  more  easily  constructed  ditches  of 
the  earlier  settlers. 

This  plan  of  conducting  the  business  of  irrigation  development 
has  its  good  and  its  bad  features.  Through  its  agency  great  volumes 
of  capital  have  been  invested  in  the  development  of  the  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  arid  region,  much  of  which  if  dependent  upon  indi- 
vidual or  community  resources  would  have  remained  unproductive  for 
many  years.  It  is  the  corporation  enterprises  which  enlist  the  inter- 
est of  a  majority  of  intending  immigrants.  It  is  usually  a  part  of  their 
business  to  effect  the  sale  and  settlement  of  the  lands  under  them, 
and  their  magnitude  usually  warrants  the  expenditure  of  large  sums 
in  advertising  for  this  purpose.  In  some  cases  the  results  achieved 
under  these  systems  not  only  prove  satisfactory  to  the  farmers,  but 
prove  them  to  be  safe  and  profitable  investments  for  capital.  In  many 
respects  these  large  canals  are  the  best  and  most  economical  systems 
for  the  distribution  of  water  to  the  lands  covered  by  them.  These 
lands  are  usually  in  a  large  and  compact  body,  which  gives  many 
social  and  industrial  advantages  to  the  settlers  upon  them.  A  greater 
area  can  be  irrigated  with  a  given  volume  of  water  than  by  means  of 
a  multiplicity  of  scattered  individual  and  community  ditches.  Taken 
altogether,  these  large  systems  have  many  things  to  recommend  them 
and  have  materially  advanced  irrigation  development  and  benefited 
the  land  owners  under  them. 

In  most  instances,  however,  the  investors  in  these  enterprises 
have  not  met  with  the  success  they  deserve.  Many  causes  have  con- 
tributed to  this  result,  some  of  which  have  already  been  indicated. 
The  systems  have  almost  uniformly  cost  much  more  than  the- first  es- 
timates, while  the  area  of  irrigable  land  under  them,  the  irrigating 
capacity  of  the  canals,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  their  settlement 
and  the  consequent  use  of  the  water  could  be  accomplished  have  all 
been  almost  as  uniformly  estimated.  Many  years  often  elapse  before 
the  total  discharge  of  the  canal  is  utilized  and  before  the  income  from 
water  sold  even  meets  the  fixed  charges  for  management  and  opera- 
tion. Their  location  is  sometimes  distant  from  railway  lines,  cities, 
and  local  markets,  which  increases  the  expense  and  difficulties  of  se- 
curing settlers.  If  they  follow  individual  and  community  ditches  near 
settlements  and  markets  already  established  they  have  later  water 
rights  than  the  earlier  and  smaller  ditches.  This  inferiority  of 
priority  lessens  the  value  of  the  property  and  is  often  a  source  of  an- 
noyance and  expensive  litigation  with  the  earlier  ditch  owners  and 
with  their  own  consumers,  who  may  have  their  water  supply  reduced 
or  cut  off  in  time  of  scarcity.  Unless  those  charged  with  the  design 
and  construction  of  the  works  have  made  a  special  and  very  careful 
study  of  the  lands,  water  supply,  and  prior  rights  thereto  before  be- 


150  THE  1RR1GT10N  AGE. 

ginning  work,  they  have  little  positive  information  as  to  the  real  ele- 
ments of  value  in  their  investment,  and  they  have  not  always  done 
this.  The  capitalists  whose  millions  have  been  thus  invested  have 
naturally  been  more  ignorant  of  the  principles  involved  than  the  pro- 
moters and  have  often  been  deluded  into  believing  that  fabulous  profits 
were  to  be  realized  through  such  investments. 

In  this  manner  a  few  irrigation  works  have  been  created  through- 
out the  arid  region  for  whose  existence  there  was  no  warrant  what- 
ever, whose  priority  rights  to  the  use  of  water  are  practically  worth- 
less, either  for  the  reason  that  the  supply  never  existed,  or  because 
the  available  water  had  been  appropriated  long  before  the  proposi- 
tions under  consideration  had  been  conceived  and  executed.  These 
schemes  not  only  work  a  permanent  injury  to  the  interests  of  legiti- 
mate enterprises  in  this  field  and  to  irrigation  development  in  general, 
but  are  a  menace  to  the  future  prosperity  of  the  immigrant  to  the  arid 
region,  who,  being  unacquainted  with  irrigation  practice  and  unfamil- 
iar with  the  principles  involved,  can  not  intelligently  determine  the 
relative  merits  of  the  different  propositions  presented  for  his  consid- 
eration, and  thus  frequently  falls  a  victim  to  the  misrepresentations 
of  colonization  agents,  who,  through  the  agency  of  elaborate  and 
beautifully  executed  prospectuses,  present  the  most  alluring  descrip- 
tions of  the  wonderful  opportunities  which  await  the  settler  who  will 
purchase  a  quarter  section  of  land  and  a  water  right  from  their  com- 
panies— whose  canals  may,  in  fact,  be  perfectly  dry  for  ten  months  in 
the  year.  Those  who  have  been  thus  induced  to  invest  their  savings 
in  these  arid  land,,  and  worthless  water  rights  may  lose  not  only  their 
money,  but  frequently  many  years  of  time  wrestling  with  the  adverse 
conditions  growing  out  of  their  efforts  to  farm  arid  lands  without  a 
sufficient  supply  of  water.  They  may  succeed  in  eking  out  a  precari- 
ous existence  for  several  years,  but  are  likely  to  find  themselves  be- 
coming poorer  with  the  advance  of  time,  until  at  last,  convinced  of 
the  futility  of  their  efforts  and  the  hopelessness  of  the  prospect  before 
them,  they  give  up  in  despair,  and,  moving  to  some  other  locality,  be- 
gin anew  under  more  favorable  conditions,  with  less  money  but  with 
a  vastly  increased  fund  of  information  concerning  the  importance  and 
necessity  of  a  safe  and  certain  water  right  in  order  to  profitably  con- 
duct agricultural  operations  in  the  arid  region. 

THE    DISTRICT    SYSTEM. 

Another  method  of  constructing  or'  otherwise  obtaining  a  system, 
of  works  for  the  irrigation  of  a  given  area  of  land  is  what  is  known  as 
the  "district  irrigation  system."  The  law  under  which  this  system  is 
carried  out  originated  in  California,  and  although  its  general  features 
have  been  copied,  with  greater  or  less  modification  of  details,  into  the 
statutes  of  some  other  states,  notably  Idaho  and  Nebraska,  the  opera- 


TR E  IRRIGATION  AGE.  151 

tions  under  the  system  have  been  almost  wholly  confined  to  the  first- 
mentioned  state.  This  district  law  is  designed  to  secure  the  owner- 
ship and  control  of  the  water  rights  and  canal  systems  by  the  people 
of  the  districts  organized  under  its  provisions.  A  district  may  be  or- 
ganized by  a  vote  of  two- thirds  of  its  residents,  upon  an  order  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  which  acts  upon  petition  of  a  certain 
number  or  a  certain  proportion  of  the  residents  of  the  territory  pro- 
posed thus  to  be  organized  as  a  district.  After  the  organization, 
bonds  for  the  construction  or  purchase  of  the  works  or  property  neces- 
sary to  the  object  in  view  may  be  voted,  which  bonds  become  a  lien 
upon  the  real  property  within  the  district.  The  interest  is  paid  by 
assessments,  similar  toother  public  taxes,  and  the  operating  expenses 
are  raised  either  by  assessments,  by  valuation  or  acreage,  or  by  tolls 
for  the  use  of  the  water.  This  system  has  many  theoretical  advan- 
tages, but  its  operation  in  California  has  not  justified  the  prophecies 
of  its  advocates,  and  new  districts  are  not  being  formed  under  it.  The 
powers  granted  the  districts  seem  to  have  been  exercised  in  many 
cases  with  poor  judgment,  and  heavy  bonded  indebtedness  was  in- 
curred without  corresponding  advantages  to  the  land  owner  in  the 
form  of  water  for  his  needs.  In  some  instances  the  provisions  of  the 
law  seem  to  have  been  taken  advantage  of  for  the  purpose  of  turning 
unremunerative  existing  property  and  water  rights  into  interest-bear- 
ing district  bonds.  Like  other  business  enterprises,  it  depends  for  its 
success  upon  the  judgment  and  honesty  of  those  intrusted  with  the 
management  of  the  business  of  the  districts  thus  organized. 

Each  system  and  locality  has  its  own  peculiar  features,  and  the 
best  location  and  system  is  therefore  a  matter  for  careful  investiga- 
tion as  to  relative  advantages,  always  having  in  mind,  however,  the 
certainty  of  the  water  supply,  which  is  often  the  most  difficult  matter 
for  the  newcomer  to  get  reliable  information  about.  As  this  condition 
is  the  principal  factor  in  successful  farming  operations,  when  it  is 
satisfied  such  operations  intelligently  conducted  will  generally  prove 
certain  and  remunerative  under  any  of  the  plans  herein  described. 

OPERATION    OP   CANALS. 

The  owner  of  an  individual  ditch  operates  it  as  he  pleases,  subject 
only  to  the  state  laws  governing  the  diversion  and  use  of  water.  But 
when  several  persons  are  interested  in  the  same  ditch,  the  necessity 
for  some  system  of  control  arises.  In  the  case  of  unincorporated 
community  canals  this  control  is  secured  by  the  selection  of  a  water 
master,  who  is  usually  one  of  the  owners,  to  have  charge  of  the  opera- 
tion and  maintenance  of  the  system  and  the  distribution  of  its  water 
to  those  entitled  to  its  use.  It  is  on  the  large  corporation  canals, 
however,  that  the  necessity  for  a  careful  system  of  operation  and 
management  is  most  apparent.  Many  of  these  canals  are  more  than 


152  THE  IRR IGA  T ION  A  GE. 

50  miles  long,  and  number  their  water  users  by  hundreds.  The  Rid- 
enbaugh  Canal  in  the  Boise  Valley,  Idaho,  furnishes  water 
to  more  than  500  farmers.  The  High  Line  Canal,  in  Colorado,  has 
433  consumers  under  it;  the  Loveland  and  Greeley  has  257,  and  many 
other  systems  are  as  large  or  larger.  It  can  thus  be  readily  seen  that 
the  proper  operation  of  such  canals  involves  a  very  thorough  business 
organization  and  careful  attention  to  many  important  details. 

The  practical  operation  of  corporation  canal  systems  is,  like  their 
construction,  under  the  control  of  the  executive  officer  or  officers  of 
the  company,  but  the  representative  with  whom  the  farmer  and  irri- 
gator  comes  into  most  frequent  and  intimate  contact  is  the  ditch  rider, 
who  is  generally  appointed  by  the  manager  or  president.  His  duties 
consist  in  patrolling  the  ditch  throughout  the  season  of  actual  opera- 
tion, for  the  purpose  of  seeing  that  the  works  are  in  good  repair,  and 
to  superintend  the  proper  distribution  of  water  to  the  various  stock- 
holders or  irrigators  from  the  system,  and  are  somewhat  similar  to 
those  of  the  water  commissioner  hereafter  described,  the  main  canal 
in  this  case  taking  the  place  of  the  stream,  and  the  contracts  or  stock 
the  place  of  the  priority  decree.  In  order  to  properly  distribute  the 
water  the  ditch  rider  is  provided  with  a  list  of  the  persons  having 
water  rights  from  the  canal,  showing  the  amount  to  which  each  is  en- 
titled under  his  contract;  or  in  case  of  community  stock  companies, 
with  a  list  of  the  stockholders  and  the  amount  of  stock  owned  by  each. 
Such  a  list  furnishes  the  necessary  data  to  enable  him  to  distribute 
the  water  according  to  the  quantity  or  proportion  called  for  by  these  re- 
spective interests. 

The  larger  irrigation  systems  generally  have  several  distributary 
canals  leading  from  the  main  one  and  following  as  nearly  as  possible 
the  ridges  or  highest  ground  of  the  areas  designed  to  be  watered  from 
them.  Such  distributaries  obviate  the  necessity  for  such  long  and 
expensive  individual  lateral  ditches  as  would  be  necessary  if  all  such 
laterals  diverted  directly  from  the  main  canal.  The  expense  of  indi- 
vidual diverting  works,  as  well  as  the  danger  attendant  upon  a  multi- 
tude of  diversions  from  the  main  canal,  is  also  much  reduced.  The 
distributaries  also  generally  follow  the  slopes  of  the  ridges,  and  do 
not  have  a  uniform  light  grade,  as  is  the  case  with  the  main  canals. 
Sometimes,  also,  natural  drainage  channels  are  followed,  thus  mater- 
ially reducing  their  cost  of  construction. 

At  various  points  along  the  main  canal  or  distributary  lateral 
branches  are  diverted  for  conveying  the  water  to  the  land  of  the  indi- 
vidual consumers.  As  the  amount  to  which  each  user  is  entitled  is 
limited,  it  becomes  necessary  to  place  regulating  structures  at  the 
points  of  diversion  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  flow  into  these 
laterals.  These  consist  of  wooden,  box-like  structures  in  which  slid- 


THE  IRRl GA TWN  AG E.  1 53 

ing  gates  are  placed,  by  which  the  size  of  aperture  from  the  main 
canal  is  regulated  and  the  flow  of  water  therefrom  controlled.  Where 
considerable  accuracy  of  results  is  attempted,  there  is  also  placed  in 
the  lateral  ditch  below  the  regulating  gates  a  weir  whose  flow  for  all 
depths  is  computed  and  tabulated,  and  for  the  purpose  of  determining 
the  depth  at  any  time  a  graduation  scale  is  so  placed  with  reference 
to  the  weir  that  the  depth  can  be  conveniently  and  accurately  read 
off.  When  it  is  desired  to  deliver  into  a  lateral,  so  arranged,  a  given 
volume  of  water,  it  is  merely  necessary  for  the  ditch  rider  to  consult 
his  weir  tables  and  find  the  depth  over  this  weir  necessary  to  dis- 
charge the  required  amount.  He  then  increases  or  lessens  the  open- 
ing from  the  main  canal  by  moving  the  sliding  gate  in  the  regulating 
structure  until  the  required  depth  over  the  weir  is  realized.  This  is 
the  most  important  duty  of  the  ditch  rider,  and  for  its  proper  execu- 
tion he  is  expected  to  make  a  trip  daily  over  the  entire  canal,  or 
his  division  of  it,  and  to  examine  and  regulate  the  gate  of  every  con- 
sumer. He  usually  travels  on  horseback  or  in  a  two- wheeled  cart,  and 
carries  a  shovel,  a  hatchet,  a  small  sharp-pointed  bar,  and  frequently 
a  number  of  empty  sacks.  The  hatchet  is  used  to  repair  structures 
and  nail  on  boards  which  may  have  become  loosened;  the  bar  is  for 
raising  gates  which  may  be  difficult  to  move  by  hand;  and  the  shovel 
and  sacks  are  frequently  required  for  the  repair  of  banks  and  the 
stoppage  of  holes  caused  by  the  work  of  gophers,  muskrats,  and  other 
burrowing  animals,  whose  depredations  frequently  result  in  serious 
and  expensive  breaks  in  the  embankments.  The  holes  thus  mad*}  are 
usually  small  and  insignificant  at  first,  but  become  rapidly  enlarged 
through  the  erosion  of  the  escaping  waters,  and  if  not  stopped  event- 
ually result  in  a  breach  carrying  away  a  portion  of  the  embankment. 
The  ditch  rider,  however,  is  expected  to  inspect  the  whole  works  un- 
der his  charge  daily,  and  usually  detects  the  leaks  by  means  of  the 
escaping  waters  before  serious  results  ensue.  Upon  the  discovery  of 
a  leak  thus  caused,  his  first  efforts  are  directed  to  the  location  of  the 
point  on  the  inside  of  the  bank  at  which  the'  water  enters  the  hole. 
This  is  frequently  detected  through  the  eddy  or  vortex  appearing  at 
or  near  the  opening.  Having  located  this  point,  the  orifice,  if  small, 
can  be  closed  by  pushing  into  the  hole  one  or  two  empty  sacks;  if  al 
ready  too  large  to  be  closed  in  this  manner,  it  can  usually  be  accom- 
plished by  first  filling  a  few  sacks  a  half  or  a  third  full  of  loose  earth 
and  ramming  them  into  the  mouth  of  the  opening  into  which  the  water 
from  the  ditch  is  passing.  In  this  manner  holes  of  considerable  size 
can  usually  be  effectually  stopped  in  a  few  minutes. 

The  regulating  gates  before  mentioned  are  frequently  kept  locked, 
as  already  stated,  and  the  key  thereto  carried  by  the  ditch  rider. 
When,  as  frequently  occurs,  a  water  consumer  has  completed  his  irri- 


1 54  THE  IRRIGTION  A  GE. 

gation  and  has  for  the  time  being  no  use  for  water,  he  may  desire  that 
it  be  shut  put  from  his  lateral.  In  such  cases  he  leaves  a  note  tacked 
on  his  head  gate,  requesting  the  ditch  rider  to  shut  it  off  at  a  specified 
time,  and  in  the  same  manner  notifies  him  to  turn  it  on  when  he  again 
needs  it.  The  ditch  rider  gets  these  messages  when  he  makes  his 
daily  round  over  the  ditch. 

Where  a  ditch  does  not  exceed  12  or  15  miles  in  length  one  ditch 
rider  is  expected  to  patrol  its  entire  length,  but  upon  more  extensive 
systems  several  may  be  required  to  perform  these  duties.  Where  there 
are  several  required  the  canal  is  divided  into  divisions,  each  of  which 
is  patrolled  by  a  separate  rider.  In  such  cases  the  length  of  a  division 
ridden  by  one  man  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  duties,  varying 
materially  with  the  amount  of  repairs,  the  danger  of  breaks  and  leaks, 
and  the  number  of  regulating  gates  to  look  after.  The  average  length 
of  a  division  is,  however,  from  12  to  15  miles,  and  the  average  compen- 
sation for  the  work  ranges  from  $50  to  $75  per  month,  out  of  which 
he  must  pay  his  own  board  and  furnish  and  maintain  his  own  horse 
and  cart. 


AN   UNWATERED  EMPIRE. 

BY  GEN.  NELSON  A,  MILES. 

My  interest  in  the  subject  of  irrigation  began  some  three  decades 
ago  when,  in  the  performance  of  official  duty,  I  had  occasion  to 
explore  more  or  less  thoroughly  that  vast  extent  of  sparsely  settled 
or  unoccupied  land  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  one-hundredth 
meridian,  on  the  north  by  the  49th  parallel,  on  the  south  by  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  extending  to  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  ranges  on 
the  west.  The  thought  often  occurred  to  me  then — and  the  thought 
has  grown  into  a  conviction  as  the  years  have  gone  by — that  it  was 
not  the  part  of  economy  of  nature  to  have  this  enormous  expanse  of 
land  lie  inert  and  waste.  Millions  of  acres  were  apparently  desert, 
where  the  coyote  starved  and  only  the  cactus  and  sage  bush  could 
live;  yet  the  soil  held  within  itself  the  elements  of  productiveness, 
the  air  was  as  pure  as  heaven,  the  scenery  inspiring  as  a  beautiful 
picture,  the  application  of  the  vivifying  water  the  only  thing  lacking 
to  arouse  its  rich  potential  energies. 

Since  those  early  days  I  have,  from  time  to  time,  with  voice  and 
pen,  done  what  I  could  to  advocate  the  conservation  of  the  water 
supply  of  our  arid  lands  and  the  preservation  of  the  trees,  which  are 
the  guardians  of  the  fountains  at  the  waters'  source. 

Since  the  foundation  of  our  Government  center  of  population  has 
been  steadily  moving  westward,  the  pioneer  spirit  of  the  East  seeking 
homes  and  independence  far  a\*ay  from  the  stifling  atmosphere  of  the 
large  overcrowded  cities.  This  united  desire  of  our  people  to  own  a 
home  rather  than  to  rent  one — to  be  their  own  landlords  rather  than 
some  landlord's  tenants — assures  the  vitality  of  the  great  American 
Republic.  The  American  farmer  is  soverign  to-day,  and  the  dignity 
and  independence  engendered  by  his  free  environment,  the  health- 
fulness  of  mind  and  body  resulting  from  the  pure  air  he  breathes,  the 
love  of  country  which  home-owning  stimulates,  make  him  the  pre 
server  of  those  beneficial  institutions  under  which  we  live 

It  would  be  a  sad  day,  full  of  evil  portent  to  the  Republic,  if 
home-building  should  become  unpopular,  if  gravitation  towards  the 
cities  should  overcome  the  outward  march  into  the  expansive  country, 
if  tenantry  in  an  over-crowded  alley  should  be  chosen  in  preference 
to  a  free  quarter  section  in  valley  or  upland.  Therefore  I  say  the 
devising  of  means  whereby  the  public  domain  is  available  for  home- 
seekers,  and  the  arid  lands  are  made  habitable  and  productive,  is  now 
one  of  the  most  important  lines  of  American  endeavor.  I  reiterate 


156  THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE 

the  saying  of  the  keen  satirist  and  wise. philosopher:  That  whoever- 
could  make  two  ears  of  corn  or  two  blades  of  grass  to  grow  upon  a 
spot  of  ground  where  only  one  grew  before,  would  deserve  better  of 
mankind  and  do  more  essential  service  to  his  country  than  the  whole 
race  of  politicians  put. together. 

The  utility  of  irrigation  ceased  to  be  questioned  thousands  of 
years  ago,  and  we  have  the  records  of  successful  methods  which  are 
as  old  as  the  first  pages  of  written  history  itself.  We  have  evidence 
that  the  aborigines  of  the  southwest  had  perfected  a  system  of  irri- 
gation, and  the  natives  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  who  brought 
their  methods  from  Mexico  and  Spain,  handed  down  their  skill  to 
posterity. 

I  am  not  optimistic  enough  to  believe  the  ingenuity  of  men 
can  encompass  the  redemption  of  the  six  hundred  millions  of  acres 
which  comprise  the  nation's  vacant  public  lands,  but  if,  as  had  been 
claimed  there  is  water  enough  for  the  irrigation  of  one  hundred 
millions  of  acres  (providing  the  supply  is  economically  used),  I  can 
easily  imagine  ten  millions  of  good  citizens  finding  homes  on  farms 
which  are  self-supporting.  In  the  state  of  Texas  there  are  still  many 
millions  of  acres  of  unclaimed  acres  which  would  lend  themselves 
readily  to  irrigation  methods  and  become  valuable  to  settlers.  The 
area  of  this  great  state  may  be  appreciated  by  remembering  the  fact 
that  if  it  were  populated  as  densely  as  the  state  of  Massachusetts 
there  would  be  over  ninety  millions  of  souls  within  its  borders.  But 
it  is  the  immense  tracts  that  embrace  a  large  part  of  Arizona,  New 
Mexico,  Utah  and  Nevada,  much  of  Wyoming,  Colorado,  California 
and  Oregon,  and  the  basin  of  the  Columbia  in  interior,  Washington, 
which  comprise  mainly  the  public  domain. 

It  appears  that  private  or  corporate  enterprise  cannot  be  trusted 
to  control  the  improvement  and  reclamation  with  justice  and  equality 
for  all  concerned.  The  states  themselves  are  as  yet  not  financially 
strong  enough  to  undertake  the  task.  It  seems  to  me,  therefore, 
that  the  plan  proposed  is  the  most  feasable  and  just.  It  is:  Let  the- 
Government  build  the  storage  reservoirs  and  the  main  line  canals, 
and  the  settlors  provide  the  smaller  distributing  system  by  banding 
themselves  together  in  co-operative  organizations. 

I  believe  that  Congress  is  awakening  to  a  sense  of  the  importance 
and  propriety  of  lending  national  aid  to  the  movement.  Already 
considerable  sums  have  been  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of  investi- 
gating hydrographic  conditions,  measuring  streams,  making  reser- 
voir surveys,  etc.,  and  I  believe  that  before  long  the  policy  of 
national  aid  in  the  building  of  storage  reservoirs  will  be  established. 

The  Government  has  spent  over  eleven  millions  of  dollars  in 
improving  the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  river,  as  its  middle  course 


THE  1RRIGA  TION  A  GE.  157 

is  through  an  arid  or  semi-arid  region,  and  as  the  necessity  for  water 
transportation  increases  in  direct  ratio  to  the  productiveness  of  the 
land  through  which  the  river  flows,  it  seems  logical  and  right  that 
the  attention  of  the  Federal  authority  should  now  be  given  to  the 
conservation,  for  irrigation  purposes,  of  its  surplus  flood,  which  does 
such  great  damage  along  its  lower  course  when,  swelled  by  melting 
snows,  its  mighty  volume  bursts  through  its  expensive  confines. 

The  National  Government  has  appropriated,  to  June  30,  1900,  for 
•expenditure  by  the  Mississippi  River  Commission,  $37,647,780.17,  of 
which  $15,403,901.87  were  expended  for  levees.  There  must  be  added 
to  this  latter  item  over  fifteen  millions  of  dollars  contributed  by  the 
states,  making  thirty  and  one-half  millions  expended  in  efforts  to 
confine  the  surplus  wealth  of  vitalizing  fluid  contributed  by  moun- 
tains until  it  is  lost  in  the  great  ocean.  Think  of  the  thousands  of 
farms  that  could  be  made  productive  by  the  judicious  expenditure  of 
only  a  part  of  this  great  sum.  There  are  able  engineers  who  even 
question  the  wisdom  of  constructing  artificial  banks,  claiming  that 
sooner  or  later  the  restless  flood  will  break  through,  and  when  it  does 
the  damage  will  be  a  thousand-fold  greater  than  it  would  were  the 
waters  allowed  to  spread  as  nature  permitted. 

But  there  is  no  question  as  to  the  utility  of  storing  up  a  portion 
of  the  flow  of  water  that  runs  away  in  non-irrigation  seasons  that  it 
may  be  available  for  use  during  the  growing  periods.  As  a  distin- 
guished United  States  engineer,  referring  to  the  arid  region  of  the 
West,  reports,  '  'In  no  other  part  of  the  Uuited  States,  or  anywhere 
else  in  the  world,  are  there  such  potent  and  conclusive  reasons,  of  a 
public  as  well  as  a  private  nature,  for  the  construction  of  a  compre- 
-hensive  reservoir  system." 


A    PLAN     FOR    RECLAIMING    THE 

ARID   LANDS    OF    OUR 

GREAT    WEST. 

BY  C.  B.  PARKER. 

After  an  experience  of  forty  years  west  of  the  Missouri  river, 
and  several  years  of  the  time  in  the  saddle  from  Omaha  to  Portland, 
Oregon,  from  North  Dakota  to  Texas  and  from  British  Columbia  on 
the  coast  to  Mexico  and  after  advocating  for  thirty  years  the  political 
econony  and  practicability  of  irrigating  by  United  States  Government 
this  vast  enterprise  of  now  worthless  land  equal  in  area  to  ten  states 
the  size  of  Ohio  and  thereby  reclaiming  it  to  the  highest  possible 
state  of  productiveness  capable  of  providing  homes  for  and  sustaining 
a  population  of  100,000,OOC  'of  the  over-crowded  of  our  eastern  cities 
and  those  coming  to  our  shores  from  Europe. 

The  writer  was  highly  gratified  as  a  delegate  to  the  late  National 
Irrigation  Congress  that  convened  at  Chicago,  Nov.  21  to  24,  partici- 
pated in  by  such  notables  as  G3a  Nalsaa  A.  Milas,  GDV.  Roosevelt, 
Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Wilson;  Senator  Foster,  of  Washington, 
Senator  Carter,  of  Montana,  Senator  Perkins,  of  California,  and 
Senator  Beverige,  of  Indiana,  as  well  as  Hons.  A.  C.  Bartlett,  James 
Deering,  Geo.  F.  Stone,  John  E.  Springer,  of  Chicago,  and  Pres. 
James  J.  Hill,  of  the  Great  Northern  R.  R.,  and  Gov.  Pettis,  of 
Arizona,  all  advocating  irrigation  by  Government  Aid. 

Congress  was  memorialized  to  construct  reservoirs  by  a  system 
of  dams  in  the  mountains  and  foot-hills  for  storing  the  early  flood- 
waters  of  summer  and  President  McKinley  was  telegraphed,  asking 
his  attention  to  the  matter  is  his  next  message  to  congress.  Much 
discussion  was  given  to  the  complex  question  of  the  impracticability 
of  elevating  water  onto  much  of  this  more  elevated  land  and  the  loss 
of  water  by  seepage  in  the  ditches  of  the  more  sandy  regions. 

Now  these  objections,  are  as  the  writer  believes,  fully  met  and 
overcome  by  the  patented  invention  of  Col.  Alexander  Hoagland,  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  his  steel  channel  or  canal,  concrete  lined, 
that  is  thoroughly  indorsed  as  practical  from  economic  and  sanitary 
standpoints. 

Imagine  a  steel  canal,  concrete  lined,  from  North  Dakota  to 
Galveston  .resting  on  a  concrete  foundation,  constructed  in  one-half 
the  time,  at  one-third  less  expense  than  a  dry  cacal  and  supplied  with 
water  in  the  regions  of  greatest  altitude  by  Col.  Hoagland's  pump  or 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


159 


elevator  at  the  rate  of  3,000  gallons  per  minute  from  artesian  wells  as 
may  be  necessary. 

Some  of  the   advantages  of   this  reservoir  retaining]  system  of 


MARITINE  SHIP  CANAL. 


storing  the  early  flood-waters  of  the  mountain  streams  are:  1st.  To 
hold  in  store  for  use  later  in  the  season  for  irrigation  purposes.  2nd. 
Preventing  the  annual  damage  by  floods  to  crops,  property  and  live 


160 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGK 


stock  in  the  Mississippi  Delta.  3d.  As  a  sanitary  measure  avoiding 
or  preventing  the  epidemics  of  malaria  and  fevers  that  prevail  as  a 
result  of  the  annual  overflow  of  the  low  lands  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  from  Omaha  to  New  Orleans.  Government  has  found  this  to 
be  one  of  her  perplexing  as  well  as  expensive  wards  to  regulate  at  as 
great  an  expenditure  yearly  as  the  cost  of  hundreds  of  miles  of  this 
steel  canal,  and  the  loss  of  crops,  live  stock  and  property  for  a  single 
year  would  complete  our  system  from  the  Canada  line  to  Galveston. 
Some  of  the  advantages  of  our  enterprise  are: 


ELEVATOR. 

1st.     The  rise  in  value  of  all  this  land. 

2nd.  Valuation  of  crops,  fruits  and  dairy  products  not  over- 
looking the  poultry  industry  that  now  excells  in  all  our  great  central 
western  states  the  entire  wheat  crop. 

3rd.     Rents  and  revenue  from  water  tax. 

4th.     Freight  and  traffic  for  the  Railroads. 

5th.  Happy  homes  for  the  millions  in  our  country  with  the  best 
climate  in  the  world. 

6th.     The  building  of  villages,  towns  and  cities. 

7th.  The  opening  and  developing  of  the  greatest  iron  and  coal 
mines,  furnaces  and  foundries  in  the  world  for  the  manufacturing  of 


TEE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  161 

the  steel  and  iron  for  our  canal  on  the  ground  and  forever  furnishing 
employment  for  thousands  in  the  great  Western  industrial  possi- 
bilities. 

Was  ever  such  a  jigantic  or  colossal  opportunity  offered  for  a 
truly  American  system  of  "Home  Expansion"  and  development  of 
these  arid  lands  and  the  sleeping  billions  of  ore  and  coal  in  the 
mountains  deposited  there  by  our  Beneficent  Creator  and  surely  this 
we  have  a  right  to  without  the  humiliation  of  asking  permission  of 
Great  Britain  or  any  other  country,  as  in  our  much  wanted  and  surely 
needed  Nicaragua  canal. 

Irrigating  the  West  is  no  longer  considered  a  sectional  enterprise 
but  one  purely  National  and  we  believe  this  plan  of  the  steel  canal 
being  properly  shown  to  congress,  they  will  see  it  as  practical, 
feasable,  logical  and  of  sound  political  economy,  promising  greatest 
returns  for  the  outlay  than  any  plan  or  enterprise  in  the  history  of 
•our  grand  country. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 


PROFITS  IN  CHICORY. 

The  growing  of  chicory  has  become  a 
profitable  industry  in  the  past  few  years 
in  the  states  of  Michigan,  Illinois,  Wis- 
consin and  Nebraska.  The  plant  averages 
six  to  ten  tons  of  roots  per  acre,  many 
getting  15  to  20  tons  from  an  acre,  where 
the  soil  is  properly  prepared  and  cultiva- 
tion perfect.  From  numerous  reports 
made  on  the  crop  the  general  cost  of  grow- 
ing an  acre  and  preparing  for  the  market 
ranges  about  $33,  and  the  income  at  $6.00 
to  $8.00  per  ton  runs  $50  to  $80.  The 
crop  is  practically  the  same  as  sugar  beats 
in  the  yields,  cost  of  growing  and  income 
from  a  given  area.  As  the  uses  of  chico- 
ry are  established  and  increasing  among 
Americans  every  year  and  factories  are 
being  erected  in  various  places  for  hand- 
ling the  product  the  wide  awake  farmers 
have  in  this  another  valuable  product  that 
can  be  successfully  handled  in  almost 
every  section. 

Chicory  comes  to  us  from  Europe  where 
it  has  been  used  for  many  centuries.  It 
was  regarded  as  a  table  delicacy  in  many 
forms  among  the  ancient  Romans,  who 
used  the  tops  as  spinach  and  the  roots  for 
coffee.  The  use  as  coffee  has  become  so 
general  among  the  people  of  Europe,  that 
the  demand  is  greater  than  the  supply. 
This  accounts  for  the  rapid  increase  in 
the  planting  of  chicory  in  this  country 
during  the  past  three  or  four  years.  The 
plant  is  extensively  used  for  pastures  for 
sheep,  and  cut  and  cured  tne  same  as 
clovers  for  hay.  Some  reports  are  that  an 
acre  will  yield  the  second  year  after  plant- 
ing fully  35  tons  of  forage  and  the  next 
year  will  increase  to  40  or  more  tons  of 


good  feed.  This  hay  is  valuable  for  feed- 
ing sheep  and  beef  cattle.  Hogs  thrive 
on  the  roots  and  horses  will  eat  both  plant 
and  roots  and  be  benefitted  by  the  toning 
effect  on  their  system. 

The  soil  best  suited  to  chicory  growing 
is  the  rich  sandy  loom,  free  of  stones, 
containing  little  clay  and  well  under- 
drained.  Land  that  produces  good  carrots 
or  parsnips  will  yield  fine  crops  of  chicory. 
The  plant  takes  up  much  of  the  earth 
elements,  especially  potash.  This  plant 
needs  a  fertilizer  something  like  the  Irish 
potato;  a  complete  mixture  should  contain 
about  8  per  cent,  each  of  phosphoric  acid 
and  potash  and  3  per  cent  nitrogen  and 
500  to  700  pounds  per  acre  is  a  fair  appli- 
cation. 

The  chicory  seed  should  be  sown  with  a 
drill  in  rows  15  to  18  inches  apart,  and 
when  the  plants  appear  be  thinned  to 
stand  about  the  same  distance  as  parsnips. 
This  is  for  the  growth  of  roots.  If  only 
hay  is  wanted  then  the  seed  may  be  sown 
broadcast  and  left  unthinned.  For  root 
growth  about  2  pounds  of  seed  will  plant 
an  acre,  but  for  the  hay  crop  4  to  5  pounds 
may  be  drilled  and  even  20  pounds  sown 
in  the  broadcast  method.  May  is  a  good 
time  for  planting.  Cultivation  is  practi- 
cally the  same  as  that  given  other  root 
crop.  Harvesting  may  be  done  with  a 
plow,  shovel  or  specially  prepared  machine. 
The  tops  should  be  cut  off  and  used  for 
forage  and  the  roots  stored  in  cellars  or 
sent  to  the  factory. 

Many  people  desire  to  use  chicory  for 
home  coffee  and  cannot  purchase  it  on  the 
market.  Such  persons  can  grow  what  they 
want  and  dry  it  as  easily  as  they  could 


THE  IRRIGATION  A GL 


163 


brown  coffee  and  in  much  the  same  way. 
When  mixed  with  good  coffee  at  the  rate 
of  one  part  chicory  to  four  parts  coffee  it 
makes  a  more  pleasant  and  agreeable  din- 
ner beverage.  Where  a  factory  is  ap- 
proachable there  is  money  in  growing 
chicory  and  these  are  being  established  in 
different  sections.  If  no  factory  is  in  reach 
then  the  plant  may  be  successfully  cul- 
tivated for  the  hay  and  the  home  value  of 
the  roots  for  feeding  and  as  substitute 
for  coffee.  The  farmer  who  has  sheep  or 
hogs  or  feed  cattle  for  market  will  find  in 
this  plant  a  valuable  addition  to  his  crops. 
It  may  be  used  as  a  soiling  crop  on  any 
worn  farm  to  great  advantage.  It  stands 
for  years  as  a  forage  plant  and  assists  in 
reclaiming  worn-out  land. 

JOEL  SHOMAKER. 


HOW  TO  CONSTRUCT  A  SILO. 

Mr.  John  Gould,  of  Ohio,  who  is  in 
this  respect  well  qualified,  gives  a  detailed 
statement  in  the  Michigan  Farmer.  We 
have  rarely  seen  a  more  thorough  presen- 
tation of  the  matter.  By  following  close- 
ly these  directions  you  cannot  go  far  astray 
in  building  a  silo.  We  quote  from  Mr. 
Gould  as  follows: 

"To  start  with,  a  cow  wants,  in  175 
days,  about  five  tons  of  silage,  or  50 
pounds  a  day.  This  means  (to  cover  all 
losses,  waste  on  top,  evaporation,  etc),  six 
tons  as  it  falls  on  the  hill  in  the  field,  and 
will,  we  think,  make  five  tons  of  fed  silage. 
Figure  that  an  acre  of  good  corn  planted  in 
3£  feet  rows,  10  to  11  quarts  of  peed  to  the 
acre,  will  make  15  tons  of  silage.  Don't 
expect  30  to  75.  Around  silo  20x15  feet 
in  diameter  will  hold  60  tons;  24x15  feet, 
78  tons;  28x15  feet,  96  tons;  32x15  feet, 
105  tons;  30x17  feet,  135  tons.  In  build- 
ing, two  smaller  silos  are  preferable  to  one 
very  large  one,  and  for  summer  feeding,  a 
small  one — in  comparison — is  a  necessity, 
on  account  of  feeding  off  quite  a  thickness 
from  the  surface  each  day  to  prevent  waste. 


''At  present  the  round  stave  silo  seems 
to  be  the  much-inquired-after  sort.  The 
experience  with  them  has  been  quite  as 
satisfactory  as  with  the  most  costly  framed 
ceiled  silos.  The  discovery  that  freezing 
did  not  in  any  way  injure  the  silage  sur- 
face, and  that  silage  was  pretty  difficult  to 
freeze  anyway,  has  made  the  tub  silo  all 
the  more  popular.  As  carriers  have  been 
so  much  improved,  and  'man  holes'  so 
easily  cut  in  a  round  silo,  the  disposition 
is  now  to  make  them  deep,  30  feet  if  pos- 
sible, so  as  to  get  great  pressure  from  the 
weight  of  the  silage  itself.  Staves  can  be 
made  of  any  good  timber  feee  from  shakes 
— pine,  hemlock,  spruce,  white  wood  and 
cucumber.  The  favorite  width  of  staves 
2x4,  and  2x5  inch  stuff.  A  wide  stave  is 
apt  to  'buckle'.  There  is  a  wide  difference 
of  opinion  about  whether  the  staves  should 
be  matched  or  beveled,  or  both. 

"In  silo  building  long  staves  are  avoided 
by  splicing  the  ends  of  two  staves  of  un- 
equal length,  so  that  when  in  the  silo  walls, 
the  splice  joint  would  not  all  come  in  the 
same  circle.  The  ends  of  two  staves  are 
made  square;  both  ends  are  sawed  into  one 
inch,  and  a  tongue,  made  of  a  piece  of  gal- 
vanized iron  2x3|  inches  is  put  in  and  the 
stave  hammered  up  to  a  close  fit.  In  set- 
ting up  the  silo,  before  the  hoops  are 
tightened  much,  the  staves  should  all  be 
sprung  back  to  a  smooth  surface.  If 
staves  are  irregular  widths,  have  the  out- 
side show  it. 

"Of  hooping  there  is  no  end  of  a  mixup 
between  bands,  rods  and  woven  wire  fence, 
the  latter  having  points  of  much  super- 
iority over  any  other.  The  rods  and  band 
hoops  need  iugs  and  threads  with  double 
burrs  so  that  the  latter  can  not  pull  off, 
and  when  the  silo  either  swells  or  shrinks, 
the  burrs  can  be  loosened  or  tightened  as 
demanded.  The  coil  wire  fence  with  its 
torsion,  makes  a  hoop  that  gives  or  takes 
up  of  its  own  accord,  and  the  silo  staves 
when  dried  out  are  up  snug  and  can  not 
'fall  together'  on  a  hot  day  by  looseness. 


164 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


Four  breadths  of  wire  fence  are  ample. 
Fasten  each  end  of  a  breadth  of  fence  to  two 
54  inch  Iong4x4-inch  hardwood  scantlings, 
so  that  when  wrapped  about  the  silo  the 
clamps  will  come  within  a  foot  of  each 
other.  Bolt  these  two  clamps  together 
with  two  1-inch  bolts,  with  secure  heads 
and  double  burrs,  using  at  least  3  inch 
washers.  Put  these  breadths  on  17-inches 
apart,  so  as  to  have  'man  holes'  between 
and  cement.  Round  out  the  floor  of  the 
silo,  so  it  will  be  the  lowest  in  the  center; 
pound  down  the  clay  hard,  letting  it  come 
up  against  the  staves  over  the  cement.  If 
rats  bother,  and  are  likely  to  come  up  from 
underneath,  a  cement  floor  would  be  well. 

"Mark  out  squares  for  the  'manholes.' 
Nail  on  two  cleats  and  clinch  them  and 
then  saw  out  the  16x18  door.  Rough  and 
clinch  strips  on  outside  the  hole  for  a 
close  jointed  'jam.'  Put  the  door  in  from 
the  inside  where  it  was  sawed  out  from, 
and  the  silo  is  filled,  make  a  little  clay 
mortar,  fill  the  inside  of  the  jam  with  it, 
push  in  the  door  and  tack  it  'just  to  stay,' 
and  one  has  a  close-fitting,  air-proof  door. 
When  feeding,  dig  down  to  it,  kick  it  in 
from  the  outside,  and  do  not  bother  with 
latches  and  hinges. 

''Do  not  cover  silage  with  an  elaborate 
roof.  It  should  not  be  shingla  and  pitch 
tight.  A  leaky  roof  is  all  the  better  for 
the  silage.  It  would  be  better  if  all  off 
when  filling.  Silos  can  go  down  into  the 
ground  if  the  fellow  wants  to  throw  silage 
up  out  of  the  silo.  Make  good,  fair  stone- 
work for  wall,  and  just  before  getting  to 
the  surface  'jog'  the  wall  out  from  the  in- 
side enough  to  make  a  slight  shoulder. 
Set  the  tub  silo  on  this,  then  wall  up  out- 
side, but  cement  to  the  silo.  On  the  inside, 
plaster  up  to,  and  a  little  over  the  staves, 
and  one  has  a  close,  air-proof  'union'  of 
stone  and  stave.  Silos  of  metal,  combina- 
tion, brick,  etc.,  have  not  answered  the 
expectations  of  their  builders.  The  wood- 
en  silo  of  some  sort  has  always  proved 


best.     It  is  not  known    whether  paint  has 
paid.'' 

PRESERVED  MILK. 

The  following  bulletin  was  issued  by 
the  University  of  Arizona,  and  treats  of 
the  use  of  pieservatives  in  milk,  showing 
their  harmfulness: 

"Late  in  the  month  of  September, 
while  the  weather  was  yet  warm,  one 
creamery  patron  was  heard  to  say  to  an- 
other, 'What's  that  thing  for?'  indicating 
by  a  motion  of  his  hand,  a  milk  cooler 
standing  near.  Upon  being  told  that  it 
was  a  milk  cooler,  and  that  both  morning 
and  evening  milk  was  cooled  by  its  use 
every  day  before  sending  to  the  factory, 
the  first  speaker  replied :  'What's  the 
use  of  all  thdt  trouble?  Get  a  little  Pre- 
servaline,  that  will  keep  your  milk  all 
right  and  isn't  half  so  much  work,'  and  in 
his  reply  expressed,  I  am  sorry  to  say, 
the  sentiment  of  many  creamery  patrons. 

''The  use  of  preservatives  id  milk  is  the 
lazy  man's  substitute  for  cleanliness.  The 
fact  that  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  add 
something  to  the  milk  to  keep  it  sweet 
until  it  reaches  the  factory  is  evidence  of 
unclean  or  careless  handling,  while  the 
fact  that  preservatives  are  added  is  evi- 
dence of  criminal  ignorance  on  the  part  of 
the  persons  using  them. 

"It  is  possible  to  make  good  butter  or 
cheese  only  when  the  souring  of  the  cream 
or  milk  is  under  control  of  the  manufac- 
turers. If,  then,  milk  comes  to  the  facto- 
ry so  adulterated  by  the  use  of  chemicals 
that  it  will  not  sour,  it  is  impossible  to 
make  good  butter  or  cheese  from  it.  In 
butter  making  large  losses  of  fat  in  the 
butter  have  been  traced  to  this  cause,  and 
we  have  known  the  entire  make  of  a  cheese 
factory  for  several  days  to  be  an  absolute 
loss  because  a  single  patron  used  Preserv- 
aline  in  his  milk. 

But  more  important  than  these  finan- 
cial losses  is  the  fact  that  the  use  of  the 
preservatives  renders  the  milk  unwhole- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


165 


some  and  deleterious  to  health.  The 
liquid  preservatives  most  commonly  used 
depend  for  their  preserving  power  upon 
the  presence  of  formic  aldehyde  of  which 
they  are  in  part  composed.  Concerning 
this  disinfectant  A.  S.  Mitchell,  chemist 
for  the  Wisconsin  Dairy  and  food  Com- 
mission, made  the  following  statement  in 
Hoard's  Dairyman  in  1898:  During  the 
last  year  a  new  and  most  powerful  disin- 
fectant has  been  foisted  upon  the  market 
as  being  harmless,  and  with  the  advantage 
claimed  that  it  could  not  be  detected  by 
chemical  means.  This  substance  is  formic 
aldehyde,  a  substance  in  general  use  as  a 
disinfectant  and  for  preserving  and  hard- 
ening dead  tissues.  Doctors  have  been 
obliged  to  abandon  its  use  as  an  antiseptic, 
in  a  very  dilute  form,  for  preserving  ear 
washes  and  similiar  solutions,  as  continued 
contact  in  dilutions  as  high  as  1  to  10,000 
causes  the  skin  to  die  and  peel  off'. 

''The  fact  that  a  solution  is  strong 
enough  to  kill  bacteria  in  the  milk  should 
be  sufficient  to  deter  any  intelligent  man 
with  a  conscience  from  adding  it  to  that 
which  he  sells  for  human  food.  Because 
some  of  the  readers  of  this  article  have 
used  Preservaline  or  Freezene  in  their 
milk  during  the  past  summer  without,  to 
their  knowledge,  having  killed,  or  injured 
the  health  of  any  of  the  creamery  s  cus- 
tomers, is  no  argument  for  the  continuance 
of  its  use.  It  should  not  be  necessary  to 
prove  that  the  substance  will  cause  direct 
injury  in  the  doses  in  which  milk  is  used 
in  order  to  establish  the  fact  that  it  is 
harmful.  Many  cases  of  sickness  and 
death  have  been  traced  to  the  presence  of 
chemical  preservatives  in  milk  and  the  cit- 
izens of  Tucson  are  at  present  investigating 
cases  in  which  death  is  supposed  to  have 
resulted  from  this  cause. 

''The  laws  of   twenty-^ix   of  our   states 

make    this    adulteration    of   milk  a    crime 

punishable    by  a    fine    or    imprisonment. 

Unfortnnately  our   territory    has  no  law 

providing  for  the  punishment  of  this  crime. 


All  creamery  men  should,  then,  be  a  law 
unto  themselves  and,  standing  together, 
unrelentingly  refuse  any  milk  suspected  of 
having  been  treated  with  chemical  preser- 
vatives or  any  other  form  of  adulteration. 

"The  use  of  chemical  preservatives  is 
the  unscrupulous  man's  substitute  for  care 
and  cleanliness,  for  by  proper  handling, 
milk  may  be  kept  sweet  until  delivered  to 
the  factory,  even  in  an  Arizona  climate. 
A  former  Timely  Hint  dwelt  somewhat  at 
length  upon  the  necessity  of  cleanliness  in 
handling  milk  and  we  would  not  like  to 
emphasize  more  strongly  and  specifically 
the  necessity  of  paying  proper  attention  to 
cooling  the  milk. 

"One  morning  in  July  the  writer  stood 
at  the  weight  can  of  a  creamery  and  took 
the  temperature  and  tested  the  acidity  of 
each  lot  of  night's  and  mixed  night's  and 
morning's  milk  delivered.  If  these  lots 
of  milk  had  all  been  handled  with  equal 
care  as  to  cleanliness,  the  temperature  at 
which  they  bad  stood  through  the  night, 
as  indicated  by  that  taken  at  the  creamery 
in  the  morning,  might  be  reasonobly  con- 
aidered  as  responsible  for  their  acid  con- 
dition at  that  time.  The  temperatures  of 
the  night's  milk  varied  from  78  to  93  de- 
grees F. ,  and  while  the  variations  in  acidity 
did  not  conform  exactly  with  those  of 
temperature,  generally  speaking,  the  warm- 
er the  milk  the  worse  its  condition.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  milk  at  9H  degrees 
was  sour;  it  was  so  sour  that  particles  of 
clabber  stuck  to  the  sides  of  the  weight 
can  as  the  milk  was  drawn  off.  arid  yet,  the 
driver  insisted  that  the  milk  was  sweet 
and  became  profanely  abusive  when  the 
weigher  politely  told  him  that  the  milk  in 
that  condition  would  thereafter  be  refused. 
Other  lots  of  milk  with  a  temperature  as 
low  as  84  degress  were  sour,  indicating 
that  lack  of  cleanliness  had  contributed  to 
their  souring. 

"As  stated  before,  this  condition  of 
affairs  is  absolutely  unnecessary.  In  our 
experience  at  the  Experiment  Station  farm 


166 


THE  IRRTGA'lION  AGE. 


we  have  observed  that  by  the  use  of  the 
ordinary  tin  drum  milk  cooler  filled  with 
well  water,  which  with  us  has  a  temperature 
of  from  70  to73  degrees,  milk,  may  be  re- 
duced in  temperature  ten  degrees;  that  by 
running  it  over  the  cooler  a  second  time 
the  temperature  may  be  brought  down  five 
degrees  more;  and  that  by  wrapping  the 
cans  in  which  the  milk  stands  in  wet  bur- 
lap or  gunny  sacks  the  temperature  may 
be  still  further  reduced  to  that  of  the  at- 
mosphere or  lower.  During  the  first 
fifteen  days  in  July,  including  the  hottest 
days  and  nights  of  the  season  and  the  hot- 
test twenty-four  hour  period  recorded  since 
the  establishment  of  the  weather  bereau 
in  Phoenix,  the  average  temperature  of 
the  night's  milk  in  the  morning,  under 
this  treatment,  was  71  degrees,  which  was 
less  than  the  average  minimum  tempera- 
ture of  the  atmosphere  for  that  period.  On 
very  warm  nights  the  temperature  of  the 


milk  went  several  degrees  below  that  of 
the  surrounding  air.  Under  this  treat- 
ment the  iacrease  of  acid  in  the  milk 
during  the  night  was  very  slight.  The 
average  per  cent  of  acid  in  the  milk  im- 
mediately after  milking,  during  the  first 
ten  days  in  July,  was  165  per  cent,  while 
the  same  milk  on  the  following  morning 
showed  a  presence  of  only  17  per  cent  of 
acid.  Milk  seldom  smells  or  tastes  sour 
when  containing  less  than  3  per  cent  of 
acid. 

"With  these  facts  to  base  conclusions 
upon  we  feel  safe  in  stating  that,  with  the 
exercise  of  reasonable  cleanliness  in  milk- 
ing and  in  the  care  of  utensils,  and  by 
taking  proper  care  in  cooling,  milk  may  be 
delivered  at  the  factory  in  good  condition, 
and  that  there  is  no  excuse  based  on  reason 
for  what  we  deem  the  criminal  adulteration 
of  milk  by  the  use  of  chemical 
preservatives." 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


DEEP    WELLS. 

Mr.  S.  L.  Gary  writes  from  Louisiana  to 
the  Rice  Industry:  ''  Irrigation  com- 
menced in  southwest  Louisiana  six  or 
seven  years  ago  with  canals,  and  these  are 
being  improved  year  by  year.  Three  or 
four  years  ago  a  deep  well  was  put  down 
at  Mermen  tau  at  148  feet;  it  proved  to  be 
a  flowing.  Since  then  one  to  two  hundred 
deep  wells  have  been  put  down,  water  ris- 
ing to  or  near  the  surface.  The  difficulties 
of  construction  were  many;  the  price  of 
tubing  has  doubled  and  we  are  experi- 
menting with  substitutes.  Glazed  and 
perforated  tiling  may  do,  and  will  lessen 
the  cost  considerably.  We  are  now  pay- 
ing two  dollars  a  foot  for  six  inch  wells. 
The  average  depth,  150  to  180  feet,  with 
five  inch  pipe  and  stationary  engine  will 
cost,  say  $1,200,  and  will  flood  one  hun- 
dred acres,  possibly  two  hundred,  experi- 
ence will  tell.  Larger  plants  will  be  more 
economical.  Such  wells  are  being  put  ten, 
twenty  and  fifty  feet  apart,  united  just  be- 
low water  level,  say  ten  feet,  making  any- 
where from  ten  to  thirty  feet  below  the 
surface.  Then  a  large  pump  and  engine 
can  be  run  by  one  set  of  hands  night  and 
day  as  cheaply  as  the  canals  for  the  same 
lift  and  capacity.  The  supply  of  water  is 
seemingly  inexhaustible,  the  temperature 
for  use  for  flooding  or  drinking,  generally 
soft  for  washing,  and  mineral  enough  for 
a  tonic-. 

The  experiment  so  far  seems  to  be  a 
practical  success.  The  why  we  want  wells 
is  very  easily  answered.  Water  is  one  of 
the  three  essentials  to  successful  farming, 
and  a  vital  essential  like  the  soil,  moisture 
or  heat,  the  successful  farmer  must  own  or 


control.  We  want  wells  to  make  success- 
ful farmers  and  freeholders.  Their  success 
is  the  success  of  all,  and  their  success  de- 
pends largely  upon  the  farmer's  control  of 
the  elements  upon  his  own  farm.  The 
length  of  his  growing  season,  the  value  of 
his  crops  per  acre,  and  his  control  of  the 
crop  conditions  on  the  farm  are  the  great 
factors  in  his  success,  and  the  success  of 
the  rest  of  the  community  depends  upon 
his.  Here  in  this  prairie  region  every- 
thing seemed  to  favor  the  agriculturist, 
except  that  at  times  in  the  growing  season 
there  might  be  a  time  too  dry  for  rice, 
which  must  be  flooded  to  get  best  results. 
A  deep  well  on  each  farm  fills  the  bill,  and 
will  give  to  Southwest  Louisiana  the  most 
prosperous  farmers  in  the  country. 

Wells  are  used  for  irrigation  in  many 
countries  by  different  people  and  with 
varying  success.  The  depth  of  well,  the 
lift  to  be  made,  the  quantity  and  quality 
of  the  water,  its  temperature  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  soil  and  subsoil  must  all  be 
considered  in  successful  irrigation.  Na- 
tional Encyclopedia  says:  "Many  such 
wells  exist  in  London.  Those  which  form 
the  fountains  in  Trafalger  square  descend 
into  the  upper  chalk  to  a  depth  of  393  feet. 
The  most  famous  artesian  well,  perhaps, 
is  that  of  Crenells,  in  the  outskirts  of 
Paris,  where  the  water  is  brought  from 
the  Cault  at  a  depth  of  1,798  feet.  It 
yields  516}  gallons  of  water  a  minute, 
propelled  thirty-two  feet  above  the  sur- 
face; temperature  81i  degrees  fahrenheit. 

"A  well  in  the  course  of  construction  at 
Pesth  yielded  at  a  depth  of  3,100  feet 
17,500  gallons  of  water  a  day  of  a  tempera- 
ture of  161  degrees  fahrenheit,  projected 


168 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


thirty-five  feet  above  the  surface.     One  at 
Sperenburg,  Prussia,  is  1,462  feet  deep." 

Wells  have  been  bored  in  the  great 
Sahara  desert.  There  are  seventy-five 
such  wells  in  one  district,  75  degrees 
fahrenheit,  yielding  in  all  600,000  gallons 
per  hour,  with  the  result  that  several  of 
these  wandering  tribes  have  settled  down, 
constructed  villages,  planted  date-palms 
and  entirely  renounced  their  wandering 
lives. 

Artesian  wells  have  supplied  a  portion 
of  the  data  upon  which  the  internal  tem- 
perature of  the  earth  may  be  calculated. 
Being  below  the  zone,  affected  by  the 
temperature  of  the  seasons,  consequently 
the  water  is  of  constant  temperature. 
Thus  the  Grenelle  has  a  constant  tem- 
perature of  31  degrees,  while  the  mean 
temperature  of  the  air  in  the  cellar  of  the 
Paris  Observatory  is  only  53  degrees.  By 
a  series  of  very  careful  experiments  it  is 
found  that  the  rise  in  temperature  is  i 
degree  for  each  fifty-five  feet  down  to 
1,800  feet,  than  i  degree  for  each  forty- 
four  feet. 

There  are  several  deep  wells  in  the 
United  States,  one  at  St.  Louis  3,843  feet; 
Columbus  1,775  feet;  Louisville  2,086 
feet,  and  Charleston,  S.  C.,  1,250  feet. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  best  of  these 
flowing  wells  would  not  furnish  sufficient 
water  for  rice  on  the  scale  grown  in  South- 
east Louisiana.  The  Grenelle,  1,798  feet, 
only  furnishes  516  gallons  a  minute,  while 
a  ten  inch  well  in  Louisian  furnishes  one 
thousand  to  fifteen  hundred  gallons,  and  a 
ten  inch  pump  with  two  to  f«*ur  wells  con- 
nected, will  yield  4.500  gallons  per  min- 
ute. Seventy-five  wells  in  Africa  united 
give  600.000  gallons  per  hour,  while  our 
forty-eight-inch  pumps  yield  1,000.000 
gallons  in  the  same  time.  Then,  our  hard 
clay  soil  makes  it  possible  to  flood  so  many 
more  acres.  The  flooding  of  land  with 
pure  wator  at  a  constant  temperature  just 
right  for  vegetable  growth  opens  up  an  al 
most  limitless  field  for  experimenting  and 


practical  farming.  It  lengthens  our  al- 
ready long  growing  season.  It  provides 
againstdisaste~,sumrneror winter.  Grasses, 
the  most  valuable  of  nature's  blessings, 
will  be  increased  in  variery  and  quality, 
semi-tropical  fruit  trees  may  find  special 
protection  in  warm  currents  of  water  and 
consequent  vapor  air;  two  crops  of  rice 
may  be  quite  possible  with  early  and  late 
irrigation  made  easy  by  wells. 

Why  do  we  put  the  wells  ten,  twenty 
and  fifty  feet  apart?  Because  we  are  ex- 
perimenting, the  idea  being  that  we  draw 
water  from  a  distance  and  get  more.  We 
began  with  two  inch  wells,  and  now  six,, 
eight  and  ten  are  more  used.  E.  Scharff 
of  Jennings  has  a  ten  inch  well  just  put 
down  at  Welsh,  La.,  118  feet,  water  rising 
very  near  the  surface,  has  flooded  over 
ninety  acres  of  rice  in  six  days'  pumping. 
To  cover  ninety  acres  four  inches  deep  in 
six  days  requires  2,400  gallons  of  water  a 
minute.  It  requires  27,139  gallons  to 
cover  one  acre  an  inch  deep. 

Artesian  does  not  necessarily  mean 
flowing,  but  only  water  not  affected  by  the 
surface.  Again,  these  wells  make  it  pos- 
sible to  open  up  every  acre  in  fertile,  val- 
uable farms  of  the  prairie  region  of  South- 
west Louisiana  and  Southeast  Texas. 
Who  can  imagine  the  beauty  and  value  of 
suoh  a  country — every  acre  a  garden  capa- 
ble of  almost  continuous  cultivation?  This 
may  sound  like  fiction,  but  it  is  only  prose 
of  the  prosest  kind,  the  reality  will  re- 
quire an  angel  to  describe  and  a  Raphael 
to  picture.  ' 


EDITORIAL  COMMENT. 

The  irrigation  problem  is  too  large  for 
individual  initiation.  It  is  a  subject  that 
should  be  handled  by  the  government. — 
jS'aw  Francisco  Argonaut 

In  his  letter  to  the  National  Irrigation 
Congress  Governor  Roosevelt  gave  vigor- 
ous expression  to  his  sympathy  with  the 
movement  to  preserve  the  forests  and  ta 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


make  tillable  and  fertile  the  now  arid 
region  of  the  West.  About  the  time  the 
governor  was  writing  his  letter  to  the  Ir- 
rigation Congress  there  appeared  in  the 
Country  Gentlemen,  the  leading  agricul- 
tural paper  of  New  York,  an  article  urging 
the  farmers  of  that  state  to  oppose  all 
plans  for  irrigation  in  the  West  at  govern- 
ment expense,  not  so  much  because  of  the 
expense  as  because  the  reclamation  of  arid 
lands  of  the  West  would  increase  the  num- 
ber of  competing  farmers  in  the  markets, 
and  would  thus  decrease  the  profit  of  the 
New  York  farmers.  The  narrow  selfish- 
ness of  this  is  disgusting.  It  is  a  part, 
perhaps,  of  the  rank  conservatism  that 
would  prevent  the  development  of  the 
country.  —  Columbus  (0.)  Dispatch. 

There  is  no  greater  necessity  for  the  ap- 
propriation of  money  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  the  rivers  and  harbors  of  the 
country  than  there  is  for  the  expenditure 
of  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  gov- 
ernment funds  in  aiding  to  bring  water 
upon  land  that  only  needs  its  magic  touch 
to  make  it  fertile  and  provide  new  homes 
for  citizens  of  the  nation. — Butte  Miner. 

The  necessity  of  doing  something  to  re- 
claim arid  lands  has  been  slowly  filtering 
through  the  minds  of  western  legislators 
for  ten  years  or  more.  It  is  time  they  got 
together  for  a  united  attack  upon  the 
house  and  senate  committees  that  deal 
with  internal  improvements.  There  are 
enough  congressmen  from  the  West,  and 
their  mentality  and  aggressiveness  are  of 
sufficient  high  order  to  make  a  stir  if  they 
concentrate  their  energies. — Spokanf. 
( Wash. )  Review. 

The  reclamation  of  arid  lands  is  too 
vast  in  its  scope  and  objects  for  private 
enterprise  or  even  state  aid.  The  govern- 
ment must  deal  with  the  problem  sooner 
or  later.  It  alone  can  prevent  a  ruinous 
conflict  of  interests  and  conserve  the 
oceans  of  water  uselessly  going  to  waste. 
— North  Yakima  A'eics. 


It  would  seem  to  be  a  good  investment 
for  the  government  from  a  business  stand- 
point, as  well  as  highly  desirable  for  other 
reasons.  The  work  is  one  which  private 
enterprise  cannot  well  undertake.  It  re- 
quires not  only  a  large  capital,  but  abso- 
lute control  over  the  head-waters  of  some 
of  the  principal  streams  of  the  country  and 
of  the  region  surrounding  their  sources. 
Individuals  do  not  possess  this,  and  there 
are  objections  to  granting  it  to  them.  The 
government,  however,  can  control  and 
maintain  it.  —  Grand  Rapids  (Mich.)Press. 

One  of  the  greatest  movements  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  one  destined  to  find  a 
successful  issue  in  the  early  part  of  the 
twentieth.  When  this  system  becomes 
general  throughout  the  arid  lands  of  the 
West,  the  entire  people  of  thu  country 
will  share  in  the  prosperous  times  they 
will  produce.  Thousands  of  home  seekers 
will  find  homes  for  themselves  and  their 
families.  The  manufacturers  of  the  East 
will  find  a  large  field  for  their  products 
and  will  be  enabled  to  employ  more  men. 
These  men  will  consume  more  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  eastern  farmer,  and  all  in  all 
every  section  and  every  industry  will  be 
greatly  developed.  —  Shreveport  (La.) 
Times. 

The  general  subject  is  one  of  great  im- 
portance. Minneapolis  and  the  North- 
west are  interested  in  the  proposition  di- 
rectly. The  larger  cultivation  of  the  arid 
valleys  by  means  of  irrigation  is  sure  to  be 
of  advantage,  not  only  to  the  cities  and 
towns  in  the  irrigated  districts,  which 
would  profit  by  the  increased  population 
and  trade,  but  to  the  trade  centers  as  well. 
— Minneapolis  Journal. 

One  of  the  strongest  points  made  in  the 
Chicago  Irrigation  Convention  in  favor  of 
government  assistance  to  irrigation,  was 
that  it  would  promote  the  small  farm  in- 
dustry. The  irrigated  area  is  peculiarly 
adapted  to  small  farms  and  unadapted  to 
bonanza  farming.  Minnesota  lands  will 


170 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE, 


not  go  a  begging  whether  the  arid  lands  of 
the  West  are  open  to  settlement  or  not, 
and  our  reservoir  interests  can  well  afford 
to  join  hands  with  the  arid  lands  interests 
in  securing  such  judicious  government  aid 
as  may  be  desired. — Minneapolis  Tribune. 

The  subject  is  one  ©f  vast  importance, 
and  one  of  these  days  we  have  no  doubt 
will  receive  favorable  consideration  and 
money  aid  from  the  government.  Tens  of 
thousands  of  farmers  settled  upon  small 
but  productive  farms  would  add  greatly  by 
their  labors  to  the  argicultural  products  of 
the  United  States,  and  would  be  new,  good 
customers  of  its  manufacturers'  and  mer- 
chants.— Pittslurg  I'ost. 

This  work,  which  is  altogether  too  vast 
for  private  enterprise,  it  is  expected  the 
national  government  will  take  hold  of  in 
the  same  way  that  it  has  spent  such  enor- 
mous sums  in  river  and  harbor  improve- 
ment along  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  The 
immediate  benefit,  it  is  expected,  will  be 
to  the  West.  In  a  broad  way  the  benefit 
will  be  to  the  whole  country. — Denver 
Post. 

The  irrigation  question  is  not  a  sectional 
one.  The  East  needs  more  agricultural 
lands  in  the  West,  that  its  surplus  popu- 
lation may  find  homes.  The  whole  country 
will  be  benefited  by  the  increased  produc- 
tiveness of  the  West.  The  reclaimed  arid 
lands  will  support  railroads,  furnish  a 
market  for  manufactured  products  and  en- 
able many  thousands  of  Americans  to  es- 
tablish homes. — Minneapolis  Times. 
•  This  great  work  must  be  prosecuted  un- 
til the  last  acre  of  land  and  sage  brush 
susceptible  of  irrigation  is  brought  under 
the  revivifying  influence  of  water.  The 
question  may  be  askea  why  not  allow 
private  capital  to  carry  on  the  work  which 
it  has  already  commenced.  The  answer  is 
that  private  persons  cannot  control  the 
sources  of  supply.  Another  and  more 
convincing  reason  why  the  national  gov- 
ernment should  solve  the  problem,  instead 


of  leaving  it  to  individuals  and  corpora 
tions,  is  that  private  enterprise  has  reached 
its  limit.  It  has  on  the  whole  been  a  los- 
ing business.  It  has  failed  financially  for 
reasons  which  would  not  be  operative 
against  the  government. — New  York  Even- 
ing Post. 

It  is  justly  argued  that  the  national 
government  and  people  outside  the  arid 
regions  are  interested  in  this  movement  by 
reason  of  the  great  value  that  would  be 
added  to  public  lands;  the  protection  of 
the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries  from 
floods  and  the  vast  additions  to  trade  and 
commerce  that  will  be  secured  by  the  up- 
building of  the  great  West. —  Editorial 
correspondence,  Evansville,  (Ind.)  News. 

The  project,  if  carried  out,  will  be  a 
benefit  to  the  nation.  It  will  add  an 
enormous  area  of  very  fertile  land  to  the 
national  domain,  which  will  furnish  homes 
to  a  vast  population.  An  additional  mar- 
ket will  be  created  for  our  manufacturers, 
the  railroads  will  be  furnished  with  addi- 
tional traffic,  and  the  wide  gap  between 
the  great  central  valley  and  the  Pacific 
slope  will  be  bridged  over.  Hence  there 
is  a  national  aspect  to  the  matter,  which 
renders  it  entirely  proper  that  congress 
should  take  action.  —  Toledo  Blade. 

This  is  a  great  problem  and  must  be 
carefully  considered.  It  is  generally  con- 
ceded that  these  lands  ought  to  be  re- 
claimed. But  it  will  be  a  costly  under- 
taking, and  perhaps  only  the  government 
can  undertake  it.  Moreover,  the  longer 
the  work  is  delayed  the  more  difficult  it 
will  be  to  do. — Philadelphia  Press. 

The  two  general  plans  that  involve  all 
the  others  are  the  storage  of  storm  waters 
and  reservoirs  and  the  preservation  and 
extension  of  the  forest.  Certainly  the 
success  of  the  Mormons  in  Utah  shows 
how  a  desert  may  be  made  to  bloom  by 
carefully  laid  plans.  The  work  of  the  Ir- 
rigation Congress  is  of  interest  not  alone 
to  the  farmers  of  the  far  West  or  to  those 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGL\ 


171 


who  have  interest  in  arid  sections  of  the 
country.  — Philadelphia  Enquirer. 

Governor  Roosevelt's  suggestions  ap- 
peared sound  and  sensible,  but  every  one 
of  them  turned  on  the  postulate  of  govern- 
ment control.  And  the  more  the  problem 
is  studied,  the  more  clearly  it  will  be  seen 
that  this  is  the  only  way  to  treat  it  that 
promises  satisfactory  results.  The  area 
that  must  be  dealt  with  is  too  great  to  be 
bounded  by  state  lines,  and  any  practical 
plan  must  ignore  them.  But  this  brings 
up  the  greatest  problem  in  the  whole 
scheme  of  western  irrigation.  —  Phila- 
delphia Public  Ledger. 

A  hundred  million  acres  of  good  land 
are  unfit  for  cultivation,  and,  in  fact,  for 
habitation,  because  the  rainfall  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  insure  crops.  The  national  in- 
terest that  is  being  manifested  in  reclaim- 
ing this  big  stretch  of  arid  land  shows  that 
work  along  the  right  line  is  progressing 
rapidly.  The  expense  of  putting  this  land 
into  a  profitable  agricultural  condition  of 
course  is  very  great,  but  if  Uncle  Sam  gets 
back  of  it,  and  the  right  men  engineer  it, 
there  will  be  but  little  difficulty  in  creating 
a  desirable  territory  for  new  homes  for  in- 
dustrious farmers.  —  Drovers'  Journal, 
Chicago. 

As  long  as  fertile,  well  watered  land 
with  virgin  soil  remained  to  be  exploited, 
naturally  but  little  interest  could  be  ex- 
cited over  leagues  of  arid  waste  known  in 
the  earlier  geographies  as  "the  great 
American  desert."  Now  that  the  public 
lands  in  the  humid  and  sub-humid  areas 
are  practically  all  taken  up,  it  is  natural 
and  inevitable  that  the  problem  of  dealing 
with  those  neglected  portions  of  territory 
should  call  more  urgently  for  solution. — 
Chicago  News. 

There  is  an  area  larger  than  New  York 
and  New  England  combined,  and  the  open- 
ing of  it  for  successful  agriculture  would 
add  much  to  the  productive  capacity  of 


the  country.  Without  doubt  the  govern- 
ment soon  will  move  in  that  direction,  re- 
claiming comparatively  small  tracts  from 
year  to  year,  until  the  whole  territory  is 
brought  under  cultivation.  —  Troy,  N.  Y. 
Record. 

Irrigation  is  the  problem  upon  which 
hinges  the  redemption  of  millions  of  acres 
of  arid  land  throughout  the  western  states 
and  territories.  Considerable  work  has 
been  accomplished  in  this  line  through 
the  employment  of  private  capital,  but  if 
ever  proper  results  are  realized  the  gov- 
ernment itself  must  take  hold  of  the 
matter. — St.  Louis  Star. 

All  the  West  is  interested  in  the  plan  to 
have  the  government  build  a  system  of 
storage  reservoirs  near  the  headwaters  of 
streams  to  use  for  irrigation  purposes. 
The  idea  is  that  private  capital  might  be 
depended  on  to  distribute  the  waters  to 
the  users.  As  the  government  controls 
rivers,  it  could  appropriately  undertake 
the  diversion  of  superfluous  water  in  the 
winter  and  early  spring  into  reservoirs 
where  it  could  be  stored  until  it  should  be 
needed  in  the  spring  and  summer.  The 
government  is  the  more  interested  in  such 
work  because  it  would  probably  end  the 
floods  that  have  caused  such  loss  of  life 
and  property.  The  water  which  now 
swells  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  to  un- 
due proportions  at  times,  would  be  di- 
verted for  use  in  transforming  deserts  into 
gardens. 

This  new  farming  community  would  in- 
crease the  market  for  manufactured  goods, 
and  would  largely  add  to  the  agricultural 
wealth  of  the  land.  For  both  these  rea- 
sons the  East  as  well  as  the  West  is  in- 
terested in  the  irrigation  development. — 
Kansas  City  &tar. 

Congress  has  taken  tentative  but  in- 
efficient steps  to  aid  irrigation,  granting 
the  lands  to  the  states  which' find  them- 
selves unable  to  bear  the  burden  involved 
in  a  large  system  of  irrigation.  Money 


172 


THE  JRRTGA1ION  AGE. 


cannot  be  raised  on  them  to  improve  them, 
but  must  be  invested  before  they  have  any 
value.  Every  argument  that  has  been 
made  for  other  national  improvements  ap- 
peals with  greater  force  for  this.— St. 
Paul  Dispatch. 

The  question  of  the  reclamation  of  mil- 
lions of  acres  of  western  lanas  by  irriga- 
tion is  no  longer  a  sectional  issue — it  is  a 
national  one.  It  is  time  that  the  subject 
should  receive  that  attention  its  impor- 
tance demands. 

The  reservoir  system  will  prove  the  so- 
lution of  this  problem,  while  abolishing 
floods  in  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi 
rivers. 

It  is  a  national  enterprise  and  should  be 
so  considered. 

It  is  legitimately  the  work  of  congress. 
That  body  should  attend  to  it. — St.  Louis 
Chronicle. 

The  Irrigation  Congress  has  intrenched 
itself  in  the  broad  principle  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  national  government  to  take 
care  of  the  arid  lands,  and  it  will  make  a 
vigorous — though  not  necessarily  a  last 
ditch— fight  to  have  congress  shoulder  the 
burden. — Kansas  City  (Mo.)  Journal. 

It  is  proposed  to  ask  an  appropriation  of 
ten  million  per  annum  on  a  "  continuous 
plan,"  as  is  recognized  in  the  river  and 
harbor  work,  For  ourselves,  we  think  the 
possession  and  occupation  of  "arid  Amer- 
ica" more  likely  to  "expand  our  trade  and 
give  us  greater  strength  among  the  na- 
tions" than  the  acquisition  of  all  China. — 
Jacksonville  (Fla>)  Times  Union. 

The  first  and  most  immediate  benefits 
would  result  to  agriculture  in  the  use  of 
the  water  to  irrigate  the  arid  lands  of  the 
far  West.  The  second  result  would  be 
the  diverting  of  tho^e  flood  waters  from  the 
Mississippi  river,  thereby  relieving  the 
lowlajids  of  the  valley  from  the  inunda- 
tions they  periodically  cause  without  such 
diversion.  While  Louisiana  has  a  general 


interest  in  the  improvement  of  the  entire 
country,  and  in  the  promoting  of  its  agri- 
culture, this  state's  special  interest  is  in 
the  relief  from  floods  from  the  great  rivers 
that  pour  their  waters  down  from  the 
mountains  upon  the  lowlands.  —  New  Or- 
x  Picayune. 


The  national  irrigation  movement  is  no 
longer  an  experiment.  Its  annual  con- 
gresses have  increased  in  size  and  impor- 
tance for  nine  years.  The  object  of  carry- 
ing the  convention  East  is  to  awaken 
eastern  interest  in  the  irrigation  move- 
ment as  something  which,  if  successful, 
opens  an  extensive  new  market  to  eastern 
manufacturers  and  jobbers.  —  T'jpeka 
Capital. 

Slowly  but  surely  the  importance  of  a 
national  system  of  irrigation  is  being  im- 
pressed upon  the  United  States  govern- 
ment. The  great  work  being  accomplished 
by  irrigation  associations,  of  which  the 
National  Irrigation  Association  is  the 
strongest,  will  in  time  be  the  upbuilding 
of  the  arid  West.  The  government  must, 
and  will  in  a  few  short  years,  take  hold  of 
this  important  question.  —  Paso  Rohles 
(Cal.)  Record. 

Both  political  parties  have  pledged  their 
support  to  plans  for  reclaiming  the  arid 
lands  of  the  West. 

The  last  year-book  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  says  that  private  irrigation 
has  practically  reached  its  limit,  and  that 
in  many  instances  it  is  proving  a  losing 
business.  The  reason  for  this  failure 
would  not  exist  in  the  case  of  government 
operations.  Eventually  every  possible 
acre  of  sand  and  sage  brush  must  be  made 
productive.  —  &an  Jose  (Cal.)  Neics. 

Private  and  State  enterprise  have  al- 
ready done  much  to  develop  the  possi- 
bilities of  some  sections.  But  there  are 
greater  problems  to  be  solved,  and  the 
members  of  the  irrigation  congress  are 
doubtless  right  in  holding  that  this  is 


THE  IRRIGA I10N  A  GE. 


173 


legitimate  work  for  the  United  States 
government  itself.  No  one  will  object  if 
the  government  spends  [money  to  reclaim 
arid  lands  for  the  benefit  [|of  bona  fide 
settlers. — St.  Joseph  (Mo.}  Ntics. 

There  are  not  a  few  people  in  various 
sections  of  the  country,  not  directly  in- 
terested in  the  work  of  irrigation,  who 
recognize  that  every  reclaimed  acre  of  land 
means  a  stimulus  to  -business,  and  an 
eventual  benefit  to  the  country — means 
more  crops,  increased  population,  ad- 
vanced civilization,  new  needs,  and  con- 
sequently a  greater  volume  of  business. 
What  congress  has  to 'guard  against  is 
schemes  to  benefit  mere  private  enterprises 
at  public  expense.  A  project  so  guarded 
will  be  beneficent,  and  the  people  of  every 
section  of  the  country  can  consistently  ap- 
prove it. — Springfield  (111.)  Register. 

Capt.  H.  M.  Chittenden,  of  the  En- 
gineer Corps,  who  has  made  a  careful 
study  of  the  subject,  asserts  that  there  are 
in  this  country  75,000,000  acres  of  arid 
land  which  can  be  reclaimed.  This  is  a 
'territory  somewhat  larger  than  New  Eng- 
land and  New  York  together.  Consider- 
ing the  great  fertility  of  irrigated  lands,  it 
will  readily  be  seen»  that  this  reclaimed 
territory  would  support  millions  of  people, 
and  be  a  vast  addition  to  the  national 
wealth  and  resources. — Boston  Herald. 

The  project  is  one  which  would  be  of 
the  very  greatest  benefit,  both  to  the  West 
and  the  East — to  the  West  as  offering 
homes  for  not  less  than  10.000,000  people 
engaged  in  farming;  to  the  East  in  supply- 
ing a  large  home  market  for  manufactures 
of  all  kinds,  and  increasing  to  a  very  great 
extent  the  wealth  and  resources  of  our  na- 
tion—  Colorado  Springs  Gazette. 

The  day  is  certainly  coming  when  the 
public  will  realize  the  importance  of  fur- 
ther developing  our  land  resources.  Al- 
though the  irrigation  problem  is  an  old 
one  in  many  localities,  it  is  comparatively 


new  to  the  country  as  a  whole.  These 
lands  once  reclaimed  and  provided  with  an 
adequate  water  supply,  would  become 
among  the  most  fruitful  and  valuable  in 
the  country.-— Sioux  City  (la.)  Times. 

There  are  sufficient  and  satisfactory  rea- 
sons for  the  undertaking  this  great  work 
of  irrigation  by  the  federal  government. 
Private  enterprise  will  undertake  schemes 
that  promise  early  financial  returns,  but 
will  do  little  for  the  permanent  benefit  of 
mankind.  This  great  work  must  be  prose- 
cuted until  every  barren  waste  of  sand  and 
sage  brush  that  is  capable  of  irrigation  is 
made  to  bloom  and  blossom  like  the  rose 
under  the  vivifying  influence  of  water.  It 
is  gratifying  to  note  in  the  eastern  press 
the  assertion  that  the  country  will  not  be 
satisfied  with  anything  less.  —  Tacoma 
(  Wash. )  News. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  any  extensive 
plan  for  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands  can 
be  carried  on  to  much  better  advantage  by 
the  general  government  than  by  the  states 
which  have  such  lands  within  their  bor- 
ders. The  benefits  of  so  large  an  addition 
to  the  productive  area  of  the  country  are 
apparent.  Tens  of  thousands  of  farmers 
settled  upon  small  but  highly  productive 
farms,  would  add  greatly  to  the  agricul- 
tural products  of  the  United  States,  and 
would  be  good  customers  of  its  manufac- 
turers.—  Grand  Rapids  Herald. 

The  power  and  duty  of  the  government 
to  conserve  the  waters  either  by  forests  or 
reservoirs  arise  from  the  fact  that  upon 
their  preservation  depends  the  very  exist- 
ence of  the  country.  With  water  we  may 
have  in  the  arid  region  prosperous  com- 
munities, populous  states  and  national 
wealth,  resources  and  power;  without 
water  we  have  deserts,  desolation  and 
death. — Los  Angeles  Times. 

There  is  sufficient  available  water  in 
Spain  to  reclaim  an  immense  domain.  The 
government  decided  in  May  last  to  con. 


174  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

struct  reservoirs   and   irrigation  canals  to  best  be  judged   from   the   transformation 

enlarge  her   agricultural   area.     Certainly  that   has   taken   place   where    only  a  few 

our  country  ought  not  to  be  behind  poor,  years  ago   the   lizard   reigned   almost   su- 

old  unenterprising  Spain  in  bringing  under  preme  in  his  realm  of  burning  desert.  The 

cultivation   her   arid   fields.  —  Salt  Lake  platform  (Irrigation  Congress)  recommends 

Tribune.  "adequate    national   legislation    reserving 

control  of  the  distribution  of  water  for  ir- 

What  would  be  accomplished  were  the  rigation  to  the  respective  states  and  terri- 

national   government  to  undertake  the  gi-  tories. "     This  should  insure  prompt  action 

gantic  work  of  constructing  reservoirs  and  on  any  feasible  plan  that  may  be  brought 

canals  on  a  scale   necessary  to   bring  the  to  the  attention  of  congress. — Salt  Lake 

entire   arid  region   under  cultivation  can  City  News. 


THE  RESURRECTION  DAY. 
By  Martha  Capps  OR  vpr. 

Blue  and  cloudlike,  in  the  distance, 

Stretched  the  Gallilean  sea, 
Tender  skies  above  seemed  brooding 

Over  some  glad  prophecy; 
Reaching  out  across  the  future, — 

Brightening  all  the  world's  dark  way. 
Hope  and  promise  gave  their  pledges 

On  the  Resurrection  Day. 

From  the  hills  of  far  Judea 

Swept  a  tide  of  joyful  song, 
Rocks  and  trees  caught  up  the  chorus 

As  it  swelled  and  rolled  along; 
All  the  earth  laughed  out  in  rapture, 

Flowers  blossomed  by  the  way, 
Even  Gethsemane's  sad  garden 

Bloomed  on  Resurrection  Day. 

Still  on  Gallilean  waters 

Shines  the  sunlight  as  of  old, 

Still  within  that  sacred  garden 

Flowers  their  fragrant  hearts  unfold; 

Still  from  nature's  holy  places 
Wandering  odors  find  their  way, 

While  a  rapture  pure  and  subtle 

Thrills  through  Resurrection  Day. 

"Peace  be  with  you,"  said  the  Savior, 

And  the  benediction  sweet — 
Floatidg  down  the  breath  of  ages — 

Waits  our  longing  souls  to  greet; 
Jesus,  while  Thy  gentle  presence 

Lingers  yet  beside  our  way, 
Snines  toe  glory,  still  reflected, 

From  the  Resurrection  Day. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


WHAT  SHE  WANTED. 

A  huckster  was  going  along  on  an  east 
side  street  early  one  morning,  making  the 
welkin  ring  with  his  sing-song  of  "Po-ta- 
t-o-o-o-es,  toma-t-o-o-es.  Nice  sweet  cook- 
ing appools."  As  he  drove  slowly  along 
he  lifted  his  eyes  to  the  windows  on  either 
side  of  the  street. 

Suddenly  there  appeared  a  woman's 
head  at  a  window  in  one  of  the  top  flats. 
The  huckster  pulled  in  his  horse  and 
raised  his  ear  to  listen  to  the  commands 
he  expected  would  be  coming.  But  the 
woman  had  not  the  lung  power  to  make 
her  voice  carry  so  far,  and  the  huckster 
called  out:  "How's  that?" 

Again  the  woman  called  out  and  her 
voice  came  down  faintly.  The  huckster 
didn't  know  whether  she  wanted  potatoes, 
cantaloupes,  tomatoes  or  corn.  So  he 
marked  the  fourth  flat  from  the  corner 
and  motioned  that  he  would  drive  around 
to  the  alley.  The  woman  was  there  wait- 
ing for  him  and  called  out  once  more,  but 
he  couldn't  understand  her. 

Gathering  a  handful  of  samples  of 
various  vegetables  from  his  stock  he 
mounted  four  flights  of  back  stairs  and 
arrived  at  the  top  panting.  The  woman 
stood  there  awaiting  his  coming. 

"Couldn't  hear  what  you  said,  lady," 
said  the  huckster,  "so  I  brought  up  some 
of  each  kind  an'  you  can  pick  what  you 
want  an'  I'll  go  down  an'  get  'em." 

"Want?"  said  the  woman,  who  was  in  a 
towering  rage.  "Want?  I  don't  want 
none  of  your  old  vegetables.  What  I 
want  is  for  you  to  stop  hollerin'  in  front 
of  this  house,  or  I'll  have  you  arrested. 
You're  enough  to  wake  the  dead.  My 


husband  works  all  night  and  he's  just  got 
into  a  little  doze,  and  goodness  knows  it's 
hard  enough  to  sleep  daytimes  such 
weather  as  this  without  a  fiend  like  you 
standing  in  front  of  the  house  yelling  like 
a  Comanche.  Now  you  get  out  of  here 
and  don't  you  holler  no  more  or  I'll  get 
the  police  after  you." 

The  huckster  stood  with  set  eyes  and 
drooping  jaw,  the  perspiration  dropping 
off  his  chin,  while  the  harangue  was  going 
on.  When  she  had  finished  he  came  out 
of  his  trance,  and  said: 

''Is  that  what  you  called  me  all  the  way 
up  here  for?  Send  fer  yer  p'lice,  lady; 
I'm  goiu'  to  yell  to  beat  the  band."  And 
he  went  down  the  stairs  and  out  of  the 
alley  and  up  the  street  in  front  of  the 
house  with  four  extra  links  let  out  of  his 
throat.  And  if  any  person  slept  on  that 
street  it  was  under  the  influence  of 
opiates. — Kansas  City  Star. 

FEMALE  LABOR. 

The  report  which  comes  from  Richmond 
to  the  effect  that  influence  is  to  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  workingmen  to  confine  their 
own  labors  to  the  sphere  of  their  homes, 
giving  up  the  places  in  the  factories  which 
many  hold,  is  rather  interesting.  It  is  to 
be  presumed  that  these  wives  and  daugh- 
ters do  not  labor  in  mills  and  factories 
merely  because,  though  having  a  compe- 
tence, they  prefer  even  meagerly  paid 
employment  to  luxurious  idleness, .  but 
that  they  are  at  work,  because  if  they  did 
not  work  they  would  suffer  in  some  par- 
ticular, or  in  many  particulars,  in  such  a 


176 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGK 


way  as  to  make  life  considerably  less 
worth  the  living.  The  query  is  as  to 
what  the  agitators  of  the  discontinuence 
of  employment  on  the  part  of  these  indus- 
triously disposed  persons  intend  to  substi- 
tute as  a  means  of  furnishing  the  objects 
of  cheir  dissuasion  with  that  which  they 
now  secure  by  honorable  labor.  It  can 
hardly  be  expected  that  any  enthusiasm 
which  can  possibly  be  excited  in  favor  of 
the  abstract  proposition  that  wives  and 
daughter?  should  not  work  in  factories 
will,  all  alone  by  itself,  satisfactorily  fill 
the  place  of  substantial  clothing  and 
nourishing  food.  It  is  philanthropy  or 
selfishness  that  is  engaging  this  crusade 
against  female  labor  in  Southern  mills? 


SPOILING  A  HORSE. 

The  following  satirical  suggestions  are 
made  by  the  Journal  of  Medicine  on 
"Kow  to  Spoil  a  Horse." 

If  you  have  occasion  to  stop  on  the 
street  either  do  not  tie  the  horse  at  all,  or 
tie  him  to  something  to  take  with  him  if 
he  wants  to  get  away.  If  the  weather  is 
chilly  it  will  toughen  him  to  leave  him 
uncovered;  but  should  you  choose  to 
blanket  him,  throw  the  blanket  over  him 
so  loosely  that  the  first  breeze  will  turn  it 
over  his  head. 

A  cold  wind  blowing  on  the  chest  of  a 
heated  horse  will  refresh  him  greatly,  and 
if  he  stands  in  the  gutter  with  melted 
snow  and  ice  running  around  his  heels,  so 
much  the  better. 

When  you  return  to  the  stable  let  the 
horse  cover  the  last  few  rods  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  and  pull  him  up  with  a  loud 
triumphant  "Whoa?" 

And  now  don't  miss  the  glorious  oppor- 
tunity of  trying  the  disposition  of  the 
animal.  Unfasten  all  the  attaching  straps 
but  one  hold-back,  and  start  the  horse  out 
of  the  shafts.  When  you  see  the  result 
yell  like  a  fiend.  The  strap  that  remains 


unfastened  will  first  make  the  shafts 
punch  him  in  the  stomach. 

Then  pull  all  the  harness  off  his  back. 
If  he  does  not  kick  it  is  a  sign  he  is  a 
good  horse — there  is  no  wild  horse  in 
him. 

If  it  is  winter  and  the  horse  much 
heated,  either  leave  him  in  the  stable 
unblanketed,  or  put  the  blanket  on  at 
once  and  leave  it  on.  wet,  all  night. 

A  draught  of  cold  air  from  the  opening 
above  the  manger  to  the  door  behind, 
blowing  the  whole  length  of  his  body,  will 
help  to  season  him.  If  it  is  summer  slop 
his  joints  with  cold  water  and  give  him  a 
couple  of  swallows  to  drink — a  couple 
means  any  number,  from  two  to  a 
hundred. 

If  the  horse  is  tired  and  exhausted  do 
not  forget  to  feed  him  at  once.  He  might 
starve  to  death  if  you  left  him  for  an 
hour.  A  heavy  feed  of  corn  will  please 
him  greatly,  and  a  generous  allowance  of 
corn  meal  will  make  him  look  nice  and 
fat — probably  before  morning. 

A  liberal  dose  of  ginger,  pepper  or 
"condition  powders"  will  scare  away  any 
evil  spirits  that  may  be  hovering  about, 
and  make  everything  all  right. 

[f  the  horse  is  not  dead  by  the  next 
morning  you  can  fix  him  up  at  your 
leisure,  and  thereafter  conscientiously 
recommend  him  as  "tough."  But  should 
he  be  so  unreasonable  as  to  die  during 
the  night,  you  can  console  yourself  with 
the  reflection  that  it  was  not  your  fault — 
the  animal  was  constitutionally  weak. 


LARGEST  MACHINE  EVER  SHIPPED 
OVER  THE  OCEAN. 

The  largest  piece  of  machinery  ever 
exported  from  this  or  any  country,  has 
just  been  shipped  to  one  of  the  principal 
iron  works  in  Germany. 

It  is  a  boring  machine,  capable  of 
boring  cylinders  no  less  than  20  feot  in 


SHE  I B  til  G  ATI  ON  AGE. 


177 


diameter.  The  spindle  is  12  inches  in 
diameter.  The  machine  has  a  center  ele- 
vation of  10  feet  from  the  face  of  the  bed 
plate.  All  the  movement  is  controlled  by 
belt  power. 

This     monster     machine    weighs    over 
160,000  pounds,  and  cost  $15,000. 


UTTER  IDIOT. 

Indianapolis  Journal:  She — Why 
should  they  say  stolen  kisses  are  the 
sweetest? 

He — T  think  it  is  due  largely  to  the 
natural  perversity  of  human  nature.  It 
is  not  so  much  due  to  the  fact  of  any 
sweetness  in  the  mere  performance  of 
osculation  as  to  an  inherent  desire  for 
that  which  is  supposed  to  be  unattainable. 
Now,  for  instance,  I  read  an  article  by  an 
eminent  sociologist  on  the . " 

''It  is  getting  real  chilly  out  here  on 
the  porch.  I  think  we  had  better  go  in 
the  house." 


ABENDROTH  &  ROOT  MFG.  CO.,  N.  Y. 
ELECTION    OF  OFFICERS. 

At  the  Anuual  meeting  of  the  above 
named  Company  the  following  officers 
were  elected:  Mr.  Linus  G.  Reed,  Presi- 
dent; Mr.  H.  C.  Kelley,  Vice-President; 
Mr.  F.  W.  P.  Brunig,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer.  This  completes  the  reorga- 
nization instituted  a  year  ago,  and  carries 
with  it  an  association  both  of  thorough 
factory  and  engineering  equipment,  also 
a  Department  of  Sales  which  is  full 
abreast  of  20th  Century  methods. 


There  was  once  a  wise  king  who  was 
awfully  curious.  He  was  possessed  of  a 
desire  to  know  everything,  and  was  con- 
tinually asking  questions.  Indeed,  his 
thirst  for  knowledge  carried  him  so  far 
that  he  wanted  to  know  the  age  of  every 
person  he  met.  But,  being  a  king,  he 
•was  exceedingly  polite,  and  would  resort 
to  stategy  to  gain  his  ends. 


One  day  there  came  to  the  court  a  gray- 
haired  professor,  who  amused  the  king 
greatly.  He  told  the  monarch  a  number 
of  things  that  he  never  knew  before,  and 
the  king  was  delighted.  But  finally  it 
came  to  the  point  when  the  ruler  wanted 
to  know  the  age  of  the  professor,  so  he 
thought  of  a  mathematical  problem. 

"Ahem?"  said  the  king.  "I  have  an 
interesting  sum  for  you;  it  is  a  trial  in 
mental  arithmetic.  Think  of  the  number 
of  the  month  of  your  birth." 

Now,  the  professor  was  60  years  old, 
and  had  been  born  two  days  before 
Christmas,  so  he  thought  of  12  December 
being  the  twelfth  month. 

''Yes,"  said  the  professor. 

"Multiply  it  by  2,"  continued  the  king. 

"Yes." 

"Add  5." 

"Yes,"  answered  the  professor,  doing 
so. 

"Now  multiply  that  by  50." 

"Yes," 

"Add  your  age." 

"Yes," 

"Subtract  365" 

"Yes." 

"Add  115." 

"Yes" 

"And  now,  said  the  king,  "might  I  ask 
what  the  result  is?" 

"Twelve  hundred  and  sixty,"  replied 
the  professor,  wonderingly. 

"Thank   you   was  the  king's  response. 

"So  you  were  born  in  December,  sixty 
years  ago,  eh?" 

"Why,  how  in  the  world  do  you  know?" 
cried  the  professor. 

"Why,"  retorted  the  king,  "from  your 
answer — 1260.  The  month  of  your  birth 
was  the  twelfth  and  the  last  two  figures 
give  your  age." 

"Ha,  ha,  ha!"  laughed  the  professor. 
"Capital  idea.  I'll  try  it  on  the  next 
person  I  meet.  It's  such  a  polite  way  of 
finding  out  people's  ages." — New  Ideas. 


WITH  OUR  EXCHANGES. 


The  charming  "Cranford"  folks  have 
been  written  into  a  play,  and  make  their 
appearance  in  the  February  Ladies  Home 
Journal.  Even  more  dramatic  is  "The 
Beautiful  Daughter  of  Aaron  Burr,"  with 
her  romance,  her  supreme  happiness  and 
crushing  sorrows  all  crowded  into  a  few 
years.  "The  Clock  by  Which  We  Set  All 
Our  Watches,"  "The  Buffaloes  of  Good- 
night Ranch,"  "A  Woman  to  Whom 
Fame  Came  After  Death,"  "The  Life  of 
the  English  Girl,"  are  features  of  interest. 
The  last  of  "The  Blue  River  Stories"  is 
published  in  the  February  journal,  and 
"The  Story  of  a  Young  Man"  is  nearing 
its  conclusion,  while  "The  Success  of 
Mary  the  First"  increases  in  humorous 
interest.  "Is  the  Newspaper  Office  the 
Place  for  a  Girl?"  is  the  theme  of.  Edgar 
Bok's  editorial  symposium,  which  is  made 
peculiarly  convincing  by  the  opinions  of 
editors  and  newspaper  women.  Caroline 
Leslie  Field  writes  of  "The  Problem  of 
the  Boy;"  Helen  Watterson  Moody,  "The 
Trying  Time  Between  Mother  and 
Daughter,  and  "An  American  Mother,'' 
"Why  One  Man  Succeeds  and  His 
Brother  Fails."  "A  Home  in  a  Prairie 
Town"  and  a  "Brick  and  Shingle  Farm- 
house" give  architectural  plans  and 
detail. 

THE   FORUM. 

Of  the  fourteen  articles  in  the  Febru- 
ary Forum,  the  one  entitled  "The  Rehabi- 
litation of  the  Democratic  Party,"  by  "An 
ex-Democrat,"  will,  perhaps  attaact  the 
widest  atttention.  In  his  article,  Nationa- 
lization of  the  State  Guards,"  Gen.  T.  M. 
Anderson  advocates  a  judicious  combi- 
nation of  our  regular  and  volunteer  estab- 


lishments.    Hon.  William  Dudley  Foulke 
contributes     an      article     entitled     "The 
Spellbinders,"  a  narrative  of  the  trials  of 
stump   speakers  in  the   heat   of   political' 
campaigns,  which  is  replete  with  humor- 
ous    anecdotes.       The    Lessons    of    the- 
Election — A    Rejoinder,"    by    Willis   «T.. 
Abbot,  is  a  reply  from  a  Democratic  stand- 
point to  Mr.  Heath's   article,  "Lessons  of 
the  Champaign,"  published   in  the  Forum 
for  December.     Mr.'Kelly  Miller,  the  em- 
inent negro   scholar,  a  leader  of  his  race,, 
writes  about  "The  Negro  and  Education."' 
"The   Status   of    Porto   Ricans     in   Our 
Polity,"  by  Stephan  Pfeil,  is  a   discussion- 
of  the  vexatious  question  of  the  citizenship- 
of  the  residents  of  our  recently   acquired- 
possession,    Porto   Rico.     Mr.    James  G. 
Whitely,    a   leading     authority     on  inter- 
national law,  has  an  article  on  the  "Monroe- 
Doctrine  and  the  Hay-Pauncefote  Treaty. 'r 
"Should  Woman's  Education   Differ  from. 
Man's?"  is  a   dicussion  of  coeducation  by 
no  less  an  authority    than     Charles   F. 
Thwing,    President  of    Western   Reserve- 
University   and   Adelbert     College.     Mr, 
Walter    Maearthur's     article     on     "The 
American   Trade-Unions  and  Compulsory 
Abitration,"  treats  of  the   labor  question, 
and    the    proposed    innovation    of    com- 
pulsory    arbitrtiaon.         "The     Dark    in 
Literature,"  by  Richard  Burton,  Professor 
of  Literature,   University  of  Minnesota, 
deals   with   the   sombre,   the   brutal,   the 
terrible — the  abnoamal  elements  of  life — 
as  reflected  in  masterpieces  of  poetry  and 
the  drama. 


THE  IRR1 GA Ti ON  AGE. 


179 


MC  CLURE'S. 

McClures  Magazine  for  February  will 
contain  a  character  study,  "Croker, "  by 
William  Allen  White,  in  which  this 
brilliant  writer  analyzes  Tammany's  leader 
and  declares  the  secrets  of  his  power. 
Also  "In  the  World  of  Graft." 

Professor  Ira  Reinsen,  LL.  D.,  will 
contribute  on  account  of  some  "Unsolved 
Problems  of  Chemistry." 

A  narrative  of  Hernando  de  Soto  and 
his  discovery  of  the  Mississippi,  by 
Cyrus  Townsend  Brady,  will  be  fully 
illustrated. 

"Some  Recollections  of  John  Wilkes 
Booth,"  is  the  title  for  a  personal  memoir 
of  Lincoln's  assasin  by  Clara  Morris. 

The  authors  represented  are  Rudyard 
Kipling,  Robert  Barr,  Sarah  Orne  Jewett, 


Josephine  Dodge  Daskam,  and  Edwin 
Lefevre;  the  artists  are  Kenyon  Cox, 
Edmund  J.  Sullivan,  Lockwood  Kipling, 
Edwin  Lord  Weeks,  Genevieve  Cowles, 
Charles  L.  Hinton,  Henry  Hutt,  George 
Gibbs,  and  Frederic  Dorr  Steele. 

THE    SATURDAY   EVENING   POST. 

A  dozen  of  the  wealthiest  capitalists  in 
the  country — men  who  wield  absolute 
control  over  immense  business  enterprises 
— will  tell  the  readers  of  The  Saturday 
Evening  Post  (February  16)  why  they 
remain  in  the  race  which  they  have 
already  won. 

Each  of  them  writes  frankly'whether  he 
makes  money  for  his  own  sake,  for  the 
sheer  joy  of  working,  or  to  gain  the 
power  with  which  vast  capital  invests 
itself. 


R.EACtlEJ' '  DIRECT 


THE  fAMOUJ 

WINTER  mORU 

OF  THE 

JOUTOWLfT 


Springe,    Hrfc*,  "The  Carlsbad  of  America." 
Four  other  noted  Mineral  Springs  within  six  miles. 
HllStin  (The  Capital  City), 

Noted  for  its  Famous  Water  Power  and  Artificial  Lake,  navigable  forthirty-five  miles. 

San  HntOniO,  The  Alamo  City  and  Home  of  Old  Missions. 

Galveston,  Corpus  Cbristf,  Hraneae  pass,  Rocfcport, 

The  Famous  Beach  City,  Deep  Water  Harbors  and  Shooting  and  Fishing  Points. 
Dallas,  "fort  CttOrtb,  ROUStOn,  The  Big  Commercial  Cities. 
]MC£fCO,  The  Egypt  of  the  New  World,  and 
California,  The  Golden  Gate. 

ELEGANT  TULLMAN  BUFFET  SLEEPING  CARS. 

RECLINING  CHAIR  CARS  (Seats  Free  of  Extra.  Charge}. 

PULLMAN  TOURIST  SLEEPING  CARS  AND  ELEGANT  DAY  COACHES. 

TOURIST  TICKETS  NOW  ON  SALE  VIA  THIS  LINE  AT  GREATLY  REDUCED  RATES, 

FOR  ILLUSTRATED  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  PAMPHLETS,  TIME  FOLDERS,   MAPS,  ETC.,  CALL  ON 
OR  ADDRESS  ANY  AGENT  OF  THE  COMPANY,  OR  THE  GENERAL   PASSENGER  AGENT. 


C.  G.  WARNER, 

Second  Vice-president, 


RUSSELL  HARDING, 

Third  Vice-Pres't  and  Gen'l  Manager , 
ST.  LOUIS,  MO. — 


H.  C.  TOWNSEND, 

Gen'l  Passenger  and  Ticket  Agent, 


RICHARD  YATKS,  GOVERNOR  OF  ILLINOIS. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  XV 


CHICAGO,  MARCH,     1901. 


NO.  6 


Irrigation  National  irrigation  is  being 
In  Russia,  pushed  by  Russia.  The  gov- 
ernment contemplates  undertaking  large 
irrigation  works  in  western  Siberia.  In 
the  districts  of  Tomsk  and  Omsk  alone  no 
less  than  833  artesian  wells  have  been 
bored  during  the  last  four  years  at  a  cost 
of  $300,000.  Furthermore,  there  have 
been  constructed  in  the  government  of 
Tomsk,  in  74  different  districts,  altogether 
276  miles  of  canals,  while  85  miles  of  river 
beds  werrt  cleaned  from  mud,  thus  reclaim- 
ing through  irrigation  large  areas  of 
country. 

Egyptian  It  is  reported  that  but  for  the 
Reservoirs,  improvement  effected  recent- 
ly in  irrigation  in  Egypt,  the  unprece- 
dented failure  in  the  Nile  flood  ^this  year 
would  have  caused  greatly  increased  dam- 
age to  the  Egyptian  cotton  crop.  All  the 
fine,  long  staple  cotton  in  Egypt  is  raised 
under  irrigation.  The  construction  on  the 
"Nile  reservoirs"  is  pushing  forward  rap- 
idly toward  completion,  and  the  low  Nile 
of  1899-1900  has  greatly  facilitated  the 
work.  Ten  thousand  men  are  now  em- 
ployed at  Assouan  and  ten  thousand  more 
on  the  lower  river  at  the  Assiout  reser- 
voir. Twenty  thousand  men  laboring  on 
storage  reservoirs  in  the  arid  region  of 
the  United  States  would  mean  the  win- 
ning of  a  new  West. 

A  Western  Some  hundred  prominent  dai- 
Fight.  ly  Eastern  newspapers  recen  - 

ly  have  editorially  expressed  views  favor- 
able to  a  system  of  national  irrigation.  It 
would  seem  that  the  East  is  well  in  line  in 
wishing  the  development  and  reclamation 
of  the  great  area  west  of  the  hundredth 
meridian,  and  that  it  is  realized  that  such 
a,  development  would  benefit  the  entire 


country  and  be  a  national  benefit,  aiding 
to  the  general  wealth  and  power  of  the 
Nation.  While  the  East  is  thus  willing 
to  assist  and  co-operate,  it  expects,  of 
course,  that  the  West  will  make  its  own 
fight.  Every  local  Western  organization 
of  whatever  character — chambers  of  com- 
merce, clubs,  business  .  associations — 
everything  with  a  president  and  a  secre- 
tary should  discuss  and  take  action  upon 
this  question  of  national  irrigation  and 
Government  appropriations  for  the  build- 
ing of  storage  reservoirs,  and  then  stand 
ready  to  co-operate  with  the  National 
Association,  for  whatever  procedure  is 
necessary. 

Ornamental  It  was  somewhat  contradicto- 
Plank.  ry  to  hear  Representative 

Mondell,  of  Wyoming,  urging  the  recla- 
mation of  the  arid  lands,  in  the  house  of 
representatives,  and  in  invoking  the  arid 
land  reclamation  plank  of  the  Philadelphia 
republican  platform,  and  "Uncle"  Joe 
Cannon,  of  Illinoia,  and  Representative 
Grosvenor,  of  Ohio,  repudiating  this  plank 
as  "ornamental,"  not  binding,. etc.  If  the 
eastern  republicans  of  the  house  are  not 
very  careful  and  do  not  soon  wake  up  to 
the  situation,  they  will  get  into  an  em- 
barrassing tangle  over  the  arid  land  irri- 
gation question,  which  is  growing  strong- 
er and  stronger  with  each  day. 

The  opportunity  was  just  right  in  the 
house,  had  the  democrats  as  a  whole  been 
alive  to  the  situation  and  to  the  strength 
of  the  irrigation  question,  for  the  demo- 
cratic party  to  place  the  republicans  in  a 
bad  predicament,  for  the  key-note  of  the 
Western  irrigation  question  is  "home- 
building,"  and  the  republican  party  has 
heretofore  always  championed  this  class 


184 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


of  settlement.  The  demacrats,  by  now 
favoring  this  idea  themselves  of  providing 
homes  in  the  west  for  thousands  of  Amer- 
ican citizens,  could  with  entire  consistency 
charge  the  republicans  with  having  for- 
saken their  old-time  policy  for  that  of 
colony-building. 

Irrigated  In  the  irrigation  debate  in  the 
Homes.  house  of  representatives  Rep- 

resentative Bell,  of  Colorado,  stated  that 
he  had  served  on  a  special  committee 
which  went  to  the  arid  west  to  investigate 
conditions  of  labor  and  capital,  and  that 
they  found  in  Utah  the  best  labor  condi- 
tions of  anywhere  in  the  United  States. 

"Why,  "he  said,  "did  we  find  there  the 
best  condition  of  labor?  The  reason  given 
was  that  the  men  employed  in  the  coal 
mines  and  in  the  metalliferous  mines  and 
everywhere  else  had  small  homes  on  this 
irrigated  land,  and  whenever  there  was  a 
shortage  of  work  the  miners  of  Utah  went 
to  their  little  homes  and  cultivated  their 
land.  A  family  can  raise  more  on  one 
acre  of  good  fertile  irrigated  land,  in  my 
judgment,  than  can  be  raised  on  an  aver- 
age of  three  or  four  acres  in  the  Eastern 
states.  This  condition  quadruples  the  in- 
ducement for  laboring  men  to  make  homes 
on  this  land,  and  causes  them  to  take  a 
lively  interest  in  their  reclamation." 

For  Small  Congress  is  beginning  to  re- 
Settlers,  cognize  that  the  national  irri- 
gation propaganda  is  not  a  scheme  to  irri- 
gate vast  tracts  of  private  lands  at  public 
expense  thereby  putting  money  into  the 
hands  of  speculators  and  those  already 
well  able  to  take  care  of  themselves;  but 
that  it  comtemplates  the  reclamation  and 
putting  upon  the  land  of  Itona  fide  settlers 
— home-builders.  When  this  idea  becomes 
firmly  grounded  in  the  minds  of  Eastern 
men— that  the  land  is  not  to  be  reclaimed 
and  then  jobbed  away  in  large  tracts,  but 
that  it  is  to  be  safe-guarded  so  that  it  will 
become  available  for  the  small  settlers 
who  wants  to  take  up  forty  or  eighty  acres, 
and  build  a  home  upon  it  and  stick  his 
plow  into  the  soil  and  let  the  water  follow 
his  furrow,  then  there  will  be  very  little 
opposition  to  storing,  by  the  Government, 
of  the  flood  waters  of  the  West,  so  as  to 
make  it  available  for  such  use. 
'  Such  a  policy  carried  out  would  people 


the  arid  West  with  the  same  class  of  hardy 
citizens  as  the  early  pioneers  who  settled 
the  great  Mississippi  valley,  carving  out 
for  themselves  and  their  children,  homes 
in  the  wilderness,  and  making  and  creat- 
ing their  living  and  prosperity  from  the 
soil. 


Tolstoy  s  bring   us    the   sad 

Farmer  and  intelligence  that  Count  Leo 
Philosopher.  Tolstoy,  the  military  leader 
who  abhors  war,  the  landlord  who  be- 
lieves the  present  holding  of  land  in  pri- 
vate ownership  to  be  wrong  in  every  way, 
the  nobleman  who  dresses  in  the  garb  of 
the  humblest  peasant,  the  literateur  and 
art  critic,  who  plows  his  fields  and  cobbles 
his  own  shoes  —  the  cables  tell  us  that  this 
wonderful  and  good  man  is  dead  at  his 
home  farm,  Yasnaya  Poly  an  a,  Russia. 

Perhaps  no  better  idea  of  the  character 
and  order  of  mind  and  heart  of  this  man 
has  been  given  to  us  than  that  which 
Edward  A.  Steiner  contributes  when,  in 
Farm  and  Fireside,  he  describes  a  recent 
visit  to  the  great  humanitarian,  and  re- 
peats his  interview  with  the  greatest 
writer  and  thinker,  perhaps  that  Russia 
ever  has  given  to  the  world.  Of  the  farm 
and  its  relations  to  life,  Count  Tolstoy 
said  to  Mr.  Steiner: 

"The  truly  happy  life  can  be  lived  only 
on  the  farm,  away  from  the  struggles  of 
the  markets,  content  with  what  the  earth 
brings  forth,  living  upon  God's  bounty, 
asking  nothing  of  men  and  giving  them 
everything  they  need.  Tell  your  'farmers 
and  farmers'  sons,"  continued  the  great 
thinker,  "to  cling  to  the  soil,  to  live  sim- 
ply, purely  and  lovingly.  Tell  them  not 
to  forsake'  the  country  because  they  are 
lonely;  there  is  no  loneliness  like  the  lone- 
liness of  the  city,  and  there  is  no  sweeter 
companionship  than  that  which  they  may 
have  with  God  in  the  field.  Tell  them 
that  labor  alone  enobles,  and  that  obedi- 
ence to  Christ's  law  alone  brings  salvation. 
There  is  no  greator  curse  than  money, 
and  there  is  no  greater  blessing  than  to 
live  the  Christ-life." 

Who,  witnessing  the  strife  and  selfish- 
ness of  the  modern  commercial  spirit,  but 
hopes  that  some  day  the  world,  following 
out  that  divinely  instituted  order  —  first 
the  simple,  then  the  complex,  then  a  re- 
turn to  the  simple  —  will  return,  like  some 
weary  prodigal,  to  the  arms  of  the  great 
Earth-mother,  glad  to  be  at  peace  with  it- 
self once  more  and  engaged  in  the  whole 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


185 


some  and  enobling  employment  of  drawing 
sustenance  from  her  bosom?  This  is  what 
the  Russian  prophet  sees,  and  he  urges 
the  farmer  to  stay  on  his  farm,  the  truest 
and  best  mode  of  life. 

We  hear  much  of  political  or  state  socia- 
lism in  these  days — and  we  must  be  care- 
ful to  say  state  socialism,  when  we  mean 
this  order,  for  many  of  the  best  people  in 
the  world  favor  great  social  changes  who 
utterly  abhor  the  idea  of  state  socialism. 
Tolstoy  evidently  is  one  of  these,  for  when 
Mr.  Steiner  asked  him,  "Isn't  socialism  a 
preparation  for  an  ideal  state?  Tolstoy 
replied  with  much  spirit: 

"No,  indeed  not;  it  is  just  the  contrary. 
It  will  regulate  everything — put  every- 
thing under  law.  It  will  destroy  the  indi- 


vidual; it  will  enslave  him.  Socialism  be- 
gins at  the  wrong  end.  You  cannot  orga- 
nize anything  until  you  have  individuals. 
»,  You  are  making  chaos  instead  of  cosmos. 
You  will  breed  terrorism  and  confusion 
which  only  brute  force  will  be  able  to 
quell.  Socialism  begins  to  regulate  the 
world  away  from  itself.  You  must  make 
yourself  right  before  the  world  around 
you  can  be  made  right.  No  matter  how 
wrongly  the  world  deals  with  you,  if  you 
are  right  the  world  will  not  harm  you,  and 
you  may  bring  it  to  your  way  of  thinking. 
The  modern  labor  leader  wishes  to  liberate 
the  masses  while  he  himself  is  a  slave." 

Mr.  Steiner  concludes  his  interesting 
and  valuable  account  by  saying:  "I  could 
gather  no  points  on  'how  to  farm'  on  Count 
Tolstoy's  estate — we  far  surpass  him  in 
that;  but  he  might  teach  us,  as  he  has 
taught  me,  'how  to  live. '  ' 


IRRIGATION  IN  THE  PHILIPPINES. 


MANY  VALUABLE  LANDS  IN  CONDITION  FOR 
DEVELOPMENT. 

BY  G.  D.  RICE. 

The  writer  arrived  in  the  Philippine  Islands  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  and  after  two  years  sojourn  through  the  principal  islands  has 
concluded  that  there  are  some  very  excellent  opportunities  here  for 
the  development  of  the  rice,  tobacco,  cocoanut,  and  other  lands  if 
properly  irrigated.  There  are  vast  tracts  of  uncu  Itivated  lands  in  all 
of  the  islands,  many  of  which  appear  to  have  no  owners  other  than 
the  few  native  squatters  who  have  built  little  bamboo  and  nipa  shacks 
upon  them.  There  is  no  doubt  that  much  of  this  land  could  be  turned 
to  profitable  advantage  in  the  raising  of  the  tropical  products.  There 
are  certain  periods  of  the  year  when  there  are  abundant  rainfall  and 
no  irrigation  is  required.  This  season  lasts  from  July  to  the  middle 
of  winter.  The  remainder  of  the  year  is  very  dry.  I  recollect  that 
the  first  year  I  was  here  that  not  a  drop  of  rain  fell  in  the  valleys  of 
the  southern  islands  of  the  group  from  Christmas  to  July.  The  earth 
was  baked  hard  and  all  farming  products  dried  up.  I  saw  places  where 
hundreds  of  acres  of  products  could  have  been  saved  if  properly  irri- 
gated. I  noticed  that  the  native  farmers  strove  hard  to  save  their 
crops  by  weak  irrigation.  At  some  places  they  hauled  water  for  a 
mile  or  more  in  bamboo  buckets  or  caribo  drag  sleds.  In  this  way 
they  would  manage  to  keep  a  small  portion  of  the  lands  irrigated,  but 
the  greater  part  of  the  crops  would  go  to  ruin,  being  sun  burned.  I 
saw  women  and  children  carrying  water  day  after  day  to  save  farm 
crops  all  through  the  months  of  March,  April  and  May.  This  carry- 
ing of  water  is  tedious  work  and  the  labor  expended  would  not  pay, 
only  that  the  ruling  rates  of  wages  here  for  farm  labor  is  only  about 
ten  cents  per  day.  Thousands  of  acres  of  crops  which  are  ruined  every 
year  through  the  dry  season  could  be  saved  with  irrigation,  and  it  is 
possible  to  irrigate  the  plantations  of  the  Phillippines  for  the  reason 
that  most  of  them  are  situated  in  the  low  valleys.  There  are  numer- 
ous water  supplies  in  the  mountains  and  these  could  be  tapped  for  the 
water  and  the  same  carried  to  the  points  desired  through  piping.  The 
scheme  has  been  worked  successfully  in  many  sections,  and  I  saw  that 
the  natives  were  using  bamboo  piping  for  the  purpose.  The  hollow 
bamboo  il  slipped  one  end  over  the  other  and  a  secure  union  made  by 
means  of  wrapping  with  hemp. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  187 

In  some  places  the  native  farmers  were  irrigating  by  means  of 
deep  sunken  wells,  but  this  is  a  tedious  work  as  the  water  has  to  be 
elevated  about  100  feet  from  below  the  surface.  The  ground  becomes 
very  hard  and  dry  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  months  sunning  with- 
out moisture,  and  the  little  water  which  the  natives  are  able  to  apply 
counts  for  hardly  nothing. 

SYSTEMS   OF   UNDERGROUND   STONE   PIPING. 

I  observed  that  on  some  of  the  plantations  they  were  using  water- 
corrying  systems  built  up  by  using  sand  stone  piping.  This  sand 
stone  of  the  Philippines  is  soft  enough  to  permit  hollowing  into  pipe 
form  with  crude  tools  and  it  makes  a  good  water  conductor.  Again  I 
saw  soap  stone  pipes.  There  are  strata  of  soap  stone  in  the  country 
among  the  clay  deposits  and  some  has  been  located  by  the  coal  miners. 
The  stone  is  useful  to  irrigating  farmers  for  making  pipes.  The  pot- 
ters of  the  islands  also  make  piping  which  is  being  used  by  the  farmers. 
This  form  of  piping  is  perforated  with  holes  and  the  water  oozes  out 
at  different  points. 

DEVELOPMENT   OF   THE   FARMS. 

There  are  very  large  plantations  of  rice,  tobacco,  sugar  cane, 
chocolate,  coffee,  peanuus  and  other  products  in  these  islands  awaiting 
proper  development  by  irrigation.  At  present  many  of  the  planta- 
tions are  in  a  state  of  idleness  owing  to  the  continuance  of  dryness 
which  might  be  overcome  if  the  water  supplies  of  the  country  were 
properly  utilized.  The  sugar  lands  of  the  country  are  very  promising 
and  there  are  chances  for  Americans  and  others  to  make  considerable 
money  at  this  work  alone.  I  have  seen  abandoned  sugar  plantations 
which  might  be  worked  to  advantage  if  under  proper  management, 
which  are  for  sale  at  almost  nothing.  I  know  of  discharged  soldiers 
who  have  bought  up  deserted  sugar  works  and  plantation  and  engaged 
in  the  business  with  trained  overseers  in  charge,  and  who  have  made 
money  the  first  year.  There  are  hundreds  of  idle  sugar  grinding 
mills  distributed  throughout  the  country  which  were  deserted  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  war.  In  many  cases  the  ladrones  and  free 
booters  of  the  islands  have  played  havoc  with  the  machinery  by  re- 
moving the  brass  work  and  salable  parts,  but  in  most  instances  the 
steam  plant  and  the  grinding  machinery  can  be  put  into  working  shape 
at  slight  cost.  I  have  observed  fully  equipped  steam  plants,  with 
good  boilers,  engines,  pumps  and  grinding  and  conveying  machinery 
abandoned  in  the  islands,  and  ready  for  some  claimant,  the  property 
having  evidently  belonged  to  one  of  the  insurgents,  who  either  lost 
his  life  in  battle,  was  captured,  or  ran  away,  not  daring  to  present 
himself  as  the  owner  of  the  plant.  Such  plants  have  been  taken  up 
by  first  comers,  the  lands  properly  irrigated,  the  cane  crop  produced 
and  harvested,  the  grinding  machinery  put  into  order,  and  money 
made  in  large  amounts. 


188  THE  IEEIGTION  A  GE. 

It  has  been  due  largely  to  antiquated  machinery  that  the  sugar 
interests  of  the  islands  have  never  paid  as  they  should.  Even  under 
the  conditions  which  existed  for  years  previous  to  the  war,  the  sugar 
mill  owners  made  very  large  amounts  of  money.  I  have  stopped  for 
weeks  with  some  of  them,  and  their  homes  are  fitted  with  modern  con- 
veniences, the  sons  and  daughters  have  been  educated  in  Spanish 
schools,  one  hears  piano  playing,  and  there  are  indications  of  general 
prosperity.  Then  one  may  go  to  the  sugar  mill  and  there  find  the 
source  of  revenue  for  the  family  to  consist  of  a  broken  down  old  shack 
in  which  animal  traction  is  the  power,  and  in  which  naked  natives  are 
employed  at  sugar  making  after  the  crudest  of  style.  Yet  these  sugar 
mills  have  been  and  are  now  little  gold  mines  to  the  owners,  and  many 
of  the  proprietors  are  immensely  rich  and  spend  much  of  their  time 
with  their  families  traveling  abroad.  With  such  good  profits  on  the 
sugar  cane  crop  under  the  crude  methods  used,  the  opportunity  for 
increasing  the  profits  by  using  modern  machinery  would  be  very  great. 
There  is  a  good  future  of  sugar  growing  in  the  islands,  and  the  most 
important  advancement  will  be  made  when  better  systems  of  irrigation 
are  introduced. 

COFFEE   PLANTATIONS   AWAITING   IRRIGATION, 

The  first  operations  in  the  Philippines  towards  the  development 
of  the  coffee  plantations  should  be  in  the  direction  of  irrigation.  The 
writer  rode  for  many  days  through  coffee  lands  which  were  in  bad  con- 
dition and  partly  abandoned  because  of  the  extra  dryness  of  the  sea- 
son, while  in  the  mountains  nearby  there  were  many  pools  of  water, 
formed  by  numerous  brooks,  which  might  be  utilized  if  the  proper 
apparatus  were  employed. 

In  taking  up  new  coffee  lands  in  the  islands  the  natives  clear  away 
the  undergrowth,  and  the  coffee  berry  is  planted  and  some  sort  of 
shade  is  arranged  for,  as  the  full  power  of  the  hot  tropical  sun  would 
destroy  many  of  the  young  plants.  The  next  season  the  plants  are 
arranged  in  rows  with  alleys  between.  As  the  plants  attain  growth 
the  poorest  are  thinned  out.  Coffee  raising  in  the  Philippines  has 
paid  some  of  the  larger  investors  extremely  well.  I  know  of  some 
recent  comers  who  have  made  considerable  money  by  starting  planta- 
tions and  afterwards  selling  them  at  high  values. 

In  some  of  the  plantations  on  the  island  of  Panay  they  have  ar- 
ranged for  irrigating  the  lands  by  pumping  water  from  the  rivers  by 
means  of  crudely  designed  windmills.  The  mills  are  made  something 
after  the  style  of  the  old  mills  employed  100  years  ago  for  turning  the 
grinding  rolls  of  flour  mills.  At  one  place  the  water  raising  device 
was  erected  from  a  series,  of  buckets  arranged  to  be  run  up  full  of 
water  from  the  river  and  back  empty  by  means  of  animal  traction. 
All  sorts  of  water-lifting  devices  are  employed.  There  were  few  good 
pumps  in  service,  although  I  saw  some  which  had  been  imported  from 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  189 

Spain.  The  water  is  raised  from  the  river  lever  to  reservoirs,  and 
from  the  latter  it  is  conveyed  by  means  of  bamboo  pipes  or  home-made 
stone  or  clay  pipes  to  the  fields  where  the  water  is  distributed  to  best 
advantage  in  the  rows  of  coffee  plants. 

MILES    OF    TOBACCO. 

I  rode  through  miles  of  tobacco  country  on  Luzon,  in  the  valley  of 
Cagayan.  When  modern  methods  of  irrigation,  machinery  and  man- 
agement are  introduced  the  tobacco  crops  of  this  section  of  the  Philip- 
pines will  not  only  be  doubled  but  improved  in  grade.  This  valley  is 
drained  by  many  streams  emptying  into  the  Rio  Grande  de  Cagayan. 
In  this  valley  the  river  forms  the  natural  irrigation  for  a  good  portion 
of  the  year.  The  dry  portion  is  what  should  be  looked  out  for,  and 
this  could  be  arranged  if  there  were  proper  equipments  available. 
The  rainy  season  this  river  overflowed  the  entire  valley  and  the  plan- 
tations were  submerged.  When  the  river  gradually  settled  to  its  for- 
mer level,  a  deposit  of  rich  residue  remained  which  greatly  improved 
the  soil  and  made  the  following  crop  exceedingly  profitable.  The 
plowing  and  breaking  of  the  soil  begins  in  October.  During  December, 
January,  February  and  March  the  dryness  of  the  season  is  felt  and  it 
is  during  this  period  that  artificial  irrigation  is  needed.  There  are 
hundreds  of  natives  employed  in  this  valley  and  thousands  of  Chinese 
coolie  labor.  Many  Americans  and  other  foreigners  are  engaged  in 
the  tobacco  growing  interests  here,  and  all  suffer  from  lack  of  rain  for 
the  plantations  during  the  dry  season.  During  this  dryness  many  of 
the  workmen  are  thrown  out  of  occupation,  and  if  there  were  means 
for  introducing  irrigating  establishments,  these  men  would  be  avail- 
able for  service  in  putting  in  plant  and  piping. 

CHOCOLATE. 

The  Philippines  have  been  noted  for  the  cocoa  bean  for  many 
years.  There  are  large  plantations  in  operation  at  the  present  time, 
on  which  tons  of  the  cocoa  bean  are  produced  yearly.  In  addition  to 
the  wholesale  production  of  cocoa,  there  are  very  many  families  who 
devote  a  portion  of  their  lands  to  the  private  raising  of  the  cocoa  bean. 
The  extensive  farms  which  have  been  planted  from  year  to  year 
have  in  many  instances  proved  failures  due  to  the  lack  of  regular  and 
proper  irrigation.  Some  foreign  capitalists  undertook  to  go  into  the 
cocoa  bean  raising  business  on  Panay  island  a  short  while  ago,  and 
much  money  was  invested  in  laying  out  the  plantation  and  putting  in 
the  needed  equipment  of  tools  and  machinery.  The  first  year  was  an 
unusually  dry  one  and  the  enterprise  failed.  Other  instances  might 
be  noted  of  a  like  character.  The  climate  is  particularly  adapted  for 
the  growing  of  the  cocoa  bean  and  very  many  housewives  earn  con- 
siderable money  by  having  small  patches  of  the  plant  about  their 
homes.  The  cocoa  bean  is  gathered  in  the  shell  in  the  fall  and  is 
spread  in  the  sun  to  dry.  Next  comes  the  baking,  after  which  the 


190  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

grinding  is  done.  During  the  grinding  of  the  substance  some  of  the 
chocolate  makers  add  sufficient  sugar  to  sweeten  the  article,  making  it 
useful  for  commercial  purposes.  There  is  a  great  future  for  chocolate 
production  in  the  Philippines,  and  when  the  problem  of  irrigation  for 
the  dry  lands  during  the  dry  season  is  solved,  there  will  be  some  good 
opportunities  for  the  investment  of  capital  in  this  line  of  products. 

PEANUTS. 

There  are  also  large  and  uncultivated  peanut  farms  in  the  Philip- 
pines. For  some  reason  the  Philippines  labor  under  the  belief  that 
the  peanut  groves  of  the  islands  do  not  require  much  attention,  and 
they  give  no  time  or  work  to  the  care  of  the  same,  except  when  it  is 
time  to  collect  the  fruit.  The  peanuts  as  grown  here  now  are  small 
and  inferior,  but  could  readily  be  developed  into  a  staple  and  superior 
fruit.  The  peanut  lands  are  very  wild  in  appearance,  showing  little 
indication  of  civilization.  The  native  peanut  collectors  live  in  bamboo 
and  nipa  shacks  near  the  peanut  farms  and  during  the  harvesting  col- 
lect the  peanuts  in  large  mats.  These  mats  are  spread  in  the  sun  so 
that  the  peanuts  can  dry  out  thoroughly,  after  which  they  are  sacked 
and  shipped  to  the  nearest  market.  The  market  places  of  the  country 
thrive  in  nearly  all  of  the  cities  and  towns,  and  the  products  of  the 
plantations  are  sent  to  these  places  for  purposes  of  selling.  The 
prices  obtained  for  the  peanuts  are  very  low,  and  it  would  pay  enter- 
prising individuals  to  employ  agents  to  go  about  the  country  buying 
up  peanuts  and  shipping  them  to  some  of  the  sea  ports,  there  for  sack- 
ing and  shipment  to  other  countries. 

ORANGES. 

Orange  groves  are  everywhere,  most  of  them  thriving  without  any 
attention  on  the  part  of  the  proprietors  of  the  lands.  One  may  trav- 
erse for  long  distances  through  great  orange-laden  trees  and  not  see  a 
native.  This  is  during  the  period  of  grewth.  As  soon  as  the  fruit 
begins  to  ripen  the  different  owners  of  the  lands  appear  and  commence 
to  gather  the  fruits.  These  native  appear  to  expect  that  the  groves 
will  yield  abundantly  even  though  no  attention  is  given  to  the  irriga- 
tion or  care  of  the  trees.  The  majority  of  oranges  of  the  islands  have 
an  acidity  property  which  could  be  gradually  worked  off  by  proper 
cultivation. 

LEMONS. 

Lemons  are  somewhat  scarce  in  the  Philippines,  due  to  the  infer- 
iority of  the  grade  produced.  The  only  trouble  with  the  species  of 
lemons  grown  in  the  Philippines  is  that  the  fruit  is  shrunken  and 
small,  due  to  utter  lack  of  cultivation  and  care  for  many  years.  The 
Filippino  lemon  grove  owners  have  done  little  else  than  collect  the 
fruit.  Often  they  do  not  go  to  the  trouble  of  doing  even  this  much, 
and  the  hogs  of  the  country  subsist  upon  the  growth. 


THE  IRHIGA  TWN  A  GE.  19 1 

MANGOES. 

The  mango  farms  of  the  Philippines  are  among  the  important 
features  of  interest.  These  great,  rich  farms  would  be  very  profitable 
if  the  natives  knew  how  to  hancSVe  the  crops  to  advantage.  The  fruit 
is  sweet  and  nourishing  and  is  eaten  by  foreigners  to  a  large  degree. 
The  shipment  of  the  fruit  to  Japan  and  other  countries  has  been  car- 
ried on  recently  with  good  returns.  The  native  labor,  however,  is 
shiftless,  and  the  fruits  are  often  rendered  inferior  by  the  crude  meth- 
ods of  labor  used.  One  of  the  first  steps  towards  the  improvement  of 
the  Philippine  farms  by  irrigation  and  cultivation  should  be  the  intro- 
duction of  tool  with  which  to  work.  One  will  see  farmers  down  on 
their  hands  and  knees  turning  the  soil  with  crude  wood  devices.  The 
plows  are  all  wood  and  inferior  in  workmanship.  There  ought  to  be 
a  large  number  of  plows  sent  here  as  well  as  general  farming  tools 
and  machinery.  Some  of  the  poorly  paying  plantations  could  be 
turned  to  profitable  account  if  this  were  done. 


FEDERAL  IRRIGATION  TALK. 


AN  INTERESTING  STATEMENT  ON  THE  SUBJECT 

OF  INTERIOR. 
BY  SECRETARY  HITCHCOCK. 

One-third  of  the  whole  area  of  the  United  States,  exclusive  of 
Alaska  and  the  outlying  possessions,  consists  of  vacant  public  lands 
open  for  entry  and  settlement  under  the  homestead  act.  This  one- 
third  includes  some  of  the  richest  agricultural  lands  of  the  world, 
capable  of  producing  enormous  crops  under  the  influence  of  an  almost 
cloudless  sky.  There  is  one  obstacle,  however,  which  prevents  its 
utilization,  and  this  is  the  scarcity  of  water  at  certain  times  and  seasons. 

There  is  a  considerable  amount  of  water  throughout  this  vast  ex- 
tent of  public  lands,  but  it  is  so  situated  or  distributed  that  artificial 
means  must  be  provided  for  conserving  the  floods  and  distributing  the 
needed  supply  to  the  thirsty  lands.  When  this  is  .done  there  will  be 
opportunities  for  thousands  or  even  for  millions  of  homes  within  the 
portion  of  the  United  States  now  almost  uninhabitable.  The  creation 
of  these  homes  would  add  enormously  to  the  material  wealth  of  the 
nation  and  the  utilization  of  this  vast  area  as  farming  land  will  in  no 
way  reduce  the  value  of  the  lands  now  cultivated.  The  crops  produced 
within  the  arid  regions  are  entirely  distinct  in  their  nature  from  those 
of  the  humid  east,  and  seek  other  markets.  More  than  this,  the  pos- 
sible population  of  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  will  vastly 
enhance  the  volume  of  trade  and  manufacture  throughout  the  rest  of 
the  country,  and  will  make  more  valuable  the  productive  areas  adja- 
cent to  the  great  manufacturing  centers  of  the  east. 

*  *  * 

In  my  annual  report  I  have  given  a  general  estimate  of  the  extent 
of  the  public  lands  and  of  the  irrigable  area.  In  round  numbers  it  may 
be  said  that  nearly  six  hundred  million  acres  of  land  remain  .west  of 
the  Mississippi  river.  There  is  water  sufficient  for  the  reclaimation  of 
at  least  74,000,000  acres.  A  still  larger  area  can  probably  be  brought 
under  cultivation  through  the  complete  conservation  of  floods  and 
pumping  of  waters  from  underground.  This,  however,  can  be  accom- 
plished only  through  a  wise  system  of  laws  providing  for  an  adminis- 
tration of  the  lands  in  accordance  with  their  available  water  supply. 
By  wise  action  the  many  millions  of  acres  can  be  made  capable  of  sup- 
porting a  great  population,  but  by  neglect  but  a  small  portion  of  this 
land  can  be  utilized.  . 

That  this  vast  acreage,  capable  of  sustaining  and  comfortably  sup- 
porting under  a  proper  system  of  irrigation,  a  population  of  at  least 
50,000,000  people,  should  remain  practically  a  desert  is  not  in  harmony 


1  HE  IRR1 GA  7  ION  A  GE.  193 

with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  a^e  or  in  keeping  with  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  future. 

What  can  be  accomplished  depends  upon  the  varying  conditions  in 
each  of  the  localities  named,  and  what  should  be  attempted  also  depends 
upon  the  returns  to  be  expected.  In  other  words,  the  fundamental 
question  is  whether  it  would  pay  to  store  and  control  the  storm  and 
flood  waters,  which,  by  proper  irrigation,  may  add  increased  wealth 
and  provide  happy  homes  for  willing  workers. 

The  average  cost  per  acre  of  a  properly  constructed  irrigation  sys. 
tern  necessarily  varies  and  depends  upon  local  conditions.  The  re- 
markable results,  however,  accomplished  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile  in 
practically  redeeming  Egypt  from  a  state  of  bankruptcy  should  en- 
courage a  most  liberal  consideration  of  the  question  of  irrigation.  It 
is  desirable  that  such  reasonable  expenditures  be  made  by  the  Federal 
government,  as  well  as  by  the  States,  as  will  gradually,  but  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  insure  the  blessings  consequent  upon  a  well-defined  and 
executed  system  of  irrigation. 

*  *  * 

Under  a  joint  resolution  of  March  20,  1888,  directing  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  to  make  an  investigation  of  that  portion  of  the  arid 
lands  of  the  United  States  where  agriculture  is  carried  on  by  means 
of  irrigation,  as  to  the  natural  advantages  for  the  storage  of  water  for 
irrigation  purposes,  with  the  practicability  of  constructing  reservoirs, 
together  with  the  capacity  of  the  streams  and  the  cost  of  construction 
and  the  capacity  of  reservoirs,  and  such  other  facts  as  bear  on  the 
question  of  storage  of  water  for  irrigating  purposes,  a  number  of  res- 
ervoir sites  were  selected  and  approved  by  the  department. 

These  sites  were  intended  to  be  used  in  connection  with  a  general 
plan  of  execution  under  the  control  and  supervision  of  the  United 
States.  No  appropriation  has  as  yet  been  made  by  Congress  for  the 
inauguration  of  such  a  system,  but  provision  has  been  made  for  the 
gauging  of  the  streams  and  determining  the  water  supply  of  the  United 
States,  including  the  investigation  of  underground  currents  and  arte- 
sian wells  in  the  arid  and  semi- arid  regions;  and  the  results  of  such 
investigation,  which  has  been  conducted  under  the  supervision  of  the 
director  of  the  geological  survey,  have  been  brought  to  the  attention 
of  Congress  through  the  medium  of  reports,  in  which  the  best  meth- 
ods of  utilizing  the  water  resources  of  the  arid  and  semi- arid  sections 
are  set  forth. 

The  importance  of  the  reclamation  and  utilization  of  the  arid  pub- 
lic domain  has  attracted  greater  attention  during  the  past  year  than  a" 
any  previous  time.  A  large  correspondence  has  arisen  in  the  diffe- 
rent bureaus  throughout  the  department,  and  especially  with  the  geo- 
logical survey,  which,  through  its  hydrographic  branch,  has  been  ac- 


194  1HE  IRRIGTIOX  AGE. 

cumulating  data  bearing  upon  the  water  supply,  the   location   of  res- 
ervoir sites,  and  the  methods  and  cost  of  bringing  water  to  the  land. 

*  *  * 

The  interest  of  the  public  is  manifested  in  a  practical  way  by  the 
formation  of  associations  in  different  parts  of  the  country  intended  to 
promote  the  examination  of  the  resources  of  the  countty  in  its  water 
and  forests.  Large  sums  of  money  have  been  subscribed  for  dissemi- 
nation of  information  concerning  these  waters,  and  also  for  co-opera- 
tion with  various  bureaus,  notably  the  hydrographic  branch  of  the 
geological  survey.  The  appropriation  for  this  latter  office  was  in- 
creased by  the  last  Congress  from  150,000  to  $100,000,  and  this  sum 
has  been  further  enlarged  by  popular  subscription,  as  just  noted.  A 
still  further  increase  commensurate  with  the  importance  of  the  subject 
is  being  urged  by  commercial  organizations  and  firms  and  by  citizens 
who  have  contributed  their  funds  to  the  furtherance  of  this  work. 

Developments  of  irrigation  have  proceeded  almost  wholly  along 
the  lines  of  building  small  individual  ditches  and  co-operative  ditches. 
The  opportunities  for  extending  and  multiplying  these  are,  however, 
limited,  as  the  lands  most  easily  accessible  for  water  supply  have 
already  passed  into  the  possession  of  individuals.  There  remain  large 
bodies  of  public  land  for  which  water  can  be  obtained  only  at  a  great 
expense,  although  the  cost  per  acre  may  not  exceed  that  of  the  small 
systems.  Further  extension  of  the  irrigable  area  rests  in  the  building 

of  great  storage  reservoirs  and  canals. 

*  *  * 

Progress  in  the  construction  of  these  large  works  of  reclaimation 
has  come  practically  to  a  standstill,  as  it  has  been  found  by  experi- 
ence and  shown  by  statistics  that  these  reclaimation  works  have  not 
been  made  a  source  of  individual  profit.  Capital  has  been  induced  to 
undertake  the  construction  of  such  works  in  different  parts  of  the 
West,  but  almost  without  exception  these  have  been  financial  failures, 
while  the  small  co-operative  ditches  built  by  the  land  owners  have 
been  conspicuously  successful.  The  large  works,  while  sources  of 
loss  to  their  owners,  have,  on  the  other  hand,  been  of  great  advantage 
to  the  committees  and  to  the  State  as  well  as  to  the  nation,  but  it  is 
improbable  that  investors  will  continue  as  a  philanthropic  enterprise. 

The  cause  of  financial  failures  of  these  works  of  reclamation  has 
been  in  the  fact  that  the  owners  cannot  secure  to  themselves  the  in- 
crease in  value  which  has  taken  place  directly  or  indirectly  through 
the  building  of  the  works.  In  some  respects  the  case  is  comparable 
to  that  of  a  city  whose  harbor  has  been  improved.  The  land  values 
are  increased,  but  the  work  if  carried  out  by  private  enterprise  may 
not  be  remunerative  to  the  builders.  It  is  evident  that  if  further 
reclaimation  is  to  take  place  it  must  be  through  Govermental  action. 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE,  195 

The  importance  of  providing  under  wise  administration  homes  for 
many  millions  of  citizens  is  so  great  that  some  steps  should  be  taken 
toward  completing  our  knowledge  of  the  extent  to  which  the  arid  lands 
may  be  redeemed. 


EDUCATING  THE  EAST. 


BY  COL.  H.  B.  MAXSON,  SECRETARY. 

For  the  first  eight  years  of  its  life  the  National  Irrigation  Con- 
gress met  annually  in  the  West.  The  attendance  at  its  sessions  was 
largely  composed  of  representative  men  of  the  West,  and  every  phase 
of  the  great  problem  of  the  reclaimation  and  settlement  of  arid  Amer- 
ica was  discussed  and  considered  in  its  deliberations. 

At  the  Eighth  Annual  Session,  held  at  Missoula,  Montana,  it  was 
decided  to  hold  the  next  session  of  the  Congress  in  Chicago/  The 
reason  for  this  was  that  the  West  had  practically  become  united  in 
favor  of  the  adoption  of  a  broad  national  policy  for  the  preservation 
of  the  forests  and  the  storage  of  the  floods. 

The  subject  was  then  brought  before  the  people  of  the  East 
through  their  commercial  organizations.  The  merchants  of  Los 
Angeles  began  the  work  by  correspondence  with  several  thousand  of 
the  Eastern  merchants  and  manufacturers  who  find  a  market  for  their 
goods  in  the  city  of  Los  Angeles,  a  city  which  is  such  a  magnificent 
object  lesson  of  the  marvelous  transformation  that  water  will  work  in 
the  West. 

The  merchants  of  St.  Paul  and  of  Omaha  next  took  up  the  work 
of  organization  through  correspondence  with  their  business  connec- 
tions throughout  the  East,  and  a  large  number  of  the  leading  merch- 
ants and  manufacturers  of  the  great  city  of  Chicago  have  extended  to 
the  movement  their  strong  influence  and  support,  and  have  likewise 
taken  up  the  matter  by  correspondence  with  other  Eastern  merchants 
and  manufacturers. 

As  a  result  of  this  work  the  membership  of  the" National  Irriga- 
tion Association  now  comprises  nearly  one  thousand  of  the  leading 
mercantile  firms  and  manufacturing  concerns  of  the  United  States,  and 
has  a  membership  extending  from  California  to  Maine,  and  from  Min- 
nesota to  Texas.  Agricultural,  commercial,  horticultural  and  labor 
organizations,  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other,  have  strongly 
endorsed  the  national  irrigation  movement  by  resolutions,  and  given 
to  it  their  earnest  aid  and  co-operation. 

Through  a  gradual  evolution  national  irrigation  has  finally  crys- 
tallized into  a  movement  which  is  essentially  national  in  its  broadest 
sense,  and  the  organizations  that  are  now  enlisting  in  the  cause  are 


196  THE  IKRIGA  TION  A  GE. 

not  promoting  it  from  any  local  or  sectional  point  of  view,  but  from 
the  conviction  that  the  planting  of  American  civilization  and  the  build- 
ing of  homes  for  one  hundred  million  new  citizens  under  the  American 
flag  in  places  which  are  now  waste  and  desolate  is  a  national  purpose, 
Which  demands  support  from  citizen  and  statesman,  from  merchant 
and  manufacturer,  from  farmer  and  factory  operative,  and  from  every 
class  of  the  people  and  section  of  the  country,  because  the  far  reach- 
ing and  widespread  benefits  from  the  reclai (nation  of  this  vast  area  of 
virgin  territory  would  create  a  new  national  prosperity  in  which  all 
would  share. 

To  the  newspapers  of  the  country  is  largely  due  the  credit  for  the 
remarkable  progress  which  the  national  irrigation  movement  has 
made,  because,  without  regard  to  party  or  section,  the  almost  unani- 
mous and  united  support  of  the  press  has  been  given  to  the  movement. 

The  great  political  parties  of  the  country  in  their  platforms  in  the 
last  campaign  both  endorsed  it,  and  hence  the  movement  is  in  no  sense 
partisan  or  political.  It  rises  to  the1  highest  and  the  purest  patriot- 
ism, and  the  motto  of  the  movement,  "Save  the  forests,  and  store  the 
floods,"  is  one  in  which  every  citizen,  no  matter  to  what  political  party 
he  may  belong,  may  enlist  and  fight  as  a  soldier  in  the  cause  of  the 
conquest  and  subjugation  of  the  deserts  of  arid  America. 


THE  FOREST  AND  THE  STREAM. 


LETTER  FROM  HON.  JAMES  WILSON,  SECRETARY 

OF    AGRICULTURE,    READ    BEFORE   THE 

NATIONAL  IRRIGATION  CONGRESS 

AT  CHICAGO. 


Pressure  of  official  duties  prevents  my  presence  at  your  Congress, 
and  I  am.  exceedingly  sorry.  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  meet 
you,  and  to  discuss  the  two  great  agricultural  problems  of  the  West — 
wood  and  water.  But  the  work  of  preparing  my  annual  report  keeps 
me  in  Washington,  where  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  less  useful  to  your 
cause  than  I  should  be  if  I  came  to  Chicago. 

The  Department  will  be  represented  by  several  of  its  scientists, 
and  to  what  they  will  have  to  say  I  invite  your  special  attention. 
Through  its  search  for  economic  plants  that  will  thrive  with  little 
water,  through  its  studies  in  the  use  of  water  for  plants  that  need 
more,  through  its  soil  investigation,  its  forest  work,  and  in  many  other 
ways,  the  Department  of  Agriculture  is  working  at  the  problems 
which  you  are  met  to  consider.  These  problems  are  national  in  their 
scope,  and  it  is  most  fitting  that  they  should  be  studied  by  the  agen- 
cies of  the  National  government. 

The  water  and  forest  problems  are  essentially  and  primarily  ones 
o?  conservation  and  use.  The  waste  of  water  in  floods  and  the  waste 
of  forests  by  fire  are  parallel  losses,  each  contrary  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  nation  at  large,  and  each  preventable  by  well-known  means. 
"Save  the  Forests  and  Store  the  Floods"  is  an  appropriate  motto  for 
your  Congress. 

The  vast  developments  which  you  are  planning  can  become  per- 
manent only  by  the  junction  of  wise  conservation  with  energy;  and  the 
natural  resources,  which  have  cost  you  nothing,  must  be  protected 
and  husbanded  with  the  same  trained  care  which  you  are  making 
ready  to  bestow  upon  vast  systems  of  artificial  works  for  irrigation. 

The  chief  dangers  which  threaten  your  plans — one  the  failure  to 
secure  the  building  of  these  great  works,  the  other  the  failure  to  pro- 
tect the  forests  from  which  your  waters  come — are  best  met,  like  most 
of  the  dangers  which  threaten  our  country,  by  the  broad  diffusion  of 
wise  principles  and  ways  of  thought  among  the  people.  The  two  sis- 
ter organizations  which  are  striving  for  the  objects  you  have  in  view, 
The  National  Irrigation  Association  and  the  American  Forestry  Asso- 


198  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

elation,  are  perhaps  the  most  useful  agents  at  your  command  for  this 
purpose.  Use  and  support  them  to  the  full,  and  see  to  it  that  in  every 
city,  town  and  village,  East  and  West,  the  people  understand  the  vital 
interest  of  the  whole  nation  in  the  protection  and  wise  use  of  the  for- 
est and  the  stream. 


IRRIGATION  RESOURCES. 

"Exclusive  of  Alaska  and  outlying  possessions,"  said  Mr.  F.  H. 
Newell,  Hydrographer  of  the  Geological  Survey,  in  speaking  of  what 
'is  possible  in  the  United  States  in  the  way  of  irrigation  reclamation, 
"one- third  of  the  whold  United  States  is  vacant  and  at  the  disposal  of 
Congress.  For  the  most  part  it  is  open  to  homestead  entry  and  set- 
tlement, and  much  of  it  consists  of  land  possessing  great  fertility  ex- 
cept for  the  lack  of  water.  In  different  sections  are  to  be  found  moun- 
tain masses  from  which  come  perennial  streams  whose  waters  are  now 
used  to  some  extent  to  moisten  the  parched  lands.  At  intervals  there 
occur  local  storms  or  floods  inundating  large  tracts.  There  is  availa- 
ble water  for  the  reclamation  of  a  considerable  portion  of  this  arid 
land  if  it  could  all  be  saved  and  put  to  use. 

"Work  has  been  undertaken  by  individuals  and  by  corporations  to 
construct  ditches,  canals  and  reservoirs  to  supply  the  lack  of  moist- 
ure. As  a  rule  the  smaller  works  taking  water  from  perennial  streams 
have  been  not  only  successful,  but  sources  of  great  profit  to  the  own- 
ers; the  larger  works,  however,  almost  equally  without  exception, 
have  proven  financial  failures  and  their  owners  have  become  bank- 
rupt. The  great  works,  built  in  the  hope  of  securing  a  certain  and 
permanent  revenue  drawn  from  the  farmer,  have  impoverished  the 
owners,  and  the  latter  unwillingly  have  become  benefactors  of  the 
public. 

"The  lesson  is  being  slowly  but  certainly  taught  that  reclamation 
on  a  large  scale  cannot  be  made  a  source  of  profit  except  under  extra- 
ordinary combination  of  circumstances.  The  great  storage  reservoirs 
and  canals  are  comparable  in  one  sense  to  lighthouses  and  harbor  im- 
provements; they  are  necessary  and  worth  far  more  than  they  cost, 
but  under  the  existing  state  of  civilization  they  cannot  be  made  to  con- 
tribute exclusively  to  the  welfare  of  the  builders.  The  indirect  gain 
or  unearned  increment  of  value  is  so  widely  diffused  that  the  general 
public  reaps  the  larger  reward. 

"We  are  confronted  with  a  situation,"  concluded  Mr.  Newell, 
"where  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  fertile  land  to  be  reclaimed  and  con- 
siderable quantities  of  water  to  be  conserved  and  brought  to  this  thirsty 
land.  By  such  action  millions  of  homes  can  be  created  and  the  com- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  199 

monwealth  enormously  strengthened  by  the  addition  of  a  producing 
population  where  each  head  of  family  owns  and  lives  upon  his  farm. 
To  bring  about  this  happy  result  it  is  impossible  to  trust  to  speculative 
enterprise,  because  of  the  fact  that  profits  cannot  be  made  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  work  unless  the  population  becomes  tenants  of  a  great 
land  -  owning  monopoly . ' ' 

Public  funds  must  be  wisely  used  in  the  construction  of  works  of 
reclamation,  and  this  will  surely  come  about  when  the  people  of  the 
country  are  fully  conversant  with  the  facts.  These  facts  are  being 
obtained  by  the  investigations  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey 
in  the  water  resources  of  the  country  and  the  extent  to  which  the  arid 
lands  can  be  redeemed  by  irrigation.  The  Survey  is  doing  excellent 
work. 

GUY  E.  MITCHELL. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 

In  diversified  farming-  by  irrigation  lies  the  salvation  of  agriculture. 


PEACH  CULTURE. 

The  peach  growing  districts  of  the  Un- 
ited States  are  somewhat  limited  and  the 
crop  is  never  equal  to  the  market  demand. 
This  insures  goo  pdrices  and  makes  the 
business  of  growing  peaches  very  profitable. 
In  many  cf  the  districts  of  the  western 
states  peaches  return  an  average  of  $400  to 
$600  yearly  from  an  acre.  Some  successful 
growers  report  having  harvested  as  high  as 
$1000.  annually  from  well  established 
peach  orchards.  The  trees  usually  stand 
about  fourteen  feet  apart  making  at  least 
160  good  trees  on  an  acre.  These  bear 
from  five  to  twenty  boxes  each  and  the 
market  seldom  falls  below  fifty  cents  a  box. 

Peaches  can  be  grown  for  family  use  in 
almost  every  state,  but  for  planting  a  com- 
mercial orchard  the  soil,  climate  and  mar- 
ket conditions  should  be  favorable.  The 
trees  will  stand  qold  weather,  making  a 
succecs  in  New  York.  Michigan,  and  all  of 
the  northwest  states.  The  site  should  be 
protected  as  much  as  possible  from  cold 
winter  exposure  and  where  the  winds  will 
not  have  a  strong  force  in  destroying  the 
limbs  Thin,  sandy  a*nd  rocky  soils  will 
give  very  good  peach  crops  but  it  always 
pays  best  to  fertilize  the  lands.  At  plant- 
ing time  the  land  should  be  fertililed  by 
using  plenty  of  potash,  phosphoric  acid 
and  nitrogen,  and  annual  applications  will 
prove  beneficial. 

There  are  several  choice  varities  of 
peaches  for  early  medium  and  late  crops. 
In  planting  an  orchard  one  must  bear  in 
mind  that  fruits  must  be  of  good  size,  fine 
color,  excellent  flavor  and  suitable  for  ship- 
ping some  distance  and  being  displayed  on 
fruit  stands.  The  old  tested  varieties 
should  therefore  be  selected  and  planted  in 


preference  to  some  new  species  that  may 
have  only  imaginary  qualities.  Alexander 
Amsden,  Rovers,  Troth,  Hale.  Lcuis.  St. 
John,  Mountain  Rose,  Crawford  Early, 
Foseer,  Old  Mixon,  Stump.  Elderta,  Craw- 
ford Late,  Reeves,  Wager,  Fox  Seedling 
and  Beers  Smock  are  probably  the  best  for 
all  seasons.  Full  descriptions  of  each  may 
be  found  in  the  nurserymen's  price  lists, 
that  every  peach  grower  should  have. 

The  new  idea  of  planting  closely  and 
pruning  the  trees  low  and  bunchy  seems  to 
be  the  most  profitable.  Trees  may  be  had 
from  nurserymen  in  sections  near  where  an 
orchard  is  to  be  planted,  thus  insuring 
that  they  are  acclimated.  Two  year  old 
trees  are  generally  preferred  as  they  have 
better  roots  and  can  be  pruned  properly. 
Peaches  are  heavy  consumers  of  plant  food 
and  therefore  if  the  quantity  is  expected 
to  be  large  and  quality  good,  liberal  doses 
of  fertilizers  mustpe  annually  applied;  the 
most  economical  plan  is  to  furnish  the 
nitrogen  by  growing  clover  or  cow  peas  be- 
tween the  rows  the  Potash  and  Phosphoric 
Acid  can  be  applied  before  the  peas  or  clo- 
ver are  sown  and  worked  in  well;  about  250 
Ibs. Muriate  of  Potash  and  400  Ibs.  Acid 
Phosphate  per  acre  would  make  a  fair  app- 
lication. Besides  the  nitrogen  furnished 
the  ptas  or  clover  keep  the  land  well  sup- 
plied with  organic  matter,  whieh  is  an 
important  matter. 

Peaches  are  generally  marketed  in 
boxes  weighing  twenty  pounds  each. 
These  sell  on  the  market  for  from  fifty  cents 
to  $2.00  according  to  the  demand  for  the 
fruits.  They  should  be  neatly  packed  and 
of  a  uniform  size  and  color.  The  orchard 
may  be  made  a  success  several  miles  from 
a  large  city,  if  good  transportation  facilities 
are  at  hand.  If  the  peaches  are  hauled 


THE  IE  El  G  ATI  ON  AGE. 


201 


very  far  in  wagons  they  should  be  packed 
tightly  in  the  bed  and  the  wagon  have 
springs  to  prevent  too  much  brusing.  A 
little  over-ripeness  may  result  in  spoiling 
a  box  for  market.  It  is  necessary  that 
every  specimen  be  solid  when  picked  and 
placed  in  the  box.  The  surplus  if  any 
after  all  the  markets  have  been  supplied 
may  be  evaporated,  canned  made  into  jel- 
lies or  even  into  peach  brandy,  all  of  which 
finds  a  ready  sale  on  every  market. 

The  peach  tree  has  several  enemies 
and  must  be  cared  for  or  it  will  soon  be- 
come unprofitable.  The  orchard  should  be 
cleanly  cultivated  every  year  for  at  least 
six  seasons  after  planting.  Such  crops  as 
peas,  hairy  vetch,  red  clover  and  similar 
food  collecting  plants  are  food  for  the  peach. 
The  crops  are  harvested  and  weeds  and 
objectionable  plants  are  kept  down.  The 
San  Jose  scale  may  be  killed  by  spraying 
with  a  mixture  prepared  expressly  for  that 
purpose.  The  borers  and  yellows  are  treat- 
ed by  special  means  that  may  be  obtained 
from  any  books  necessary  for  guidance  in 
his  work  before  planting  a  commercial 
orchard. 

JOEL  SHOEMAKER. 


PREPARING    CORN     FOR    PLANTING. 

A.  S.  McCallen.  writes  in  Orange  Judd 
Farmer.  "The  belief  that  anybody  can 
grow  corn  is  a  fallacy  and  I  have  witnessed 
efforts  almost  as  primitive  as  those  of  the 
Indians,  who  plowed  the  ground,  with  a 
stick  and  left  the  crop  to  be  taken  care  of 
by  nature.  Any  yield  of  corn  less  than  30 
bu  per  acre  is  poor,  30  to  50  bu  is  fair, 
and  50  to  70  bu  is  only  good,  while  60  to 
100  bu  is  easily  possible.  To  obtain  a  good 
yield  with  favorable  climatic  conditions, 
the  following  must  be  well  understood  and 
intelligently  treated:  Soil,  preparation  of 
seed  bed,  seed  planting  and  cultivation,  I 
will  try  to  present  briefly  the  correct  ele- 
mentary knowledge,  derived  from  my  own 
experience  and  the  experience  of  others, 


upon  all  these  subjects  but  the  last,  reserv- 
ing that  for  a  later  article. 

Corn  is  one  crop  that  cannot  be  overfed. 
The  plant  is  a  great  feeder  and  will  not 
thrive  where  only  quack  grass  and  bull 
nettles  flourish.  If  your  land  is  poor  don't 
plant  it  in  corn  with  the  idea  of  building 
it  up.  Soil  that  is  too  poor  to  grow  a  fair 
crop  of  potatoes  should  never  be  planted  to 
corn  unless  in  the  course  of  crop  rotation 
to  prepare  for  some  other  crops  which  may 
build  up  the  soil. 

When  to  plow  for  corn  will  depend  upon 
the  kind  of  land.  If  it  is  sod  land  or  new 
land  that  has  never  been  plowed,  it  is  bet- 
ter to  plow  it  during  the  fall  or  early  winter, 
than  prepare  for  planting  with  disk  or  pul- 
verizing harrow.  Replowing  in  the  spring, 
fall  or  winter  plowed  land  would  give  best 
results.  With  any  other  kind  of  land 
start  the  plow  as  early  in  April  as  the  soil 
is  in  prime  condition  for  plowing,  which  is 
when  the  particles  are  dry  enough  to 
separate  readily  under  the  pressure  of  turn- 
ing the  furrow.  Never  plow  when  the  soil 
is  wet  and  sticky.  It  is  better  to  be  a  few 
days  or  weeks  later  in  the  planting  than  to 
plow  the  land  wet. 

Lay  off  the  land  with  a  view  to  drain- 
age and  ease  in  doing  the  work.  If  the 
fields  are  rolling,  so  that  open  furrows  are 
not  necessary  for  drainage,  make  but  few 
and  fill  these  in  harrowing. 

Plow  deep  while  the  sluggard  sleeps,  and 
you  shall  have  corn  to  sell  and  to  keep,  is 
a  good  rule  for  the  corn  grower.  Most 
soils  should  be  plowed  six  to  eight  inches 
deep.  The  object  is  to  form  a  deep  bed  of 
loose  earth  in  which  the  roots  of  the  corn 
may  feed  and  obtain  moisture  during  the 
season  of  growth.  It  is  important  that  the 
plowing  should  be  well  done.  Cut  no  more 
soil  than  the  plow  will  turn  and  have  the 
furrows  clean  and  straight.  Put  every 
thing  on  the  surface  out  of  sight. 

Harrow,  drag,  or  otherwise  pulverize  the 
surface  when  dry  enough  to  work  well 
without  sticking,  and  do  not  be  satisfie 


202 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


until  your  field  is  level  and  in  condition  for 
a  potato  patch.  Decide  on  what  variety  or 
varieties  of  corn  you  will  grow  and  be 
guided  in  your  selection  by  the  demands  of 
your  market,  the  yield  and  the  feeding 
value  of  the  different  varieties.  Select 
sound  well  matured  ears  of  uniform  size 
and  color,  remembering  the  law  of  nature 
is.  that  like  begets  like.  Any  farmer  can 
steadily  improve  the  quality  and  increase 
the  yield  by  selecting  the  best  specimens 
of  a  certain  type  of  corn  he  wishes  to  grow. 

As  a  rule  the  earliest  planting  makes  the 
best  corn.  The  planting,  however,  should 
be  delayed  until  the  seedbed  is  warm 
enough  to  readily  germinate  the  grains  and 
frosts  are  scarcely  to  be  expected.  From 
April  20  to  May  20  covers  the  period  when 
corn  sh,ould  be  planted,  although  earlier  or 
later  plantings  may  sometimes  do  equally 
well.  Shallow  planting  will  give  the  best 
results.  The  corn  will  come  up  better  and 
quicker  and  will  make  a  better  growth. 
One  to  one  and  one  half  inches  is  about  the 
right  depth.  It  is  a  mistake  that  deep 
rooting  of  the  corn  plants  depends  on  deep 
planting.  If  the  eeedbed  is  rightly  pre- 
pared the  corn  roots  will  take  care  of  them- 
selves. If  there  is  lack  of  moisture  at  time 
of  planting  a  greater  depth  may  be 
necessary. 

It  doesn't  pay  to  get  in  a  hurry  when 
preparing  to  plant  corn.  I  mean  by  this 
it  doesn't  pay  to  leave  anything  undone 
that  ought  to  be  done  in  order  to  gain  time 
that  you  may  beat  your  neighbors. 

Tests  made  by  agri  exper  stas  have  gen- 
erally resulted  in  more  bushels  of  corn  per 
acre  from  planting  in  drills  16  tol8  in.  apart, 
than  planting  in  hills.  In  these  tests,  how- 
ever, the  cultivation  has  been  very  thor- 
ough, so  that  the  drilled  corn  had  as  good 
a  chance  as  that  planted  in  hills.  The 
greater  ease  and  thoroughness  of  cultivating 
corn  checked  or  planted  in  hills  is  much 
in  favor  of  that  method  of  planting.  The 
better  method  for  most  farmers  is  that  of 
checked-rowing  or  planting  so  as  to  admit 


of  cultivation  two  ways.  I  think  about  the 
only  reason  most  farmers  have  for  drilling 
their  corn  is  that  is  more  easily  and 
quickly  done  than  checking. 

Do  the  easy  and  the  rapid  methods  of 
farming  always  pay?  Let  each  corn  grower 
as  he  plans  his  work  for  the  coming 
season  which  marks  the  first  year  in  the 
new  century  destined  to  be  greater  than  all 
the  past,  decide  to  practice  intensive  cul 
ture  with  this  great  staple  of  American 
agri  not  more  acres  but  more  bushels." 


RENTING    THE   FARM. 

The  old  farmer  who  has  moved  into 
town  to  please  his  family  and  because  he 
has  a  vague  notion  that  he  ought  to  retire 
is  often  a  pathetic  sight.  His  occupation 
is  gone,  and  with  it  the  interests  of  a  life 
time.  He  enters  a  new  environment  and 
feels  himself  shrinking  in  importance  as 
the  days  go  by.  With  the  removal  of  all 
obligations  to  busy  himself,  he  often  falls 
into  the  habit  of  doing  nothing  a  good  share 
of  the  time,  and  hugs  the  chimney  corner 
when  he  is  not  gossiping  with  old  cronies 
at  the  village. store.  He  grows  old  rapidly 
and  from  being  a  man  of  some  distinction 
in  the  community  he  rapidly  deteriorates 
into  the  class  of  superfluous  individuals 
who  contribute  nothing  to  society.  Such 
is  not  necessarily  the  fate  of  all  men  who 
retire  from  the  active  management  of  farms, 
but  it  occurs  frequently  enough  to  afford 
plenty  of  examples.  One  wonders  why 
they  are  so  easily  persuaded  to  relinquish 
an  active  life,  yet  the  reasons  are  abundant 
enough  if  one  takes  the  trouble  to  investi- 
gate. Perhaps  the  children  are  growing 
up  and  clamor  for  greater  scholastic  advan- 
tages than  the  district  school  affords,  and 
better  society.  They  unite  to  persuade  pa 
that  he  is  getting  old,  that  he  needs  a  rest 
and  that  he  ought  to  rent  the  farm  and 
move  to  town  where  Jack  may  eventually 
secure  a  clerical  position  and  Mary  learn 
dressmaking.  His  life  has  seemed  to  him 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


203 


monotonous  and  filled  with  hardships,  and 
he,  too,  thinks  a  change  would  be  agreeable. 
So  he  rents  the  farm  but  he  never  feels 
like  a  man  among  men  after.  In  later 
years  when  the  farm  has  deteriorated  under 
a  succession  of  tenants  and  has  finally  been 
sold  for  half  its  value,  when  the  pleasures 
of  clerical  life  have  begun  to  pall.  Jack 
enviously  thinks  of  the  good  old  times  on 
the  farm,  and  wishes  he  had  not  been  so 
eager  to  sell  his  birthright.  The  man  who 
removes  with  his  family  to  the  village  but 
who  continues  to  superintend  the  work  on 
his  farm  or  farms,  is  in  a  very  different 
situation.  For  him  life  loses  none  of  its 
interest.  He  has  a  sense  of  security  in 
the  thought  that  in  adversity  there  is  al- 
ways the  farm  to  fall  back  upon. 

Some  agriculturists  claim,  however  that 
no  man  can  farm  profitably  at  long  range, 
that  is.  after  he  has  ceased  to  reside  on  the 
farm.  We  are  not  prepared  to  yield  the 
point  in  the  face  of  some  conspicuous  ex- 
ample to  the  contrary,  but  if  we  admit  it 
for  the  sake  of  argument  the  case  against 
the  farmer  who  abandons  his  farm  is  the 
stronger.  Would  it  nor  pay  better  in  the 
end  to  employ  more  help  and  to  provide 
horses  to  convey  his  children  to  and  from 
the  high  school  and  places  of  amusement, 
or  better  yet  send  them  to  college,  but  keep 
their  home  and  its  associations  unchanged. 
A  telephone  is  an  easy  and  comparatively 
cheap  vehicle  of  communication  which  any 
farmer  who  Is  rich  enough  to  retire  can  well 
afford,  and  there  are  many  luxuries  possible 
to  the  farm  home  that  will  not  only  make 
it  tolerable  to  young  people,  but  attractive. 
Those  who  have  had  even  a  slight  acquain- 
tance with  frontier  farmers  who  usually 
live  five  or  ten  miles  from  a  railroad,  will 
acknowledge  that  among  them  were  some 
of  the  most  sociable  people  they  ever  knew, 
people  who  knew  how  to  entertain  and  be 
entertained.  The  hospitality  of  the  south 
in  ante-bellum  days,  and  the  social  inter- 
course between  plantations  many  miles 
apart,  made  that  part  of  our  country 


famous. 

A  social  disposition  will  find  opportun 
ties  even  on  a  farm  and  it  seems  a  pity  to 
exchange  its  independence  and  freedom 
and  the  beautiful  associations  of  a  life  so 
close  to  the  heart  of  nature,  for  what  often 
proves  to  be  a  more  cramped  and  less 
healthy  existence  in  town. 

It  is  natural  and  right  that  the  farmer 
who  has  satisfied  his  material  ambitions 
should  thenceforward  desire  to  take  life 
easier,  but  there  is  a  vast  difference  be- 
tween resting  and  rusting. — Farmer 's 
Review. 


OPENING        OKLAHOMA        RESERVA- 
TIONS. 

The  announcement  that  considerable  In- 
dian land  will  be  thrown  open  for  settle- 
ment in  So  Okla  has  resulted  in  a  great 
deal  of  inquiry.  The  opening  of  these 
reservations  is  of  course  in  the  hands  of 
the  TT.  S.  dept  of  interior.  It  seems  that 
the  land  to  be  thrown  open  to  settlers 
forms  a^part  of  the  Comanche.  Kiowa  and 
Apache  reservations.  It  is  situated  in 
the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  territory 
on  the  boundary  of  Tex.  and  consists  of 
about  3,000,000  acres.  There  are  3000 
Indians,  each  of  which  will  receive  160 
acres.  Then  480,000  acres  more  are  to  be 
reserved  for  grazing  land  for  common  use 
of  the  red  men.  The  remainder,  about 
1,560,000  acres,  will  be  offered  to  settlers 
under  the  general  ^land  law.  Any  citizen 
who  has  not  already  taken  advantages  of 
the  homestead  act  can  secure  160  acres  by 
living  on  it  from  five  to  seven  years  and 
making  certain  improvements,  or  by  pay- 
ing $1.25  per  acre,  as  is  always  the  case. 
Honorably  discharged  soldiers  and  sailors 
have  the  first  choice. 

The  demand  for  farms  in  this  section 
seems  to  be  very  great,  if  the  letters  of 
inquiry  coming  in  are  any  indications' 
An  attempt  will  be  made  to  parcel  out 
farms  so  that  every  acre  will  be  occupied 
by  actual  settlers.  The  dept.  of  interio 


204 


THE  IRRIGTION  A  GE. 


will  attempt  to  prevent  the  disorder  which 
usually  accompanies  the  opening  of  new 
lands.  It  was  expected  that  the  reserva- 
tions would  be  opened  about  July  of  this 
year,  but  according  to  a  recent  act  of  con- 
gress the  allotment  to  the  Indians  did  not 
begin  until  Dec.  of  last  year  and  not  end 
until  Aug  of  :01.  As  this  tract  cannot  be 
opened  until  six  months  after  the  end  of 
the  allotment  poriod.  it  is  now  pretty  cer- 
ta;n  that  the  opening  will  not  occur  until 
late  in  the  spring  of  '02.  As  the  dept.  of 
interior  has  charge  of  this  work,  those  in- 
terested should  write  to  Sec.  Hitchcock, 
Washii.gton,  D.  C.,  for  full  particulars. 


DIVISION    OF  FORESTRY. 

The  Division  of  Forestry  of  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture  has  selected 
from  its  working  force  two  trained  lum- 
bermen with  some  knowledge  of  forestry, 
to  be  sent  to  the  Philippine  Islands  in 
eompliance  wilh  a  cable  request  of  the 
Taft  Philippine  Commission.  The  per- 
sons selected  for  this  work  are  Mr.  Grant 
Bruce,  formerly  a  State  forester  in  New 
York,  and  Mr.  Edward  Hamilton.  Both 
of  these  men  are  expert  lumbermen  with 
some  training  in  forestry,  and  have  been 
selected  in  view  of  their  special  fitness  for 
the  Philippine  work. 

A  bu*eau  of  forestry  was  established  in 
the  Philippines  in  April, 1900.  with  Capt. 
(Sreorge  P.  Ahern,  Ninth  United  States 
Infantry,  in  charge.  The  work  of  this 
Bureau  has  convinced  the  Taft  Commission 
of  the  great  importance  of  the  timber  lands 
as  a  natural  source  of  wealth  and  of  the 
necessity  of  putting  the  Bureau  on  a  sub- 
stantial footing  and  handling  these  wood- 
lands under  scientific  forest  methods. 
Furthermore,  it  is  evident  that  the  cutting 
of  timber  under  proper  regulations  will 
provide  a  large  and  increasing  annual  re- 
venue to  the  Government.  It  has  been 
found  necessary  to  permit  the  cutting  of 
timber  to  supply  the  present  pressing 


needs,  but  care  has  been  taken  at  the- 
same  time  that  the  cutting  should  be  done 
in  a  manner  that  would  work  no  injury  to 
the  future  growth  of  the  forests.  These 
considerations  led  the  commission  to  cable 
to  Washington  for  trained  foresters  to 
assist  in  putting  the  service  on  a  more 
satisfactory  footing. 

Under  the  Spanish  adminstration  the 
timber  lands  of  the  Philippine  Islands  were 
in  charge  of  a  Department  of  Forestry 
which  was  organized  in  1863.  The  per- 
sonnel of  this  Department  was  made  up  of 
expert  foresters,  rangers,  clerks,  draughts- 
men, etc. ,  the  higher  officials  being  selected 
from  the  Spanish  Corps  of  Engineers. 

After  Capt  Ahern  was  appointed  he  re- 
ceived authority  to  employ  a  small  number 
of  foresters,  rangers,  and  clerks;  by  Sep- 
tember his  office  force  had  been  doubled: 
in  order  to  handle  the  work  of  the  Bureau 
properly.  The  call  for  activity  on  the  part 
of  those  in  charge  of  the  Bureau  of  Forestry 
was  emphasized  at  once  by  the  lumber 
famine  in  Manila  and  other  important 
towns,  owing  to  the  destruction  of  build- 
ings in  the  war,  and  the  increased  demand 
for  good  dwelling  houses  resulting  from 
the  large  influx  of  Americans.  For  these 
reasons  the  felling  of  trees  and  the  market- 
ing of  lumber  had  to  begin  soon  after  the 
establishment  of  the  Bureau.  Captain 
Ahern  is  in  constant  communication  with 
the  Division  of  Forestry,  for  assistance  and 
cooperation  with  the  Philippine  Bureau  of 
Forestry. 

The  work  of  that  Bnreau  was  confined 
for  some  months  to  the  Island  of  Luzon, 
but  recently  has  been  carried  to  other 
points  in  the  Archipelago.  The  present 
plan  of  the  Bureau  is  to  cover  all  the  im- 
portant forests  as  the  development  of  the 
working  force  will  .permit.  One  great 
drawback  which  is  retarding  the  work  of 
the  Bureau,  is  the  lack  of  capable  and 
active  subordinate  officials.  It  is  difficult 
to  find  men  familiar  with  the  forest  con- 
ditions and  the  uses  of  the  woods  of  the 


THE  IRRIGA110N  AGE, 


205 


Philippines,  who  are  entirely  satisfactory 
in  other  respects.  It  is  believed  that  the 
best  means  of  securing  a  competent  and 
efficient  force  is  to  employ  new  men  and 
train  them  on  the  ground  as  speedily  as 
possible.  In  this  work  Messrs.  Bruce  and 
Hamilton  will  be  able  to  render  valuable 
assistance. 

The  Bureau  was  recently  reorganized  so 
as  to  consist  of  an  officer  in  charge,  an 
inspector,  a  botanist,  chief  clerk,  and  ste- 
nographer a  translator,  a  law  clerk,  a  record 
clerk,  10  assistant  foresters  and  30  rangers. 
It  is  the  intention  of  the  officer  in  charge 
to  work  up  a  forest  service  on  the  lines  of 
the  work  carried  on  in  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  through  its  Division 
of  Forestry.  The  wholesale  destruction  of 
timber  will  be  stopped,  and  the  cutting 
will  proceed  under  regulations  looking  to 
the  future  yields  of  the  forests.  The  fire 
question  will  receive  close  attention. 

Captain  Ahern.  in  a  recent  report,  calls 
attention  to  several  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
immediate  success  in  lumbering  in  the 
Philippine  Islands,  the  most  serious  draw- 
backs being  lack  of  good  roads  and  skilled 
labor.  Forest  roads  and  river  driveways 
are  almost  unknown,  and  present  methods 
of  lumbering  are  slow  and  expensive.  The 
natives,  he  finds,  are  not  skilled  workmen, 


and  though  receiving  very  low  wages, 
their  work  is  found  by  no  means  cheap 
when  one  considers  the  cost  of  felling  and 
hauling  a  cubic  foot  of  timber  to  the  ship- 
ping point. 

The  forest  lands  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  it  is  estimated  by  Captain  Ahern, 
cover  40,000  acres;  larger  in  extent  and 
greater  in  value  than  the  forests  of  India. 
There  are  385  species  of  timber-producing 
trees,  and  about  50  more  species  as  yet  un- 
classified. Included  in  the  above  list  are 
very  hard  woods,  capable  of  taking  a  beau- 
tiful polish:  woods  that  resist  climatic 
influences  and  the  attack  of  white  ants; 
still  others  that  are  especially  suited  for 
sea-piling  or  for  use  as  railroad  ties. 
There  are  many  varities  of  trees  producing 
valuable  gums.  oils,  and  drugs;  rubber  and 
gutta-percha  are  abundant  in  Mindanao 
and  Tawi-Tawi;  while  at  least  17  dye-woods 
are  found  within  the  limits  of  the  Archi- 
pelago. Cocoanut  palms  grow  without 
care  or  cultivation  throughout  the  Islands. 
There  are  also  many  varieties  of  palms, 
bamboo,  canes,  and  rattan  which  are  of 
commercial  value  and  will  afford  profitable 
employment  to  native  labor. 

Mr.  Bruce  and  Mr.  Hamilton  have 
sailed  from  San  Francisco  for  Manila  on 
the  transport  Indiana. 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


GOVERNMENT  BUILDING  OFFICIALS 
MAKING  WATER  RECORDS. 

Prof.  Elwood  Mead,  who  for  the  past 
two  years  has  been  the  Government  expert 
in  charge  of  the  work  of  irrigation  experi- 
ments, is  in  Washington  and  will  remain 
there  during  the  remainder  of  the  winter. 
While  there  he  will  have  charge  of  the  is- 
suance of  various  reports  of  his  depart- 
ment, material  for  which  was  gathered 
during  the  last  season  in  the  field.  In 
speaking  of  the  work  of  the  irrigation  in- 
vestigations, Prof.  Mead  says  that  two 
general  lines  of  investigation  are  being 
pursued.  First,  the  study  of  laws  and  in- 
stitutions relating  to  irrigation  in  different 
regions;  and,  second,  the  determination  of 
the  actual  use  made  of  the  irrigation 
waters. 

This  work  is  clearly  differentiated  from 
that  of  the  geological  survey,  which  deals 
with  the  determination  of  the.  water  sup- 
ply of  steam  gaugings,  and  the  location  of 
reservoir  sites  by  topographical  surveys. 
The  survey  deals  with  questions  of  irriga- 
tion above  th«  canal;  this  office  deals  with 
those  below  the  canal.  That  is,  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  deals  with  the 
distribution  of  water  and  its  use  by  farm- 
ers and  horticulturists.  Every  effort  is 
made  to  avoid  duplicating  the  work  of  the 
survey.  In  several  States  this  office  is 
working  alongside  the  survey,  and  a  defi- 
nite field  of  work  is  being  covered  by  each 
agency.  Work  has  been  done  or  is  in 
progress  this  year  in  seventeen  States  and 
Territories. 

Arizona — Measurements  of  the  duty  of 
water  in  the  Salt  River  valley  by  a  special 


agent  and  in  co-operation  with  the  Arizona 
experiment  stations. 

California — A  comprehensive  study  of 
the  water  rights,  irrigation  laws  and  prac- 
tices, and  the  distribution  and  duty  of 
water  on  eight  typical  streams  in  different 
parts  of  the  State,'  as  follows:  Salinas 
river,  San  Joaquin  river,  Yuba  river,  Los 
Angeles  river,  Susan  river,  Sweetwater 
river  and  Cache  river. 

This  work  is  conducted  by  special  agents 
of  the  department,  and  in  co-operation 
with  the  California  Water  and  Forest  As- 
sociation, the  University  of  California  and 
Leland  Stanford  University.  The  Califor- 
nia Water  and  Forest  Association  has  con- 
tributed over  $5000  to  these  investigations. 
This  is  the  most  comprehensive  investiga- 
tion regarding  irrigation  laws,  customs  and 
conditions  which  has  been  undertaken  in 
this  country.  A  report  on  this  work  is 
now  ready  for  publication. 
*  *  * 

Colorado — A  report  on  the  rights  of 
water  from  the  Big  Thompson  river,  show- 
ing how  water  rights  are  established  and 
protected  in  Colorado  by  the  State  engi- 
neer, and  a  study  of  the  system  of  the 
storage  of  water  on  the  Poudre  river,  by  a 
special  agent  of  the  department. 

Hawaii — A  report  on  the  irrigation  sys- 
tem of  Hawaii  by  the  director  of  the 
Hawaiian  experiment  station. 

Idaho — Measurements  of  the  duty  of 
water  on  canals  in  southern  Idaho,  in  co- 
operation, with  the  State  engineer's  office. 

Montana — Measurements  of  the  duty  of 
water  on  canals  in  different  parts  of  Mon- 
tana, and  special  experiments  regarding 
the  amount  of  water  required  by  different 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE, 


207 


crop?,  in  co-operation  with  the  Montana 
experiment  station. 

Nebraska — Measurements  of  the  duty  of 
water,  in  co-operation  with  the  Nebraska 
experiment  station. 

Nevada — A  study  of  the  water-right  sys- 
tem in  Nevada  and  measurements  of  the 
duty  of  water,  in  co-operation  with  the 
Nevada  experiment  station. 

New  Mexico — Studies  of  the  duty  of 
water  in  Pecos  valley  and  Mosilla  Park,  in 
co-operation  with  the  New  Mexican  Irriga- 
tion Commission  and  experiment  station. 

Texas — A  study  of  the  amount  and 
character  of  the  sediment  deposited  by  irri- 
gation water  in  the  canals  and  ditches  in 
co-operation  with  the  Texas  Agricultural 
college.  Observations  of  this  kind  are  be- 
ing made  in  several  States,  but  the  work  is 
all  in  charge  of  the  Texas  agent 

Utah — Investigation  of  the  distribution 
and  use  of  water  from  the  Jordan  river  and 
tributaries  and  the  Weber  river  by  special 
agent  of  the  department  and  in  co-opera- 
tion with  the  State  engineer  and  the  city 
engineer  of  Salt  Lake.  This  is  a  great  en- 
terprise, in  which  the  State  and  city  are 
co-operating  financially. 

Washington — Measurements  of  the  duty 
of  water  in  the  Yak i ma  valley  in  co-oper- 
ation with  the  Washington  Agricultural 
college. 

Wyoming — Measurements  of  the  duty 
of  water  and  study  of  losses  from  evapora- 
tion and  seepage  by  special  agents  of  the 
department  and  in  cooperation  with  the 
Wyoming  experiment  station. 

Missouri — Practical  trials  to  determine 
the  usefulness  of  irrigation  in  co-operation 
with  the  Missouri  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment station. 

New  Jersey — A  study  of  the  practical 
results  of  attempts  at  irrigation  already 
made  in  New  Jersey,  and  experiments 
with  reference  to  the  extension  of  this 
work  in  co-operation  with  the  New  Jersey 
Agricultural  Experiment  station.  A  re- 
cent report  on  this  work  shows  that  irriga- 


tion has  been  profitably  employed  by  a 
number  of  practical  farmers  and  truck- 
growers. 

South  Carolina — Experiments  in  irriga- 
tion in  connection  with  the  experiments 
in  tea  culture  at  Summerville  under  the 
direction  of  this  department. 

Wisconsin — Experiments  to  determine 
the  usefulness  of  irrigation  in  a  wide  area 
of  sandy  lands  in  northern  Wisconsin  in 
co-operation  with  the  Wisconsin  experi- 
ment station. 

*     *     * 

The  plans  for  the  work  during  the  com- 
ing year  include  additional  investigations 
in  California  and  Utah.  The  investiga- 
tions so  far  have  been  only  in  restricted 
regions  in  different  States  and  Territories. 
It  is  desired  that  the  scope  of  the  investi- 
gations be  extended  on  the  duty  of  water 
and  water  rights.  It  is  also  desired  to  ex- 
tend the  investigations  to  the  humid 
region,  continuing  and  developing  enter- 
prises already  begun  and  adding  studies 
with  a  view  to  improving  irrigation  and 
the  culture  of  rice  and  other  crops  in 
South  Carolina  and  Louisiana.  Also  to 
extend  the  work  so  that  the  irrigation  sys- 
tems of  foreign  countries  may  be  studied 
with  a  view  to  utilizing  the  results  of  their 
experiments  in  our  irrigated  regions.  It  is 
also  desired  that  the  problem  involving 
drainage  should  be  studied.  Drainage  sys- 
tems and  laws  are  already  needed  in  our 
irrigated  regions.  These  should  be  based 
upon  the  experience  already  obtained  in 
some  of  our  prairie  States  and  elsewhere. 


MEEKS  AND  DALEY  DITCH. 
The  San  Bernardino  Transcript  reports 
that  the  owner  of  the  Meeks  and  Daley 
ditch,  which  starts  at  Colton  and  runs 
down  through  the  Agua  Mansa  neighbor- 
hood, are  preparing  to  enlarge  the  ditch  in 
order  to  make  room  for  more  water,  or 
rather  intended  to  do  so  before  Judge 
Campbell  granted  a  temporary  injunction, 


208  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

as  the  result  of  a  suit  which  was  filed  by  inches  of  water.     The  plaintiffs  claim  that 

P.  J.  Stockman  and  Olive  A.  Byrne,  exec-  they  will  suffer  great  injury  by  the  defend- 

utors  of  the  will  of  Matthew    A.    Byrne,  ants   tearing   up  large  quantities  of  land 

deceased,  against  W.  E.  Pedley  et  al.    The  upon  either  side  of  the  ditch.     They  have 

ditch,   which    runs   through   lands  of  the  also  cut  off  the  plaintiff's  supply  of  water, 

plaintiff,  has  a  capacity  of  850  inches,  and  which  they  use  to  irrigate  the  alfalfa.    Be- 

the  owners  are  proceeding  to  enlarge  it  in  sides  the  injunction,  the  plaintiffs  ask  for 

order  tnat  it  maY  carry  an  additional  400  damages  to  the  amount  of  $500. 


A  VALENTINE. 

By  Martha  Capps  Oliver. 
Alack-a-day!  when  hearts  are  cold 

And  naught  but  love  can  warm  them, 
And  trusty  bolts  have  barred  them  fast 

That  no  device  may  storm  them, 
What  chance  has  Cupid  but  to  wait — 

Although  In  terror  quaking, 
To  watch  for  some  unguarded  point, 

A  secret  entrance  making. 

Alack-a-day!  when  he  has  gained 

Admittance  through  some  portal, 
What  chance  of  flight,  or  safe  escape 

Has  any  helpless  mortal? 
For  Cupid  scatters  tinder  round, 

'Tis  made  of  smiles  and  glances — 
And  sets  his  torch  of  love  a-light, 

As  slyly  he  advances. 

Alack-a-day!  the  mischief 's  done — 

And  hmv,  there  is  no  telling,  g 
No  word,  was  said,  no  step  was  heard 

Within  the  heart's  lone  dwelling; 
For  what  are  bolts,  and  what  are  bars, 

And  resolute  resistance — 
For  Cupid  always  has  his  way  7 

And  wins  by  sheer  persistance. 

Alack-a-day!  for  worse  and  worse 

The  plight  is  ever  growing,— 
The  heart  no  more  contends  with  fate, 

The  flame  of  love  is  glowing. 
Heigho!  the  fires  are  roaring  now, 

Still  higher,  brighter,  faster, 
The  seige  was  long — the  end  was  sure, 

For  Cupid  will  be  master! 


HELEN  WADSWORTH  YATES. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


209 


HELEN  WADS  WORTH  YATES. 

The  recent  quadrennial  elections 
which  carried  into  office  the  Hon. 
Richard  Yates  as  governor  of 
Illinois,  carried  also  into  the  execu- 
tive mansion  a  charming  woman, 
his  wife.  Of  Mrs.  Helen  Wads- 
worth  Yates,  the  new  first  lady  of 
Illinois,  little  is  now  known  by  the 
general  public  because  her  husband 
is  a  new  figure  on  the  larger  politi- 
cal horizon.  Previous1  to  her  ac- 
cession to  the  dignity  of  the  first 
lady  of  the  state,  Mrs.  Yates  led  a 
quiet  domestic  life  in  her  delight- 
ful Jacksonville  home.  She  is  now 
in  the  fierce  light  that  beats  about 
the  life  of  political  leaders  and  the 
public  in  general,  and  the  women 
of  Illinois  especially  are  interested 
in  her. 

Mrs,  Yates  is  fitted  by  education, 
training  and  distinguished  lineage 
to  .grace  the  proud  position  she 
holds,  and  before  her  four  years  as 
mistress  of  the  executive  mansion 
are  over  she  will  add  another  bright 
page  to  its  history  which  other 
brilliant  women  before  her  have 
helped  to  make.  Those  who  have 
come  in  touch  with  Mrs.  Yates  and 
felt  the  genial  warmth  of  her  gen- 
erous nature,  who  know  her  tact 
and  have  perceived  her  strong  men- 
tal grasp  upon  affairs  feel  that  she 
will  add  strength  as  only  an  able 
woman  can  to  the  administration 
that  has  begun  so  auspiciously  for 
her  distinguished  husband. 
D  Americans  are  proud  to  boast 
that  here  a  man  stands  upon  his 
own  feet  and  that  distinguished 
ancestry  [cannot  put  a  man  into 
position  his  own  merits  cannot  win. 


This  is  true.  But  the  pride  of  an- 
cestry is  as  strong  within  our 
breasts  as  among  the  aristocrats  of 
the  old  world,  and  we  point  with 
pride  to  those  numerous  examples 
among  our  men  of  prominence 
where  the  strength  and  power  of 
race  has  extended  from  generation 
to  generation.  Gov.  Yates,  the 
son  of  a  governor,  comes  of  no 
more  distinguished  Hue  than  his 
wife,  who  traces  her  ancestry  back 
through  successive  generations  of 
men  distinguished  in  every  line  of 
endeavor  to  a  strong  eld  Puritan 
who  came  to  America  when  the 
persecution  of  Cromwell's  Ironsides 
made  England  too  small  to  hold 
them,  and  beyond  him  through 
English  sires  to  the  time  when 
another,  and  the  first  known,  fight- 
ing Wadsworth  won  a  crest  at  the 
battle  of  Aquicourt.  Something  of 
the  spirit  that  induced  that  stout 
warrior  to  write  upon  his  shield 
Aquila  non  captat  muscas,  "the  eagle 
does  not  catch  flies,"  has  stirred 
every  later  generation  of  Wads- 
worth,  who  have  never  stooped  to 
small  things. 

The  first  of  Mrs.  Yates'  family  to 
land  in  America  were  William  and 
Archibald  Wadsworth  who  landed 
in  Boston  harbor  some  time  prior 
to  1632.  William  .became  a  man  of 
prominence  in  the  colony  and  from 
him  Mrs.  Yates'  family  descended. 
The  descendants  of  William  and 
Archibald  successively  took  their 
places  in  the  young  country  as  men 
of  affairs  and  helped  to  make  its 
history.  When  the  Revolution 
came  on  the  Wadsworths  took  their 
place  in  the  army  and  added  luster 


210 


'1HU  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


to  the  family  name.  Among  those 
who  rose  to  high  rank  was  Mrs. 
Yates'  great-grandfather,  General 
Elijah  Wadsworth.  About  this 
time  another  of  the  family  was 
president  of  Harvard  college. 

When  the  first  tide  of  emigration 
set  toward  the  great  West,  the 
Wadsworths  were  among  those  who 
came  to  battle  with  all  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life.  Edward 
Wadsworth,  grandfather  of  the 
wife  of  the  present  governor, 
settled  in  Ohio  and  served  as  cap- 
tain in  an  Ohio  regiment  in  the 
war  of  1812.  The  warlike  strain 
was  in  all  their  veins  to  such  an 
extent  that  some  of  the  family  were 
to  be  found  wherever  fighting  was 
to  be  done.  When  Decatur  humbled 
the  Tripoli  i an  pirates  Lieut.  Henry 
Wadsworth,  a  youth  of  nineteen, 
lost  his  life  in  the  attack.  Another 
patriot  of  the  family  was  Gen. 
James  D.  Wadsworth  of  Geneseo, 
N.  Y.,  a  millionaire,  a  philan- 
thropist and  a  patron  of  the  arts. 
When  the  Civil  War  came  on  he 
first  outfitted  a  ship  of  supplies 
and  presented  it  to  the  government 
and  then  offered  his  services  in  any 
capacity.  Made  a  brigadier  gen- 
eral in  186J  he  fought  with  great 
dash  and  courage  until  a  bullet  at 
the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  ended 
his  brilliant  and  patriotic  career. 

In  all  the  long  line  of  distinguished 
sons  of  the  Wadsworth  blood  the 
one  whose  fame  has  gone  the 
broadest  and  who  has  writ  his  name 
the  highest  on  the  scroll  of  honor, 
the  nations  great  poet  Henry  Wads- 
worth  Longfellow  stands  first.  His 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Gen. 


Peleg  Wadsworth  and  the  poet's 
middle  name  was  for  his  mother's 
family.  Thus  the  author  of  Evan- 
geline  was  a  cousin  not  far  removed 
of  Mrs.  Richard  Yates. 

Archibald  Clark  Wadsworth,  Mrs. 
Yates'  father  was  born  in  Ohio  and 
moved  to  Jacksonville  at  an  early 
age.  There  he  engaged  in  business, 
and  there  his  whole  life  has  been 
spent.  In  1848  he  married  Delia 
Witherby,  a  member  of  an  old  Ver- 
mont family.  The  Wadsworth 
family  always  has  been  prominent 
in  the  commercial  and  social  life  of 
their  home  town.  There  in  1865 
the  present  governor's  wife  was 
born. 

Mrs.  Yates  received  her  educa- 
tion at  the  Illinois  Womans'  Col- 
lege, one  of  the  numerous  educa- 
tional institutions  of  a  city  which 
takes  pride  in  styling  itself  the 
Athens  of  Illinois.  Taking  a  high 
rank  in  the  intellectual  pursuits  of 
the  school,  Mrs.  Yates  graduated 
to  take  her  place  in  the  social  life 
of  her  home  city.  Nor  did  the 
duties  of  society  banish  her  inter- 
est in  deeper  things.  She  at  once 
became  interested  in  those  ques- 
tions that  are  agitating  educated 
and  progressive  women  today,  and 
became  an  earnest  member  of  sev- 
eral clubs  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of 
what  is  best  in  literary,  musical 
and  economic  lines.  The  Wednes- 
day Musical  Club,  Household  Sci- 
ence Club  and  the  Jacksonville 
branch  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
Revolution  claim  Mrs.  Yates  as  a 
member.  In  the  clubs  she  wag  a 
gifted  and  earnest  ,  worker,  in 
society  she  was  talented  and  popu- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


21 


lar.  In  1888  she  was  married  to 
Richard  Yates  then  a  young  law. 
yer  struggling  for  a  foothold  in  his 
profession.  As  a  matron  Mrs. 
Yates  became  a  leader  and  the 
Yates  home  in  Jacksonville  was 
noted  for  its  delightful  hospitality 
and  the  charm  of  its  quiet  refine- 
ment. Two  daughters  have  come 
to  add  to  cares  and  joys, Catharine, 


Yates  last  month  there  was  a  pleas- 
ing family  picture  that  touched 
tenderly  upon  the  heart  strings  of 
everyone  who  witnessed  it. 
Grouped  around  the  young  incom- 
ing governor  sat  his  beautiful  wife 
and  two  pretty  children  and  the 
proud  mother  who  had  sat  on  that 
same  platform  forty  years  before 
holding  him  in  her  lap  while  his 


DOROTHY  AND  CATHERINE. 


aged  nine,  and  Dorothy,  aged  five. 
Today  there  is  not  a  happier  nor 
more  interesting  family  circle  in 
the  state  than  the  one  that  occu- 
pies the  highest  position  in  Illinois 
political  life. 

In  the  pomp  and  ceremony   at- 
tending the  inauguration  of  Gov. 


father  was  inducted  into  office. 
The  yojmger  of  the  governor's 
children  did  not  understand  the 
nature  of  the  long  program  that 
was  conferring  honor  upon  her 
lather  and  dreadfully  boring  her. 
Finally  childish  impatience  could 
stand  the  strain  no  longer  and  she 


212 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


began  to  cry  for  "papa  to  stop 
reading  and  go  home  with  her." 
But  papa  couldn't  just  then  stop 
unfolding  his  plans  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  state  and  it  was  not 
until  grandma's  fan  became  of 
startling  interest  that  the  little 
one's  eyes  were  dried. 

An  unusual  sight  that  presented 
itself  during  the  inauguration  was 
the  presence  upon  the  stage  of  no 
less  than  four  ex- governor's  wives. 
Around  Mrs.  Yates  sat  her  mother- 
in-law,  the  wife  of  the  first.  Gov. 
Richard  Yates;  Mrs.  Tanner,  wife 
of  the  outgoing  governor,  and  Mrs. 
Oglesby  and  Mrs.  Fifer. 

At  the  governor's  reception  in 
the  evening  at  the  executive  man- 
sion Mrs.  Yates  made  her  first  ap- 
pearance in  that  social  capacity 
she  will  be  called  upon  to  exercise 


during  the  next  four  years.     A  bit 
of   sentiment   had   caused  her   to 
wear  for  this  function  the  gown  in 
which  she  was  married,  and  no  fair 
and  blushing   bride   ever  looke.d 
handsomer  or   prouder  than  Mrs. 
Yates  as  she  received  the  congrat- 
ulations  of    the    immense   throng 
that  passed  before  her.     With  her 
occupancy  of  the  governor's  officia] 
residency  all   classes  are  pleased. 
The  masses  are  pleased  with  her  de- 
mocratic spirit  and  unostentatious 
bearing,  the  great  number  of  club 
women  are  pleased  that  one  of  their 
number  should  have  risen  to  dis- 
tinction, and  the  aristocrats  repre- 
sented by   the   Daughters    of  the 
American  Revolution  are  proud  to 
see  the  representative  of  the   na- 
tion's blue  blood  occupying  a  sta- 
tion befitting  its  purity. 


OUR      RAILROADS      AND      SOME 

THINGS   THEY    HAVE   DONE 

FOR    THE    COUNTRY. 

BY   C.   B.    PARKER. 

With  a  certain  class  of  would-be  politi- 
cians or  guardians  of  the  better  interests 
of  the  dear  people,  such  pessimistic  cries 
as  "the  cruel  monopoly  of  the  railroads, 
extortionate  charges  of  fare  and  traffic, 
railroad  legislation,  or  favoritism  of  the 
corporations  by  Congress  and  State  legis- 
latures, carrying  or  passing  friends  free 
and  charging  their  foes  and  the  masses 
fare,"  are  often  heard.  Now  there  may 
be  much  of  truth  in  these  charges,  and  the 
writer  is  inclined  to  believe  there  is,  for 
railroads  are  born  and  operated  by  men, 
and  human  nature  being  much  the  same 
everywhere,  we  have  selfishness  as  well  as 
generosity  to  contend  with,  and  we  believe 
that  one  blessed  with  a  happier  optimistic 
spirit  can  see  in  the  railroads  of  our  coun- 
try the  greatest  boon  given  to  man,  and 
not  alone  in  the  development  of  the  coun- 
try, but  of  manhood,  morals,  the  schools, 
churches,  and  all  that  makes  life  worth  the 
living. 

A     PEW     OBSERVATIONS     AND      PERSONAL 
REMINESENCES. 

During  the  winter  of  1844-45  it  was  our 
fortune  (or  otherwise)  to  make  the  journey 
from  Geneseo,  N.  Y. ,  to  the  then  far  west 
delphi, Indiana,  via  Erie.  Cleveland. Toledo 
and  Fort  Wayne.  These  were  the  good 
old  days  of  prehistoric  railroads.  Our 
modus  was  a  team  and  wagon;  time  re- 
quired, 30  days,  suffering  and  discomfort 
non-computable.  Then  our  parents  found 
very  cheap  land  there  worth  $3  and  $5  to 
$10  per  acre.  Years  later  the  railroads 
came,  and  twenty-five  years  ago  those 


lands  were  worth  $50  to  $100  per  acre- 
Later,  during  the  '60's,  it  was  the  writ- 
er's mission  to  make  the  journey  from 
Otflaha,  Neb.,  to  Portland,  Ore.;  again  in 
advance  of  railroads  this  required  six 
months  time,  and  not  an  acre  of  the  land 
passed  over  was  considered  worth  the  tak- 
ing as  a  free  gift  from  government,  and 
the  roaming  bands  of  wild  Indians  were 
chasing  the  countless  millions  of  no  wilder 
buffalo  to  the  delight  of  the  miserable 
cyote,  that  flourished  on  the  slain  or  crip- 
pled buffalo,  as  would  the  politician  crying 
railroad  monopoly  off  the  corporations, 
could  he. 

Later  the  railroads  followed  our  pioneer 
wagon  trail,  and  now  the  tourist  or  emi- 
grant can  make  the  trip  in  palace  cars  in 
three  days,  for  $30,  and  see  fine  towns  and 
cities  all  along  the  way,  and  as  fine  farms 
as  are  in  Ohio,  Illinois,  or  New  York,  and 
worth  $30  to  $100  per  acre.  And  Nebraska 
forty,  years  ago  only  a  "howling  desert" 
territory,  is  to-day  the  leading.  State  of 
the  Union,  as  to  railroads,  schools  and 
churches,  and  ranks  as  No.  1  in  lowest 
percentage  of  illiteracy  of  any  State  in  the 
Union. 

While  it  is  true  the  Northern  Pacific 
Co.  first  broke  Nebraska's  virgin  soil  for 
railroad  purposes,  to  the  B.  &  M.  or  exten- 
sion of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  must  be  given  the 
credit  as  the  great  industrial  as  well  as 
moral  reform  promoter  of  the  great  West. 
If  asked  how  as  to  moral  reform,  we  an- 
swer, in  building  and  causing  to.  be  built 
more  towns,  schools  and  churches  than  all 
other  causes;  by  giving  employment  to 
more  brainy  young  men  and  developing 
them  into  financial  and  industrial  giants. 
Along  this  line  the  railroads  have  done 


214 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


more,  and  have  a  greater  number  of  able 
men  than  all  other  industries,  including 
the  profession  of  law,  as  to  enforced  mo- 
rality. All  employees  are  required  to  ab- 
stain from  the  curse  of  drunkenness,  in- 
cluding moderate  drinking. 

As  to  favoritism  and  passes  for  friends, 
it  is  one  of  many  ways  of  showing  grati- 
tude to  friends,  and  we  are  frank  to  con- 
fess we  like  the  plan.  For  several  years 
we  never  were  refused  a  favor  asked  along 
this  line;  during  the  past  ten  years  we 
have  traveled  many  thousand  miles  and 
paid  full  fare  for  every  mile,  not  asking 
favors  in  an  instance,  hence  this  is  not 
offered  as  recompense  for  pist  favors,  nor 
are  we  to  any  extent  mixed  in  politics  or 
railroad  ''favoritism,"  but  only  that  jus- 
tice may  be  meeted  where  so  justly  due. 
And  if  it  be  true  that  hundreds  of  averi- 
cious  minds  have  extorted  millions  unjustly 
from  the  masses,  it  is  equally  true  that 
hundreds?  of  thousands  of  better  inclined 
men  have  come  up  from  a  job  at  $1.25  a 
day  on  the  section  to  $3.000  or  $10.000  a 
year  with  comfortable  homes  arid  happy 
families;  and  the  way  is  open  to  any  sober, 
industrious  young  man  to  "go  up"  just  as 
fast  as  he  is  worthy  of  promotion;  and  for 
every  politician  that  rides  on  a  free  pass 
may  you  all  worthy  philanthropists, 
preachers,  lecturers  and  reformers  be  fa- 
vored as  well  as  the  poor  and  afflicted. 

Stand  up  for  the  railroads. 


LIVELY    RACE    IS    WON. 

Because  Her  Majesty,  the  Queen  of 
England,  had  urgent  need  of  divers  im- 
portant documents  of  state  contained  in 
256  sacks  of  mail  from  far-away  New  Zeal- 
and, seventeen  men  emptied  a  loaded  ex- 
press car  in  seventeen  minutes  «t  the 
Grand  Central  statitin  to-day,  and  then 
skilled  drivers  drove  three  teams  headlong 
through  the  city  streets  to  catch  the  steam- 
ship Campania,  scheduled  to  sail  for  Liver- 
pool at  11  o'clock 


The  fast  special  mail  that  brings  letters 
and  packages  from  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  Occident  to  N*w  York  and  the  rest  of 
the  effete  East  was  ten  minutes  late,  and 
that  meant  a  record-breaking  trip  to  the 
big  Cunarder  lying  at  pier  51,  North  River. 

Uncle  Sam's  dash  through  the  city  was 
successful,  for  the  mail  caught  the  steam- 
ship just  before  the  lines  were  cast  off, 
and  Queen  Victoria's  prime  minister  will 
get  his  letters  in  good  time. 

The  race  against  time  began  in  SanFran- 
cisco  the  day  before  Christmas,  when  the 
256  sacks  of  mail,  15  of  which  were  from 
New  Zealand,  the  rest  coming  from  Aus- 
trailia,  arrived  at  the  Golden  Gate.  The 
mail  steamship  left  Melbourne  on  Nov.  30, 
touched  at  Sydney  on  Dec.  1,  Auckland 
five  days  later  and  Honolulu  on  Dec.  17. 

Long  before  its  arrival  word  was  carried 
about  that  the  mail  contained  documents 
from  the  New  Zealand  government  that 
should  reach  London  by  Jan.  5.  It  was 
a  long  race  across  an  ocean  and  a  conti- 
nent, and  Uncle  Sana's  officials  determined 
to  do  their  best  to  rush  the  mails  through. 

Messages  were  flashed  across  the  coun- 
try, and  the  steamship  line,  working  in 
connection  with  Superintendent  Maze  of 
the  foreign  mail  service,  arranged  for  the 
delivery  of  the  bags  aboard  the  Campania. 
A  tug  was  made  ready  to  carry  the  mail 
from  the  foot  of  Fortieth  street  if  neces- 
sary, but  it  was  rushed  aboard  the  train 
that  was  to  speed  it  east.  Across  the 
plains  and  mountains  it  flew  in  a  special 
express  car,  which  was  piled  to  the  roof 
with  the  heavily  laden  sacks. 

Across  the  Mississippi  and  into  Chicago 
the  train  flew,  and  then  the  car  was  shift- 
ed to  another  train  that  carried  it  through 
Cleveland  to  Buffalo  and  thence  to  Al- 
bany. The  special  mail  o?er  the  New 
York  Central  whirled  it  down  from  Albany 
to  New  York  without  a  stop. 

At  the  Grand  Central  annex  stood  a 
force  of  men  under  Chief  Mail  Clerk  Ed- 
ward Herr  waiting  for  the  bags.  Station 


THE  IRRIGA110N  AGE. 


215 


Agent  Downer  and  Foreman  E.  N.  Edell 
of  the  Grand  Central  station  had  every- 
thing clear  at  this  end.  Three  mammoth 
wire-screened  vans  stood  in  Depew  place, 
each  with  a  pair  of  horses  that  had  a  re- 
cord of  thirteen  minutes  from  the  Grand 
•Central  station  to  the  Christopher  street 
ferry. 

The  special  mail  puffed  on  track  ten 
minutes  late.  Its  time  of  arrival  is  10 
o'clock.  Uncle  Sam's  representatives 
sprang  at  the  sealed  mail  car,  and  the 
doors  flew  open. 

Then  it  rained  mail  sacks  for  seventeen 
minutes.  The  car  was  shifted  into  the 
canal  along  the  side  of  th»  baggage  rooms, 
and  the  sacks  were  flung  first  on  the  bag- 
gage room  floor,  and  thence  into  the  mail 
wagons  backed  up  to  the  doors  on  the 
other  side. 

Amid  a  bedlam  of  shouts,  yells  of  offi- 
cials checking  off  each  sack  as  it  was  flung 
in,  and  a  running  to  and  fro  of  other  men 
giving  special  directions  for  the  route  to 
the  steamship,  the  mail  was  loaded  up. 

Across  Forty-second  street  to  Eighth 
avenue  the  wagons  flew  down  Eighch  ave- 
nue to  Fifteenth  street,  across  Fifteenth 
street  to  Tenth  avenue,  and  thence  to 
Twelfth  street,  bringing  up  at  the  Cunard 
.pier  as  the  crew  of  the  Campania  were  pre- 
paring for  the  final  order  to  cast  off. 

The  queen's  mail  came  from  New  Zeal- 
and in  a  ship  that  was  making  her  maiden 
voyage  over  the  South  Sea  route,  the  So- 
noma. Built  by  the  Cramps,  she  flies  the 
American  flag,  and  she  is  called  "the 
flyer  of  the  Pacific."  In  its  career  around 
the  world  the  mail  covered  some  18,000 
.miles. 


TAKING  AN  INVENTORY. 

All  successfull  Business  men  annual  in- 
•voice  their  stock;  they  are  not  simply  sat- 
isfied with  a  bank  account  which   shows 
'that  they  are  grov/ing  in  financial  strength; 
•ut  the  stock  on  hand   is  gone   over  that 


just  what  is  on  hand  may  be  known  and 
also  what  its  present  value,  whether  it  has 
advanced  or  depreciated,  whethe  certain 
classes  of  stock  are  ready  or  slow  sale  and 
all  like  considerations  that  the  yearly  in- 
ventory reveals  to  the  thorough  going 
business  man. 

The  farmer  usually  knows  how  many 
head  of  horses,  cattle,  tfheep  and  pigs  are 
on  the  farm  and  can  closely  estimate  tiie 
bushels  of  wheat  oats  or  corn  and  the 
quantity  of  timber  but  these  are  not  the 
most  valuable  facts  that  an  invoice  on  the 
farm  should  disclose.  But  rather,  how 
many  acres  have  been  required  to  sustain  a 
given  number  of  cows  sheep  or  pigs.  What 
are  the  yields  per  acre,  what  the  profitable- 
ness of  cerfain  kinds  of  grain,  what  the 
farm  knowledge  gained  from  the  experiment 
patch,  what  has  a  well  systematized  corp 
rotation  done  for  the-  farm,  what  has  the 
flock  of  hens  done  towards  lessening  the 
cash  outlay  for  household  expenses,  what 
has  the  garden  paid,  what  has  been  the  ac- 
tual amount  paid  in  cash  or  trade  for  fam 
ily  expenses,  what  expenses  have  been  in- 
curred for  farm  machinery  and  repairs,  are 
there  unncessary  fences  on  the  farm,  what 
disposition  has  been  made  of  manure,  and 
like  questions  should  be  answered  as  the 
season's  harvest  reveals  the  contents  of 
storehouse  and  barn. 

When  the  merchant  has  completed  his 
inventory  he  immediately  prepares  for  the 
new  stock  and  its  sale,  thouSh  he  may  give 
the  impression  of  doing  little;  if  he  is  to 
enlarge  his  business  he  is  at  work;  so  the 
farmer  known  by  his  thrift  and  fine  farm  is 
known,  when  harvesting  his  crop,  planning 
by  the  light  of  his  own  experiences  and  by 
gaining  knowledge  from  those  of  other 
farmers  preparing  for  the  crops  of  another 
season.  The  history  of  excessive  yield 'al- 
ways reveals  that  the  soil  was  studied,  the 
seed  carefully  selected  and  the  most  intell- 
igent cultivation  gtven.  If  the  inventory 
the  farmer  makes  shows  where  mistakes 
have  been  made  as  well  as  cuccesses  scored 
it  is  accomplishing  its  purpose. — Colman's 
Rural  World. 


WITH  OUR  EXCHANGES. 


31  CLURE. 

The  March  issue  of  McClure's  Magazine 
contains  a  character  study  of  Edward  VII. 
written  by  George  W.  Smalley.  Theodore 
Roosevelt.  Vice  President,  contributes  an 
article  in  which  he  describes  clearly  the 
personalities  of  some  who  have  labored 
with  success  in  New  York  City  for  "Re- 
form Through  Social  Work."  An  article 
by  Ida  M.  Tarbell  is  entitled  "The  Dis- 
banding of  the  Union  Army."  Among 
the  other  contents  this  month  are,  "What 
We  Know  About  Mars,"  by  Edward  S. 
Holden;  "Billy's  Tearless  Woe,"  written 
and  illustrated  by  Frederic  Remington; 
"The  Law  of  Life,"  by  Jack  London; 
"Dan  McCarthy,"  by  J.  Lincoln  Steffene, 
and  other  short  stories  including  an  in- 
stallment of  "Kim,"  by  Rudyard  Kipling. 

THE    FORUM. 

The  March  number  of  the  Forum  con- 
tains an  article  on  "British  Rule  in  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,"  by  Sir  John  G. 
Bourinot.  "What  of  the  Democratic 
Party,"  "The  Growing  Powers  of  the 
President"  by  Mr.  Henry  Litchfield  West, 
''Labor  Conditions  in  Switzerland,"  by 
Walter  B.  Scaife.  Felix  Volkhovsky,  once 
a  Siberian  exile,  has  an  article  on  "The 
Hopes  and  Fears  of  Russia,"  "The  Nations 
in  Competition  at  the  Close  of  the  Cen- 
tury," by  Jacob  Schoenhof,  "The  Career 
of  King  Edward  VII.,"  by  Mr.  J.  Castell 
Hopkins.  Other  articles  are:  "  The  Sup- 
erintendent from  the  Primary  Teacher's 
Point  of  View,"  by  Alice  Irwin  Thompson; 
"Tabloid  Journalism':  Its  causes  and  Ef- 
fects," by  Mr.  Maurice  Low;  "Homicide 
and  the  Italians,"  by  Napoleone  Colajanni ; 
"  The  Boer  War;  A  Study  in  Comparative 
Prediction,"  by  Mr.  Herbert  W.  Horwill, 


and  "The    Machiavelli  of   Chinese  Diplo- 
macy," by  Robert  E.  Lewis. 

THE  LADIES'  HOME  JOURNAL. 

"The  only  American  Girl  Who  Ever 
Married  a  King,"  ';The  Loveliest  of  All 
Kentucky  Girls,"  "The  Anecdotal  Side  of 
Theodore  Roosevelt,"  and  "The  Author's 
Reading  at  Bixby  Centre."  by  Kate  Doug- 
las Wiggin,  will  have  a  wide  reading  in 
the  March  Ladies'  Home  Journal.  And 
"The  Gibson  Play,"  too.  Edward  Bok's 
editorials  and  Helen  Watterson  Moody's 
"Girls  Who  'Go  In'  for  Something"  are 
helpful  in  counsel,  and  will  be  profitably 
read.  "The  Story  of  a  Young  Man"  is 
completed  in  the  March  Journal,  and  "The 
Successors  of  Mary  the  First"  presents 
new  and  extremely  funny  complications 
and  vexations.  "A  Successful  Country 
House  at  Bryn  Mawr. "  "A  Suburban 
House  for  $6500";  a  page  picture  showing 
"The  Old  Stage  and  the  Turnpike,"  of  W. 
L.  Taylor's  "The  Last  Hundred  Years  in 
New  England"  series,  and  "Through  Pic- 
turesque America"-rtwo  pages  of  photo- 
graphs of  views  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 
A  feature  of  the  March  Journal  is  Eugene 
Field's  "Armenian  Lullaby, "set  to  music. 
SCRIBNER'S. 

In  Scribners'  for  March  Richard  Hard- 
ing Davis  leads  the  number  with  an  account 
of  a-journey  "Along  the  East  Coast  of 
Africa."  Thomas  F.  Millard  contributes 
to  this  number  a  concluding  article  on  "The 
Settlement  in  China."  Henry  Norman's 
Russian  article  in  this  number  is  of  un- 
usual timeliness  in  that  it  deals  'with  the 
personality  and  the  achievements  of  the 
greatest  administration  in  Russia,  the 
famous  Minister  of  Finance,  M.  de  Witt. 
Allied  to  all  these  articles  which  show  ther 


THE  IEE1 GA  Tl  ON  A  GE. 


217 


political  changes  is  an  illuminating  paper 
on  "The  Transfomation  of  the  May  (1825- 
1900),"  by  Joseph  Sohn.  One  of  the 
strongest  factors  in  our  own  development 
is  written  of  by  Arthur  Henry,  who  has 
studied  the  immigrants  as  they  land  in  this 
country.  In  fiction  there  is  another  Raffles 
story  by  Hornung. 

A  few  months  ago  a  story  in  this  maga- 
zine entitled  "The  Green  Pigs"  called  at- 
tention to  a  new  humorous  writer.  This 


issue  contains  another  story  by  the  same 
author,  Mr.  Sydney  Herman  Preston.  It 
is  entitled  "Our  Two  Uncles,"  and  is  a 
laughable  farce-  Frederick  Palmer  writes 
a  story  turning  on  army  life  in  the  Philip- 
pines. Bradner  Matthews  contributes  an 
essay  on  "The  English  Language  in  Am- 
erica," and  Alexandre  Sandier,  art  director 
at  the  Sevres  manufactory  near  Paris, 
writes  of  its  work  as  applied  to  architec  - 
tural  decoration. 


Burlington 


PERSONALLY     CONDUCTED 
TOURIST    PARTIES   TO 


Leave  BOSTON    every  Tuesday 
Leave  CHICAGO  every  Wednesday 
Leave  ST.  LOUIS  every  Wednesday 


Comfortable  and  Inexpensive 


CELECT  PARTIES   leave  Boston  every  Tuesday  via  Niagara  Falls 
and  Chicago,  joining   at  Denver  a  similar   party,  which   leaves   St. 
Louis  every  Wednesday.      From  Denver  the  route  is  over  the  Scenic 
Denver  and  Rio  Grande   Railway,  and  through  Salt  Lake  City. 

Pullman  Tourist  Sleeping  Cars  of  a  new  pattern  are  used.  They  are  thoroughly  com- 
fortable and  exquisitely  clean,  fitted  with  double  windows,  high-back  seats,  carpets, 
spacious  toilet-rooms,  and  the  same  character  of  bedding  found  in  Palace  Cars.  They 
are  well  heated  and  brilliantly  lighted  with  Pintsch  gas.  Outside  they  are  of  the  regu- 
lation Pullman  color,  with  wide  vestibules  of  steel  and  beveled  plate  glass.  Beautifully 
illustrated  books  on  California  and  Colorado,  with  maps,  train  schedules  and  com- 
plete information  can  be  had  from  any  of  the  following  Burlington  Route  agents : 


E.  J.  SWORDS 

379  Broadway 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


W.  J.  O'MEARA 

3O6  Washington  Street 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


H.  E.  HELLER 

632  Chestnut  Street 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


T.  A.  GRADY 

211  Clark  Street 

CHICAGO,  ILL. 


C.  D.  HAGERMAN 

7O3  Park  Building 

PITTSBURG,  PA. 


VOL.  XV  . 


CHICAGO,  APRIL,     1901. 


NO.  7 


No  Market 
in  China. 


The  state  department  has 
made  public  one  of  the  last 
reports  of  Consul  Wildman  of  Hong  Kong, 
who  is  credited  with  having,  sent  Aguin- 
aldo  to  Admiral  Dewey  in  the  Philippines 
and  who  with  his  family  was  lost  aboard 
the  Rio  de  Janerio  in  San  Francisco  har- 
bor a  short  time  ago.  The  report  states 
that  there  is  no  market  In  Southern  China 
for  American  agricultural  machinery.  Its 
agricultural  land  is  divided  into  small 
holdings,  many  of  which  are  not  over  an 
acre  in  size,  and  very  few  running  over 
ten  acres.  Every  available  inch  of  this 
land  is  under  cultivation  and  the  planting 
and  reaping  is  all  done  by  hand.  Where 
plows  are  used  they  are  of  home  manufac- 
ture and  are  as  primitive  as  those  of  bib- 
lical times.  The  majority  of  the  peasan- 
try, Mr.  Wildman  says,  live  at  the  rate  of 
from  2  to  Scents  a  day,  and  even  if  they 
could  afford  to  purchase  modern  American 
farming  machinery  there  would  be  no 
room  to  use  it.  Grain  is  either  trod  out 
of  the  straw  by  water  buffaloes  or  whipped 
over  an  open  tub.  Even  if  an  entire  vil- 
lage should  combine  to  buy  an  American 
thrashing  machine  it  would  be  considered 
too  wasteful  both  in  the  way  it  mangles 
the  straw  and  the  grain  and  in  its  expen- 
sive upkeep.  In  southern  China  there  are 
no  horses  except  the  diminutive  China 
pony,  and,  as  the  agricultural  country  is 
mostly  flat  there  is  no  way  to  utilize  water 
power.  As  for  steam,  it  is  an  impossibil- 
ity, fuel  being  one  of  the  most  expensive 
Chinese  luxuries.  Labor  has  almost  no 
value  and  flesh  and  blood  are  the  cheapest 
n°rs  on  the  market. 


More  Land  in  Within  a  short  time  the  tract 
Oklahoma  to  of  land  known  as  the  Kiowa, 
Be  Opened.  Comanche,  and  Apache  reser- 
vations, one  of  the  few  left  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  will  be  opened  to  settlement. 
It  comprises  abcut  4,000,000  acres,  lying 
between  southwestern  Oklahoma,  Indian 
Territory  proper,  and  Texas,  and  is  re- 
ported to  .be  rich  and  productive  land. 
Nearly  1,000,000  acres  will  be  apportioned 
to  the  Indians,  leaving  about  3,000,000  to 
be  opened  to  white  settlement.  For  those 
contemplating  taking  up  land  it  is  im- 
.  portant  to  know  that  the  rush  system  has 
been  abolished.  Notice  of  the  opening 
will  be  advertised,  and  application  must 
be  made  to  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  re- 
servation, who  will  award  the  lands  by 
lot.  Those  drawing  allotments  will  know 
where  their  land  is  located,  and  can  make 
the  necessary  filings,  while  those  drawing 
blanks  will  have  to  return  home.  It  is 
estimated  that  the  opening  up  of  this  re- 
servation will  add  about  30,000  to  the  pop- 
ulation of  Oklahoma,  giving  that  Terri- 
tory considerably  over  400,000  people — a 
number  which  has  an  important  bearing 
upon  the  question  of  Statehood. 

New  Method  Next  season  an  entirely  new 
of  Irrigation  system  of  irrigating  orchards 
will  be  introduced  in  the  vicinity  of  On- 
tario, Ore.  It  will  be  applied  to  the  land 
that  is  above  the  canals.  Water  will  be 
hauled  in  wagons  to  where  it  is  wanted. 
At  the  root  of  each  tree  will  be  placed  a 
ten-gallon  water- box.  This  box  is  to  be 
filled  once  every  two  weeks  during  the  dry 
season  until  the  tree  is  five  years  old.  To 
fill  these  boxes,  on  the  basis  of  twenty 


220 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 


acres  of  orchard  it  will  require  30,000  gal- 
lons of  water.  This  will  take  a  team  and 
one  man  six  days.  The  soil  will  be  culti- 
vated thoroughly,  and  about  three  times 
as  deep  as  is  usual. 

It  is  claimed  by  advocates  of  the  new 
system  that  fruit  raised  with  a  dry  surface 
will  be  far  superior  to  that  raised  with 
surface  watering.  The  spider  and  moth 
will  not  be  attracted  by  damp  soil.  The 
usual  water  rental  is  $1  per  acre  for  sur- 
face watering.  It  is  claimed  under  the 
new  system  that  two  inches  of  water  will 
irrigate  twenty  acres  of  bearing  orchard. 
It  is  proposed  to  grow  melons  in  the  same 
way,  the  water-box  at  the  melon-root,  of 
course,  being  smaller.  It  is  claimed  that 
melons  in  this  country  are  not  of  the  best 
quality,  on  account  of  lying  on  moist 
ground  and  becoming  the  prey  of  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  insects.  Under  the  new 
system,  the  melon  rests  on  a  dry  surface, 
colors  naturally,  ripens  evenly,  is  not  filled 
with  water  by  evaporation,  has  an  even 
and  regular  rind,  ships  better,  and  keeps 
better  in  the  market. — Northwest  Maga- 
zine. 

Rural  Mail  The  rural  free  mail  delivery 
Delivery.  has  come  to  stay,  and  may 
now  be  accepted  as  an  essential  feature  of 
our  vast  and  wonderfully  reliable  postal 
system.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  citi- 
zen of  the  thickly  settled  farming  com- 
munity should  not  have  his  daily  paper  or 
his  mail  flung  into  his  front  yard  by  one 

f  Uncle  Sam's  mail  carriers,  instead  of 
having  to  quit  his  work  to  go  to  town  and 
receive  it  at  the  hands  of  the  indifferent 
boss  of  the  general  delivery  window.  In 
fact  the  government  has  been  willing 
enough  all  along  to  get  out  into  the  coun- 
try with  free  delivery  mail  service,  but  it 
was  not  believed,  until  recent  experiments 
had  been  made,  that  it  could  do  so  with- 
out loss  to  the  postal  branch. 

ugrutitude  There  are  indications  of  the 
Cubans.  grossest  ingratitude  on  the 

art  of  the  Cubans  toward  the  United 
States.  Our  country  went  to  their  relief 
in  the  hour  of  their  dire  extremety,  and 
forced  the  Spanish  heel  off  their  neck. 

hey   did   little  toward  their  own  libera- 


tion. The  United  States  did  it  all,  and 
has  cared  for  them  and  helped  them  ever 
since,  so  that  they  are  getting  on  their 
feet,  and  now  they  show  little  or  no  gra- 
titude toward  us.  At  the  opening  of  their 
constitutional  convention  they  did  mani- 
fest a  little  appreciation  of  our  help;  but 
now  they  seem  loth  to  grant  anything- 
asked.  They  think  they  are  able  to  get 
along  without  us,  and  that  we  ought  to  be 
glad  that  we  were  allowed  to  serve  them. 
Possibly  they  may  yet  come  to  their  senses 
without  putting  us  to  the  necessity  of 
forcing  them  to  act  with  some  spnse,  as 
well  as  gratitude. 

Benjamin  Since  the  day  when  it  was 

Harrison  Dead,  announced  that  Benjamin 
Harrison  was  suffering  from  pneumonia 
there  have  been  fears  that  he  would  not 
recover.  These  fears  were  not  without 
cauce.  His  rugged  constitution,  temper- 
ate, well-ordered  life,  and  the  skill  of 
faithful  physicians  could  not  save  him. 

There  have  been  American  public  men 
who  have  enjoyed  popular  affection  in  a 
greater  degree  than  Benjamin  Harrison. 
Nature  did  not  bestow  on  him  the  peculiar 
qualities  which  won  for  Clay  and  Blaine 
the  devotion  of  their  followers.  On  the 
other  hand,  no  prominent  American  has 
possessed  in  a  higher  degree  than  the 
eminent  Indianian  the  great  qualities  of 
sincerity  and  integrity.  They  gained  him 
the  respect  of  the  American  people.  With 
these  were  united  mental  abilities  of  a 
high  order.  Happy  accidents  may  have 
contributed  much  towards  making  the 
grandfather  President  of  the  United 
States.  Not  accident  but  native  ability 
and  hard  work  lifted  the  grandson  to  that 
position. 

The  rebellion  made  a  soldier  of  him  for 
four  years,  and  he  was  a  good  one.  Nature 
designed  him  for  a  lawyer,  and  he  was  a 
great  one.  It  was  because  he  was  so  good 
a  lawyer  and  held  the  bsnch  in  such  high 
esteem  that  the  judicial  appointments 
made  by  him  during  his  administration, 
were  of  such  uniform,  excellence.  He  tol- 
erated no  interference  when  making  them. 

As  a  Senator  he  was  indefatigable  and 
thorough  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


221 


So  was  he  as  Presicent.  He  performed 
with  dignity,  conscientiousness,  and  cour- 
age all  the  duties  which  devolved  upon 
him.  All  he  did  was  done  in  strict  ac- 
cordance with  his  convictions. 

At  the  close  of  his  term  he  withdrew 
from  the  field  of  political  activity  and  gave 
himself  up  to  the  law.  The  Venezuelan 
boundary  dispute  was  one  of  the  important 
cases  in  which  he  took  part.  He  was 
counsel  for  the  republic  before  the  arbi- 
tration tribunal  which  met  at  Paris.  He 
took  little  part  in  the  discussion  of  politi- 
cal questions  until  the  controversy  arose 
as  to  the  constitutional  statis  of  our  insular 
possessions.  His  convictions  compelled 
him  to  differ  from  the  policy  of  his  party 
and  he  was  too  sincere  a  man  to  hide  his 
views.  As  he  was  an  admirable  constitu- 
tional lawyer  the  public  listened  respect- 
fully to  his  arguments  even  when  it  did 
not  agree  with  them.  The  general  ex- 
pressions of  sorrow  which  his  death  has 
called  forth  show  in  what  high  esteem  he 
was  held. 

The  country  has  lost  a  man  who  served 
it  well  in  war  and  in  peace,  to  whose  name 
no  scandal  attached,  and  whose  sincerity 
never  was  questioned. 

Rice  Prof.  Elmond  Mead  and  Prof. 

Culture  Frank  Bond,  experts  in  the 

Department  of  Agriculture,  are  making  a 
tour  of  Texas  and  Louisiana  in  the  inter- 
est of  rice  culture.  In  an  interview  in  the 
Houston  Post,  Prof.  Mead  said: 

"About  four  years  ago  congress  made 
an  appropriation  for  the  study  of  irriga- 
tion and  created  the  position  of  expert  in 
that  line,  adding  it  to  the  agricultural  de- 
partment. For  three  years  thereafter  the 
expert  studied  irrigation  in  the  arid  reg- 
ions, where  crops  are  never  grown  to  any 
extent,  save  by  the  assistance  of  irriga- 
tion. 

"Last}  ear  the  department  took  up  the 
investigations  in  the  humid  and  sub-humid 
territory,  and  taught  the  farmers  in  Mis- 


souri, New  Jersey  and  Wisconsin  to  make 
several  blades  of  grass  grow  where  none 
had  grown  before.  Every  place  the  agri- 
cultural department  has  assisted  in  this 
matter  has  been  benefited. 

"We  have  decided  to  see  what  assist- 
anco  we  can  render  the  rice  growers  of 
Texas  and  Louisiana,  and  Prof.  Bond  is 
here  for  that  purpose.  He  will  spend 
most  of  the  summer  here  investigating  the 
system  you  have  of  cultivating  crops  of  all 
sorts,  especially  rice.  Prof.  Bond  will 
study  the  question  in  all  its  phases.  The 
canals,  the  flow  of  water,  the  expense,  the 
sort  of  machinery,  etc.,  will  all  be  thor- 
oughly tested  and  a  bulletin  issued  by  the 
government  upon  that  subject. 

"I  know  of  no  place  that  needs  expert 
service  of  this  sort  more  than  does  this 
territory.  It  is  a  country  of  wonderful 
possibilities.  Rice  culture  as  carried  on 
here  is  far  ahead  of  the  little  portions  of 
South  Carolina  which  grow  it  There 
they  cultivate  it  by  hand,  and  from  the 
time  the  seeds  are  sown  until  the  cereal  is 
reaped  and  threshed  and  bagged  the  most 
primitive  methods  are  used.  It  is  cut  with 
a  hand  sickle  and  sown  and  hauled  off  with 
an  ox,  shod  with  raw-hide  shoes— the 
shoes  are  to  keep  the  ox  from  getting  lost 
in  the  mud.  As  carried  on  there  it  is  not 
profitable  at  all. 

"Prof.  Bond  will  investigate  the  quan- 
tity of  water  it  requires  to  irrigate  an 
acre.  We  find  that  there  is  a  great  dif- 
ference of  opinion  on  this  score.  Some 
use,  for  instance,  six  gallons  a  minute, 
while  others  use  thirteen,  and  so  on. 
This  will  be  tested.  He  will  measure  the 
losses  by  evaporation.  The  bulletin  which 
will  be  issued  by  the  government  will 
give  all  the  results  of  these  experiments. 
Also  the  complete  rice  district  of  the 
Southwest,  the  value  of  the  crop,  the 
money  invested  and  other  things  relative 
thereto." 


IRRIGATING   INDIAN  RESERVA- 
TION. 


SPEECH    BY    HON.    WILLIAM    M.   STEWART,    OP 
NEVADA,  IN  THE  SENATE  OF  THE  UNITED 

STATES. 


The  policy  of  irrigating  Indian  reservations  for  the  benefit  of 
Indians  is  established.  The  only  argument  adduced  against  this 
amendment  arises  from  the  fact  that  it  may  incidentally  benefit  white 
men,  and  of  course  white  men,  if  they  live  in  the  West,  have  no  rights 
which  certain  persons,  whom  I  will  not  name,  are  disposed  to  respect. 
In  this  same  bill  we  find  a  provision  for  Indians: 

For  construction  of  ditches  and  reservoirs,  purchase  and  use  of  irrigating  tools 
and  appliances,  and  purchase  of  water  rights  on  Indian  reservations,  in  the  discre- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and  subject  to  his  control,  $100,000. 

It  seems  to  me,  when  it  is  so  clear  from  the  conceded  facts  that 
this  reservoir  ought  to  be  built  for  the  sole  benefit  of  the  Indians,  that 
it  is  a  very  poor  reason  for  objecting  to  it  that  it  will  also  enable  some 
white  settlers  to  get  homes.  There  will  be  more  water  in  the  reser- 
voir than  the  Indians  will  need.  This  surplus  water  will  irrigate 
enough  government  land  outside  the  Indian  reservation  to  return  the 
whole  cost  of  the  reservoir.  It  will  cost  the  Government  nothing  to 
restore  their  water  to  the  Indians. 

The  only  excuse  they  could  find  to  delay  building  the  reservoir  for 
the  Indians  is  this  scheme  to  put  a  pipe  in  the  dry  bed  of  the  stream 
and  catch  underflow.  That  has  failed  again  and  again.  It  is  nothing 
but  a  temporary  makeshift.  Everybody  who  has  seen,  those  schemes 
tried  knows  that.  It  is  a  waste  of  time  to  experiment  with  it. 

The  little  Indian  inspector  who  wanted  the  handling  of  this  money 
is  the  only  authority  quoted  by  the  Senator  from  Connecticut  [Mr. 
PLATT]  against  this  proposed  plan.  They  are  always  small  when  you 
put  them  at  great  work. 

Mr.  SPOONEK.     Unless  they  agree  with  you. 

Mr.  STEWART.  Unless  they  agree  with  you.  Of  course  that 
would  magnify  them  very  much,  because  it  would  be  some  evidence 
of  good  sense. 

Mr.  SPOONER.     Strong  evidence. 

Mr.  STEWART.  This  region  of  country  where  this  reservoir  is  pro- 
posed to  be  built  is  historic  ground.  Before  any  race  which  we  now 
know  of  inhabited  that  country  large  irrigation  works  were  estab- 


THE  1RRIGA  T10N  A  GE.  223 

lished  and  cities  were  built.  On  one  of  my  earliest  trips  in  that  region 
crossing  frcm  north  to  scutb,  I  passed  several  old  ditches  higher  up 
than  any  now  used.  I  spent  seme  time  trying  to  gratify  my  curiosity. 
We  found  the  ruins  of  these  old  cities,  with  pottery  there  and  every 
evidence  of  an  advanced  civilization.  It  is  a  remarkably  fertile  region 
with  water.  Without  water,  of  course,  it  is  a  desert.  Along  the  river 
there  are  several  tribes  of  Indians — the  Pimas,  Papagoes,  and  Mari- 
copas — who  carried  on  their  industries.  They  were  a  good  people. 
They  were  irrigators  and  farmers  before  the  white  people  went  into 
the  country.  They  remained  friendly  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States  during  all  the  Indian  wars. 

Their  villages  were  a  refuge  for  the  pioneers  of  that  Territory 
when  a  white  man's  life  was  hardly  safe  anywhere  else  in  the  Terri- 
tory from  the  murderous  Apaches.  Now  we  are  taking  care  of  the 
Apaches.  They  are  fat  and  sleek.  But  the  friendly  Indians  must 
starve  because  they  could  not  protect  themselves.  They  are  the 
wards  of  the  Government.  If  they  had  been  white  men  they  would 
have  gone  into  court  and  prevented  the  diversion  of  their  water.  "But 
the  Government  did  not  protect  them,  and  now  their  water  is  gone 
and  we  are  told  we  can  not  build  this  reservoir  because  we  might,  in 
addition  to  doing  justice  to  the  Indians,  reclaim  some  desert  Govern- 
ment land  and  provide  a  few  homes  for  white  men. 

These  Indians  were  never  dependent  on  the  Government  until 
their  water  was  taken  from  them.  They  are  not  roving  Indians;  they 
are  farmers.  They  cultivated  their  little  farms  and  made  a  living  for 
themselves,  and  they  will  do  it  again  if  we  give  them  back  their  water. 
If  we  do  not,  they  must  starve  or  be  fed,  and  to  feed  them  makes  beg 
gars  and  mendicants  of  them.  But  some  people  would  seem  to  prefer 
that  Indians  should  starve  or  beg  or  be  made  paupers,  if  necessary,  to 
prevent  the  Government  getting  back  the  cost  of  the  reservoir  from 
settlers  on  Government  land.  What  is  their  wrong  about  the  Govern- 
ment getting  its  money  back?  What  is  there  wrong  about  irrigating 
some  desert  land  so  white  settlers  can  cultivate  it?  Will  a  few  more 
white  men's  homes  do  any  harm? 

The  Government  report  (Storage  of  Water  on  Gila  River,  Arizona, 
by  Lippincott,  House  Document  No.  351,  Fifty-sixth  Congress,  first 
session)  tells  all  about  these  Indians  and  the  way  they  have  been 
neglected.  Here  is  what  it  says  on  page  9: 

The  Gila  River  Indian  reservation  is  occupied  chiefly  by  the  Pima  and  Maricopa 
Indians  and  a  limited  number  of  Papagoes.  The  first  knowledge  we  have  of  these 
Indians  is  obtained  from  a  narrative  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  a  Spanish  explorer,  who 
visited  this  region  about  the  year  1536,  after  an  adventurous  journey  overland  from 
Florida.  This  traveler  describes  them  very  much  as  they  are  to-day.  They  occupied 
the  same  lands  as  at  present,  and  have  evidently  long  been  industrious  and  success- 
ful farmers  and  irrigators,  as  they  continued  to  be  for  many  years  after  the  acquisi- 


224  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

tion  of  Arizona  by  the  United  States.     Their  average  wheat  crop  was  about  2,000,000- 
pounds  a  year,  besides  which  corn,  pumpkins,  beans,  sorghum,  and  vegetables  were 
raised  in  large  quantities.     They  manufactured  ollas,  or  earthen  jars,   and  baskets, 
and  wove  very  fine  blankets  and  cotton  fabrics.     They  lived  in  small  villages  and 
held  their  lands  in  severally. 

The  Pimas  have  always  been  friends  of  the  whites  and  enemies  of  the  Apaches. 
They  gave  succor  and  assistance  to  the  early  white  settlers,  and  their  door?  were 
always  open  -to  peaceable  whites  or  Indians  when  hard  pressed  by  the  savage  foe.  It 
is  their  boast  that  their  hands  were  never  stained  by  the  white  man's  blood.  It  was 
under  such  conditions  that  they  were  joined,  about  a  century  ago,  by  the  Maricopas, 
who  came  at  fugitives  from  the  more  powerful  Yuma  tribe.  When  the  belligerent 
Apaches  gave  trouble  to  the  settlers,  the  United  States  troops  sometimes  obtained 
substantial  aid  and  comfort  from  the  Pimas  in  the  way  of  subsistence. 

The  agriculture  of  the  Pima  Indians  was  carried  on  entirely  by  irrigation  with 
water  diverted  from  Gila  river.  These  tribes  have  always  supported  themselves,  and 
their  progress  toward  civilization  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  encouraging  feat- 
ures of  the  Indian  problem.  During  the  last  ten  years,  their  irrigating  water  having 
been  taken  away  from  them,  they  have  lapsed  into  indolence,  want  and  vice. 

Their  condition  of  prosperity,  industry,  and  independence  continued  until  by 
the  settlement  of  the  Gila  valley  above  the  reservation  the  water  supply  was  partly 
cut  off  and  began  to  be  deficient  for  the  cultivated  lands  on  the  reservation. 

On  March  27,  1895,  Mr.  J.  Roe  Young,  United  States  Indian  agent  at  Sacaton, 
made  a  terse  statement  of  the  case  to  the  Indian  Bureau,  closing  his  letter  with  the 
following  recommendation: 

"What  is  best  to  be  done  I  do  not  know.  I  recommend,  however,  that  a  compe- 
tent, thorough  and  skillful  engineer,  well  acquainted  with  irrigation  questions,  be 
employed  to  ascertain  and  report,  first,  whether  or  not  under  existing  conditions  a 
supply  of  water  adequate  to  the  needs  of  these  Indians  can  be  obtained  and  retained 
permanently,  and  then,  if  such  a  supply  can  be  obtained,  what  is  the  best,  most  feas- 
ble,  practicable,  and  economical  method  of  doing  so. 

"To  properly  do  this  the  engineer  should  examine  carefully  the  past  and  present 
condition  and  flow  of  the  Gila  river,  the  amount  of  water  which  formerly  passed 
through  this  reservation,  and  the  amount  we  are  now  receiving;  the  number  and 
amount  of  inches  of  water  for  which  charters  for  ditches  have  been  granted  in  the 
different  counties  through  which  the  Gila  flows,  and  the  amount  of  water  taken  out 
under  these  charters,  together  with  the  number  of  such  charters  now  legally  in  force; 
the  underground  currents  and  rock  strata  along  the  river,  and  all  matters  which 
taken  together  may  lead  to  some  solution  of  this  question.  I  have  been  unable  to 
get  an  estimate  of  what  amount  such  an  investigation  and  report  will  cost,  but  I 
would  suggest  that  the  sum  of  $5,000  be  set  apart  from  any  appropriation  available 
for  this  purpose.  Competent  and  first-class  engineers,  with  ability  to  make  such  a 
report  as  this  case  requires,  are  scarce  and  high  priced,  and  they  have  to  be  well 
paid.  It  would  be  money  thrown  away  to  employ  a  man  not  thoroughly  posted. 

"This  matter  should  be  taken  up  soon,  in  order  that  we  may  know  what  to 
expect  for  next  year." 

Mr.  Elwood  Hadley,  who  is  now  (1899)  the  Indian  agent  at  Sacaton,  in  describ- 
ing the  present  condition  of  the  Indians  of  the  Gila  River  reservation,  writes  as  fol- 
lows, under  date  of  September  25,  1899: 

"Approximately  6,000  Indians— Pimas,  Papagoes,  and  Marieopas — are  depend- 
ent for  their  subsistence  upon  the  lands  of  the  Gila  River  reservation,  which  reser- 
vation contains  357,120  acres.  It  ia  estimated  that  half  of  the  land  could  be  made 
productive  with  water  to  irrigate  it.  The  water  supply  in  the  Gila  river  the  present 
season,  owing  to  its  use  for  lands  above  us,  has  not  been  sufficient  to  irrigate  1,000 
acres.  Fully  half  the  crops  planted  have  not  produced  enough  for  seed.  This  land, 
is  very  fertile.  The  condition  of  affairs  here  shows  that  in  the  past  three  years  there 
has  been  a  large  falling  off  in  the  wate'r  supply  for  irrigation.  The  reason  is  apparent 
in  the  absorption  of  the  water  by  additional  cultivated  lands  above. 

"I  notice  in  the  Indians  a  restlessness  as  they  realize  their  helpless  condition,. 


THE  IRRIGA I  ION  A  GE  225 

and  am  often  confronted  with  the  solicitous  queries,  What  are  we  to  do?  If  we  plant 
•what  we  have,  what  assurance  hive  we  of  getting  it  back?  Under  favorable  condi- 
tions these  Indians,  being  agricultural  and  pastoral,  would  soon  become  independent, 
prosperous,  civilixed  citizens.  Otherwise,  discouragement,  hunger,  and  destitution 
are  their  lot.  A  nomadic  life  being  taken  on,  their  old  tribal  nature  asserts  itself, 
and  the  expenditures  hitherto  made  and  being  made  by  the  Government  for  their  edu- 
cation and  improvement  prove  a  curse  to  them  rather  than  a  blessing. 

"It  is  now  necessary  to  issue  considerable  subsistence  to  the  Indians  whose 
crops  have  been  a  failure,  and  this  aid  will  have  to  be  largely  increased  under  the 
existing  limited  water  supply.  A  supply  of  water  would  permit  of  the  Pima  board- 
ing school  establishing  a  model  farm,  greatly  reducing  the  cost  of  maintaining  the 
school  of  200  pupils,  and  be  a  most  valuable  educational  factor  in  the  school  life  of 
the  pupils.  The  available  Indian  labor  in  the  construction  of  the  reservoir  is  an 
important  factor,  as  it  is  much  better  to  provide  them  labor  with  pay  than  keep  them 
as  paupers.  These  Indians  are  willing  to  work  and  their  moral  status  is  good. 
Their  attitude  toward  the  United  States  has  always  been  friendly.  They  have  saved 
the  Government  in  protecting  the  early  settlers  from  the  ravages  of  the  Apaches. 
They  have  kept  themselves  within  the  bounds  of  law  and  order,  and  they  are  now 
left  upon  the  desert  without  water.  Humanity  speaks,  economical  administration 
for  the  sustenance  of  the  Indians  speaks,  and  nature  in  her  wise  provisions  says: 
'Let  man's  means  and  intelligence  be  made  operative,  that  these  Indians,  whose 
claims  are  meritorious,  be  reinstated  in  self-sustenance  and  lifted  to  the  plane  of 
prosperous  American  citizens." 

Again  (page  17): 

In  order  to  determine  the  amount  of  water  that  will  be  required  for  the  Indians 
on  the  Gila  River  Indian  Reservation,  Mr.  Elwood  Hadley,  United  States  Indian 
agent  at  Sacaton,  was  requested  to  make  a  statement  on  the  subject.  In  his  reply, 
dated  October  12,  1899,  he  writes: 

"It  is  estimated  that  there  are  nearly  4,500  Pima  and  Maricopa  Indians  on  the 
reservation  dependent  for  their  subsistence  upon  its  lands.  South  of  this  reserva- 
tion, in  the  country  lying  between  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  and  the  border  line 
of  Mexico,  it  is  estimated  that  there  are  nearly  2,000  nomadic  Papagos,  who  derive 
mueh  of  their  subsistence  from  the  Pimas  of  this  reservation  (Gila  River)  in  exchange 
for  their  labor.  The  Pimas  are  liberal  and  kind  to  their  more  unfortinate  brothers, 
and  give  them  a  share  of  their  products  in  return  for  their  labor  in  harvesting  the 
crops. 

"The  estimated  number  of  Indians  under  my  care  is  as  follows:  Pimas,  4,200; 
Maricopas,  350;  Papagos,  2,700;  total,  7,250. 

"The  number  named  above  who  live  on  reservations  away  from  here  would  gladly 
come  here  if  they  could  be  furnished  with  water.  It  is  estimated  that  2  acres  of 
land  will  sustain  an  Indian." 

There  has  been  an  investigation  of  this  matter.  All  the  matters 
that  the  Senator  from  Connecticut  complained  of  have  been  investi- 
gated. I  read  again  from  this  report: 

In  November  1895,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  instructed  the  Director  of  the 
Geological  Survey  to  detail  a  civil  engineer  to  make  the  examination  recommended, 
and  Mr.  Arthur  P.  Davis,  hydrographer.  was  accordingly  assigned  to  this  task,  in 
which  he  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Cyrus  C.  Babb,  assistant  hydrographer,  and  Mr.  J.  B. 
Lippincott,  resident  hydrographer  for  California.  Six  months  of  time  and  $3,500 
were  expended  in  the  field  on  the  preliminary  investigation,  and  a  report  was  sub- 
mitted in  1896,  entitled  The  Report  on  Irrigation  Investigation  for  the  Benefit  of  the 
Pima  and  Other  Indians  on  the  the  Gila  River  Indian  Reservation,  Arizona. 

We  find  in  the  appropriation  act  of  two  years  ago  the  following 
provision: 


226  THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 

For  ascertaining  the  depth  of  the  bedrock  at  a  place  on  the  Gila  river  in  Gila 
county,  Arizona,  known  as  The  Buttes,  and  particularly  described  in  Senate  Docu- 
ment No.  27,  Fifty-fourth  Congress,  second  session,  and  for  ascertaining  the  feasi- 
bility and  estimating  in  detal  the  cost  of  the  construction  of  a  dam  across  the  river 
at  that  point  for  purpose  of  irrigating  the  Sacaton  Reservation,  and  for  ascertaining 
the  average  daily  flow  of  water  in  the  river  at  that  point,  $20,000,  or  so  much  thereof 
as  may  be  necessary,  the  same  to  be  expended  by  the  Director  of  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey,  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretaay  of  the  Interior:  Provided, 
That  nothing  herein  shall  be  construed  as  in  any  way  committing  the  United  States 
to  the  construction  of  said  dam.  And  said  Director  shall  also  ascertain  and  report 
upon  the  feasibility  and  cost  of  the  Queen  Creek  project  mentioned  in  said  Senate 
document. 

Under  this  appropriation  a  preliminary  investigation  has  been 
made,  and  the  following  summary  is  given  to  show  that  the  Govern, 
ment  can  get  its  money  all  back  from  the  land  (p.  94): 

Total  water  supply  to  be  delivered  to  the  point  of  diversion  from  San 

Carlos  reservoir  for  irrigation  each  year ............... .acre-feet ....        241,396 

Estimate  requirement  for  Indiana 40,000 

Remainder  available  for  irrigation  of  public  domain  or  private  lands 

acre-feet 201,396 

Assume  a  duty  of  water  of  2  acre-feet  or  24  inches  in  depth  used  each 
year  on  each  irrigated  acre;  this  would  permit  the  irrigation  of  lands 

outside  the  reservation  to  the  extent  of acres. .  . .        100,698 

There  are  289, 211  acres  of  arid  public  land  in  the  district  to  be  supplied 
from  this  system.  Assume  that  the  water  is  given  to  the  Indians  with- 
out cost  to  the  Government  and  that  these  100,698  acres  must  pay  the 
total  cost  of  the  works,  then  the  necessary  charge  per  acre  for  the  re- 
maining water  rights  to  be  sold  would  be $10.24 

It  is  believed  that  the  public  lands  with  this  water  right  could  at  this 
rate,  be  sold  within  a  year. 
If  3,000  Indians  have  to  be  fed  by  the  Government  at  a  cost  per  ration 

'   per  day  of  10  cents,  the  annual  expenses  would  be $109,500 

The  capitalization  of  $109,500,  at  4  per  cent,  would  represent  the  practi- 
cal permanent  expense  of  feeding  these  tribes  This  is  equivalent  to  a 
permanent  Government  debt,  which  would  be  liquidated  by  this  con- 
struction, of :  ... $2,737,500 


The  value  of  the  100,698  acres  of  irrigated  public  lands  that  would  be 

taxable  would  be  $50  per  acre,  or  a  total  of $5,034,900 

The  saving,  without  expense  to  the  Government,  by  irrigation  of  20,000 

acres  of  lands  belonging  to  the  Indians,  has  been  shown  to  be . 2,737,500 

Total  increase  in  value  without  public  expense $7,772,400 

There  will  also  be  a  large  increase  in  value  of  taxable  town  property 
not  estimated  upon. 

The  report  that  came  in  is  very  elaborate.  They  examined  all  the 
modes  of  supplying  the  reservation  with  water.  It  is.  presented  here 
[exhibiting]  with  plats,  and  with  a  full  detail  of  surveys,  and  they 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  is  the  only  feasible  and  practical  way 
of  irrigating  it.  They  have  to  a  great  extent  estimated  the  cost. 
They  spent  the  $20,000  in  making  this  examination.  The  amount  was 
entirely  inadequate  to  complete  the  examination. 

This  provision  simply  proposes  to  complete  the  investigation  and 


1UK  IRRIGATION  AGE.  227 

the  surveys  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  cost,  and,  in  order  that 
the  United  States  may  be  protected,  the  amendment  proposes  to  with- 
draw from  settlement  a  large  tract,  which  is  practically  desert  land, 
but  which  would  be  pounced  upon  by  all  sorts  of  schemes  if  there  was 
an  idea  that  it  was  to  be  irrigated.  It  will  probably  irrigate  one  hun- 
dred of  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land,  capable  of  support- 
ing fifty  or  a  hundred  thousand  people.  It  Is  a  great  enterprise.  The 
ditch  necessarily  goes  through  it,  and  before  the  ditch  is  located  it  is 
necessary  to  withdraw  the  land,  so  that  the  Government  can  hereafter 
dispose  of  it. 

This  commits  the  Government  to  nothing  that  it  is  not  already 
committed  to,  It  directs  the  prosecution  of  the  investigation,  and  in 
order  to  compete  the  investigation  and  at  the  same  time  protect  the 
United  States  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  survey  showing  where  the  ditch 
will  be  and  what  land  will  be  irrigated.  So  the.  amendment  proposes 
to  withdraw  the  land  until  the  survey  is  made  and  until  all  the  esti- 
mates are  in. 

You  cannot  make  a  complete  contour  survey  with  a  little  money. 
It  takes  considerable  money.  A  hundred  thousand  dollars  will  be 
required  to  survey  this,  and  then  you  will  have  the  proposition  before 
Congress.  It  is  simply  carrying  out  the  policy  of  Congress  already 
settled  upon.  It  involves  nothing  further  than  having  the  facts  of 
this  great  enterprise  fairly  brought  before  Congress.  Then,  that  be- 
ing done,  if  it  is  thought  that  the  policy  of  irrigating  by  the  Govern- 
ment shall  not  be  adopted,  Congress  can  provide  for  the  sale  of  this 
enterprise  to  private  parties,  the  land  will  be  reserved,  and  there  will 
be  something  for  the  Government  to  sell. 

Mr.  BEVERIDGE.     May  I  ask  the  Senator  from  Nevada  a  question? 

Mr.  STEWART.     Certainly. 

MR.  BEVERIDGE.  I  understood  the  remarks  of  the  Senator  from 
Connecticut  to  be  directed  to  this  point,  and  I  think  they  were  very 
pertinent:  Why  should  the  investigation  be  confined  to  this  particu- 
lar method  of  irrigation:*  Wny  should  it  not  parmit  any  method  of 
irrigation  that  may  be  wise  to  be  investigated? 

Mr.  STEWART.  There  is  a  pamphlet  here  showing  why.  They 
have  already  gone  on.  There  is  no  other  method". 

Mr.  BEVERIDGE.  The  Senator  from  Connecticut  says  the  other 
methods  have  not  been  exhausted. 

Mr.  STEWART.     He  thinks  they  have  not.     I  think  they  have. 

Mr.  PLATT  of  Connecticut.  Will  the  San  ttor  par jait  ma?  Wny  is 
the  clause  which  was  contiinel  in  the  original  authority  to  investigate 
left  out  of  this  provision?  It  provided  that  nothing  in  it  shoull  co  n- 
mit  the  Government  to  this  enterprise. 

Mr.  BEVERIDGE.     If  I  understand 


228  THE  1RRIGA  TWN  A  GE. 

Mr.  THURSTON.     Mr.  President- 
Mr.  STEWART.     One  at  a  time. 

Mr.  THURSTON.  That  suggestion  was  not  made  in  committee  this 
year,  and  I  see  no  reason^why  there  would  be  an  objection  to  adding  it. 

Mr.  BEVERIDGE.  Then  that  would  meet  the  point  made  by  the 
Senator  from  Connecticut.  I  was  about  to  ask  the  Senator  from 
Nevada  whether  it  is  true  that  all  other  methods  of  irrigation  have 
been  tried  and  have  been  cast  aside  as  inadequate? 

Mr.  STEWART.  You  will  get  some  water,  some  underflow,  but 
there  were  men  before  the  committee  who  said  that  the  underflow  is 
now  down  3  or  4  or  5  feet  deeper  than  it  was  a  few  years  ago.  You 
cannot  get  a  permanent  supply  in  that  way. 

Mr.  BEVERIDGE.  I  understand  that  the  Senator  from  Nevada 
says  he  will  accept  that  amendment. 

Mr.  STEWART.  I  want  to  say  something,  if  you  will  let  me  have 
the  floor  for  a  while. 

The  policy  is  established  that  we  should  irrigate  for  the  Indians. 
We  give  them  vast  tracts  of  land,  and  we  may  spend  three  or  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year  irrigating  for  them,  and  we  have  it 
conducted  under  inexperienced  men,  Indian  inspectors  or  something 
of  that  kind;  yet  if  by  any  possibility  the  irrigation  benefits  the  white 
man,  then  it  becomes  a  monster.  That  is  the  extraordinary  feature  of 
the  opposition  to  this  measure.  They  say  you  can  not  irrigate  to  help 
the  Indians  if  by  any  chance  there  may  be  some  irrigation  for  white 
men  too.  Agriculture  has  been  conducted  more  by  irrigation  than  by 
rainfull  in  this  world.  All  ancient  agriculture  was  by  irrigation. 

Mr.  BEVERIDGE.     No. 

Mr.  STEWART.  Pretty  nearly  all  was  by  irrigation.  Only  recently 
have  they  undertaken  to  subdue  countries  where  there  was  rainfall. 
See  the  great  irrigation  works  in  Africa  and  in  Western  Asia.  All 
those  great  civilizations  were  by  means  of  irrigation.  Two-fifths  of 
the  entire  area  of  the  United  States  requires  irrigation.  It  is  a  vast 
empire  where  you  can  make  homes  for  50,000,000  people,  if  irrigated, 
and  it  will  not  be  nearly  so  thickly  populated  then  as  were  ancient 
countries.  You  see  ruins  of  the  irrigation  plants  of  the  ancients;  they 
are  being  excavated  now,  and  other  people  are  taking  an  interest  in  it. 
In  Egypt  they  are  excavating  old  irrigation  works,  which  show  that 
the  Sahara  Desert,  or  a  large  part  of  it,  was  once  irrigated,  to  the  won- 
der of  t-h'e  world.  There  is  masonry  there  that  cannot  be  surpassed 
to-day.  It  is  being  developed  everywhere. 

Here  we  have  a  country  of  immense  possibility,  and  because  this 
improvement  may  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  white  peopl^  there  *s 
objection  to  it.  If  it  could  not  be  used  for  white  people,  if  it  could  not 
benefit  white  people,  there  would  be  no  objection  to  it.  There  is  no 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  229 

objection  to  irrigating  for  the  Indians.  But  here,  according  to  the 
report,  the  Indians  cannot  be  successfully  supplied  without  at  the 
same  time  providing  more  water  than  they  need  and  benefiting  white 
people.  The  Senator  says:  How  can  you  build  this  reservoir  without 
injuring  the  Florence  Canal  Company?  The  canal  company  took  it 
from  the  Indians,  but  the  settlers  under  the  canal  bought  their  land 
of  the  Government.  It  will  be  hard  to  take  the  water  away  from  them 
and  give  it  back  to  the  Indians  now.  That  would  ruin  the  white  set- 
tlers. Nobody  proposes  to  do  that. 

But  by  building  this  reservoir  the  Government  can  provide  new 
supplies  for  the  Indians,  so  as  not  to  injure  the  white  settlers  under 
the  canal.  Justice  can  he  done  to  all  parties,  no  one  will  be  injured, 
and  the  Government  can  get  all  its  money  back.  But  that  seems  to  be 
what  they  object  to— that  and  the  possibility  that  some  of  the  desert 
might  be  irrigated  to  make  homes  for  some  more  white  men. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  The  whole  subject  of  irrigation  is  a  very  large 
one.  We  have  a  Committee  on  Irrigation,  have  we  not? 

Mr.  STEWART.     Yes. 

Mr.  SPOONER.     Is  the  Senator  from  Nevada  chairman  of  it? 

Mr.  STEWART.     No. 

Mr.  SPOONER.     He  was  at  one  time. 

Mr.  STEWART.     Yes. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  Now,  if  the  Government  is  to  be  committed  to  the 
scheme  of  irrigation — it  may  be  a  good  thing — why  is  not  a  bill  brought 
in  here,  an  independent  proposition,  which  can  be  debated? 

Mr.  STEWART.     Because  the  Senate  is  not  sufficiently  educated. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  That  is  the  way  to  educate  it.  Why  is  it  always 
done  on  some  provision  in  an  appropriation  bill? 

Mr.  STEWART.     So  that  we  can  talk  about  it  and  discuss  it. 

Mr.  SPOONER.     All  you  want,  then,  is  talk? 

Mr.  STEWART.  No;  I  want  you  educated.  I  want  to  accomplish 
something.  If  I  can  educate  you  and  get  you  to  understand  it,  you 
will  be  the  most  enthusiastic  friend  of  irrigation  in  the  Senate. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  Very  likely;  but  every  attempt  to  inaugurate  this 
system  has  been  by  stealth. 

Mr.  STEWART.     It  is  not  done  by  stealth. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  We  discussed  one  proposition  at  the  last  session  of 
Congress  which  was  under  the  guise  of  improvement  of  navigation. 

MR.  STEWART.     Let  me  tell  you  something- 
Mr.  SPOONER.     It  was  perfectly  obvious— 

Mr.  STEWART.  Let  me  tell  you  something  perfectly  new  to  you, 
that  you  do  not  know. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  I  will  not  say  that  I  do  not  until  I  know  what  you. 
are  going  to  say. 


230  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

Mr.  STEWART.  You  will  hear  it  right  now.  We  are  spending 
$10,000,000  in  the  river  and  harbor  bill  to  improve  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  when  we  all  know  that  that  is  not  the  purpose. 
It  is  to  protect  the  lands  there.  We  know  that  is  the  purpose.  A 
great  many  things  are  done  by  indirection.  I  should  not  be  surprised 
if  my  friend  the  Senator  from  Wisconsin  has  done  some  cunning  things 
by  indirection.  He  does  not  always  tell  what  he  is  after.  I  am  will- 
ing to  say  that  I  should  like  to  see  this  experiment  tried,  because  it  is 
the  only  way  of  supplying  the  Indians,  and  in  addition  it  may  illus- 
trate a  great  principle.  There  should  be  no  objection  to  it. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  As  a  lawyer  I  have  not  always  informed  m\  an- 
tagonist what  I  was  about,  but  as  a  legislator  I  have  endeavored  to  be 
frank  and  not  to  seek  in  legislation  to  accomplish  anything  by  indirec- 
tion.- 

Mr.  STEWART.     I  am  not  seeking  to  accomplish  anything  by  indi 
rection. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  Every  time  this  irrigation  proposition  comes  before 
the  Senate,  instead  of  coming  at  an  early  day  in  the  session  and  in  the 
form  of  some  well-defined  plan,  reported  by  the  Committee  on  Irriga- 
tion, so  that  we  can  consider  it  and  be  educated  by  the  Senator 

Mr.  STEWART.  It  would  take  a  long  time  to  educate  you.  We 
could  not  get  a  hearing. 

Mr.  SPOONER.  It  would  take  a  long  time,  perhaps,  to  be  educated 
by  the  Senator  from  Nevada. 

Mr.  STEWART.     Yes. 

Mr.  SPOONER.     But  it  always  comes  under  cover. 

Mr.  STEWART.     Who  is  making  this  speech? 

Mr.  SPOONER.  If  you  do  not  want  me  to  interrupt  you,  I  will  not. 
But  it  always  comes  under  cover. 

Mr.  STEWART.  No;  it  does  not  come  under  cover.  It  does  not 
always  come  in  that  way.  Here  is  a  proposition  in  this  bill  for  irrigat- 
ing Indian  land.  It  has  gone  through  every  time,  but  there  is  objec- 
tion to  this  because  it  may  incidentally  irrigate  other  lands.  It  is  a 
proposition  where  you  can  not  irrigate  the  Indian  lands  without  irri- 
gating other  lands,  and  because  you  cannot  do  it,  are  you  going  to  let 
the  Indians  starve?  There  are  over  5,000  Indians  there.  There  is  no 
way  of  getting  a  permanent  supply  of  water  unless  you  build  the  res- 
ervoir, which  will  provide  more  water  than  the  Indians  need,  which 
can  be  used  for  irrigating  some  other  Government  land.  Therefore, 
rather  than  benefit  the  white  man,  you  will  not  have  a  survey  and  you 
will  not  have  an  investigation. 

Nobody  is  going  to  undertake  this  enterprise  unless  the  land  can 
be  reserved.  If  the  lands  are  not  withdrawn  before  the  survey  is 
made  there  will  be  obstructions  in  the  way.  Nobody  will  do  it,  private 


THE  1RRIGA  TION  A  GE.  231 

parties  will  not  do  it,  the  Government  will  not  do  it  unless  it  can  have 
the  benefit  of  the  irrigation  when  it  comes.  This  bill  provides  for 
that. 

I  desire  to  say  to  the  Senator  from  Connecticut  and  the  Senator 
from  Wisconsin  that  Eastern  people  are  not  so  universally  against  the 
improvement  of  this  vast  region  as  you  might  suppose  in  the  first 
instance.  Nearly  the  entire  press  of  the  country  advocates  the  re- 
clamation of  these  arid  lands. 

A  more  direct  wav  of  improving  the  Mississippi  would  be  to  make 
lakes  in  the  mountains,  and  you  would  not  require  so  large  an  annual 
appropriation  for  the  Mississippi.  I  have  no  doubt  that  great  results 
can  be  accomplished  by  storing  the  water  to  mitigate  the  floods  but 
the  objection  is  raised  that  it  will  benefit  lands  in  western  Kansas  and 
Nebraska,  and  probably  western  Arkansas — in  fact,  all  through  the 
West  and  on  the  Missouri  river  and  its  tributaries.  That,  they  say, 
must  not  be  done.  You  must  let  all  the  floods  come  down  if  by  stop- 
ping them  you  would  reclaim  the  arid  lands.  They  say  that  must  not 
be  done.  Better  to  have  the  floods,  they' say,  than  to  reclaim  any  of 
the  deserts— and  so  the  floods  keep  on  coming. 

You  do  not  make  objection,  and  I  do  not  make  objection,  to  build- 
ing up  the  banks  to  protect  the  people  from  overflows.  I  believe  it 
ought  to  be  done,  and  if  that  is  the  only  way  in  which  those  States  can 
be  protected  I  am  in  favor  of  doing  it.  But  if  you  are  going  to  protect 
them  by  building  up  banks,  why  not  do  it  also  by  building  the  reser- 
voirs. You  may  say  it  is  doing  it  by  indirection,  but  you  put  the 
appropriations  in  the  river  and  harbor  bill  to  build  up  the  banks,  and 
I  am  in  favor  of  doing  it,  not  because  ic  is  necessary  for  the  improve- 
ment of  navigation,  but  because  it  is  necessary  to  protect  those  great 
States  from  overflows.  That  is  why  it  is  done.  And  if  the  appropri- 
ation to  build  the  ba.nks  goes  in  the  river  and  harbor  bill,  there  is  no 
reason  why  the  appropriation  for  the  reservoir  should  not  go  there 
too. 

Now,  here  is  a  case  where  you  can  not  successfully  irrigate  the 
lands  for  the  Indians — we  have  had  the  investigation  and  we  have 
reports  on  it — without  this  great  reservoir  and  canal.  Nobody  will 
undertake  that  work  unless  the  land  is  withdrawn.  You  can  not  make 
any  progress  toward  it  unless  you  have  a  survey  and  the  withdrawal 
of  the  land.  You  have  to  make  a  contour  survey  and  withdraw  the 
lands,  and  then  undoubtedly  you  can  find  many  persons  and  many  cor- 
porations, if  you  are  willing  to  let  it  be  monopolized  when  you  have 
surveyed  it,  to  take  it  off  the  hands  of  the  Government.  It  ought  not 
to  be  monopolized.  The  Government  ought  to  do  it.  But  that  coun- 
try ought  not  to  be  always  a  desert.  It  is  the  grandest  enterprise  I 
know  of  to  reclaim  a  very  large  amount  of  land  which,  when  it  is  re- 


232  THE  1RR I GA  TION  A  GE. 

claimed,  is  worth  from  thirty  to  fifty  dollars  an  acre.  It  is  marvelously 
productive;  you  will  build  up  a  prosperous  community  there;  and  these 
incidental  benefits  that  come  from  it  should  not  be  an  objection  to  the 
building  of  that  reservoir. 

The  tronble  I  have  found  is  the  general  fear  that  legislation  might 
be  enacted  which  in  some  way  would  develop  the  West.  You  make 
Indian  reservations  without  paying  any  attention  to  the  white  people, 
and  you  exclude  the  latter  from  them.  You  protect  barbarism;  you  do 
anything  but  give  the  whites  a  fair  show.  You  must  admit  this  ought 
to  be  done  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians;  and  it  is  absurd  to  say  that  it 
must  not  be  done  because  it  might  also  benefit  the  whites. 

There  is  no  reason  why  this  experiment  should  not  be  conducted 
to  its  consummation.     Let  us  know  what  can  be  done.     This  water 
may  be  taken  out  on  either  side  of  the  river.     There  is  a  vast  region 
on  each  side  of  the  river  that  may  be  irrigated.     As  soon  as  you  deter- 
mine where  it  shall  be,  unless  you  withdraw  the  land,  there  will  be 
scrip  and  all  sorts  of  obstructions  in  your  way.     So  in  connection  with 
this  investigation  we  have  the  land  withdrawn;  and  that  is  all  there  is 
new  in  the  proposition.     It  is  merely  carrying  on  further  the  former 
investigation  which  was  ordered.     We  have  the  preliminary  report  of 
it.     It  is  just  finishing  up  this  investigation,  and  it  is  provided  that 
there  shall  be  a  sufficient  survey  to  enable  the  Department  to  deter- 
mine what  lands  will  be  irrigated,  and  then  if  it  must  be  done — if  you 
will  not  let  the  Government  do  it — you  can  turn  it  over  to  private 
parties. 

It  will  be  a  square  proposition,  after  the  investigation  is  made, 
whether  the  Government  will  do  the  work,  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  it  does  benefit  white  people.  That  will  be  the  question  then. 
That  question  does  not  arise  now.  We  are  committed  to  the  policy  of 
making  this  investigation,  and  why  should  it  not  be  completed?  The 
other  modes  for  supplying  it  have  been  exhausted.  We  went  down 
there  with  an  appropriation  of  $20,000  last  year  to  feed  the  Indians 
because  their  lands  could  not  be  irrigated.  If  their  land  could  have 
been  irrigated  by  the  water  that  can  be  reservoired  there,  they  would 
not  have  neeeded  to  be  fed. 

Mr.  TELLER.  The  appropriation  was  $30,000. 
Mr.  STEWART.  We  appropriated  $30,000  to  feed  the  Indians  be- 
cause their  lands  could  not  be  irrigated.  The  Indians  would  have 
accomplished  it  themselves  if  they  could  have  done  it.  They  got  along 
all  right  before  their  water  was  taken  away  frjm  them  They  are 
industrious  and  intelligent  Indians,  and  there  is  no  trouble  about  that. 
Tney  would  have  done  all  this  themselves  if  it  had  been  practicable. 
The  fact  that  it  was  not  done  and  we  appropriated  $30,003  to  feed  them 
shows  that  it  could  not  be  done.  They  can  build  the  ditches  to  carry 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  233 

the  water  to  their  farms,  but  they  cannot  build  this  reservoir  them 
selves.     If  it  was  being  built  they  could  do  much  of  the  work  on  it 
and  earn  wages  to  keep  them  until  the  reservoir  is  completed.     Then 
they  would  have  the  water  again. 

Now,  it  is  said  the  reservoirs  will  fill  up.  There  are  various  mod- 
ern methods  of  keeping  reservoirs  clean.  Land  in  India  has  been 
irrigated  for  thousands  of  years  and  reservoirs  have  been  filled  up,  but 
they  have  methods  of  cleaning  them,  methods  of  sluicing  them  out.  I 
believe  we  can  keep  these  reservoirs  entirely  clean.  The  report  from 
Mr.  Schuyler  (Senate  Document  152,  Fifty-sixth  Congress,  first  ses- 
sion) says  they  can,  and  he  investigated  that  very  proposition  for  the 
•Government.  We  can  not  reclaim  any  of  our  desert  lands  unless  we 
keep  the  water  flowing.  Of  course  there  must  be  an  aqueduct  at  the 
lower  part  of  it  to  let  the  water  out.  That  water  can  be  sluiced  off,  so 
as  to  go  down  and  keep  it  clean'  That  is  the  modern  theory.  The 
idea  that  we  can  not  maintain  a  reservoir  is  a  proposition  against  any 
irrigation. 

This  is  the  most  magnificent  place  in  the  United  States  for  an  ex- 
periment. Let  us  know  the  facts  before  any  large  amount  of  money 
is  spent.  It  will  require  only  $100,000  to  make  the  necessary  surveys 
and  secure  the  dam  site.  When  that  is  done,  the  Government  is  not 
committed  at  all.  If  they  find  that  because  it  benefits  the  whites  it 
ought  not  to  be  done,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  stop  them.  But  to  stop 
before  an  investigation  is  made,  on  the  theory  that  it  might  benefit 
somebody  besides  the  Indians,  although  it  may  be  the  only  method  by 
which  the  Indians  can  be  supplied,  and  I  think  it  is,  is  absurd.  You 
have  got  to  feed  these  Indians  or  irrigate  their  land.  It  may  be  that 
you  will  think  when  the  survey  is  made  that  it  will  be  better  to  feed 
them.  That  may  be  the  result,  but  before  you  make  the  determina- 
tion that  it  is  better  to  feed  them  than  to  have  the  work  done,  you  had 
better  hesitate,  particular]y  since  you  have  undertaken  it. 

You  have  got  a  partial  report,  and  to  make  the  report  available 
for  any  purpose  it  will  require  an  appropriation  of  another  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  appropriation  of  $20,000  went  as  far  as  it  could, 
but  they  could  not  make  for  that  amount  any  survey  that  would  be 
complete  enough  for  practical  purposes.  You  have  ascertained  the 
facts  for  $20.000,  and  they  have  done  a  great  work,  more  than  is  usu- 
ally done  for  that  amount  of  money.  They  have  exhibited  the  facts, 
and  they  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  as  they  say  here,  that  this  is 
the  only  method  to  irrigate  the  Indian  reservation.  Let  us  know  the 
extent  of  it,  what  it  will  amount  to.  Then  we  will  determine  what 
shall  be  done. 

I  have  no  doubt  if  you  should  give  the  land  which  could  be  irri- 
gated to  a  private  corporation  the  work  would  be  done.     There  is  no 


234  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

doubt  about  that.  There  may  not  be  many  parallel  cases  to  this,  but 
in  this  case  the  land  that  will  be  irrigated  will  pay  for  the  expense  of 
the  reservoir  and  the  ditch  many  times  over,  because  it  is  exceedingly 
valuable.  You  will  hardly  find  another  place  such  as  that  in  the  world. 
Let  us  have  the  facts  about  it  and  then  let  the  Government  advertise 
for  bids  to  do  it  if  the  Government  does  not  want  to  do  it  itself.  I 
would  not  be  in  favor  of  doing  that.  I  think  the  Government  ought  to 
do  it.  But  it  ought  to  be  done  in  some  way,  because  here  is  a  place 
for  from  50,000  to  100,000  people  if  the  land  is  irrigated. 

The  people  of  the  West  have  good  cause  to  complain  when  the 
people  of  the  East  object  to  ordinal  y  appropriations  for  the  Indian 
service  because  it  may  benefit  the  whites.  Senators  talk  about  this 
being  an  entering  wedge.  I  am  not  in  favor  of  any  entering  wedge, 
but  I  am  in  favor  of  investigating  and  determining  whether  we  can  not 
stop  the  flow  that  goes  down  the  Mississippi  and  keep  the  water  up 
there  and  irrigate  the  West.  I  am  in  favor  of  some  experiments. 
This  would  be  an  object  lesson  worth  trying.  Great  Britain  has  spent 
in  India  over  a  hundred  million  dollars  in  irrigation  works,  and  has 
continuously  spent  it,  to  help  develop  that  country. 

These  are  great  enterprises,  and  they  demand  a  very  large  ex- 
penditure, The  debt  of  India  consists  in  irrigation  works  and  railroads 
to  develop  that  country,  and  they  have  made  it  very  productive.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  the  irrigation  works  the  famine  there  would  have 
been  universal.  Famine  comes  there  on  account  of  drought. 

The  West  will  in  time  be  teeming  with  population.  It  is  bound  to 
come.  Two-fifths  of  the  area  of  the  United  States  is  not  going  to 
remain  a  barren  waste  when  everybody  knows  that  it  can  be  reclaimed 
and  be  made  the  most  productive  land  in  the  world.  One  acre  of  irri- 
gated laud  will  produce  as  much  as  four  acres  of  any  other  land.  You 
can  go  into  any  State  of  the  Union  you  please,  and  on  land  properly 
irrigated  you  can  raise  a  maximum  crop  every  year,  and  generally  two 
or  three  crops  with  the  water  that  comes  down  and  fertilizes  it. 

This  is  a  great  proposition,  and  it  would  not  be  doubted  at  all  if  it- 
had  not  been  condemned  as  an  evil  purpose,  and  the  charge  made  that 
somebody  wanted  to  swindle  the  Government;  that  somebody  wanted 
to  rob  the  Government.  When  I  see  $80,000,000  in  a  river  and  harbor 
bill  to  benefit  every  little  creek  and  harbor  all  over  the  country,  and 
when  I  see  110,000,000  of  that  going  to  protect  the  farmers  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  which  ought  to  be  done,  I  do  not  think  it  is  a  crime 
to  suggest  that  some  of  these  waters  might  be  kept  in  reservoirs 
above,  and  thus  relieve  that  river  and  spread  the  ferrility  over  a  vast 
region,  which  will  be  more  fertile  than  any  other  we  have.  Irrigated 
land  is  the  best  land:  The  time  will  come  when  there  will  be  a  teem- 
ing population  in  those  mountains.  It  may  come  slowly,  but  I  do  not 


THE  IRRIGATION    AGE.  235 

think  it  ought  to  be  condemned  as  a  crime,  and  the  people  of  the  East 
do  not  think  so  either.  I  will  ask  also  to  insert  in  my  remarks  com- 
ments and  papers  on  the  subject  of  irrigation  from  every  section  of 
the  country. 

[The  editorial  extracts  on  the  national  irrigation  policy  have 
already  been  published  in  THE  AGE.] 

I  should  like  to  have  Senators  read  those  views  and  see  to  what 
extent  the  country  is  being  educated.  Fault  is  found  because  an  asso- 
ciation of  people  are  in  favor  of  this  great  enterprise,  and  we  have 
objections  about  irrigation  associations.  There  are  a  great  many  asso- 
ciations. There  are  mercantile  associations,  and  there  are  associa- 
tions in  favor  of  the  improvement  of  rivers  and  harbors.  I  remember 
when  I  was  a  boy  there  were  meetings  held  in  favor  of  internal  im- 
provements, and  they  were  addressed  by  orators  from  all  parts  of  the 
country. 

It  was  an  issue  whether  there  should  be  any  internal  improvements 
at  all  or  not.  That  policy  has  been  established,  and  see  what  it  has 
done  for  commerce.  There  was  the  organization  of  associations  every- 
where to  promote  internal  improvements  which  we  now  have  as  a  set- 
tled policy,  and  it  should  be  no  crime  now  to  advocate  the  improvement 
of  this  vast  section,  two-fifths  of  the  whole  area,  which  is  known  to  be 
fertile.  That  should  be  agitated.  It  should  be  discussed  in  the  news- 
papers, as  the  question  of  internal  improvements  was  thirty,  forty,  or 
fifty  years  ago.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  reproach.  It  is  legitimate  Amer- 
ican enterprise;  it  is  legitimate  American  thought,  and  it  ought  to  be 
heeded. 

I  have  not  introduced  bills  to  make  special  appropriations  for 
dams,  reservoirs,  etc.,  because  the  country  was  not  prepared  for  it. 
It  takes  time  for  the  country  to  wake  up  to  it.  The  first  bills  that 
were  introduced  to  improve  rivers  and  harbors  were  beaten  in  Con- 
gress. But  the  necessity  for  it  grew  as  commerce  grew,  and  the  neces- 
sity for  utilizing  this  vast  heritage  of  two- fifths  of  the  whole  area  of 
the  United  States  for  the  coming  population  will  grow  stronger  and 
stronger.  Whatever  may  be  said,  something  will  be  done,  and  it  will 
be  honorably  done.  There  is  no  indirection  about  this  proposition. 
This  proposition  comes  straight  to  investigate  a  matter  where  it  is 
necessary  for  the  Indians,  and  in  that  investigation  and  in  those  sur- 
veys there  may  be  an  incidental  benefit  to  the  whites  if  it  is  carried 
out. 

I  am  certain  that  it  will  be  carried  out.  It  will  nearly  double  the 
population  of  Arizona.  It  will  be  a  great  object  lesson.  If  the  Gov- 
ernment is  not  disposed  to  carry  it  out  somebody  will.  If  the  lands 
can  be  used  and  protected  and  the  opportunity  is  given,  why  should  we 


236  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

be  accused  of  indirection  and  trickery  and  all  that  because  we  are  in 
favor  of  giving  proper  attention  to  a  great  subject?  The  greatest  sub- 
ject now  agitating  the  minds  of  the  people,  so  far  as  this  country  is 
concerned,  is  whether  we  can  irrigate  that  vast  region  and  populate  it 
as  thickly  as  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Although  we  will  always  have 
waste  lands  there,  there  are  valleys  you  can  populate  much  more 
thickly  than  those  States.  More  people  can  live  on  the  same  area  of 
irrigated  land  than  can  live  where  you  depend  on  a  rainfall.  You  can 
have  the  thickest  kind  of  population  where  you  have  irrigation. 

The  people  all  over  the  country,  not  in  the  arid  region  alone,  are 
looking  to  this  as  a  heritage  of  America  where  American  enterprise  is 
to  go,  and  from  which  great  results  are  to  come.  To  accuse  men  of 
bad  faith,  and  all  that  because  they  are  in  favor  of  what  is  for  the 
manifest  interests  of  the  country  is  something  which  I  reject  and  repel. 
There  has  been  nothing  done  in  connection  with  this  question  which 
should  reflect  upon  anybody  as  honorable  men.  This  proposition  was 
commenced  two  years  ago.  It  has  progressed  thus  far.  The  question 
is,  Shall  the  investigation  be  completed  and  the  proposition  be  put  in 
a  position  where  Congress  cau  do  it,  or  should  somebody  else  do  it? 

I  do  not  care  how  much  talk  there  is  about  the  flow  and  about  get- 
ting the  water  there,  you  have  now  got  to  support  the  Indians  at  the 
rate  of  $30,000  a  year,  and  if  the  Government  went  on  with  this  enter- 
prise it  would  give  them  all  employment.  They  will  work.  They  are 
good  Indians  and  they  have  been  accustomed  to  work.  There  will  be 
no  trouble  about  that.  They  go  off  to  find  work.  I  know  them  well. 
They  are  Indians  who  have  always  had  "a  local  habitation  and  a 
name"  where  they  live;  and  if-  you  give  these  Indians  an  opportunity 
to  work  they  will  do  so;  and  if  you  give  them  back  the  water  for  their 
farms  they  will  cultivate  them  and  make  a  living  for  themselves.  If 
you  feed  them  you  make  paupers  of  them.  You  have  no  right  to  do 
that.  They  were  never  beggars.  They  always  took  care  of  them- 
selves, and  we  must  give  them  that  same  chance  again.  It  would  be 
a  great  wrong  to  make  beggars  of  them.  Let  them  work  and  earn 
.their  own  living  from  their  little  farms.  That  is  what  they  want. 

If  Congress  will  not  authorize  the  Government  to  do  it,  let  us  give 
the  contract  to  other  parties  to  build  this  dith,  and  make  it  a  condition 
that  these  Indians  shall  be  employed.  But  that  question  is  to  be  de- 
termined when  the  result  of  this  investigation  comes  in.  I  do  not 
think  that  the  investigation  should  be  stopped  for  the  bare  fear  that 
it  might  illustrate  the  possibilities  of  developing  that  country  and  bene- 
fiting mankind,  and  showing  what  vast  resources  we  have.  Because 
the  possibilities  are  good  that  may  come  from  the  investigation  1  do 
not  think  should  be  stopped. 

Nothing  is  asked  from  the  Government  of  the  United  States  ex- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  237 

cept  money  for  the  investigation,  and  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
Government  shall  undertake  the  work  of  building  the  dam  is  entirely 
open  and  remains  so.  I  would  not  ask  the  Government  to  build  the 
dam  without  having  it  perfectly  understood  why  it  was  done.  The 
reason  should  be  always  given.  Everything  should  be  frank,  as  it  is 
in  this  proposition.  I  say  now  that  I  shall  never  argue  that  the  Gov- 
ernment is  committed  to  this  proposition  because  this  is  done,  but  if  it 
illustrates  a  great  idea,  shows  the  road  to  wealth,  to  prosperity,  to 
progress,  to  the  place  to  make  homes  for  people,  nobody  will  be  sorry; 
and  the  Senator  from  Connecticut  will  be  delighted,  because  he  is  a 
good  man  at  heart.  He  is  full  of  prejudice,  but  he  is  not  as  bad  a  man 
as  he  tried  to  make  us  believe  he  was.  He  does  not  hate  the  West. 

I  believe  all  these  people  who  are  opposing  it  are  pretty  good,  but 
they  have  been  living  in  a  certain  locality  and  they  get  in  ruts.  They 
have  not  seen  that  country.  Let  them  go  there.  I  should  like  to 
bear  what  they  would  say  then.  A  handful  of  Mormons  went  into  the 
desert,  and  it  looked  as  if  living  there  was  impossible.  The  history 
of  the  opening  of  the  country  at  Salt  Lake  is  the  most  interesting  part 
of  the  history  of  the  United  States.  They  learned  to  irrigate  the  land 
and  they  have  made  it  a  rich  State,  a  garden  spot,  and  they  have  set 
an  example  which  has  done  good  everywhere.  When,  without  money, 
poor  as  they  were,  foot-sore  and  hungry  as  they  traveled  over  the 
plains,  they  could  stop  there  and  build  up  such  a  country  as  that,  it 
shows  what  can  be  accomplished.  When  you  see  them  in  their  homes 
now  it  makes  you  glad  that  the  pioneers,  if  they  were  Mormons,  did 
such  great  work. 

It  was  because  they  were  Mormons  that  they  had  a  faith  which 
held  them  together,  and  they  accomplished  great  results  and  built  a 
great  results  and  built  a  great  State.  Now,  when  such  results  are 
shown  to  a  person  who  goes  there  a  good  deal  of  his  prejudice  must 
melt  away,  and  a  good  deal  of  your  prejudice  will  melt  away  when  you 
see  what  irrigation  accomplishes.  Go  to  Colorado  and  see  what  irri- 
gation has  accomplished  there.  You  can  see  what  they  have  accom- 
plished in  various  Western  States.  You  see  beautiful  fields,  rich 
fruits,  and  everything  produced  by  irrigation.  Follow  it  up  and  see 
how  much  land  remains  unirrigated,  and  you  see  what  vast  opportuni- 
ties are  spread  out  to  American  enterprise.  When  you  see  all  that 
.you  will  commence  studying  how  we  can  devise  some  legislation  that 
will  facilitate  this  great  work. 

It  is  proposed  now  that  we  shall  take  some  money  out  of  the 
Treasury  and  irrigate  the  lands  for  the  Indians,  and  this  investigation 
is  to  determine  how  much  money  may  be  needed  and  whether  it  will 
all  come  back  to  the  Treasury  from  the  Government  land  which  will 
be  irrigated  with  the  surplus  water  in  excess  of  which  the  Indians 


238  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

need.  There  are  over  5,000  Indians  who  have  got  to  be  provided  for. 
Either  they  must  be  fed  or  they  must  have  the  means  of  irrigation. 
The  amendment  provides  for  completing  this  investigation.  The  last 
investigation,  which  was  carried  as  far  as  the  money  went,  gives  maps 
of  the  dams  and  everything  that  could  be  done  with  that  money,  but 
now  it  is  found  necessary  before  it  can  be  accomplished  to  have  more 
money  to  complete  the  investigation  and  test  the  foundation  for  the 
dam,  and  I  believe  we  should  have  more  money.  I  do  not  believe  Con- 
gress will  quit  this  investigation  until  the  investigation  is  completed. 


BILL  WILLIAMS  FORK  DAM. 


ONE  OF  THE  MOST  STUPENDOUS  WORKS  OF 
THE  NEW  CENTURY. 


In  this  mining  district  of  Arizona,  mention  is  seldom  made  of  the 
great  agricultural  possibilities  of  the  fertile  arid  plains  and  semi- 
tropic  valleys  of  Arizona.  Much  of  this  land  goes  under  the  general 
mishomer  of  "desert,"  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  its  parched 
appearance  gives  color  to  the  justice  of  the  name;  but,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  the  sun  shines  on  no  more  fertile  laud,  and  all  that  is  needed  to 
make  that  land  a  wilderness  of  flowers  and  foliage  is  water.  With 
water,  there  is  absolutely  no  element  or  chance  about  the  wonderful 
productiveness  of  this  soil.  All  Arizona  knows  this,  for  each  and  all 
of  them  have  crossed  parched  wastes  one  week  and  returned  the  next, 
after  a  rain,  to  see  the  same  lands  a  waving  mass  of  green  and  growing 
foliage,  refreshing  to  the  air  and  beautiful  to  the  sight.  The  rapidity 
of  such  growth  is  something  marvelous. 

With  water,  that  verdure  becomes  permanent;  without  it,  its 
duration  is  short  lived.  Where  such  land  has  been  brought  under 
irrigation,  prosperous  communities  have  been  established,  and  towns 
and  even  cities  have  sprung  into  being,  while  the  bounteous  products 
of  that  soil  have  brought  a  reign  of  comfort  and  plenty  whore  before 
desolation  prevailed  and  the  demon  of  isolation  reigned. 

These  remarks  were  prompted  through  the  accidental  obtaining 
of  the  information  that  one  of  the  most  stupendous  irrigation,  mining 
and  electric  power  generating  projects  ever  put  on  foot  in  America  is 
about  to  materialize  in  this  section  or  country,  under  the  ownership 
and  management  of  a  syndicate  of  eastern  moneyed  men,  the  corpora- 
tion being  known  as  the  Plomosa  Water  &  Power  Company,  of  which 
company  Wells  H.  Bates  is  president.  Mr.  Bates  has  worked  for 
years  to  bring  this  grand  enterprise  into  existence,  and  no  one  is  bet- 
ter posted  than  he  on  the  wonder  which  plenty  of  water  will  work  in 
this  land  of  mineral  and  agricultural  wealth,  where  water— and  only 
water — is  the  needed  open  sesame  to  all  that  man  most  desires  here 
below. 

Haying  gotten  the  eastern  end  of  the  project  well  under  way,  Mr. 
Bates  came  west  some  weeks  ago,  and  left  Prescot  a  few  days  ago  for 
the  Bill  Williams  Fork  of  the  Colorado.  Prof.  Church,  a  civil  and 
mining  engineer  of  world  wide  reputation,  is  now  en  route  from  New 
York  city,  and  will  join  Mr.  Bates  on  the  Bill  Williams  Fork,  where 


240  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

the  party  will  thoroughly  explore  the  country,  taking  about  six  weeks 
time  to  do  it,  after  which  a  most  exhaustive  report  may  be  looked  for, 
including  more  details  as  to  the  great  undertaking  which  is  no  less 
than  a  water  storage  dam  to  impound  the  waters  of  the  Bill  Williams 
Fork  for  purposes  of  irrigation  and  the  generating  of  electric  power 
for  use  in  the  rich  mining  region  of  which  the  dam  will  be  the  center, 
and  also  to  supply  light  and  power  for  the  to  be  populous  centers  of 
the  fertile  citrus  belt  of  valley  country  below. 

As  the  Courier  understands  it,  this  darn  will  be  located  at  a  point 
in  northeastern  Yuma  county,  close  to  the  southern  line  of  Mohaye 
and  the  western  line  of  Vavapai,  while  the  agricultural  land  and  great 
beds  and  bars  of  auriferous  gravel  lie  in  Yuma  county.  The  whole 
section  between  Bill  Williams  Fork  and  Tyson's  Wells  is  said  to  be 
gold  bearing. 

Before  the  last  storms  commenced,  and  after  one  of  the  most  con- 
tinuous and  depressing  drouths  ever  experienced  in  Arizono,  Bill 
Williams  Fork  contained  a  flowing  sheet  of  water  100  feet  wide  and  six 
inches  deep. 

The  dam  will  be  125  feet  high  and  will  create  a  lake  eight  miles 
long  and  two  miles  wide,  storing  21.000,000,000  cubic  feet  of  water- 
more  storage  capacity  than  is  possessed  by  all  the  combined  water 
storage  dams  of  the  state  of  California.  For  three  miles  below  this 
dam  the  maine  irrigation  pipe  conveying  the  water  to  the  valleys 
below  will  be  suspended  high  in  mid  air,  spiked  to  and  along  the  sides 
of  the  perpendicular  walls  of  stone  peculiar  to  the  massive  natural 
scenery  of  that  weird  and  wonderful  section  of  country.  Directly  be- 
low and  tributary  to  this  water  so  piped  lies  500.000  acres  of  fertile 
land  situated  in  one  of  the  mildest  and  most  even  climates  in  America, 
and  wherever  touches  this  land  all  growths  valued  in  the  semi-tropic 
zone  will  spring  up  almost  spontaneous.  Here,  the  man  with  the  hoe 
need  not  be  bowed  down  or  miserable,  for  nature  herself  has  provided 
so  many  of  the  elements  of  success  that  little  labor  will  be  needed  to 
perfect  the  plan.  The  valleys  to  be  irrigated  are  Cullens  valley, 
Desert  valley,  and  Piomosa  valley.  There  are  also  tributary  to  this 
dam  almost  limitless  beds  of  gold-bearing  gravel,  the  gold  taken  from 
which  is  coarse  and  high  grade. 

The  company  now  owns  10.240  acres  of  this  gold-bearing  gravel, 
and  there  is  30,000  acres  of  what  is  known  as  the  desert  placers.  The 
existence  of  great  veins  of  copper  and  gold  bearing  quartz  has  long 
been  known  of  in  this  section  which,  owing  to  its  isolation,  is  as  yet 
almost  a  virgin  field,  so  far  as  mining  is  concerned.  The  water  power 
will  be  used  to  work  great  dynamos,  which  will  supply  electric  power 
to  all  that  section,  which  will,  beyond  any  question,  in  the  not  distant 
future  support  a  population  of  not  less  than  20,000  people,  and 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  241 

arrangements  are  even  now  taking  shape  for  the  colonization  of  this 
modern  Eden  with  thrifty  people  who  will  take  hold  of  the  wonderful 
advantages  there  offered  and  make  homes  for  themselves  and  bend 
their  energies  to  the  increase  of  the  necessaries  of  life  for  all  mankind 
and  make  the  before  waste  places  the  beauty  spots  of  the  earth.— 
Prescott,  (Ariz.)  Courier. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 

In  diversified  farming  by  irrigation  lies  the  salvation  of  agriculture. 


PROFITS  IN  PEARS. 

Pears  are  generally  neglected  in  plant- 
ing a  commercial  orchard,  and  one  of  the 
most  profitable  fruits  forgotten.  Those 
who  have  had  years  of  experience  in  grow- 
ing the  pear  find  it  pays  handsomely  if 
properly  handled.  The  pear  orchard  re- 
quires about  the  eame  soil  as  that  demanded 
by  the  apple.  The  trees  thrive  in  all  ap- 
ple growing  latitudes  and  may  be  grown 
on  any  good  orchard  land.  A  sloping, 
well  drained  hillside  with  a  clayey  forma- 
tion is  best  suited  to  pear  growth.  If  the 
climatic  and  protected  conditions  are  fa- 
vcrable  the  trees  may  be  profitably  grown 
in  river  or  creek  bottoms  where  there  is 
plenty  of  humus.  It  is  necessary  that  a 
quick,  healthy  growth  be  obtained  in  order 
to  get  early  bearing  and  prevent  the  rava- 
ges of  parasites  and  fungus  diseases. 

Both  the  quantity  and  quality  of  pears 
are  greatly  influenced  by  plant  food.  Pears 
are  heavy  consumers  of  potash  and  respond 
well  to  liberal  applications.  It  is  neces- 
sary, though,  to  see  that  a  sufficiency  of 
phosphoric  acid  and  nitrogen  are  applied. 
If  a  complete  fertilizer  is  used,  it  should 
contain  say  9  per  cent  each,  of  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash  and  about  3  per  cent  of 
nitrogen,  and  can  be  used  at  the  rate  of 
about  800  Ibs.  per  acre  annually. 

Another  economical  plan  for  fertilizing 
the  pear  orchard  is  to  grow  clover  or  peas 
to  furnish  the  nitrogen,  and  in  turn  fertil 
ize  these  with  phosphoric  acid  and  potash; 
about  200  to  250  Ibs.  of  muriate  of  potash 
and  300  to  400  Ibs.  of  acid  phosphate  per 
acre  can  be  broad- casted  and  worked  into 
the  soil  before  the  peas  or  clover  are  sown. 
-  his  produces  a  heavy  growth  of  the 


legume,  which  in  turn  will  keep  the  soil 
well  supplied  with  nitrogen  and  organic 
matter. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  pears  both 
the  dwarf  and  standard.     The  Wilder  is 
one  of  the  most  popular  early  kinds,  hav- 
ing many  strong  friends  among  the  orch- 
ardists.     The  Bartlett  is  probably  the  most 
popular  of  any  and  is  one  of  the  best  bear- 
ers.    Among  others  generally  planted  are 
the   Flemish    Beauty,    Clapp's     Favorite, 
Seckel,  Lawrence  and  Winter  Nellis.     By 
planting  the  different  varieties  there  is  a 
more  perfect  blossom  fertilization  and  the 
fruits  continue  ripening  from  midsummer 
until  late  in  the  fall.     Trees  may  be  had 
from  any  responsible  nurseryman  in  any  of 
the  fruit-growing  centers.     It  is    well   to 
get  those  grown  near  home   and   thereby 
have   them    acclimated.      They   range    in 
price  from  five  cents  to  twenty-five  cents 
each.     Small  trees  are  generally  preferred. 
Pear  trees  may  be  planted   as   close  as 
fifteen  feet  apart  either  way  for  the  stan- 
dard, and  ten  feet  for  the  dwarf.     They 
should  be  pruned  in  a  conical  form  and 
kept  free  from  disease.     Annual  spraying 
with   a   preparation  of  lime,  sulphur,  lye 
and  salt  destroys  the  scale  and  red  spider. 
The  blight  is  something  more  troublesome 
and  harder  to  conquer.     A  thrifty  growth, 
gained   by   clean   cultivation   and   liberal 
manuring  of  the  needed  elements  of  plant 
food  will  insure  the  orchard  against   the 
blight  and  similar  diseases.     A  pear  orch- 
ard should  be  kept  clean  of  noxious  weeds 
and  grasses.     If  not  cultivated  it  is  well 
to  mow  the  weeds  two  or  three  times  every 
summer. 

The  picking  and  marketing  of  pears  is 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


243 


•equal  to  one-half  the  battle  in  making  a 
success  of  the  orchard.  The  fruits  should 
be  marketed  a  few  days  before  ripening. 
If  in  doubt  as  to  when  they  should  be 
picked,  take  hold  of  a  pear  and  gently 
raise  the  fruio  straight  up  above  the  stem, 
if  ripe  the  fruit  will  snap  from  the  branch. 
They  should  all  be  picked  in  the  same 
manner,  leaving  the  entire  stem  on  the 
fruits.  In  some  markets  pears  must  be 
wrapped  separately  in  tissue  paper,  and 
packed  in  boxes  weighing  about  forty 
pounds  each.  Other  markets  demand  the 
open  baskets.  Winter  pears  may  be  picked 
in  October  or  November  and  put  in  boxes 
for  Christmas.  They  seldom  sell  for  less 
than  two  cents  a  pound,  and  even  some- 
times go  to  double  that  price. 

JOEL  SHOMAKER. 


PLUM  CULTURE. 
Plum  culture  is  one  of  the  profitable 
industries  for  general  farmers  and  fruit 
growers.  The  trees  come  into  good  bear- 
ing in  five  or  six  years  from  planting  and 
the  fruits  are  always  saleable  at  fair  and 
remunerative  "prices.  An  eight  year  old 
plum  tree  will  generally  bear  four  or  five 
bushels  of  good  fruit  annually.  This  is 
marketable  in  the  fruit  centers  at  an  aver- 
age of  one  to~two  cents  a  pound.  I  am 
familiar  'with  several  plum  growers  who 
claim  that  the  trees  bring  from  $3.00  to 
$10.00  each  every  year.  They  may  be 
planted  as  close  as  sixteen  feet  apart  either 
way,  making  the  crop  of  an  acre  one  of 
profit. 

Any  good  orchard  soil  will  produce  plum 
trees  and  return  most  satisfactory  divi- 
dends on  the  investment.  A  rich  pro- 
tected location  is  best  suited  for  some 
varieties,  while  a  creek  bottom  or  natural 
.wooded  place  is  adapted  to  the  hardy  na- 
tive or  wildljfruits.  The  plum  is  a  hard 
wood  tree  that  takes  up  much  plant  food. 
The  ashes  are- rich  in  potash,  which  is  an- 
nually consumed  by  the  tree  and  fruit 
growth.  A  good  fertilizer  for  plums  would 


be  400  to  600  Ibs.  of  ground  bone  and  200 
to  250  Ibs.  muriate  of  potash  per  acre,  ap- 
plied annually,  broadcasted  and  worked 
well  into  the  soil: 

There  are  several  excellent  varieties  of 
plums,  each  having  its  own  claims  for  su- 
periority. In  the  northern  and  western 
States  the  Greengage,  Lombard  and  Wash- 
ington are  preferred.  One  grower  recently 
said  his  Greengage  trees  had  brought  him 
$10.00  each  for  many  years,  by  drying  the 
fruit  and  selling  much  the  came  as  prunes. 
In  the  middle  section  of  States  the  Wild 
Goose,  Yellow  Egg  and  similar  American 
varieties  are  probably  the  most  profitable. 
The  Japan  plums,  among  them  being  the 
Abundance,  Red  June  and  Burbank  are 
popular  and  good  sellers  in  the  southern 
districts.  Some  growers  say  these  varie- 
ties will  produce  fine  specimens  the  second 
year  after  planting. 

Plum  trees  may  be  obtained  from  any 
nurseryman  at  prices  ranging  about  twenty 
cents  each.  The  small  trees  are  cheapest 
and  generally  give  the  best  satisfaction. 
They  cost  less  and  are  more  liable  to  live 
and  become  acclimated  than  the  older 
ones.  Some  of  the  native  varieties,  like  the 
Pottawatamie,  may  be  planted  in  clusters 
with  fair  profits  assured.  They  fertilize 
their  blossoms  better  and  bear  more  un  i 
form  fruits  when  grouped  in  similar  varie- 
ties. Some  successful  plum  orchardists 
keep  poultry  in  the  groves  to  rid  the  trees 
of  the  curculio.  Ordinary  insect  enemies 
may  be  destroyed  by  spraying  with  arsen- 
ical solutions  similar  to  those  used  in  the 
apple  orchard. 

The  marketing  of  plums  is  an  important 
item  that  growers  must  keep  in  mind.  The 
fruits  will  generally  stand  shipping  to  a 
considerable  distance.  Regular  boxes  pack- 
ing about  twenty  pounds  are  advisable  for 
market.  If  not  sold  green  the  plums  may 
be  cut  open  with  a  knife  and  evaporated 
either  by  improved  methods  or  drying  in 
the  sun.  In  either  case  the  dried  fruit 
sells  well  and  brings  good  returns.  Where 


244 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


the  market  does  not  justify  the  handling 
of  green  plums,  and  dried  ones  are  not 
practicable,  the  fruits  may  be  canned  and 
sold  at  satisfactory  prices.  If  well  handled 
the  plum  orchard  is  one  of  the  most  profit- 
able. JOEL  SHOEMAKER. 


NUT  CULTURE. 

The  growing  of  nut  trees  is  one  of  the 
most  profitable  and  much  neglected  indus- 
tries. As  an  iuvestment  against  the  mis- 
fortunes of  old  age  there  is  nothing  that 
offers  better  and  safer  security  than  a  few 
acres  of  the  leading  hardwood  nut  trees. 
They  are  ornamental  and  valuable  for 
shade  and  windbreaks  around  the  home, 
orchard  or  barn,  and  every  year  of  growth 
adds  to  their  commercial  value.  The  ruth- 
less destruction  of  native  forests  has  neces- 
sitated a  reform  in  the  tree  planting  mat- 
ter, and  bounties  are  offered  in  some  States 
for  the  man  who  will  plant  trees  on  his 
farm.  The  farmer  who  will  give  ten  acres 
of  land  to  tree  culture  and  plant  the  nut- 
bearing  varieties,  will  gain  more  annual 
wealth  than  the  banker  who  loans  money 
or  the  capitalist  who  carries  life  insurance 
policies  for  investments. 

Among  the  many  varieties  of  nut  trees 
are  the  walnuts,  hickory  nuts,  pecan,  fil- 
berts, butternuts  and  chestnuts.  Walnut 
and  hickory  timber  is  always  in  demand, 
and  the  prices  are  increasing  every  year, 
because  of  the  timber  becoming  scarcer. 
The  original  investment  for  planting  out  a 
hardwood  grove  need  not  be  very  great,  and 
in  a  few  years  the  income  begins.  Some 
chestnut  trees  will  produce  $5  to  $10  each 
year,  and  begin  bearing  within  five  years 
after  planting.  The  filberts  will  yield 
profits  w'thin  three  or  four  years.  Hick- 
ory trees  will  bear  nuts  in  five  to  eight 
years  after  planting.  In  addition  to  the 
nuts  that  may  be  harvested  every  year,  a 
hickory  tree  will  always  sell  at  from  $2  to 
$10  to  wood  workers,  blacksmiths  and  oth- 
ers needing  such  timber. 

The  best  line  of  treatment  for  nut  trees 


in  the  way  of  fertilizing  is  to  make  an  an- 
nual application  of  about  800  Ibs.  per  acre 
of  a  fertilizer  analyzing 8  percent  each  of 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash  and  2  per  cent 
of  nitrogen;  the  fertilizer  should  be  broad- 
casted and  then  worked  well  into  the  soil. 
Instead  of  the  above.  400  to  500  Ibs.  of 
fine  ground  bone,  and  200  to  250  Ibs.  of 
muriate  of  potash  could  be  substituted 
with  advantage.  If  a  systematic  line  of 
fertilization  is  not  followed,  the  soil  will 
become  exhausted  of  its  natural  fertility, 
and  the  yields  will  fall  off.  It  is  much 
easier  to  keep  up  the  fertility  of  soil  than 
to  restore  it  after  it  has  once  become  ex- 
hausted. 

The  land  for  tree  planting  should  be 
thoroughly  cultivated  and  plowed  deep  be- 
fore time  for  setting  the  trees.  Spring- 
time is  the  best  for  planting  most  nut  vari- 
eties. They  may  be  obtained  from  nurs- 
erymen at  very  low  rates  if  purchased  by 
the  hundred  or  thousand.  One  year  old 
trees  are  probably  the  best  and  cheapest. 
Black  walnut  seedlings  ten  inches  in 
height  may  be  obtained  for  two  or  three 
cents  each,  butternut  fur  five  cents,  and 
American  sweet  chestnuts  and  shellbark 
hickory  for  the  same  price.  If  planted  in 
groves  ten  feet  apart  either  way  the  trees 
will  grow  straight  and  the  timber  be  more 
valuable.  At  this  rate  500  trees  will  plant 
an  acre.  Some  of  the  finest  nut  groves  in 
the  United  States  are  planted  in  rows 
standing  not  more  than  four  feet  apart, 
making  about  3,000  trees  on  an  acre. 

Nuts  possess  certain  food  values  that 
cannot  be  overlooked  in  every  farmer's 
family.  Chopped  nut  meats  are  relished 
for  nut  sandwiches,  and  nut  salads  are  re- 
garded as  delicacies.  Many  nuts  are  used 
in  the  making  of  cakes,  confectionery  and 
creams.  There  are  many  ways  in  which 
the  farmers'  boys  and  girls  can  make  hand- 
some profits  from  the  nut  groves.  The 
pleasure  of  owning  a  tract  of  land  that 
grows  every  day  into  wealth  is  a  boon  to 
be  desired  by  every  man.  There  are  nu. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


245 


merous  hilly  slopes,  deserted  fields,  unused 
spots  in  creek  bottoms  and  on  slopes  about 
the  farm  and  house  that  can  be  used  for 
this  purpose.  The  money  value  of  a  place 
will  be  enhanced  a  hundred  fold  in  a  short 
time  by  the  systematic  planting  of  nut 
trees,  whose  profits  may  be  counted  as  cer- 
tain as  the  seasons  come  and  go. 

JOEL  SHOMAKER. 


BUILDING  UP  A  DAIRY  HERD. 
A  good  dairy  herd  cannot  as  a  rule  be 
bought.  It  must  be  built  up  by  the  owner 
through  careful  breeding,  selecting  and 
feeding.  Excellent  dairy  heards  can  be 
ruined  about  as  quickly  as  anything  else 
in  this  world.  In  the  hands  of  a  man  who 
does  not  understand  the  animals,  and  who 
fails  to  appreciate  their  good  points,  the 
herd  will  degenerate  so  that  within  two 
years  their  value  is  lower  by  one-half  than 
at  first.  On  the  other  hand,  many  an 
otherwise  apparently  poor  herd  can  be 
brought  up  to  a  high  point  of  efficiency 
through  the  skill  and  sympathy  of  a  good 
breeder,  feeder  and  selecter.  There  are 
latent  points  in  most  herds  which  require 
the  appreciative  eye  of  an  expert  to  detect 
and  bring  out.  I  have  time  and  again 
found  in  what  looked  like  scrub  cows  most 
excellent  breeding  and  dairy  qualities,  but 
these  had  been  so  overcome  and  lost  by 
general  neglect  that  the  animals  appeared 
to  be  nearly  worthless.  I  make  it  a  point 
to  examine  the  individual  cows  of  different 
herds  for  sale,  and  in  this  way  I  am  often 
enabled  to  make  selections  that  are  worth 
considerable  to  me.  but  nothing  practically 
to  the  owner.  The  lack  of  appreciation  in 
some  owners  is  shown  by  the  way  they  will 
praise  the  qualities  of  some  particular  ani- 
mal in  the  herd,  which  for  some  reason 
appeals  to  them  with  considerable  force, 
but  which  in  reality  possesses  far  less  act- 
ual merit  than  some  unworthy  looking 
scrub.  Now  it  is  the  height  of  skill  to  be 
able  to  go  through  a  herd  of  scrubs  and 
barnyard  cows  and  pick  out  here 


and  there  animals  that  possess  unusual 
qualities.  Yet  every  herd,  no  matter  how 
poor  apparently  in  material,  has  one  or 
more  such  animals.  If  the  dairyman  un- 
derstands his  business  let  him  go  around 
the  country  and  pick  up  his  material.  He 
must  first  understand  his  business  thor- 
oughly and  not  be  misled  by  appearances. 
If  he  can  make  his  selections  with  unerr- 
ing skill  he  is  bound  to  find  the  work  profit- 
able. Such  cows  only  require  the  right 
sort  of  feeding,  care  and  breeding  with/ 
good  bulls  to  make  their  progeny  excellent 
dairy  cows.  Building  up  the  dairy  herd 
in  this  way  is  both  profitable  and  interest- 
ing. One  feels  that  he  is  getting  some- 
thing for  nothing,  or  rather  that  he  is  re- 
ceiving pay  for  his  skill  and  knowledge  in 
judging  animals. — A.  B.  Barrett  in  Min- 
nesota American  Cultivator. 


THE  FARMER'S  WORKSHOP. 

Every  well  equipped  farm  should  have 
a  shop  which  can  be  warmed,  where  much 
repairing  of  farm  implements,  harness,  etc., 
may  be  done.  The  man  handy  with  tools 
will  be  able  to  make  many  conveniences 
for  the  household  if  a  place  is  provided 
where  such  things  may  be  done  at  "odd 
moments,"  when  outdoor  work  is  not  ad- 
missible. Such  conveniences  greatly  facil- 
itate the  work  both  in  the  house  and  at 
the  barn,  and  are  not  provided  because 
there  is  no  suitable  place  in  which  to  make- 
them  or  leave  them  in  the  partially-finished 
stages.  To  purchase  them  outright  is  of- 
ten not  to  be  thought  of  on  account  of 
limited  means. 

The  workshop  will  enable  one  to  put  all 
implements  in  readinesa  for  use,  and  the 
time  to  prepare  for  war  is  in  time  of  peace. 
The  tools  needed  for  farm  repairing  will 
be  better  cared  for  if  a  place  is  provided 
for  them  and  for  using  them.  Than,  too, 
in  such  workshop  the  boys  may  be  taught 
lessons  of  thrift,  economy  and  industry, 
and  it  gives  them  an  opportunity  to  expend 
their  activities  on  stormy  days.  This  fea- 


246 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


ture  of  farm  life  will  receive  greater  em- 
phasis during  the  new  century,  for  learn- 
ing properly  to  use  tools  is  being  urged  in 
the  newer  education,  and  our  manual  train- 
ing schools  will  give  us  boys  that  not  only 
know  Greek  and  Latin  and  numerous"olo- 
gies,"  but  will  also  know  how  to  properly 
use  tools.  The  tool  chest  and  the  work- 
shop will  then  be  a  necessity.  The  train- 
ing of  hand  and  brain  is  the  only  true  edu- 
cation, and  many  of  our  agricultural 
colleges  are  emphasizing  this  fact  and  giv- 
ing an  opportunity  for  such  instruction  in 
manual  training  as  will  render  the  boys 
skillful  in  the  use  of  tools. —  Coleman 
Rural  World. 


NEW  METHOD  OF  PURIFYING  MILK. 

Professor  James  Snow  of  Penn  Yan,  N. 
Y.,  aided  by  Z.  C.  Keeney  of  Chicago,  has 
discovered  and  perfected  a  process  for 
ma'ting  cow's  milk  absolutely  pure,  free 
from  tuberculosis,  and  so  perfect  in  condi- 
tion when  delivered  to  the  consumer  that 
it  is  richer  and  healthier  than  when  taken 
first  from  the  bovine.  This  is  the  claim 
made,  and  practical  tests  are  to  be  made  at 
an  early  date  at  Springfield,  Wis.,  where 
a  rectifying  plant  is  to  be  erected  and  milk 
destined  for  Chicago  treated  before  being 
delivered  to  the  city  consumers.  Profes- 
sor Snow  is  the  discoverer  of  the  process 
by  which  unfermented  grape  juice  is  pro- 
duced, and  Mr.  Keeney  has  devised  with 
him  the  mechanisms  for  the  purification  or 
rectifying  of  milk.  Springfield,  Wis. ,  has 
been  selected  for  the  first  test  house  loca- 
tion because  of  its  being  the  center  of  a 
great  milk  shipping  district. 

Dr.  Adolph  Gehrmann  has  analyzed  a 
sample  of  rectified  milk  and  made  this  re- 
port upon  it: 

"The  microscopical  examination  of  the 
sample  of  milk  No.  7,020  has  shown  the 
presence  of  micrococci,  bacilli  and  sarcinae 
and  an  absence  of  bacillus  tuberculosis." 

Thomas  Toby  of  the  Santa  Fe  road's  eat- 
jng  house  and  dining  car  system  was  also 


given  a  sample  for  practical  test.  He  re- 
ported: 

"While  manager  of  the  Creamery  Rest 
I  handled  rectified  milk  successfully.  I 
gave  it  a  nine  days'  test  in  an  ice  box  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  found  it  as  sweet  as 
the  first  day  it  was  received  from  the 
dairy.  The  test  was  under  most  unfavor- 
able circumstances,  there  being  two  severe 
thunderstorms  during  the  nine  days." 

Professor  Snow  began  working  on  the 
rectifying  process  in  1894.  and  about  1898 
became  satisfied  that  a  new  and  perfect 
way  of  purifying  milk  had  been  discovered. 
Practical  tests  of  his  discovery  were  made 
here,  the  machinery  needed  was  con- 
structed here,  and  H.  T.  West,  who  has 
the  promotion  of  the  company  which  is  to 
treat  the  milk  hereafter,  began  his  work. 
In  treating  cow's  milk  fresh  from  the  ani- 
mal the  rectifying  process  does  not  con- 
dense it,  does  not  take  anything  from  it 
but  disease  germs,  and  adds  nothing  to  it 
but  greater  health-preserving  properties. 
This  Professor  Snow  unqualifiedly  claims. 
He  says: 

"I  have  worked  on  the  theory  that  ajl 
milk  first  taken  from  the  average  cow  is 
impure,  necessarily  must  be  so,  and  that 
these  impurities  could  be  removed." 

He  claims  no  more  for  rectified  milk 
than  that  when  served  to  the  consumer  it 
it  of  the  same  grade  and  quality  as  though 
it  came  from  an  absolutely  healthy  cow  of 
the  finest  breeding,  fed  with  the  purest 
food  and  kept  under  extraordinarily  good 
conditions. 

The  average  dairy  cow  is  not  so  kept.and 
all  milk  coming  from  it  needs  treatment, 
in  the  opinion  of  Professor  Snow.  The 
most  to  be  feared  from  cow's  milk  is  tuber- 
culosis and  the  disease  germs  which  come 
from  unclean  stables,  unclean  farm  hands, 
impure  drinking  water  and  impure  foods. 
After  being  taken  from  the  cow  the  milk 
is  handled  in  a  sloppy  manner,  hauled  in 
dirty  wagons  to  dirty  stations,  and  brought 
to  the  city  in  dirty  cars.  Milk  so  handled 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


247 


cannot  be  treated  with  antiseptics,  because 
forbidden  by  the  law,  and  antiseptics  are 
dangerous  to  the  health.  Professor  Snow 
is  strenuously  against  their  use  in  any 
manner.  He  also  opposes  the  process  of 
"preserving  milk,"  in  which  embalming 
fluids  are  used.  His  aim  is  to  take  out  of 
milk,  by  a  simple  and  natural  process,  all 
germs  that  will  cause  typhoid  fever,  diph- 
theria, dysentery  and  the  other  sicknesses 
so  often  traced  to  impure  lacteal  fluid.  . 

His  process  of  "rectifying"  is  a  secret. 
But  the  milk  is  first  put  through  a  treat- 
ment with  heat  and  then  a  treatment  with 
acid.  Then  the  milk  is  cleansed,  so  that 
all  impurities  are  taken  from  it  and  it  is 
ready  for  the  market.  No  la^ge  plant  is 
required  for  the  work.  The  milk  is  not 
sterilized,  because  that  destroys  its  value 
for  butter  making.  It  is  delivered  to  the 
market  fit  for  any  purpose.  It  can  be 
whipped  into  any  form  of  ice  cream,  and 
will  not  sour  from  electrical  disturbances 
nor  thunder  storms,  will  not  ohurn  into 
fatty  globules  when  on  the  cars  and  in  mo- 
tion, and  is  disease  free.  The  mechanisms 
invented  by  Mr.  Keeney  will  rectify  and 
make  ready  for  the  market  from  100  to 
1,200  gallons  of  the  milk  in  from  thirty- 
five  to  fifty  minutes.  A  plant  costing 
$15,000  to  erect  will  handle  25,000  pounds, 
or  300  eight-gallon  cans  of  milk  per  day. 
Chicago's  daily  receipts  of  milk  are  about 
.25,000  eight-gallon  cans. 

A  can  of  the  rectified  milk  was  shipped 


200  miles  by  rail,  moved  from  one  depot 
to  another  and  passed  through  a  thunder- 
storm in  hot  weather.  At  the  end  of  three 
days  it  was  still  fresh  and  sweet.  The 
cream  from  rectified  milk  can  be  used  with 
all  of  the  higher  grade  of  flavors  in  mak- 
ing ice  cream,  such  as  the  vanilla  bean  and 
the  like.  -Rectified  cream  is  odorless. 
Diseased  butter  cannot  be  made  from  rec- 
tified milk,  nor  diseased  cheese.  Mr. 
Keeney  says  of  it : 

"No  extraordinary  claims  are  made  for 
the  milk,  except  that  when  it  leaves  our 
process,  which  is  simple,  it  does  not  con- 
tain a  single  germ  injurious  to  the  human 
body.  For  commereial  purposes  it  gives  a 
cream  hitherto  unknown  to  manufacturers. 
It  nullifies  the  bad  stable,  bad  cow  food, 
bad  handling.  It  makes  it  possible  to  give 
weak  and  ailing  children  pure  milk  at  all 
times.  It  puts  on  the  table  sweet,  whole- 
some and  fresh  milk  from  which  no 
strength-giving  property  has  been  taken 
That  is  all  there  is  to  rectified  milk  and  all 
we  claim  for  it.  The  discovery  is  one  of 
the  most  important  of  the  age  and  we  pur- 
pose to  give  Chicago  the  first  benefit  of  it. 
Professor  Snow  is  a  chemist  of  high  stand- 
ing, and  his  success  with  unfermented 
grape  juice  indicates  what  he  must  have 
discovered  in  the  direction  of  milk.  We 
hope  to  begin  operations  at  Springfield  at 
a  very  early  date,  and  to  eventually  purify 
all  the  milk  brought  into  Chicago." 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


A  PRIVATE  IRRIGATION  SYSTEM. 

It  has  recently  been  reported  that  Mme. 
Modjeska  contemplates  selling  her  beau- 
tiful country  place  in  Orange  county  and 
returning  to  her  native  land.  A  first-classs 
ierigation  system  has  lately  been  con- 
structed on  this  propsrty.  A  writer  in 
the  Santa  Ana  Blade  says: 

"This  system  is  worthy  of  more  than 
passing  mention,  as  its  completion  is  a 
work  of  greater  magnitude  than  has  been 
before  attempted  by  any  private  individu- 
al in  Southern  California,  although  stor- 
age dams  have  been  constructed  at  various 
points  by  corporations.  In  brief,  the 
system  here  referred  to  is  intended  to  util- 
ize the  waters  of  an  overflowing  mountain 
stream,  and  for  that  purpose  a  concrete 
dam  has  been  built  at  a  point  near  the 
mouth  of  a  canon,  through  which  the 
stream  finds  its  way,  and  at  the  precise 
spot  where  the  almost  perpendicular  walls 
converge  so  as  to  leave  but  a  comparative- 
ly narrow  opening,  but  form  a  basin  above 
capable  of  holding  millions  of  gallons  of 
water.  The  walls  of  the  canon  at  this 
point  are  of  solid  rock,  and  in  deep  niches 
cut  for  the  purpose,  the  ends  of  the  dam 
are  firmly  anchored  on  either  side.  A 
technical  description  of  the  structure  and 
the  system  of  which  it  forms  a  part  is  as 
follows: 

"The  dam  rests  on  solid  rock,  an  excava- 
tion of  eight  feet  in  depth  having  been 
made  for  the  purpose.  As  it  is  the  design 
o'f  the  owners  to  eventually  carry  it  to  a 
height  of  forty  feet  above  the  ground  sur- 
face, the  foundation  was  made  twenty-five 
feet  thick,  calculated  to  be  sufficiently 
heavy  to  stand  the  strain  of  forty  feet  of 
water,  or  350,000,000  feet. 


''As  an  additional  safeguard  it  is  built 
in  a  curvilinear  form,  with  a  radius  of  100 
feet,  which  adds  materially  to  its  strength. 

The  present  height  of  the  dam  is  twenty- 
eight  feet  above  the  bed  rock,  or  twenty 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  the 
profile  showing  a  thickness  of  four  feet  at 
the  top.  The  length  at  its  present  height 
is  seventy  feet.  A  scouring  gallery,  2Jx4 
feet  is  provided  near  the  bottom,  closed  by 
an  iron  gate.  The  plan  is  to  keep  this 
gate  open  during  the  winter  storms,  per- 
mitting the  flood  water  to  pass  through, 
thus  preventing  the  reservoir  from  filling 
with  sediment  washed  down  the  canon  from 
the  mountain  sides.  This  gate  will  be 
closed  in  the  early  spring  in  sufficient  time 
to  fill  the  reservoir  with  clear  water. 

"The  dam  was  built  entirely  of  concrete 
and  stone;  350  barrels  of  cement  and  500  , 
cubic  yards  of  sand,  gravel  and  rock  being 
used  in  its  construction.  It  had  a  severe 
test  during  the  recent  storm,  the  reservoir 
filling  and  the  water  flowing  two  feet  deep 
over  its  entire  crest. 

"A  ten-inch  iron  pipe  was  laid  through 
the  dam  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  off 
water  for  irrigation  purposes,  and  a  three- 
inch  pipe  is  provided  for  carrying  domestic 
water  to  the  residence,  half  a  mile  distant. 
Water  for  irrigation  purposes  is  to  be  eon- 
ducted  from  the  reservoir  through  a  ten- 
inch  cement  pipe,  made  on  the  ground 
from  material  at  hand,  and  flumes  laid 
along  the  mountain  side.  This  plan  is 
adopted  in  preference  to  open  ditches  to 
avoid  waste  of  water  by  seepage  and  evap- 
oration. 

;The  successful  completion  of  this  un- 
dertaking, it  may  be  remarked  in  passing, 
will  doubtless  be  but  the  beginning  of.' 


1  HE  IRR1 GA 110  N  A  GE. 


249 


many  such  enterprises,  for  in  the  moun- 
tains east  of  Santa  Ana  are  many  such 
canons,  the  waters  of  which  may  be  im- 
poun  ed  in  like  manner  for  use  in  irrigat- 
ing the  adjoining  mesa  lands.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  Trabuco,  San 
Juan  and  Silverado,  besides  many  others 
of  lesser  importance,  but  in  all  of  which 
sufficient  water  might  be  secured  to  add 
many  times  to  the  value  of  adjacent  lands, 
the  probable  cost  of  such  an  undertaking." 

—  Ca I ifo rn ia  Minor. 

WATER  FOR  CORONA. 

The  stockholders  of  the  Corona  Irriga- 
tion Company  met  Tuesday  for  the  pur- 
pose of  electing  officers  and  otherwise 
perfecting  their  organization.  T.  P. 
Drinkwater,  president;  T.  C.  Jameson,  vice- 
president;  L.  R.  Curtis,  secretary,  and  M. 
Terpening,  treasurer.  The  board  of  direc- 
tors, previously  elected,  consists  of  the 
following  named  gentlemen:  Daniel  Lord, 
L.  R.  Curtis.  T.  P.  Drinkwater,  T.  C. 
Jameson  and  George  W.  VanKirk. 

This  completes  the  work  of  organization, 
and  hereafter  all  the  proposed  develop- 
ment work  for  the  purpose  of  securing  an 
increased  supply  of  irrigating  water  for 
Corona  will  be  conducted  by  the  new  com- 
pany. It  will  make  all  purchases  of  lands, 
construct  canals,  pipe  lines,  etc.  The 
company  is  now  in  a  position  to  prosecute 
the  contemplated  work  with  vigor,  and  it 
is  the  purpose  to  push  matters  as  fast  as 
possible. 

Work  on  the  water-bearing  lands  in  the 
Perris  valley  is  already  progressing  under 
the  supervision  of  A.  F.  Call  and  John 
Megginson.  and  the  indications  thus  far 
are  all  for  the  best.  It  is  stated  that  the 
wells  already  completed  will  yield  an  aver- 
age of  150  inches  each  by  pumping.  The 
water  is  found  at  a  depth  of  seventy  feet 
and  it  rises  to  within  twenty  feet  of  the 
surface,  making  pumping  comparatively 
easy,  not  requiring  heavy  machinery.  The 
boring  of  additional  wells  will  continue  un- 
stil  enough  water  has  been  developed  to 


secure  the  company  in  any  possible  emer- 
gency. 

Contractors  are  going  over  the  territory 
with  a  view  to  making  bids  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  necessary  pipe  and  canal 
line  to  convey  the  water  from  the  wells  to 
the  head  of  the  present  pipe  line  in  the 
Temescal  valley.  The  new  line  will  -be 
twenty-nine  and  one  quarter  miles  in 
length,  and  will  be  principally  open  ce- 
ment ditch,  pipe  being  used  only  where 
absolutely  necessary  in  crossing  canyons 
and  traversing  steep  hillsides,  and  along 
certain  county  roads.  The  capacity  of  the 
proposed  canal  will  be  800  inches,  and  the 
system  complete  will  cost  about  $150,000, 
exclusive  of  water-bearing  lands. 

The  right  of  way  is  now  secure,  the 
company  having  been  granted  permission 
Wednesday  by  the  supervisors  to  run  the 
line  along  certain  public  roads  in  the  Third 
and  Fourth  districts,  and  few  obstacles  re- 
main to  overcome.  The  work  of  construc- 
tion, when  begun,  will  be  required  to  be 
completed  inside  of  three  months.  —  Cor- 
ona (Cal.)  Courier. 

ARROWHEAD  RESERVOIR. 

The  Arrowhead  Company  has  been 
spending  more  energy  and  money  of  late 
on  the  reservoir  project  in  Little  Bear  val- 
ley than  ever  before. 

Work  on  the  tunnels  is  being  prosecuted 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  now  work  on 
the  great  dam  is  about  to  begin.  It  has 
been  stated  by  officials  of  the  company 
that  over  300,000  worth  of  cement  has 
been  purchased,  and  that  the  thousands  of 
barrels  will  be  conveyed  to  Little  Bear 
valley  at  an  expense  of  almost  $50,000. 
They  will  soon  attempt  to  sink  a  dam  down 
to  bedrock.  It  is  expected  that  when  the 
tunnels  and  dam  are  completed  and  the 
water  let  in  the  valley,  pressure  of  10,000 
horsepower  will  be  obtained.  This  is  far 
greater  than  the  combined  pressures  of  all 
the  other  reservoirs  in  the  San  Bernardino 
mountains. — San  Bernardino  Times- 
Index. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


WHERE  THEY  KEEP  HOGS  PENNED. 

He  climbed  into  the  trolley  car  and  sat 
down  at  the  outer  end  of  an  empty  seat. 
A  few  blocks  farther  on  a  stout  woman 
with  a  basket  full  of  stuff  tried  to  get  on. 
He  helped  her  put  the  basket  under  the 
seat,  and  sat  along  to  the  middle,  letting 
her  have  the  end  place. 

Passengers  on  the  other  seats  bent  curi- 
ous glances  upon  him. 

At  the  next  stop  a  young  woman  with  a 
baby  wanted  to  get  in.  The  other  seats 
were  full.  At  the  risk  of  life,  limb  and 
baby,  she  swung  herself  up  the  step  by  one 
hand,  squeezed  past  the  market-woman's 
portly  form,  knocking  off  the  hats  from 
the  row  of  people  in  the  seat  ahead,  and 
was  about  to  worm  her  way  past  the  first 
named  passenger,  when  he  surprised  her 
by  sliding  along.  She  gave  him  a  mis- 
trustful "Thank  you." 

"What  was  wrong  with  me  back  there, 
to  make  everybody  stare  and  whisper  so?" 

Th#  conductor  was  a  mannerly  man. 

"Oh,  nuthin'  much,"  he  said.  "But  I 
guess  you're  from  the  country  all  right, 
ain't  you?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  stranger;  "from  away 
back  in  the  country;  never  rode  on  cars 
like  these  before." 

'I  thought  not,"  said  the  conductor. 
Never  mind,  you'll  know  better  another 
time.  I'll  just  give  you  a  pointer.  When 
you  get  into  an  open  car,  always  sit  at  the 
first  end.  Keep  the  outside  seat.  It  isn't 
quite  so  comfortable  as  it  is  to  move  along, 
but  it's  town  manners.  Make  everybody 
else  climb  over  you — big  and  little,  old 
women  and  babies — everybody.  They're 
used  to  it.  But  never  on  any  account 


move  along  to  accommodate  anybody  in  a 
street-car." 

"I  think."  said  the  stranger  softly  as  he 
hastened  off  to  his  train,  "that  I'll  stay  on 
the  old  farm.  We  have  plenty  of  hogs 
there,  but  we  keep  'em  penned  and  don't 
have  to  associate  with  them."  And  the 
conductor  scratched  his  head  and  grinned. 
— Northwest  Magazine. 


THE    PLACE  I  ONCE  CALLED  HOME. 

As  the  low  and  lipgering  shadows  steal 
softly  to  the  night. 

I  tread  with  silent  footsteps  toward  a  wel- 
come parlor  light; 

A  light  that  seems  far  brighter  than  the 
stars  in  heaven's  dome, 

The  light  that  lights  the  parlor  of  the 
place  I  onoe  called  home. 

I  long  to  swing  the  portal  that's  been 
closed  to  me  for  years; 

Lo,  the  window's  dim  and  frosty;  no,  no,  it 
"Ms  my  tears! 

For  I  see,  in  loving  silence,  the  family  sit- 
ting there, 

And  mother  knitting  absently  beside  an 
empty  chair. 

In  a  gentle  retrospection.  I  chase  the  tears 

away. 
And  lure  to  fading  memory   that   sunny 

summer  day 
When    I   started  out,  light-hearted,   with 

blessings  and  advice, 
To  those  distant  fields  of  fortune,  with  fate 

to  cast  the  dice. 
I  remember  I  was  picturing  myself,  as  off 

I  went, 
Well — that  somehow  I  was  destined  to  be 

the  president. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


251 


And   how   mother  rudely   shattered   that 

castle  in  the  air, 
As  she  sobbed,   "Whatever  happens,   I'll 

keep  your  empty  chair." 

A  score  of  years  have  flitted  to  the  limbos 

of  the  past: 
I  stand  with  courage  vanished,  where  all 

wand'rers  stand  at  last, 
At  the  threshold  of  the  homestead,  there, 

with  a  long-drawn  sigh, 
Praying  for  a  word  of  counsel  on  the  way 

that  sinners  die; 
Pleading  just  for  food  and  shelter,  and  a 

mother's  loving  kiss, 
And  a  father's  grip  of  friendship,  for  a 

hope  that's  gone  amiss — 
Pleading  from  a  heart  that's  welling  in  a 

breast  o'ern'lled  with  strife, 
For  love  to  shed  its  lustre  on  the  shadow 

of  a  life. 

Shall  I  enter?    Can  I  enter?— with  failure 

in  my  pack, 
And  vainly  try  to  turn  the  hands  of  life's 

old  timepiece  back, 

To  the  happy  days  of  childhood,  to  boy- 
hood's magic  spell 
With  the  linnets  in  the  orchard,  watching 

windfalls  as  they  fell; 
With  little   brother  Willie,  riding   every 

day  to  school 
Down   the   daisy-dotted   meadow,    astride 

our  lop-eared  mule; 
With  all  the  other  children  romping  in  our 

wildtime  play, 
With  the  little  bed  to  go  to  when  daylight 

stole  away? 

I  know  they'd  gladly  greet  me,  if  I'd  only 

just  walk  in, 
And  surprise  them  with  my  presence. 

Alas,  I  can't  begin 
To  muster  up  the  grit  I  had,  for  all   my 

courage  went 
With  the  vision  of  the  future  when  I'd  be 

president, 
But  0,  mother!  mother!!  mother!!!  do  come 

and  ope  the  door, 


Hold  out  your  arms  to   take   me   10   the 

happy  days  of  yore, 
Help  lay  aside  the  burden  of  my  trouble 

and  my  pain 
That  my  bent  and  sunken  shoulders  can 

never  bear  again! 

When   the  sun   marks   noon   of   lifetime, 

when  once  the  morning's  done, 
And  from  dawn  we  turn  relustant  to  face 

the  setting  sun, 
We  grow  more  worldly,  somehow,  for  our 

hearts  turn  callous-like, 
And  don't  seem  much  to  notice,  then,  the 

stumps  along  the  pike; 
And,  once  the  journey's  started,  might  as 

well  trudge  on  ahead — 
So  I'll  keep  ever  moving  and  not  bring  to 

life  the  dead, 
Nor  the  hopes  that  peaceful  slumber,  nor 

break  the  mystic  air 
Of  the  memories  bright  that  linger  around 

the  empty  chair. 

— Robert  Mackay  in  Success. 

THE  MAN  BEHIND  THE   BAR. 

The  man  behind  the  gun  may  have  a  nerve 

that's  No.  1, 
He  may  rush,  without  a  tremor,  on  the 

foe, 
But  the  danger  he  must  face  is  only  as  the 

merest  fun 

Compared  with  other  terrors  here  below. 
When  the  women  get  their  hatchets  and 

set  out 

To  scatter  costly  glassware  all  about — 
When  the  wrought-up  Mrs.  Nations  madly 

go  to  jam  and  jar — 
When    they   hammer   down   the  windows 

and  the  doors, 
When  they   spill   the   firewater  on  the 

floors, 
It  is  worse  than  common  warfare  for  the 

man  behind  the  bar, 
ind  he's  lucky  to  escape  without  a  scar 

It  may  be  a  thrilling  moment  for  the  man 
behind  the  gun 


252 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


When  the  decks  are  cleared  for  action, 

out  at  sea, 
But  it's  forty  times  more  thrilling  when  a 

dozen  women  run 
Through  the  streets,  d;ad  set  on  letting 

liquor  free — 
When  they  hold  their  spattered  skirts 

up  and  begin 
To  cut  the  hoops  and  knock  the  stoppers 

in — 
When  they  open  up  the  cases  where  the 

fancy  juices  are — 

When  they  fiercely  rush  to  tear  the  fau- 
cets loose — 
When  they  render  the  free  lunch  unfit 

for  use — 
Then  there's  always  something  doing  for 

the  man  behind  the  bar 
If  he  hasn't  wisely  sprinted  fast  and  far. 

O,  the  birds  are  sipping  whisky  from  the 

cow  tracks  all  around, 
See  the  streams  of  seltzer  spurting  here 

and  there! 
Behold   the    cloves    and   coffee   that  are 

spilled  out  on  the  ground — 
Yonder  goes  a  leather  dice-box  through 

the  air! 
There   are   new   demands    for   hatchets 

every  day; 

Newer  faces  are  appearing  in  the  fray, 
And  there's  terror  in  the  places  where  the 

drink  dispensers  are, 
For  the  sounds  of  falling  mirrors  swiftly 

spread — 
The  men  who  lift  the  schooners  drink  in 

dread, 

And  from  Kansas  to  Chicago  folks  are  go- 
ing forth  to  mar 

The  features  of  the  man  behind  the  bar! 
— Fresno  Republican. 


THE  BAD  BOY. 

His  hair  is  red  an'  tangled,  and  he  has  a 

turned-up  nose; 
His  voice  is  loud  and  strident,  and  it  never 

gets  repose; 
His  face  is  full  of  freckles,  and  his  ears 

are  shaped  like  fins, 


And  a  large  front  tooth  is  missing,  as 
you'll  notice  when  he  grins, 

He  is  like  a  comic  picture  from  his  toes  up 
to  his  head — 

But  his  mother  calls  him  "darling"  when 
she  tucks  him  into  bed. 

It  is  he  who  marks  the  carpet  with  the 

print  of  muddy  boots; 
And  rejoices  in  a  door-bell  that  is  pulled 

out  by  the  roots. 
Who  whistles  on  his  fingers  till  he  almost 

splits  your  ear, 
And  shocks  the  various  callers  with  slang 

he  chanced  to  hear. 
He  fills  the  house  with   tumult   and   the 

neighborhood  with  dread — 
But  his  mother  calls  him  "darling''  when 

she  tucks  him  into  bed. 

—  Washington  Evening   Star. 


KIPLING'S   LATEST  POEM. 

[Mrs.  Beerbohm  Tree  is  nightly  reciting 
this  poem  at  the  Palace  Music  Hall  in 
London,  receiving  $500  a  week  for  her 
services  and  contributing  this  to  the  sol- 
diers' fund.  One  Thursday  night  recently 
her  plea.  "Pay,  Pay.  Pay,"  met  with  such 
a  warm  response  that  she  was  almost 
driven  from  the  stage  by  the  hail  of  silver 
thrown  by  the  enthusiastic  audience.] 

When  you've  shouted  "Rule  Britannia." 
when  you've  sung  "God  Save  the  Queen. 
When  you've  finished  killing  Kruger 
with  your  mouth, 

Will  you  kindly  drop  a  shilling  in  my  little 
tambourine 

For   a  gentleman    in    khaki    ordered 
South. 

He's   an   absent-minded    beggar   and   his 
weaknesses  are  great, 

But  we  and  Paul  must  take  him  as  we 
find  him; 

He  is  out  on  active  service  wiping  some- 
thing off  a  slate, 

And  he's  left  a  lot  o'  little  things  be- 
hind him. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


253 


Duke's   son — cook's  son — son  of  a 

hundred  kings. 
(Fifty  thousand  horse  and  foot  go 

ing  to  Table  Bay). 
Each    of   'em   doing   his   country's 

work  (and  who's  to  look  after 

their  things?) 
Pass  the  hat  for  your  credit  s  sake — 

and  pay— pay— pay! 

'There  are  girls  he  married  secret,  asking 
no  permission  to — 

For  he  knew  he  wouldn't  get  it  if  he 
did; 

There  is  gas  and  coal  and  vittles  and  the 
house  rent  falling  due, 

And  its  more  than  rather  likely  there's 
a  kid. 

There   are   girls  he   walked    with    casual; 
they'll  be  sorry  now  he's  gone. 

For  an  absent  minded  beggar  they  will 
find  him; 

But  it  ain't  the  time  for  sermons  with  the 
winter  coming  on — 

We  must  help  the  girl  that  Tommy 
left  behind  him. 

Cook's  son — Duke's  son — son  of  a 

belted  Kul 
Son  of  a  LjHiubeth  publican — it's  all 

the  same  today; 

Kach  of   'em    doing   his    country  s 
work  (and  who's  to  look  after 

the  girl?) 

Pass  the  hat  for  your  credit's  sake, 
and  pay — pay — pay! 

There  are  families  by  thousands  far  too 
proud  to  beg  or  speak. 

And  they'll  put  their  sticks  and  bed- 
ding up  the  spout, 

And  they'll  live  on   half  o'  nothing  paid 
'em  punctual  once  a  week, 

'Cause  the  man  earned  the  wages  is 
ordered  out. 


He's    an    absent   minded    beggar,  but   he 
heard  his  country's  call, 

Anr1  his  regiment  didn't  need  to  send 
to  find  him. 

He  chucked  his  job  and  joined  in — so  the 
job  before  us  all 

Is  to  help  the  home  that  Tommy's  left 
behind  him. 

Duke's  job — cook's  job—  gardener, 

baronet,  groom — 
Mews    of     palace   or   paper-shop — 

there's  some  one  gone  away, 
Each    of   'em    doing   his   country's 
work  (and  who's  to  look  after 

room?) 

Pass  the  hat  for  your  credit's  sake 
and — pay — pay-  pay. 

Let  us  manage  so  as  later  we  can  look  him 
in  the  face 

And  tell  him — what  he'd  very  much 
prefer — 

That  while  he  saved  the  empire  his   em- 
ployer saved  his  place, 

And    his   mates    (that   you    and    me) 
looked  out  for  her. 

He's  an  absent  minded  beggar,  and  he  may 
forget  it  all; 

But   we  do  not  want   his  kiddies  to 
remind  him 

That  we  sent  him  to  the  workhouse  while 
their  daddy  hammered  Paul. 

So  we'll  help  the  home  that  Tommy's 
left  behind  him. 

Cook's  home — home  of  a  million- 
aire— 

(Fifty  thousand  horse  and  foot  go- 
ing to  Table  Bay), 

Each  of  'em  doing  his  country's 
woi  k— (and  what  have  you  to 
spare?) 

Pass  the  hat  for  your  credit's  sake 
and  pay — pay — pay! 


Burlington 


Leave  BOSTON    every  Tuesday 
Leave  CHICAGO  every  Wednesday 
Leave  ST.  LOUIS  every  Wednesday 


TOURIST    PARTIES   TO 

California 

Comfortable  and  Inexpensive 


QELECT   PARTIES   leave  Boston  every  Tuesday  via  Niagara  Falls 
and  Chicago,  joining   at  Denver  a  similar   party,  which   leaves   St. 
Louis  every  Wednesday.      From  Denver  the  route  is  over  the  Scenic 
Denver  and  Rio  Grande   Railway,  and  through  Salt  Lake  City. 

Pullman  Tourist  Sleeping  Cars  of  a  new  pattern  are  used.  They  are  thoroughly  com- 
fortable and  exquisitely  clean,  fitted  with  double  windows,  high-back  seats,  carpets, 
spacious  toilet-rooms,  and  the  same  character  of  bedding  found  in  Palace  Cars.  They 
are  well  heated  and  brilliantly  lighted  with  Pintsch  gas.  Outside  they  are  of  the  regu- 
lation Pullman  color,  with  wide  vestibules  of  steel  and  beveled  plate  glass.  Beautifully 
illustrated  books  on  California  and  Colorado,  with  maps,  train  schedules  and  com- 
plete information  can  be  had  from  any  of  the  following  Burlington  Route  agents : 


E.  J.  SWORDS 

379  Broadway 

NEW  YORK  CITY 


W.  J.  O'MEARA 

3O6  Washington  Street 
BOSTON,  MASS. 


H.  E.  HELLER 

632  Chestnut  Street 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


T.  A.  GRADY 

211  Clark  Street 

CHICAGO,  ILL. 


C.  D.  HAGERMAN 

7O3  Park  Building 

PITTSBURG,  PA. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL  xv . 


CHICAGO,  MAY,  1901. 


NO.  8 


The  President  The  transition  from  barron 
and  Irrigation,  alkali  wastesto  scenes  of  rich 
vegetation  and  luxurient  growth,  the  re- 
sult of  irrigation,  must  have  impressed 
the  president  and  his  party  with  not  only 
the  great  productivity  of  irrigated  land, 
but  with  the  significance  of  the  word 
"irrigation"  to  the  western  country. 

In  viewing  the  fertile  valleys  of  the 
southwest,  rich  from  the  fruits  of  the  or- 
chards and  the  crops  from  the  fields,  and 
dotted  with  prosperous  homes  and  thriv- 
ing towns,  where  a  few  years  ago  barren 
plains  starved  the  cactus  and  the  sage 
brush,  did  Mr.  McKinley  realize  that  the 
reclamation  of  the  arid  West  carries  with 
it  the  creation  of  a  great  and  populous 
empire  within  our  own  territory?  The 
wonderful  irrigated  belts  of  the  West  are 
but  an  earnest  of  the  transformation  of 
this  region,  which  would  follow  the  in- 
auguration of  a  policy  of  national  recla- 
mation by  which  the  flood-waters  now 
wasted  would  be  saved  for  the  use  of  the 
farmer. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  President,  on  his 
trip,  has  arrived  at  an  appreciation  of  the 
question  which  of  all  others  is  most  vital 
to  the  people  of  the  arid  region,  namely, 
water. 

Sugar  from  Henry  Oxnard.  who  may  be 
Water.  s&^  to  ^  t^e  original  beet 

sugar  man  in  the  United  States,  says  Na- 
tional Irrigation  for  May,  states  that  sugar 
beets  reach  their  highest  degree  of  perfec- 
tion, commercially,  under  irrigation.  In 
sugar  content,  purity,  and  yield  per  acre 
the  greatest  excellence  is  produced  by  giv- 
ing the  crop  the  moisture  needed  at  just 


the  right  time.  The  sugar  beet  industry 
in  this  country  is  a  young  giant,  and  the 
irrigated  beet  area  is  rapidly  increasing. 
Destitute  A  recent  Arizona  dispatch 
Indians.  states  that  the  Gila  river  on 

the  Sacaton  reservation  is  again  dry,  and 
this  being  the  source  of  irrigation  no  grain 
will  be  harvested  by  the  Pima  Indians 
Great  destitution,  the  dispatch  states,  will 
ensue,  and  government  aid  will  be  required 
to  relieve  the  situation. 

This  was  the  proposition  which  Congress 
was  asked  to  take  up  last  session  but  re- 
fused For  centuries — as  far  back  as  we 
have  any  record — these  Indians  had  grown 
their  irrigaten  crops,  one  of  the  few  Indian 
tribes  which  had  never  cost  the  United 
States  Government  a  moment  of  anxiety. 
Some  years  ago  the!  white  settlers  began 
to  divert  the  waters  of  the  Gila  river 
above  the  lands  of  the  Pima  Indians;  they 
were  even  encouraged  to  do  so  by  the  Gov- 
ernment. There  has  not  been  enough 
water  for  both,  and  as  the  Indians  are  not 
citizens  but  only  wards  of  the  government 
their  rights  have  been  totally  neglected 
and  for  several  years  past,  as  more  and 
morf  water  has  been  taken  out  above 
their  crops  have  been  practically  absolute 
failures. 

Congress  was  asked  at  its  recent  session 
to  make  some  permanent  provision 
whereby  the  Pirn  as  could  be  restored  their 
birthright — given  back  the  water  stolen 
from  them — through  the  construction  of  a 
storage  reservoir  along  lines  approved  by 
government  experts,  but  no  action  could 
be  secured.  So  the  Indians  are  going  on 
retrograding,  being  forced  to  become  beg- 


254 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


gars,  thieves,  and  Government  paupers, 
where  once  they  owned  their  own  farms, 
reared  their  own  families,  and  had 
their  own  tribal  government.  It 
is  hoped  by  every  one  familiar  with 
the  subject  that  Congress  will  see 
the  justice,  wisdom,  and  absolute  econ- 
omy of  making  these  Indians  self-sustain- 
ing through  substantial  irrigation  con- 
struction. 


Large 


The  government  of  India  is 

frrigatioa  undertaking  some  irrigation 
Construction.  WQrks  which  win  a(W  jarge 

areas  of  reclaimed  land  to  the  many  mil- 
lions of  acres  which  the  British  govern- 
ment has'already  placed  under  irrigation. 
The  total  cost  of  this  present  development 
will  be  somewhat  upwards  of  forty  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  The  water  used  is  the 
melted  snows  from  the  great  Himalayan 
range. 

Demands  The  time  will  come  when  the 
Investigation.  millionsof  acres  of  fertile  land 

now  uninhabitable  for  lack  of  water  will 
be  needed  for  homes  and  as  an  outlet  for  a 
rapidly  increasing  population.  With  the 
pressure  which  is  always  behind  a  measure 
conferring  local  benefits  it  will  be  decided 
long  before  the  real  necessity  arises  that 
the  people  need  more  room,  and  as  a  gen- 
eral principle  it  can  safely  be  left  to  the 
influences  of  such  pressure  to  accomplish 
all  that  is  necessary  in  extending  the  ha- 
bitable area.  It  is  equally  certain  how- 
ever, that  in  time  money  will  be  spent  by 
the  government  for  the  reclamation  of  arid 
lands,  and  in  view  of  this  there  is  one  step 
congress  should  take  which  admits  of  no 
delay.  The  possibilities  of  water  conser- 
vation should  be  fully  determined,  and  all 
government  land  which  will  come  under 
the  influence  of  works  to  be  constructed 
later  on  should  be  reserved  from  settle- 
ment or  entry. 

.    .     ..  An  impression  prevails  in  the 

Irrigation 

Means  east   that    irrigation  will  ex- 

Growth,  clusively  benefit  the  west. 
This  is  an  error.  Irrigation  will  benefit 
the  country  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Paci- 
fic. Irrigation  means  settlement.  The 
presence  of  an  additional  large  and  flour- 
ishing population  in  the  west  will  lead  to 


Irrigation 
Must  be 
Pushed. 


an  increased  demand  for  eastern  manufac- 
tures. It  is  a  mistaken  policy  to  retard  or 
delay  settlement  of  the  arid  lands  of  the 
west  because  somebody  believes  it  will  be 
of  no  benefit  to  other  sections  of  the  coun- 
try. Any  one  familiar  with  history  is  in  a 
position  to  refute  such  a  claim  as  prepos- 
terous. 

There  are  some  seven  months 
before  the  next  session  of  con- 
gress, which  wili  be  the  long 
or  unlimited  session.  There  were  some 
good  little  fights  made  in  the  recent  short 
and  limited  session  on  the  irrigation  ques- 
tion, and  in  the  common  long  session  there 
will  be  some  better  ones.  The  West  has, 
in  a  word,  scored,  but  it  has  not  won,  and 
it  must  prepare  for  some  vigorous  fighting 
before  it  can  win.  There  will  be  no  ex- 
cuse in  the  next  congress  for  not  thresh- 
ing the  subject  out.  Congress  bas  had  its 
notice  and  it  will  not  do  for  leaders  to 
cla4m  that  new  legislation  is  being  attempt- 
ed and  that  there  is  not  time  to  think  out 
and  discuss  a  comprehensive  plan.  The 
best  plan  in  the  range  of  human  possibili- 
ty would  be  antagonized  by  some  eastern 
men,  but  in  the  future  they  will  be  com- 
pelled to  come  out  into  the  open  and  state 
their  bill  of  particulars.  ,  Generalities  will 
not  suffice. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  behooves  the 
people  of  the  West  to  get  together  very 
close  on  this  irrigation  question.  It  be- 
hooves them  to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder 
like  twin  brothers,  and  to  present  an  un- 
broken, unanimous  front.  There  are 
seven  months'  interim.  That  period 
should  be  employed  in  smoothing  out  any 
differences  which  may  now  exist  on  this 
subject  a  ndgetting  into  absoltue  accord 
upon  the  policy  to  be  presented  by  the 
West  looking  to  its  reclamation  through 
government  assistance.  It  should  also  be 
spent  in  organizaaion.  Without  organi- 
zation nothing  can  be  accomplished;  with 
organizatio"  everything. 

Is  it  to  be  supposed  that  the  West 
would  today  be  fighting  vainly  for  its 
rights  if  it  had  been  thoroughly  organized? 
Suppose  every  organization  of  every  kind 
in  the  arid  States  and  Territories  had  con- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


255 


eluded  to  put  forth  every  energy  to  secur- 
ing some  specific  action  by  the  Genera] 
Goverment,  does  anybody  believe  that  this 
action  could  yave  been  denied?  The  West 
has  not  put  forth  its  energies  in  any  gen- 
eral way  to  secure  the  inauguration  of  a 
policy  of  national  irrigation  which  shall 
eventually  reclaim  75,000,000  acres  of 
desert. 

There  has  been  a  partial  wave  of  West- 
ern enthusiasm  this  winter  on  the  quess- 
tion  of  national  irrigation. — a  realization 
that  the  West  was  not  even  abreast  of  the 
tide  created  by  Eastern  manufacturing 
interests, — and  even  this  has  made  the  sub- 
ject the  most  prominent  new  legislation 
before  Congress. 

Now  what  if  the  West  actually  organizes 
itself  this  summer  and  fall — organizes  as 
though  this  were  to  be  a  fight  upon  which 
its  life  depended? 

Why  the  next  Congress  would  simply 
buckle  down  to  the  work  and  consider  the 
question  and  pass  upon  it  and  act. 

And  after  all  the  newspapers  can  ac- 
complish a  good  half  of  this  work. 

Palestine  was  at  one  time  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  By  the  Mosiac  Insti- 
tute, after  the  exodus  from  Egypt,  the 
lands  were  divided  among  the  adult  males, 
each  receiving  from  16  to  25  acres.  The 
fields  were  wtered  from  canals  and  con- 
duits communicating  with  the  brooks  and 
streams.  When,  through  the  vicissitudes 
of  war  and  rapine,  these  irrigation  works 
were  destroyed  and  life  rendered  insecure, 
agriculture  declined.  What  was  at  one 
time  a  fruitful  land  of  plenty  under  irri- 
gation, today  is  practically  a  barren  waste. 

Here  is  what  an  Arizonian  says  of  Salt 
river,  which  was  once  known  to  the  coun- 
try in  general  only  as  a  mythical  stream 
for  the  navigation  of  disappointed  political 
candidates.  He  remarks:  "The  most  in- 
teresting proposition  in  Arizona  to-day  is 
the  effort  to  dam  Salt  river  for  irrigating 
purposes.  Within  sixty  miles  of  our  city 
the  river  flows  through  a  deep  canyon. 
By  damming  the  river  this  would  make  a 
natural  resei-voir.  There  are  fully  1,500,000 
acres  of  land  that  could  be  irrigated." 


Keep 
Fighting. 


"If  at  first  you  don't  succeed 
try,  try  again,"  is  a  good  mot- 
to, but  "Never  Quit"  is  a  better  one.  It 
tells  in  two  words  the  unyielding  tenacity 
of  purpose  that  will  bring  success  to  the 
national  irrigation  movement. 

In  the  session  of  congress  just  closed  the 
senate  fully  recognized  the  national  im- 
portance of  the  irrigation  movement. 

In  the  Indian  appropriation  bill  the  sen- 
ate amendment  appropriated  $100,000  to 
complete  the  surveys  and  preliminary 
tests  of  the  foundations  for  the  San  Carlos 
dam  in  Arizona. 

The  chairman  of  the  house  committee 
on  Indian  affairs,  Mr.  Sherman,  of  New 
York,  defeated  it  in  the  house  and  in  con- 
ference. 

The  senate  increased  the  appropriation 
for  irrigation  surveys  by  the  geological 
survey  from  $100,000  to  $200,000. 

The  chairman  of  the  house  committee 
on  appropriations,  Mr.  Cannon,  with  Mr. 
Moody,  defeated  this  increase  in  (Confe- 
rence. 

They  declared  themselves  on  the  floor  of 
congress  in  favor  of  state  cession,  though 
it  involved  a  repudiation  of  the  platform 
of  the  republican  [party  in  the  last  cam- 
paign. That  platform  declared: 

"In  further  pursuance  of  the  constant 
policy  of  the  republican  party  to  provide 
free  homes  on  the  public  domain,  we  re- 
commend adequate  national  legislation  to 
reclaim  the  arid  lands  of  the  United  States, 
reserving  control  of  the  distribution  of 
water  for  irrigation  to  the  respective  states 
and  territories. 

These  declarations  are  utterly  irrecon- 
cilable with  btate  cession. 

The  senate  amendment  to  the  river  and 
harbor  bill  appropriated  about  $300,000  for 
reservoirs  in  Wyoming  and  South  Dakota. 

The  bill,  as  it  was  prepared  by  the  hous» 
committee,  carried  appropriations  aggre- 
gating $60,000,000.  The  senate  cut  this 
amount  down  to  $50,000,000. 

Twice  the  bill  was  sent  to  conference 
and  twice  Mr.  Burton,  chairman  of  the 
house  committee,  and  the  house  conferees, 
refused  to  concur  in  the  reservoir  amend- 
ments. They  were  ready  to  pour  money 
out  of  the  treasury  with  reckless  waste- 
fulno  ss  for  work  on  insignificant  c 


256 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


and  streams  in  the  east,  but  unwilling  to 
spend  a  dollar  for  reservoirs  in  the  West. 

They,  no  doubt,  thought  the  senate 
would  yield,  as  it  did  on  the  Indian  bill 
and  the  sundry  civil  bill,-  but  in  this  in- 
stance they  reckoned. without  their  host. 

The  whole  river  and  harbor  bill  was  de- 
feated in  the  senate  by  Senator  Carter,  of 
Montana.  He  held  the  floor  in  the  senate 
for  the  last  twelxe  hours  of  the  session, 
and  mercilessly  exposed  the  methods  by 
which  the  bill  had  been  made  up  and  the 
wasteful  prodigality  with  which-it  appro- 
priated millions  upon  millions  for  unim- 
portant or  impracticable  schemes. 

The  arbitrary  and  iinreasoning  opposi- 
tion of  the  chairman  of  the  house  commit- 
tees cannot  continue  for  long  to  stand  in 
the  way  of  the  reclamation  of  the  West. 
The  sentiment  of  the  country  favors  pro- 
gress, and  this  sentiment  is  rising  like  an 
ocean  tide,  slowly  it  may  be,  but  steadily 
and  surely,  and  it  will  sweep  away  with 
an  irresistible  force  the  opposition  of  a 
few  men  who  seem  willing  to  use  their 
temporary  power  to  stultify  their  party. 

But  between  now  and  the  next  session 
tireless  and  unceasing  work  must  be  done 
to  broaden  the  influence  and  extend  the 
organization  of  the  National  Irrigation 
Association.  Success  can  only  come  to 
this  great  movement  through  the  wide- 
spread campaign  of  education  and  organi- 
zation which  this  association  is  carrying 
on. 

Impounding  During  the  discussion  of  the 
irrigation1*  River  and  Harbor  bill  in  the 
House  of  Representatives,  Mr. 
Mondell,  of  Wyoming,  suggested  that  less 
money  be  expended  on  the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri  rivers  in  constructing  works  for 
the  prevention  of  overflow,  and  that  it 
would  be  better  to  expend  the  money  in 
constructing  dams  and  reservoirs  to  re- 
ceive the  water  of  the  tributaries  of  those 
rivers  in  the  arid  region  and  impound  it 
for  purposes  of  irrigation. 

Nearly  fifty  years  ago  Messrs.  Humph- 
reys and  Abbott,  officers  in  the  engineer 
corps  of  the  army,  were  appointed  to  in- 
vestigate the  physics  and  hydraulics  of  the 
Mississippi  river  with  a  view  of  devising 


the  best  plan  to  prevent  overflow  of  that 
river  and  its  tributaries.  Among  the  sub- 
jects to  which  they  gave  attention  was  the 
construction  of  reservoirs  to  hold  back  the 
water  produced  by  the  melting  of  the  snow 
in  the  mountains  near  the  heads  of  the 
Yellowstone,  Platt,  Arkansas  and  other 
tributaries  which  contribute  so  largely 
to  the  volume  that  debouches  into  the  sea 
through  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi. 

Their  report  was  in  substances  that  the 
plan  would  have  some  effect  in  preventing 
overflow — nothing  was  said  in  regard  to 
the  value  of  impounding  the  water  for  irri- 
gation purposes.  It  was  a  subject  that  was 
notthenin  the.minds  of  the  people, as  there 
was  such  a  vast  unoccupied  public  domain 
that  did  not  require  irrigation  to  make  it 
productive.  The  region  liable  to  overflow 
without  preventive  works  compromises 
about  20000,000  acres,  and  the  great' 
thought  was  to  secure  it  to  occupation  and 
cultivation. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  there  has  been 
a  Mississippi  river  commission,  created  to 
secure  those  20,01)0,000  acres  against  sub- 
mergation,  and  annually  a  considerable 
sum  has  been  appropriated  to  carry  out  the 
plans  the  commission  has  devised.  The 
plans  comprise  building  dykes  to  narrow 
the  channel,  where  there  was  shoal  water 
(and  it  is  only  shoal  where  the  channel  is 
broad)  on  the  well  known  principle  that 
narrowing  the  channel  increases  the  velo- 
city of  the  current;  and  its  erosive  power 
at  the  bottom,  revetting  the  banks  where 
necessary  to  prevent  caving,  and  in  low 
places  building  levees.  The^e  works  have 
been  of  value  in  preventing  inundation, 
and  in  facilitating  navigation.  These  ex- 
penditures have  been  made  under  the 
constitutional  power  to  promote  the  gen- 
eral welfare  by  aiding  navigation  and  con- 
sequently commerce. 

It  seems  logical  that  if  congress  has 
power  to  protect  a  section  against  too. 
much  water,  it  has  like  power  to  aid  a  sec" 
tion  that  hts  not  enough — that  if  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  construct  works  to  preserve 
land  to  cultivation  by  keeping  water  from 
it,  there  is  equal  power  to  conserve  water 
to  be  supplied  to  land  that  will  otherwise 
remain  nonp  oductive. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


257 


It  is  a  good  thing  to  make  20,000,000 
acres  a  Bailable  for  occupation  and  produc- 
tive, but  how  much  oetter  thing  it  is  to 
extend  favor  to  ten  times  as  much.  Ex- 
pending money  to  build  great  reservoirs 
and  creating  lakes,  more  than  miniature, 
would  be  killing  two  birds  with  one  stone 
— it  would  keep  water  where  it  is  most 
needed:  and  from  places  where  it  is  not 
needed  and  at  times  is  a  curse. 

If  half  the  sums  that  have  been  expended 
in  preventing  overflow  of  the  Mississippi 
bottoms,  had  been  invested  in  impounding 
water  for  irrigation  several  times  20,000, 
000  acres  would  by  this  time  be  covered 
with  productive  fields  and  happy  homes, 
that  are  now  wastes,  and  without  occu- 
pants. The  peop!e  of  the  arid  region  are 


digging  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth  to  find 
water,  and  erecting  pumping  plants  to 
bring  it  to  the  surface,  but  it  is  not  in  the 
larger  part  of  the  arid  domain  that  water 
can  thus  be  obtained,  while  there  is  a 
quantity  that  comes  from  above  in  snow 
and  rain  that  runs  away,  rendering  little 
or  no  service  to  man.  All  that  is  wanted 
is  for  man  to  create  the  means  that  will 
utilize  and  preserve  it.  The  means  re- 
quired are  large  and  the  general  govern- 
ment can  best  afford  to  supply  them.  No 
enterprise  now  before  the  American  people 
will  so  greatly  promote  the  common  well- 
fare  as  to  make  the  arid  region  habitable 
and  productive  to  the  utmost  practicable 
extent. — Rural  Calif ornian. 


A  GREAT  IRRIGATION  ENTER- 
PRISE. 


The  Emperial  Press,  California,  says:  The  most  extensive  irriga- 
tion system  to  be  found  in  America  is  now  in  process  of  construction 
in  the  eastern  portion  of  San'Diego  county,  this  State. 

The  land  to  be  irrigated  comprises  a  portion  of  the  delta  of  the 
Colorado  river,  more  generally.known  as  the  Colorado  desert.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  are  fully  500,000  acres  of  arable,  irrigable  lands 
under  the  flow  of  the  canals  of  this  system  in  this  State  and  more  than 
half  as  much  more  in  Lower  California. 

These  lands  are  naturally  very  fertile,  being  composed  of  the  allu- 
vial deposits  of  the  Colorado  river  made  during  past  ages.  The  sur- 
face of  the  country  is  very  level,  generally  free  from  brush  and  usu- 
ally free  from  gulches  or  any  other  kind  of  unevenness  that  would 
require  much  expense  to  overcome. 

The  Colorado  river  furnishes  the  water  in  abundance.  It  is  stated 
by  competent  engineers  that  there  is  enough  water  in  the  Colorado 
river  to  irrigate  8,000,000  acres  of  land  and  there  is  not  to  exceed 
3,000,000  acres  to  be  irrigated  within  the  reach  of  the  waters  of  that 
stream. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  stream  is  that  high  water  always  comes  in 
June  and  low  water  in  January.  The  river  at  the  railroad  bridge  at 
Yuma  is  always  about  nine  feet  higher  the  last  week  in  June  than  it  is 
in  midwinter.  This  gives  the  most  water  in  summer  when  the  most  is 
required  for  irrigation,  and  the  least  in  winter,  when  little  is  required. 

This  stream  probably  more  closely  resembles  the  celebrated  Nile 
than  any  other  river  in  the  world. 

The  waters  of  the  Colorado  river  carry  a  very  large  amount  of 
commercial  fertilizers.  A  careful  study  of  this  subject  by  the  United 
States  experimental  station  connected  with  the  Territorial  University 
of  Arizona  demonstrates  the  fact  that  an  acre  foot  of  water  from  this ' 
river  contains  commercial  fertilizers  to  the  valued  at  $3.41.  So  that  a 
tract  of  land  irrigated  during  the  season  with  water  enough  to  cover 
the  ground  three  feet  deep  would  receive  fertilizers  to  the  value  of 
over  $10  per  acre,  and  this  fertilizing  material  would  cost  nothing  ex- 
tra over  and  above  the  cost  of  the  water. 

It  is  this  kind  of  material  that  has  made  the  soil  of  this  great  delta, 
and  therefore  it  is  very  fertile  and  must  of  necessity  forever  remain 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  259 

so  when  irrigated  by  this  water — no  matter  how  much  it  may  be 
cropped. 

This  being  the  character  of  the  land  and  water,  the  next  thing  is 
to  bring  them  together. 

Public  attention  has  been  directed  to  this  great  desert  for  the  last 
half  of  a  century. 

In  1856  Dr.  O.  M.  Wozencraft  of  San  Bernardino  commenced  his 
work  of  exploring  the  desert  and  preparing  plans  for  reclaiming  it  by 
means  of  water  from  the  Colorado  river.  He  applied  to  Congress  for 
a  land  grant  to  assist  in  the  work,  and  secured  a  strong  endorsement 
from  the  Committee  on  Public  Lands  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
He  also  applied  to  the  State  Legislature  of  California  and  secured  the 
state's  interests  in  the  lands  of  that  county,  but  the  civil  war  of  1861-5 
put  an  end  to  this  program  and  the  project  was  allowed  to  sleep  until 
the  past  few  years. 

In  1896  the  California  Development  Company  was  organized  under 
the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  with  headquarters  in  New  York 
City.  This  company  purchased  the  Hanlon  Heading  on  the  Colorado 
river  adjoining  the  international  boundary  line,  purchased  100,000 
acres  of  land  just  below  the  line  extending  from  the  Colorado  river  on 
the  east  to  the  mountains  on  the  west,  in  order  to  secure  a  right  of 
way  for  the  canal,  and  spent  many  thousands  of  dollars  in  surveys  for 
the  canals  from  the  river  to  the  lands  to  be  irrigated  in  what  was  com- 
monly known  as  the  New  River  country. 

Early  in  1900  this  company  was  reorganized  and  its  headquarters 
was  moved  from  New  York  City  to  Los  Angeles.  George  Chaff ey 
became  president  of  the  company  and  its  Board  of  Directors  was  sel- 
ected with  a  view  to  pushing  active  construction  of  the  irrigating 
system. 

C.  R.  Rockwood,  who  had  spent  eight  years  of  his  life  in  studying 
this  problem,  much  of  his  time  in  the  field,  was  retained  as  chief  engi- 
neer of  the  reorganized  company. 

In  order  that  the  entire  energies  of  the  Califofornia  Development 
Company  might  be  devoted  to  the  construction  of  the  irrigation  sys- 
tem, the  Imperial  Land  Company  was  organized  to  act  as  an  agency 
to  colonize  the  lands  to  be  reclaimed.  S.  W.  Pergusson  was  made 
general  manager  of  this  company,  and  the  work  of  opening  up  the 
desert  was  begun  in  April,  1900,  and  this  work  has  been  pushed  ever 
since. 

A  hotel  was  built  at  Flowingwell  Station  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
railroad — this  being  the  most  convenient  station  to  be  used  as  a  base 
of  supplies. 

A  camp  was  established  at  Blue  Lake,  about  forty  miles  to  the 
south,  and  a  stage  line  was  inaugurated  between  these  two  points. 


260  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

The  country  between  Salton  river  on  the  east  anl  New  river  on 
the  west  was  surveyed,  as  most  of  the  stakes  and  mounds  of  the  orig- 
nal  government  survey  had  been  lost. 

Imperial  water  Company  No  1  was  incorporated  as  a  mutual  water 
company  to  secure  water  for  its  stockholders  from  the  California  De- 
velopment Company.  This  company  was  intended  to  irrigate  103,000 
acres  of  land  located  between  the  two  rivers  mentioned. 

Imperial  Water  Company  No,  2  was  incorporated  to  irrigate  about 
90,000  acres  of  land  north  of  No.  1. 

Imperial  Water  Company  No.  3  was  incorporated  to  irrigate  about 
25,000  acres  of  land  near  the  boundary  line. 

Imperial  Water  Company  No.  4  was  incorporated  to  irrigate  12, 500 
acres  of  .land  originally  included  in  the  territory  of  No.  2  company. 

Recently  Imperial  Water  Company.  No.  5  has  been  incorporated  to 
irrigate  100,000  acres  of  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Salton  river, 
which  tract  is  now  known  as  Eastside. 

All  of  these  companies  are  mutual  in  character,  having  been  incor- 
porated to  furnish  water  to  their  stockholders  only  at  cost,  so  that  no 
one  could  get  water  from  any  of  these  companies  except  by  purchas- 
ing stock  in  one  of  them  at  the  rate  of  one  share  to  each  acre  of  land. 
A  contract  between  each  company  and  the  California  Development 
Company  provides  for  a  perpetual  water  supply  delivered  at  the  inter- 
national boundary  line  at  a  cost  of  fifty  cents  per  acre  foot,  or  about 
two  cents  per  inch  for  a  twenty-four  hours'  flow. 

The  stock  of  these  companies  was  to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the 
California  Development  Company  and  for  the  creation  of  a  fund  to 
construct  the  distributing  system  of  canals  and  ditches  for  the  several 
mutual  companies. 

The  water  stock  of  the  various  companies  is  being  sold  at  $11.25 
per  share. 

Under  this  program  for  cheap  land  and  cheap  water  rights,  and 
cheap  water  rights  perpetually,  people  began  to  flock  to  the  desert  and 
secure  lands  and  purchase  water  stock. 

During  the  past  year  over  two  hundred  persons  have  secured  land 
under  the  desert  act  and  taken  water  stock  for  the  same  in  the  various 
companies. 

A  number  have  also  taken  up  homesteads  and  purchased  the  water 
stock.  Some  have  taken  school  lands  and  others  have  located  Forest 
Reserve  scrip.  In  all  over  100,000  acres  of  land  have  been  secured  by 
those  who  have  purchased  water  stock  for  the  same. 

The  town  of  Imperial  has  been  established  about  twenty  eight 
miles  south  from  Flowingweli,  between  the  Salton  and  New  rivers,  on 
the  road  to  Blue  Lake.  Here  a  general  merchandise  store  has  been 
established  by  W.  F1.  Holt;  a  hotel  has  been  opened  for  accommodation 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  261 

of  the  traveling  public;  lumber  is  on  the  ground  for  a  church  building 
and  the  services  of  a  minister  have  been  engaged. 

W.  F.  Holt  is  building  a  telephone  line  which  will  be  completed  . 
from  Iris,  telegraph  station,  via  Plowingwell  to  Imperial  in  a  few  days. 

Imperial  has  been  formed  into  a  school  district,  and  it  is  the  inten- 
tion to  erect,  the  present  season,  a  school  house  to  cost  §5000,  as  it  is 
estimated  that  the  school  next  winter  will  require  two  teachers.  This 
large  school  district,  which  is  about  fifty  miles  square,  will  have  to  be 
cut  into  several  smaller  districts  next  year. 

In  the  hills  to  the  west  of  this  great  valley,  .the  out-cropping  and 
seepages  of  oil  are  said  to  be  the  very  best  to  be  found  in  the  State, 
and  during  the  past  few  months  over  500,000  acres  of  this  oil  territory 
have  been  filed  upon  for  oil  purposes,  and  already  several  rigs  are  at 
work  going  down  deep  for  oil.  In  one  well,  at  a  depth  of  400  feet,  a 
supply  of  artesian  water  was  struck.  This  was  at  the  junction  of  the 
Carriso  and  San  Felipe  creeks,  on  the  western  edge  of  the  desert. 

As  regards  climate,  in  summer  it  is  hob,  in  winter,  lall  and  spring 
it  is  delightful.  The  summers  are  about  the  same  as  those  of  the  Salt 
River  valley  in  Arizona.  The  nights  as  a  rule  are  not  too  warm  for 
comfort  in  the  summer  months.  The  atmosphere  is  so  very  dry  that 
the  heat  which  at  mid-day  runs  above  a  hundred  in  the  shade  for 
weeks  at  a  time,  is  not  oppressive. 

As  to  crops,  this  will  be  a  general  farming  country,  with  alfalfa  a 
staple,  and  the  fattening  of  cattle  will  be  a  leading  industry.  This 
will  be  the  greatest  cattle  fattening  country  in-  the  United  States. 
More  cattle  can  be  fattened  here  on  a  given  area  and  at  less  expense 
than  in  any  other  known  section. 

Eventually  it  will  be  an  early  fruit  country.  This  industry  will 
develop  gradually.  It  is  probably  too  cold  for  citrus  fruits  in  most 
localities,  but  deciduous  fruits  and  raisin  grapes  will  develop  here  to 
perfection. 

So  much  for  the  country,  the  soil,  the  climate,  the  productions  and 
the  work  already  done  to  make  this  counlry  habitable,  bub  nothing 
will  succeed  without  water. 

The  California  Development  Company  commenced  work  last  Aug- 
ust on  the  main  canal  at  Hanlon  Heading  on  the  Colorado  river. 

A  large  dredge  was  purchased,  having  a  capacity  to  handle  3,000 
cubic  yards  of  dirt  every  twenty-four  hours.  This  dredge,  which  is 
forty-five  feet  in  width,  has  worked  its  way  down  towards  the  Salton 
River  channel,  digging  the  canal  as  it  went,  for  a  distance  of  nearly 
ten  miles,  so  that  now  the  water  is  running  down  from  the  Colorado 
river  through  the  canal  into  the  Salton  river  channel  to  a  point  where 
it  is  being  diverted  into  the  canal  again  near  Cameron  Lake,  about 
fifty  miles  from  Hanlon  Heading. 


262  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

A  hydraulic  dredge  has  also  been  constructed  with  which  to  pump 
the  silt,  that  may  settle  from  the  water,  back  into  the  Colorado  river 
again.  This  dredge  is  now  at  work  near  the  temporary  heading  of 
the  canal.  The  permanent  heading  has  not  as  yet  been  constructed. 
Below  the  permanent  heading  there  will  be  a  large  settling  basin  in 
which  all  the  coarser  matter  in  the  water  will  settle.  This  basin  will 
be  about  half  a  mile  long  by  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  The  lower  head 
gates  now  being  built  are  located  just  below  this  basin,  and  a  tempo- 
rary heading  a  mile  below  the  permanent  heading  and  just  above  the 
lower  headgates  is  now  being  used  to  take  the  water  from  the  river 
into  the  canal. 

For  several  months  past  a  large  force  of  teams  and  Fresno  scrap- 
ers has  been  at  work  constructing  the  main  canal  that  is  to  furnish 
water  to  that  portion  of  the  desert  between  Salton  and  New  rivers. 
This  main  canal  is  seventy  feat  wide  and  will  carry  four  or  five  feet  of 
water.  By  the  first  of  June  the  water  will  be  at  the  town  of  Imperial 
and  the  distributing  canals  will  be  completed  as  rapidly  as  possible,  so 
that  by  next  winter  those  who  are  located  between  these  two  rivers 
will  be  able  to  have  the  water  delivered  to  their  lands.  Many  of  the 
settlers  will  be  able  to  procure  water  this  summer  for  summer  crops, 
such  as  sorghum,  Egyptian  corn  and  other  similar  crops. 

Recently  a  steam  excavator  has  been  brought  to  Imperial  and  will 
be  set  to  work  to  assist  in  dredging  the  distributing  system  of  canals 
and  ditches,  and  the  work  will  now  progress  more  rapidly.  The  work 
with  teams  has  been  very  expensive,  as  hay  has  cost  $30  a  ton  and 
grain  $35  a  ton,  and  with  feed  at  these  prices,  one  hundred  and  seventy 
horses  have  been  kopt  busy  on  the  works  for  months.  This  has  been 
in  addition  to  nearly  as  many  more  employed  on  the  canal  near  the 
Colorado  river. 

During  the  past  year  an  immense  amount  of  work  has  been  done 
under  great  difficulties.  The  worst  is  now  over.  The  water  will  soon 
be  delivered.  The  public  confidence  in  ultimate  success  has  been  ex- 
traordinary. 

It  was  hoped  that  the  water  could  have  been  delivered  to  the  set- 
tlers in  time  for  active  work  in  cultivating  their  lands  this  season,'  but 
unforseen  obstacles  delayed  the  work  for  a  few  weeks  beyond  the  ap 
pointed  time. 

This  is  the  record  of  a  year's  work.  The  public  are  asked  to  scan 
it  carefully  and  pass  judgment 


EARLY  IRRIGATION. 


The  most  prominent  feature  in  the  history  of  the  gradual  growth 
and  development  of  man,  is  agriculture.  Having  its  origin  in  neces- 
sity its  development  of  man  is  agriculture,  advancement  to  the  highly 
civilized  plans  he  has  obtained.  Beginging  with  the  use  of  nuts 
fruits,  roots  and  game  obtained  in  the  wild  state,  the  requirements 
became  more  exacting,  for  man  is  in  nature  never  satisfied.  The  re- 
sort to  planting  and  growing  for  themselves  the  different  fruits  which 
the  early  inhabitants  of  the  earth  had  been  accustomed  to  use.  was 
but  a  natural  outcome  of  observing  how  seeds  sprouted,  grew  and  pro- 
duced the  very  articles  of  diet  with  which  they  were  familiar.  The 
increase  of  population  in  the  "Cradle  of  Man,"  gradually  forced  the 
weaker  tribes  into  the  great  deserts  to  the  west.  Here  they  encount- 
ered the  hardest  conditions,  finding  nature  -against  them  in  a  land 
where  water  was  scarce  and  where  no  vegitation  could  grow  except  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  springs.  It  was  under  rigorous  conditions 
that  the  desert  tribes  lived  and  grew  in  numbers  and  strength. 

By  reason  of  their  surroundings  and  the  hard  struggle  for  exist- 
ence, these  people  became  fatalists.  Under  the  later  influence  of  the 
Koran  their  fanatical  instinct  were  aroused  and  they  went  forth  to 
the  conquest  of  the  worid,  to  convert  all  to  the  doctrines  of  Moham- 
med. They  are  today  a  sturdy  wiry  race,  but  from  the  first  their 
training  has  been  in  the  hard  school  of  adversity.  Theirs  was  not  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  but  what  they  raised  was  by  the 
•abundant  sweat  of  the  brow.  The  culture  of  their  simplest  necessi- 
ties meant  indefatigable  and  patient  labor. 

From  time  immemorial  irrigation  has  been  practiced  by  man  in 
aid  of  agriculture;  in  fact  the  birth  of  agriculture  was  in  irrigation. 
The  idea  undoubtedly  originated  in  the  apt  illustration  afforded  by 
the  oases  in  the  deserts.  Here,  with  surrounding  sand,  hot,  blister- 
ing, drifting  sand,  absolutely  devoid  of  vegetation,  the  hardy  sons  of 
the  desert  were  wont  to  seek  the  grateful  shade.  Beside  the  springs 
they  could  lie  in  the  shadow  of  the  date  palm,  and  sleep  the  sleep  of 
the  weary,  rising,  refreshed  and  ready  for  the  next  journey  which  was 
measured  from  oasis  to  oasis.  It  was  but  natural  for  man  to  ^bserve 
that  where  springs  and  water  were  plentiful  vegetation  throve.  By 
the  cultivation  of  the  larger  of  these  oases  they  raised  the  food  nec- 
essary for  their  simple  diet.  When  they  needed  more  land  for  agri- 
culture, it  was  but  natural  to  attempt  to  moisten  the  soil.  To  secure 
water  for  this,  wells  were  dug.  From  these  the  water  was  drawn  by 


264  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

hand  and  carried  in  leathern  bags  to  the  little  patch  which  they  in- 
tended to  cultivate. 

Where  the  desert  extended  along  the  banks  of  a  river,  as  the  Nile 
or  the  Euphrates  for  instance,  the  water  was  plentiful.  It  but  need- 
ed to  be  applied  to  the  land  to  procure  the  crops  needed  by  man.  The 
sculptures  of  ancient  Egypt  contain  figures  of  men  with  a  yoke  upon 
their  shoulders  bearing  water  pots.  This  was  of  course  only  possible 
where  the  water  was  near  at  hand.  Sculptures  of  a  little  later  date 
shows  the  use  of  the  bucket  and  lever — known  as  the  shadoof  by  the 
Arabs — the  simple  well  sweep  of  our  older  country  homes  and  still 
used  for  irrigating  in  many  parts  of  Egypt,  Arabia,  Persia,  and  India. 
It  consists  of  a  pole  pivoted  upon  an  upright  with  a  skin  bucket  fast- 
ened to  one  end  and  a  weight  upon  the  other.  With  this  the  water 
can  be  raised  to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet  into  a  trough  from 
which  it  flows  into  a  small  tank  or  surface  reservoir.  Where  the 
water  has  to  be  raised  to  a  great  height  it  is  accomplished  by  a  series 
of  shadoofs,  one  above  the  other,  each  depositing  the  water  in  a  tank 
immediately  above,  from  which  it  is  again  raised  eight  or  ten  feet  and 
so  on  until  it  is  finally  on  the  level  of  the  land  sought  to  be  irrigated. 

As  civilization  progressed,  ditches  or  troughs  by  easy  transition, 
replaced  the  man  with  the  bucket  as  the  means  of  leading  the  water 
into  land.  Ridges  a  few  inches  in  height  were  raised  around  small 
patches  of  ground  and  the  water  was  permitted  to  run  in  until  the  soil 
was  covered  when  the  gap  was  closed  in  this  square  and  an  opening 
made  in  the  next.  After  a  long  apprenticeship  man  gradually  acqui- 
red a  knowledge  of  mechanics  and  the  application  of  the  forces  of 
nature  to  his  own  ends.  Crude  water  wheels  were  constructed  which 
were  propelled  first  by  human  labor  and  later  by  oxen,  cows,  donkeys 
or  camels  and  finally  by  the  current  of  streams. 

The  need  was  water!  water!  water!  No  matter  how  laborious  the 
task,,  water  must  be  gotten.  So  by  these  methods,  against  over- 
whelming odds,  man's  struggle  with  the  forces  of  nature  has  continued 
for  untold  ages.  And  today,  through  the  application  of  the  principles 
discovered  by  our  predecessors  in  irrigation,  we  see  millions  of  acres 
of  soil,  worthless  otherwise,  reclaimed  and  made  fruitful.  Experience 
has  shown  that  where  the  water  is  under  control  better  and  larger 
crops  can  be  produced  than  on  lands  where  nature  has  been  most 
bountiful  in  furnishing  rainfall.  In  the  latter  regions,  rain  often 
comes  at  inopportune  times  and  again  fails  just  when  most  needed  by 
the  maturing  crop.  Failure  or  partial  failure  is  frequent  in  the  most 
favored  regions;  under  modern  systems  of  irrigatio.i  it  is  impossible. 


IRRIGATION    IN    PERU. 


Senor  Raman  Estacia,  who  is  a  visitor  to  this  country  from  Peru, 
can  talk  very  interestingly  about  his  home  under  the  equator,  the  land  of 
the  Incas.  "I  am  in  the  United  States,"  said  Senor  Estacia,  "to study 
the  results  of  your  plunging  civilization  and  to  note  those  American 
inventions  which  would  help  us  in  my  country.  The  discovery  of  Am- 
erica destroyed  Peru  as  it  did  Mexico.  The  Peru  of  today  is  a  small 
part  of  the  ancient  empire.  At  the  time  of  the  conquest,  the  Span- 
iards found  the  land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  While  naturally 
in  a  large  part  a  desert,  owing  to  very  scant  or  no  rainfall  between 
the  mountains  and  the  coast,  the  natives  by  their  superior  wisdom  and 
foresight  of  their  Incas  had  brought  water  immense  distances  and  ren- 
dered arable  vast  stretches  of  country.  The  ancient  irrigation  of  Peru 
was  very  wonderful. 

"Water  was  conducted  by  means  of  canals  and  subterraneous 
aqueducts  executed  on  a  grand  scale.  They  were  built  of  large  slabs 
of  freestone  nicely  fitted  together  with  cement.  The  water  supply 
came  from  some  elevated  lake  or  natural  reservoir  in  the  heart  of  the 
mountains,  and  was  fed  at  intervals  by  other  basins  which  lay  on  the 
route  along  the  slopes  of  the  sierras.  Passages  were  cut  through 
rocks  (and  the  Peruvians  had  no  iron  tools)  and  almost  impassable 
mountains  were  turned;  rivers  and  morassesVere  crossed  and  appa- 
rently impossible  feats  of  engineering  were  accomplished  simply  to  se- 
cure water  for  the  irrigation  of  fields  and  gardens.  Some  of  these 
canals  were  very  long.  That  of  Condesuyu  was  between  400  and  500 
miles  in  length. 

"By  latent  ducts  or  sluices,  the  life  giving  fluid  was  led  to  the 
tillable  lands  along  the  line  of  the  canals.  In  some  instances  the  land 
was  flooded,  while  in  others  the  water  was  made  to  run  in  furrows  be- 
tween the  rows  of  growing  maize,  tobacco  and  other  crops.  Each 
occupant  of  land  was  allowed  a  certain  quantity  of  water  by  the  law  of 
the  empire.  Overseers  for  the  government  had  charge  of  each  dis- 
trict, and  saw  that  every  man  received  his  proper  amount,  and  test 
the  canals  were  kept  in  repair. 

"That  the  government  understood  the  dangers  of  floods  and  book 
steps  to  prevent  them,  is  shown  by  some  of  the  works  still  extant. 
Notables  is  the  still  visible  tunnel  near  Casamasca.  While  the  waters 
of  this  were  used  for  irrigation,  the  heavy  rains  and  melting  snows  of 
the  mountains  would  cause  an  overflow.  To  protect  the  irrigation 
works  and  the  settlements  along  the  route,  a  tunnel  was  excavated  in 


266  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

the  mountains  to  give  an  outlet,  in  another  ditection,  to  the  waters  of 
the  lake  when  they  rose  to  a  height  to  threaten  inundation. 

'•At  the  coming  of  the  Spaniard,  the  land  eyery where  teemed  with 
evidence  of  agricultural  wealth,"  said  Senor  Estacia,  reflectively.  To- 
day the  greater  part  of  this  paradise  has  reverted  to  its  original  arid 
condition.  Here  and  there  where  some  old  dirt  filled  and  long-for- 
gotten tunnel  leaks  a  little  moisture,  the  rank  vegeatation  of  our 
tropics,  in  contrast  with  the  surroundings  arid  wastes,  shows  the 
power  of  irrigation. 

This  gives  rise  to  the  reflection  that  the  Spaniards,  wherever 
their  star  of  chivalry  or  repacity  for  wealth  led  them,  have  destroyed 
and  never  created.  Their  coming  has  always  been  a  curse  to  the  peo- 
ple they  conquered.  Chivalric  and  recklessly  brave,  they  yet  consid- 
ered the  civilization  and  population  of  the  New  World  as  but  barbaric 
and  pagan  and  fit  only  for  destruction. 

But  these  native  people,  benighted  and  heathen,  had  battled  with 
nature,  learned  the  most  adverse  circumstances.  They  made  use  of 
mountain  lakes  and  natural  reservoirs,  wherein  were  stored  the  waters 
of  the  rainy  season  and  the  melting  snows,  to  be  used  during  the  dry 
season. 

We  have  today  in  California,  Colorado.  Arizona,  New  Mexico, 
Utah  and  the  Northwestern  States,  millions  of  acres  of  land,  the  pro- 
ductive capacity  of  which  is  beyond  compute,  which  can  and  will  be 
reclaimed  eventually.  Great  mountain  gorges  forming  natural  reser- 
voirs, can  be  used  for  storage  purposes,  and  the  land,  today  will  be- 
come an  empire  of  agricultural  wealth,  worth  far  more  fabulous  sums 
than  the  rich  mines  adjacent  to  them. 


MINNESOTA  FOR  IRRIGATION. 

While  nature  has  poured  forth  her  waters  so  copiously  over  Min- 
nesota that  its  7,000  lakes  and  numerous  water  courses  leave  it  no  di- 
rect interest  in  the  extension  of  the  irrigation  systems,  it  has  a  close 
interest  in  a  wisely  conceived  and  economically  executed  policy  of 
irrigation,  says  the  Pioneer  Press,  Montana,  Idaho,  and  Washing- 
ton are  all  tributary,  in  a  business  sense,  to  this  State. 

The  growth  of  their  populations  and  the  prosperity  of  their  peo- 
ples are  important  factors  in  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  Minnesota. 
A  national  policy  that  promises  to  cover  the  arid  lands  or  the  reclaim - 
able  portion  of  them  with  prosperous  cultivators  and  their  families  is, 
therefore,  a  policy  of  considerable  importance  to  the  Twin  Cities  and 
other  communities  in  this  State. 

In  Montana  alone  there  are  some  93,000,000  acres,  of  arid  land 
practically  uninhabitable  and  worthless.  But  of  this  area  it  is  esti- 
mated that  10  per  cent.,  or  some  9,300,000  acres,  is  capable  of  reclama- 
tion. There  is,  in  other  words,  sufficient  water  available  to  convert 
this  area  into  fertile  farm  land. 

It  has  been  estimated  by  those  interested  in  this  project  that  this 
area,  on  the  theory  that  forty  acres  would  support  a  family  of  five, 
would  make  room  fora  population  of  1,165,000.  This  estimate  of 
eighty  people  to  the  square  mile  is  not  intended,  of  course,  to  represent 
the  immediate  population  that  would  take  homes  on  the  reclaimed  area. 
It  represents  the  capacity  of  this  land,  and  considering  the  popularity 
of  such  lands  is  by  no  means  impossible  that  such  a  population 
might  at  no  distant  day  be  found  on  what  is  now  practically  a  desert 
that  contributes  nothing  to  the  wealth  of  the  Northwest  and  takes 
nothing  from  it. 

Big  and  little  industries  throughout  the  country,  from  the  rail- 
roads to  the  individual  laborer,  have  something  to  gain  from  the  devel- 
opment of  these  practically  empty  and  waste  regions  of  the  Western 
States. 

In  one  sense  it  is  no  less  important  than  the  encouragement  of 
railroads,  one  of  whose  principle  functions  is  to  establish  new  commu- 
nities and  make  business  for  the  older  ones.  A  railroad  to  the  heart 
of  Sahara  could  not  enrich  the  community  from  which  it  started. 
Population  is  the  foundation  of  all  business,  and  every  family  settled 
in  the  regian  tributary  to  Minnesota's  railways  is  so  much  gain  to 
Minnesota. 


DISASTROUS  RESULTS  FROM  DE- 
STROYING THE  FORESTS  OF 
NEW  YORK  AND  PENN. 


NOT  ONLY  AT  HOME  BUT  CLEAR  TO  THE  EAST. 


BY  C.  B.  PARKER. 

Nature's  laws  versus  man's  selfishness  and  covetousuess. 

Under  the  former  all  things  work  for  good  and  in  perfect  har- 
mony; under  the  latter  the  equilibrium  of  order  seems  lost  in  chaos 
and  confusion,  discord  and  too  often  calamity  follow  in  the  train  of 
wars,  pestilence,  famine,  drouths,  floods,  etc. 

After  an  absence  of  more  than  fifty  years  from  our  native  land, 
New  York  State,  the  writer  was  privileged  to  spend  the  last  year  in 
the  haunts  of  his  boyhood  days  from  Rochester,  N.  Y.  to  Binghamton 
and  in  Northeast  Pennsylvania  at  Williamsport,  Troy  and  Tomauda. 
We  were  surprised  at  the  climatic  changes  as  wrought  by  the  denud- 
ing of  the  grand  old  forests  of  pine  and  hemlock  with  the  irreparable 
and  disastrous  results  of  controverting  those  stable  and  useful  moun- 
tain streams  from  useful  mill  power  and  stock  water  as  well  as  being 
notorious  the  world  over  for  their  finest  of  trout  fishing.  Under 
nature's  or  God's  plan  the  great  forests  of  timber  held  the  heavy  snow 
fall  of  winter  as  a  gradual  reserve  of  supply  for  these  streams,  and  it 
melted  gradually  during  the  spring  and  supported  the  streams  to  a 
nice  flowing  condition  of  usefulness  all  the  seasons,  and  the  hum  of 
the  mill  was  heard  the  year  round  in  every  neighborhood,  and  great 
was  the  sport  in  fishing  for  the  speckled  trout;  but,  alas,  the  greedy 
lumberman  has  stripped  the  hills  of  timber,  and  the  snows  now  melt 
all  of  a  rush  with  the  spring,  and  the  little  streams  once  so  placid  and 
useful  now  are  wild  rushing  torrents,  overflowing  their  banks  and 
destroying  property  for  a  time,  and  as  the  snow  is  gone  they  ran  dry 
and  present  only  a  rocky  bed  the  balance  of  the  year,  not  even  afford- 
ing stock  water,  and  many  a  natural  spring  and  good  well  has  "gone 
•dry"  during  the  past  two  decades;  ana  notably,  nature  ever  true  to  the 
laws  of  cause  and  effect,  just  in  proportion  as  these  floods  have  pre- 
vailed in  the  north  so  have  our  rushing  streams  caused  the  Ohio,  the 
Mississippi  and  their  tributaries  to  overflow  more  than  in  earlier  days. 
And  now  for  the  remedy.  Unfortunately  this  generation  can  re- 
ceive but  little  comfort  or  relief,  for  it  hath  been  written,  "the  soul 


THE  IRR IGA  TION  A  GE.  269 

that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  "The  sins  of  the  father  are  visited  unto 
the  third  and  fourth  generation,"  etc.,  but  it  lies  within  us  to  do 
much  to  relieve  the  hardships  we  have  imposed  upon  generations  yet 
unborn  by  constructing  dams  in  thousands  of  those  northern  and  New 
England  hollows  and  holding  in  store  for  later  in  the  season  much  of 
the  spring  overflow  thereby  avoiding  the  rapid  swelling  of  the  streams 
below.  Also  the  forests  should  be  protected  from  further  extermina 
tion,  and  every  man  as  he  fells  a  tree  should  plant  two  and  keep  them 
alive,  and  while  growing  a  forest  may  seem  discouraging  as  a  slow 
process,  let  us  bear  in  mind  those  we  have  destroyed  were  once  planted 
for  us,  and  it  matters  but  little  by  whom. 

But  the  quickest  and  greatest  relief  that  has  suggested  itself  to 
the  writer  for  those  along  the  Mississippi  delta  is  possible  by  adapt- 
ing Col.  A.  Hoagland's  patented  steel  ship  canal  or  aquaduct  to  a  sys- 
tem of  relief  by  tapping  a  river  at  different  points  and  relieving  of  its 
overburdened  supply  of  water  and  conveying  in  another  direction;  for 
instance,  at  a  point  about  100  miles  above  New  Orleans  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, f j  om  La  Place  to  Lake  Poutchertrain  is  but  four  and  one-half 
miles,  and  this  lake  is  on  a  level  with  tide  water  at  the  Gulf,  or  nearly 
so.  Now  while  it  would  not  be  practical  to  open  the  level  and  dig  a 
ditch  or  canal  to  drain  off  a  portion  of  the  river  to  relieve  the  congested 
condition  from  here  to  New  Orleans,  but  the  writer  fully  believes  it  to 
be  entirely  practical  and  perfectly  feasible  to  open  the  land  at  a  point 
say  ten  or  twelve  feet  below  the  danger  line,  and  place  Col.  Hoagland's 
canal  or  aquaduct  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  say  300,  400  or  500  feet 
wide  and  ten  or  fifteen  feet  deep,  and  thus  drain  off  water  sufficient 
to  relieve  all  danger  of  overflow  below  this  point,  and  the  loss  to  crops 
and  money  expended  by  government  one  year  would  pay  for  and  com- 
plete the  aqueduct. 

After  a  careful  examination  of  Col.  Hoagland's  aqueduct  and  a 
conversation  with  different  civil  engineers  that  pass  upon  it  as  a  prac- 
tical invention,  we  fully  believe  it  is  a  means  capable  of  proving  a 
solution  of  this  problem  that  has  cost  so  much  of  time  in  Congress  the 
past  twenty  years,  and  so  much  of  money  with  s©  unsatisfactory 
results. 


LOUISVILLE,  KY.,  April  20,  1901. 

Editor  IRRIGATION  AGE,  Chicago,  111.,  Dear  Sir: — I  have  with  more 
than  ordinary  interest  noticed  in  the  February  number  of  the  AGE, 
communications  on  irrigation  by  Gen.  Nelson  A.  Miles,  of  the  United 
States  army;  one  by  Ulrich,  your  own  editorial  and  still  another  arti- 
cle by  Dr.  C.  D.  Parker,  all  of  them,  to  some  extent,  grouping  the  re- 
sults of  the  recent  irrigation  convention  held  in  Chicago,  and  each 
one  referring  to  the  importance  of  calling  on  the  government  of  the 


270  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

United  States  to   assist   the   inhabitants   of   the    "irrigation    states,'' 
Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Utah,    Nevada,    Wyoming,    Colorado,    Oregon, 
Washington,  Western  Kansas,  Nebraska  and   Texas,  in  utilizing  some 
portion  of  the  melting  snows  and  storm  water  by  housing  the  same  in 
reservoirs  for  irrigation. 

There  seems  no  longer  any  doubt  about  vast  bodies  of  sheet  water 
underlying  much  of  the  land  comprising  the  states  referred  to.  These 
facts  are  confirmed  by  the  construction  of  some  ditches  paralelling 
the  streams  in  the  valleys  they  traverse,  and  so  far  these  are  the  re- 
sults of  private  corporations.  They  serve,  however,  to  confirm  the 
existence  of  sheet  water.  This  sheet  water  comes  from  two  sources- 
living  springs  of  water  throughout  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  from 
rains  and  the  melting  of  the  snow.  The  springs  as  a  matter  of  course, 
flow  the  year  around,  and  constitute  the  main  supply  of  sheet  water 
and  is,  as  a  matter  of  course, flowing  day  and  night.  The  additions  of 
rains  and  snow  occur  only  during  the  heated  months  of  the  spring  and 
summer,  but  in  order  to  give  the  inhabitants  of  each  state  a  part  of 
these  waters  it  is  conceded  to  be  the  duty  of  the  general  government 
to  devise  some  means  for  getting  at  the  real  body  of  water  and  bring- 
ing it  to  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  then  by  some  means  distribut- 
ing it  to  the  farmer. 

The  method  that  is  being  discussed  more  fully  than  any  other  at 
the  present  time,  is  the  building  of  reservoirs  and  storing  these  storm 
waters  from  snow  and  rain  and  holding  the  same  for  distribution 
through  ditches  among  the  farmers  during  the  irrigation  season. 

I  perhaps  feel  a  little  more  interested  in  the  article  of  Dr.  Parker 
than  the  others,  as  I  am  the  inventor  of  the  maratime  aqueduct  canal 
and  the  water  elevator  referred  to  by  Dr.  Parker,  as  a  means  for  bring- 
ing the  sheet  water  to  the  surface  of  the  ground  and  putting  it  into  a 
concrete  channel  that  guarantees  no  loss  from  seepage.  I  am  now 
solicited  for  a  description  of  my  plan  for  getting  at  and  concentrating 
on  the  plains  for  irrigation,  this  sheet  water  where  it  is  nearest  th'e 
surface  of  the  ground. 

I  have  this  to  say:  excavate  to  within  a  few  feet  of  sheet  watar  a 
series  of  open  cisterns  or  reservoirs,  40  ft.  square  and  then  dig  ditches 
of  equal  depth  for  half  a  mile  to  the  right  and  left  of  these  cisterns, 
and  in  these  ditches  drive  into  sheet  water  say  LO  ft.  apart,  lines  of 
drain  pipes  with  strainer.  These  ditches  will  have  foundation  and 
walls  of  concrete,  making  a  slight  fall  from  the  outer  end  of  the  ditch 
to  the  reservoir  or  cistern,  thus  causing  the  water  as  it  flows  from  each 
drain  pipe  to  enter  the  cistern,  from  which  water  elevators  will  lift  the 
water  into  the  irrigation  canal.  I  am  assured  by  persons  familiar  with 
sinking  wells  on  stock  farms  and  ranches  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas, 
that  is  a  majority  of  these  wells  the  water  is  reached  through  drain 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  271 

pipes  driven  into  the  sheet  water,  and  the  deeper  they  go  the  stronger 
the  flow  of  water.  In  many  cases  the  water  rises  near  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  and  if,  as  I  suggest,  concrete  cisterns  were  constructed 
before  the  drain  pipes  are  driven  into  sheet  water,  these  wells  become 
artesian  and  the  water  will  flow  over  the  floor  of  the  cistern  and  it  is 
by  this  means  the  government  will  get  at  the  flow  of  water  in  the 
mountain  springs  and  from  rain  and  melting  snows  of  the  Rockies. 

These  concrete  irrigation  canals  need  not  be  over  six  or  eight 
feet  deep,  and  perhaps  not  that  depth,  by  30  or  40  ft.  in  width.  Judg- 
ing from  the  experience  of  concrete  pavements,  the  expense  of  these 
canals  need  not  be  over  $10,000  per  mile.  Now  that  the  government 
has  received  from  the  owners  of  these  lands  their  value  and  they  are 
not  remunerative  for  the  want  of  moisture,  it  would  seem  to  be  the 
duty  of  the  government  through  irrigation  to  aid  in  making  them 
available  for  raising  a  crop. 

Again,  the  certainty  of  a  crop  under  a  ditch,  the  owner  of  each 
farm  would  gladly  pay  a  tax  of  $2.00  and  $4.00  per  acre  to  the  govern- 
ment for  water,  and  the  government  would  in  this  way  be  reimbursed 
to  some  extent  for  the  outlay  in  building  the  concrete  canal.  I  cannot 
imagine  any  duty  on  the  part  of  our  government  more  sacred  than 
putting  within  reach  of  the  toiling  millions  of  the  farms  in  the  states 
we  have  referred  to,  the  means  with  which  to  make  a  living,  while 
they  do  live,  and  when  the  farmer  dies  leaving  his  family  in  posession 
of  the  means  of  maintaining  his  wife  and  children. 

I  can  only  say,  let  the  government  construct  a  few  miles  of  con- 
crete canal,  build  a  reservoir  with  side  ditches  and  sink  in  the  same, 
drain  pipes  and  bring  the  sheet  water  to  a  given  center,  and  by  means 
of  elevators,  lifting  the  water  into  the  ditches  in  any  desired  quantity. 
We  shall  no  longer  be  experimenting  by  sending  into  the  clouds- bal- 
loons and  exploding  dynamite  in  vain],  efforts  to  force  rain  from  the 
clouds,  especially  when  there  is  within  ten  and  twenty  feet  of  the 
surface  of  the  ground  on  territory  extending  fully  1000  miles  each  way. 
an  abundant  supply  of  water  for  grain,  grass,  garden  and  fruit 
harvests. 


ALEXANDER  HOAGLAND. 
KANSAS  CITY,  Mo.  April  23rd,  1901. 

MR.  ALEXANDER  HOAGLAND^  Louisville,  Ky.  Dear  Sir: — I  have 
beeen  dealing  in  and  selling  pumps  and  sinking  wells  in  the  various 
parts  of  the  country  for  the  past  13  years.  I  have  examined  your 
newly  devised  plan  for  concentrating^  sheet  water  in  reservoirs  by 
means  of  bringing  up  the  sheet  water  through  a  series  of  strainers  or 
drive  points,  and  am  convinced  that  the  plan  is  entirely  feasible,  and 
I  can  see  no  good  reason  why  the  government  should  not  give  the  de- 


272  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

vice  a  practical  trial  and  test  in  connection  with  building  reservoirs  in 
some  of  the  irrigation  states.  It  has  long  been  known  to  dealers  in 
wind  mills  that  when  wells  are  driven  in  sheet  water  in  western  val- 
leys, the  fountain  head  being  above  the  pipes  the  water  of  its  own 
gravity  will  flow  up  and  out  of  the  pipes,  and  if  they  are  used  on  an 
extensive  scale,  the  supply  of  water  thus  received  would  readily  irri- 
gate large  bodies  of  land.  I  wish  you  the  entire  confidence  of  the 
government  in  your  simple  and  feasible  plan  of  making  the  water 
available  in  all  of  the  irrigation  states.  Your  constant  efforts  in  de- 
vising a  mode  of  makiug  the  vast  lands  which  are  almost  a  desert  into 
valuable  farming  and  stock  raising  farms  should  be  highly  commended 
by  the  thinking  people  of  the  entire  west. 

Yours  Truly, 
BRINTON  PUMP  &  PLUMBING  Co. 

(Signed)  G.  G,  BRINTON,  Prop. 


ALMOST. 

Did  you  ever  live  in  the  land  Near- 

By 
On  the  fringe  of  the  forest  they 

call  Almost, 
Where   the   ships   drift  homeward 

from  By  and- By 
All  laden   with   wishes   from    the 

Wonder  Coast? 

Where  the   music  is  sweeter  than 

Ever  Was, 
And  flowers  are  fairer  than  Ever 

Could  Be, 
Where  the  only  language  is  Ohs! 

and  Ahs! 

To  tell  of  the  beauties  we  almost 
see? 

From  this  blest  invisible  land  Be- 
yond, 
Just  over   the  border  of  sorrow 

and  stress, 
Come  notes  of  a  nocturne  memory 

conned 

Like  the  lingering  joy  of  a  dream 
caress. 

Did  ever  a  soul  in  its  farthest  flight 
Wing  its  way  to  the  wonderful 

city  Somewhere 

On  the  shore  of  this  shadowy  coun- 
try quite? 

Yet    ever    and    always    we    are 
almost  there 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 

In  diversified  farm/no-  by  irrigation  lies  the  salvation  of  nyrrlcnlttire. 


CITY  MILK. 

Chicago  physicians  have  long  felt 
the  need  of  pure  milk  for  infants 
and  invalids,  but  much  feeling  has 
not  resulted  in  much  activity.  Doc- 
tors are  not  hasty  about  going  into 
the  dairy  business.  There  is  at 
least  one  dairyman,  however,  who 
has  given  ear  to  the  doctors'  great 
need,  and  has  given  much  attention 
to  suggestions  made  by  the  Chi- 
cago profession.  This  man  is  Mr. 
H.  B.  Gurler.  a  dairyman  of  20 
years'  experience,  and  a  man  of 
very  unusual  observation. 

"Pure  milk"  was  a  subject  of 
mutual  interest  and  discussion  be- 
tween Mr.  Gurler  and  a  number  of 
physicians  at  the  May  meeting  of 
the  Chicago  Medical  Society.  It  is 
the  object  of  this  article  to  report 
some  of  the  most  important  things 
^brought  up  at  that  meeting. 

Cattle  should  have  wholesome 
food;  well  ventilated  barns  during 
the  winter  months,  and  open  range 
in  summer  time.  Cows  fed  upon 
decaying  vegetables,  distillery 
slops,  and  supplied  with  water 
containing  decaying  lanimal  and 
vegetable  matter,  give  most  un- 
wholsome  milk.  Cows  which  are 
suddenly  changed  from  ground  to 
pasture  food  frequently  cause  diar- 
rhoea in  the  nursing  calf,  and  like- 
wise an  infant  may  suffer  gastro- 
intestinal derangement  by  feeding 


on  milk  from  such  cows.  On  ac- 
count of  reproductive  influence, 
cows  should  be  milked  no  longer 
than  a  period  of  nine  months,  until 
another  calf  is  born. 

Among  other  sanitary  conveni- 
ences of  the  barns  of  Mr.  Gurler's 
dairy  are  ventilation  pipes,  sewer- 
age and  cement  floors,  which  floors 
are  flushed  daily.  Milking  is  per- 
iormed  in  a  most  cleanly  way. 
Sometime  before  milking  the  cows 
are  groomed,  the  udders  are  washed, 
and  milkersare  required  to  wash 
their  hands.  The  milk  pail  is  cov 
ered  with  a  fine  strainer,  containing 
absorbent  cotton,  so  that  strain- 
ing is  performed  in  the  act  of  milk- 
ing. The  first  milk  in  each  teat  is 
rejected,  since  bacteria  may  be 
found  in  this  first  milk.  All  uten- 
sils used  in  handling  milk  are  ster- 
ilized by  steam  in  a  sealed  room,  the 
temperature  of  which  is  kept  at 
212°  Parenheit  for  30  minutes,  As 
soon  as  the  milk  is  obtained,  it  is 
run  through  a  centrifugal  machine 
to  separate  cream.  The  object  of 
this  process  is  to  enable  the  dairy- 
man to  so  mix  the  cream  and  skim 
milk  that  milk  containing  4  per 
cent  fat  may  be  obtained.  The 
separator  also  eliminates  mucus,  or 
any  foreign  matter  that  may  have 
gotten  into  the  milk.  The  milk  is 
then  cooled  to  a  temperature  of  45° 
Farenheit;  bottled,  wood  pulp  stop- 


THE  I R  RIG  A  T10N  AGE. 


pers  being  used,  and  date  of  bot- 
tling is  stamped  on  each  seal.  The 
milk  is  kept  at  a  temperature  of 
35°  Farenheit  till  delivered  to  con- 
pumer.  It  is  from  12  to  36  hours 
old  when  received  by  customers. 

In  order  to  aid  the  physician  to 
prescribe  any  desired  percentage 
of  fat,  proteids  and  sugar,  a  table 
has  been  printed  on  cards  for  direc- 
tion in  the  use  of  definite  quanti- 
ties of  Gurler's  milk,  16  per  cent 
cream  and  sugar.  The  quantity  of 
modified  food  which  can  be  pre- 
pared according  to  this  table  is 
limited  to  24  ounces.  Mathemati- 
cal calculation  proves  this  table  to 
be  very  accurate,  and  correct  re- 
sults are  obtained  in  desired  per- 
centages by  following  the  direc- 
tion of  it. 

Regarding  tuberculosis  among 
his  cows,  Mr.  Gurler  says:  "I have 
seen  many  cows  that  no  one  would 
suspect,  react  to  the  tuberculin  test, 
and  prove  to  be  tuberculous  at  the 
post  mortem.  At  the  first  test  of 
my  herd,  3  per  cent  of  the  133  cows 
were  found  to  be  tuberculous. 
Once  each  year  the  tuberculin  test 
is  applied  to  this  herd,  and  percent- 
age of  diseased  cows,  each  time,  is 
much  below  the  first  test,  owing 
to  the  care  taken  in  keeping  tuber- 
culous cattle  away  from  the  heard, 
.Cows  thus  diseased  are  promptly 
killed. 

Veterinarians  consider  the  tuber- 
culin -  test  very  satisfactory,  and 
are  striving  for  larger  privilege  in 
examining  cattle.  Just  here  the 
physicians  have  an  important  in- 
terest also,  and,  when  possible, 
should  aid  the  veterinarians  in 


obtaining  such  privilege.  It  is  easy 
and  very  important  for  physicians 
to  recommend  to  their  patients 
those  dairies  which  are  under  vet- 
erinary inspection.  Every  physi- 
cian meets  with  a  large  number  of 
cases  of  tuberculosis  where  hered- 
itary history  throws  no  light  upon 
the  etiology  of  this  dreaded  dis- 
ease. This  applies  especially  to 
tuberculosis  ostitis,  so  frequently 
afflicting  children.  Tuberculous 
milk  is  certainly  a  great  source  of 
infection. 

The  following  are  causes  of  im- 
pure milk,  which  is  the  kind  sold 
by  ordinary  city  milk  dealers: 

1.  Unhealthy  cattle;    improper 
food  and  care  of  cows. 

2.  Uncleanly  milking   and   care 
of  dairy  utensils. 

3.  Impure     atmosphere     where 
milk    is1    kept     in    small      stores. 
Small  dealers  also  water   and  drug 
their  milk. 

4.  Old  milk,  which  is  more   dif- 
ficult to  digest  and  is  more  favor- 
able for  growth  of  bacteria. 

5.  Long  distance  transportation 
which   increases   age  of  milk  from 
24  to  72  hours   and   so   agitates   it 
that  the  proteid  and  fat  are  rend- 
ered more  indigestible. 

6.  Warm    temperature      which 
favors  growth  of  bacteria. 

7.  Improper    care    of    milk   by 
consumer. 


THE    CULTURE  OF  PECANS. 

The  pecan  is  one  of  the  most  profitable 
nuts  that  can  be  grown  in  the  Southern 
and  Western  States  where  the  soil  and 
climate  arc  both  adapted  to  such  trees. 
The  tree  begins  bearing  at  an  early  age  and 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


275 


continues  for  an  indefinite  period  without 
requiring  much  care  in  pruning.  Paying 
crops  may  be  harvested  when  the  trees  are 
from  eight  to  ten  years  old.  The  trees 
will  yield  from  one  bushel  to  twenty  every 
year  during  the  lifetime  of  the  planter. 
The  nuts  are  always  in  demand  at  prices 
ranging  abont  one  dollar  per  bushel  when 
sacked  or  barrelle'd  for  the  market.  As 
the  trees  may  be  set  as  closely  as  an  apple 
orchard  there  is  certainly  money  in  the 
planting  of  such  a  grove,  in  addition  to  the 
value  of  the  timber  which  is  equal  to  al- 
most any  of  the  hard  woods  for  commercial 
uses. 

Pecans  belong  to  the  hickory  nut  family 
and  are  always  in  demand  on  the  city 
markets.  The  trees  are  forest  plants  grow- 
ing to  the  height  of  75  to  150  feet,  having 
wide  spreading  branches  and  oval  top  that 
make  them  ornamental  as  well  as  profitable. 
Nuts  are  borne  much  the  same  as  the 
hickory  and  are  ablong  in  general  appear- 
ance They  vary  in  size  so  that  the 
weight  ranges  from  25  to  100  for  a  pound. 
The  shells  are  very  thin  making  the  nuts 
easily  cracked.  The  trees  are  native  to  the 
country  south  of  parrallel  40  in  the  United 
States  and  are  rapidly  coming  to  the  front 
as  commercial  productions.  Texas,  Ken- 
tucky and  Missouri  are  noted  for  wild 
pecan  growth  but  the  commercial  world 
is  supplied  almost  entirely  from  Texas, 
Louisiana  and  California. 

The  soil  best  adopted  to  pecan  culture 
is  probably  the  sandy  loam  of  river  and 
creek  beds,  where  there  is  plenty  of  leaf 
mold  and  the  plant  food  necessary  for  hard 
wood  trees.  Experienced  men  report 
sandy  loam  with  clay  subsoil  the  best  while 
the  lands'  of  swamps  comes  next  in  impor- 
tance. The  clay  soils  give  earlier  crops 
but  the  nuts  are  small  and  unsale- 
able. 

This  tree,  like  all  of  the  hardwood  vari- 
eties, needs  liberal  supplies  of  Potash,  and 
it  is  well  to  make  annual  dressings  of  not 
only  Potash,  but  Phosphoric  Acid  and 


Nitrogen  as  well.  One  Ib.  each  of  muriate 
of  potash  and  Acid  Phosphate  and  i  Ib 
of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  tree  would  suffice. 
The  best  way,  though,  in  fertilizing  any 
orchard  is  to  fertilize  the  entire  area  and 
for  this  plan,  about  200  Ibs.  of  Muriate  of 
Potash  and  300  Ibs.  Acid  Phosphate  and 
150  Ibs.  of  Nitrate  of  Soda  per  acre  would 
be  a  good  application.  The  Potash  and 
Phosphoric  Acid  can  be  broadcasted  and 
worked  well  into  the  soil,  and  the  Nitrate 
of  Soda  used  as  a  top  dressing. 

Pecans  may  be  propagated  from  seeds 
which  can  be  planted  the  same  as  other 
nuts.  Probably  the  quickest  and  cheap- 
est plan  is  to  transplant  nursery  grown 
trees.  They  may  be  purchased  at  reasona- 
ble prices  from  those  having  nut  trees  for 
sale.  Small  ones  are  the  most  preferable 
as  they  will  live  better.  Forty  feet  apart 
is  wide  enough  to  plant  the  trees.  This 
will  give  40  trees  to  the  acre  and  insure 
from  200  to  1000  bushels  of  saleable  nuts 
every  year  after  the  trees  come  into  good 
bearing.  Clean  cultivation  is  necessary 
for  the  first  few  years  after  planting  a 
grove.  If  the  space  between  the  trees  is 
planted  to  cowpeas,  velvet  beans,  melons 
or  similar  crops  and  a  complete  fertilizer 
used  on  the  cover  crops  the  trees  will  hasten 
to  maturity  and  become  profitable  in  a  few 
years.  As  the  trees  develop  the  cultiva- 
tion between  rows  may  cease  but  it  is  neces- 
sary to  continue  feeding  the  old  trees  with 
plant  foods. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  pecans 
coming  from  improving  the  old  native 
trees.  The  Stuart,  Van  Deman,  Centen- 
nial and  Frotcher  are  the  most  popular. 
The  points  to  be  considered  in  planting 
any  varieties  are  the  quality  in  flavor, 
plumpness  of  kernel  and  soft  shell.  Trees 
should  be  planted  so  as  to  assist  in  fertili- 
zing the  blossoms  of  those  that  otherwise 
would  not  bear  fruits.  Sometimes  graft- 
ing of  superior  varieties  is  successfully 
accomplished,  but  it  is  better  to  get  only 
first  class  trees  at  the  start  and  care  for 


276 


7 II E  1RRI GA I  ION  A  GE. 


them  properly  and  thus  be  insured  good 
profits  when  they  bear. 


THE  VELVET  BEAN. 

The  velvet  bean  is  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable legumes  ever  introduced  in  the 
southern  states.  It  came  originally  from 
Tndia  as  an  ornamental  vine  and  has  sud- 
denly become  prominent  as  a  forage  plant 
and  soil  reviver  os  great  worth,  Under 
favorable  conditions  the  vines  grow  30  to 
50  inches  in  length  and  yield  two  to  three 
tons  of  excellent  hay  per  acre.  Some 
farmers  have  harvested  30  bushels  of 
beans  from  an  acre  and  secured  profits 
greater  than  any  other  bean  or  pea  crop. 
As  a  fertilizer  there  seems  to  be  nothing 
equal  to  the  velvet  bean,  and  the  part  it  is 
destined  to  play  in  agriculture  is  certainly 
a  subject  of  commendation. 

A  light  sandy  soil  is  best  suited  to  the 
velvet  bean,  and  the  richer  it  is  in  humus 
and  plant  food  the  better.  Fall  or  winter 
plowing  is  advisable,  and  early  spring 
planting  is  more  successful  than  later  in 
the  season.  A  bad,  weedy  field  can  be 
easily  and  cheaply  reclaimed  by  sowing 
to  velvet  beans  as  the  vines  will  choke 
out  all  foul  weeds  and  grasses. 

This  plant  belongs  to  the  legume  family 
and  possesses  a  common  property  of  draw- 
ing its  own  nitrogen  from  the  atmosphere. 
In  fertilizing  the  Dean,  therefore,  only 
phosphoric  acid  and  potash  have  to  be  ap- 
plied; from  15  to  20  Ibs.  muriate  of  pot- 
ash and  300  to  400  Ibs.  acid  phosphate 
per  acre  would  make  a  good  annual  dress- 
ing for  the  velvet  bean.  These  materials 
can  be  well  worked  into  the  soil  and  they 
will  promote  a  heavy  growth  of  the  crop 
which  means  an  absorption  of  a  large 
quantity  of  nitrogen  and  organic  matter. 

The  velvet  bean  is  a  small  mottled  brown 
and  white  seed  which  is  very  rich  in  pro- 
tein. It  grows  in  pods  borne  on  clusters 
two  to  three  feet  apart  on  the  long  vines. 
Kach  pod  contains  from  three  to  six  beans. 
A  long  season  is  necessary  to  mature  the 


beans,  hence  the  crop  is  more  profitable  in 
the  extreme  south.  The  value  of  the 
vines  for  pasturage  in  the  fall  and  plowing 
under  as  a  green  manure  is  so  great  that 
it  pays  well  in  the  central  and  northern 
states.  Many  analysis  of  the  vines  have 
demonstrated  their  richness  in  soil  foods. 
An  illustration  comes  frqui  the  Louisiana. 
Experiment  station  where  4,113  Ibs.  of 
velvet  bean  vines  and  leaves  contained 
93.4  pounds  of  nitrogen,  while  the  roots 
and  fallen  leaves  were  equally  rich  in  this 
plant  food. 

In  planting  the  velvet  bean  many  prefer 
drilling  in  rows  four  feet  apart,  dropping 
beans  in  hills  two  feet  apart.  About  two 
inches  is  sufficient  depth  to  cover  the 
seed.  If  the  -soil  is  rich  the  distance 
apart  in  rows  may  be  made  to  five  feet  and 
the  hills  widened  to  three  feet.  In  the 
northern  sections  of  the  country  the  seed 
may  ba  planted  more  thickly  than  in  the 
south  as  the  vines  will  not  grow  so  rank, 
and  beans  are  not  expected  to  mature. 
The  chief  uses  of  the  northern  crop  are 
for  pasture  and  hay,  but  the  beans  are 
valuable  even  for  these  alone,  without  any 
seed  ripening.  Where  the  vines  grow 
thrifty  a  disc  harrow  or  eolling  cutter  will 
be  necessary  in  plowing  under  the  crop 
for  its  fertilizing  qualities. 

As  a  food  product  the  velvet  beans  are 
relished  by  ir.any  peopje.  They  are  more 
difficult  in  threshing  and  cleaning  than 
the  ordinary  field  pea  or  bean.  If  ground 
and  used  for  feeding  cattle,  sheep  and 
hogs,  the  bean  meal  makes  a  rich  concen- 
trated food  equal  to  any  of  the  peas  or 
beans.  About  sixteen  quarts  of  seed  will 
plant  an  acre  at  the  average  distance  sug- 
gested for  hills.  The  seed  may  be  ob- 
tained from  any  aouthern  dealer  at  prices 
ranging  about  five  cents  a  pound.  On  ac- 
count of  its  method  of  collecting  nitrogen 
from  the  air  it  is  a  fine  cover  plant  for 
orchards  and  vinyards  There  is  probably 
no  single  plant  that  will  be  found  as  pro- 
fitable for  enriching  the  spice  between 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


277 


trees  and  at  the  same  time  driving  out  ob- 
noxious weeds  and  grasses. 

JOEL  SHOMAKER, 


BOOM  BEET  CULTURE. 
C.  F.  Saylor  of  Iowa,  the  special  agent 
in  Chicago  for  the  beet  sugar  investigation 
of  the  department  of  agriculture,  has  sub- 
mitted his  report  to  Secretary  Wilson 
He  says  this  year  shows  a  very  active  ten- 
dency toward  the  institution  of  new  beet 
sugar  enterprises.  Next  autumn,  he  says 
Michigan  will  have  three  new  factories  and 
Ohio,  Indiana,  New  York,  Colorado, 
South  and  North  Dakota  and  Illinois  will 
install  new  factories,  making  138  through- 
out the  country  now  in  contemplation.  A 
conservative  estimate,  he  says,  is  that 
there  will  be  forty-two  beet  sugar  factories 
in  operation  throughout  the  United  States 
by  the  end  of  next  autumn.  Everything 
indicates  that  the  industry  is  thoroughly 
established  throughout  the  country.  Even 
in  the  incipiency  of  the  industry  the  fac- 
tories have  shown  good  protits.  They 
have  maintained  themselves  without  any 
apparent  real  contest  with  the  sugar  trust. 
The  sections  of  the  country  that  seem 
most  adaptable  to  the  industry  are  where 
conditions  call  for  new  resources,  as  in 
Michigan,  where  there  has  been  a  large  in- 
crease in  the  last  three  years,  largely  due 
to  the  waning  of  the  lumbering  industry 
of  that  region.  There  will  be  fourteen 
factories  there 'next  season,  California  is 
the  leading  state  in  production,  with  eight 
factories,  including  the  largest  in  the 
world.  The  immense  amount  of  pulp  and 
refuse  left  after  the  extraction  of  the  sugar 
appeals  especially  to  the  farmer  and  the 
corollary  industries  that  gr>w  out  of  farm 
products.  No  feed  is  so  valuable  and  so 
cheap  for  the  dairy  and  stock-feedi  .g  in 
this  country  as  beet  pulp.  These  facto- 
ries turnout  from  45  to  50  per  cent  of  the 
original  weight  of  the  beets  worked  in  the 
form  of  refuse  or  bi  product.  Sugar  beets 
seem  to  respond  especially  to  cultivation 


n  the  arid  regions,  where  they  have  given 
better  results  than  any  other  crop.  The 
arid  section  has  been  enabled  to  cope  with 
other  sections  of  the  country  where  the 
crops  have  been  produced  by  natural  rain- 
fall, not  in  the  amount  of  tonnage  per 
acre,  but  in  the  higher  sugar  contents  and 
the  purity  of  beet.  The  results  in  Utah 
have  demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  the 
central  plant  idea,  with  branches  scattered 
at  numerous  points  for  performing  some 
detailed  parts  of  the  work. 


HOW  I  MAKE  PRIZE  BUTTER. 

I  use  good  milk  only,  and  I  have  a  rather 
hard  time  getting  it.  The  milk  is  heated 
in  the  receiving- vat  to  about  seventy-five 
degrees  and  finished  in  the  little  tempering 
vat.  When  it  reaches  eighty-six  degrees 
it  is  run  through  a  separotor,  skimming  a 
thirty  per  cent  cream.  I  use  a  starter  and 
this,  with  the  hand  separator  cream,  brings 
the  percentage  of  fat  down  to  twenty-six 
or  twenty-seven  per  cent,  which  I  consider 
about  right  to  secure  that  high,  delicate 
flavor  so  well  liked  in  our  markets.  My 
aim  is  to  stir  the  cream  every  half  hour, 
ripening  at  a  temperature  of  from  sixty- 
eight  to  seventy  degrees,  and  as  the  degree 
of  acidity  advanc«  s  the  cream  is  gradually 
cooled  down  so  that  it  stands  at  churning 
temperature  at  least  six  hours.  The  cream 
will  show  from  sixty-two  to  sixty-four  of 
one  per  cent  of  acidity  with  alkali  tablets 
at  the  time  of  churning. 

The  cream  is  churned  at  from  fifty-three 
to  fifty-four  degrees,  and  breaks  in  forty  to 
forty  five  minutes.  The  butter  comes  in 
granules  the  size  of  wheat  grains.  The 
buttermilk  is  drawn  off  immediately,  and 
the  butter  washed  in  just  enough  water  to 
float  it.  The  churn  is  given  a  few  revolu- 
tions with  the  engine  at  full  speed. 
The  water  is  drawn  off  directly,  as  I  think 
it  very  essential  to  making  a  high-flavored 
product  not  to  let  it  soak  in  water.  The 
butter  is  well  drained,  put  on  the  table- 
worker.  saUeu  with  one  ounce  of  fine  salt 


278 


THE  1RRWATJON  AGL. 


to  the  pound  of  butter,  worked,  and  put  in 
sixty-pound  tubs,  and  is  then  ready  for 
market. — John  Metzer,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Metzer  starts  with  his  proposition 
just  where  it  must  always  start  if  fine  but- 
ter is  made.  "I  .use  good  milk  only.'' 
There  is  also  great  significance  in  the  clos- 
ing part  of  that  sentence.  Every  patron 
of  a  creamery  should  read  it  over  and  think 
on  it  long.  Here  it  is:  ''And  I  have  a 
rather  hard  time  getting  it."  That  is  the 
universal  cry  among  creamery  men  and 
cheese  makers  everywhere.  In  Canada 
and  Wisconsin  and  in  New  York  it  is  just 
the  same.  Everywhere  they  say: 

"The  farmers  are  not  particular  enough 
to  send  us  good  milk.  They  don't  seem  to 
understand  the  value  of  good  milk  in  mak- 
ing high-priced  butter  and  cheese.  They 
don't  seem  to  realize  the  importance  of 
clean  cows,  clean  stables  and  clean  milk 
cans.  They  demand  that  we  shall  make 
first-class  butter  and  cheese  out  of  milk 
that  is  made  foul  by  the  filthy  habits  of 
certain  of  the  patrons.  And  there  we 
stand.  We  simply  cannot  make  such 


goods  unless  we  have  clean  milk.  If  we 
ask  the  patrons  to  unite  for  the  sake  of 
their  own  profit,  and  force  the  dirty  ones 
to  reform  their  course  or  leave,  they  will 
not  do  it.  They  seem  to  act  as  if  they 
had  rather  lose  a  good  bit  of  money  every 
year  than  to  offend  some  of  these  dirty  fel- 
lows who  are  lowering  the  value  of  the 
general  product  all  the  time." 

The  above  is  the  burden  of  complaint 
that  we  have  heard  from  thousands  of  but- 
ter and  cheese  makers  for  years,  and  it  is 
still  being  uttered.  The  Wisconsin  Dairy 
School  is  one  of  several  in  the  nation  that 
is  turning  out  hundreds  of  bright,  neat  and 
capable  young  butter  and  cheese  makers. 
But  what  can  they  do  with  dirty  milk? 
What  can  they  do  with  a  patron  who  is 
naturally  nasty  in  his  habits  and  prac- 
tices? The  fact  is,  the  patrons  of  every 
cheese  factory  and  every  creamery  ought 
to  form  a  solid  body  of  sentiment  and  re- 
sistance against  the  dirty  members  of  their 
own  flock.  It  is  these  men  who  keep 
down  the  prices  of  butter  and  cheese.— 
Hoard's  Dairyman. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


THE  DELINEATOR 

The  June  Delineator  covers  many  varied 
interests  of  the  home.  It  shows  the  latest 
styles  for  Ladies,  Misses,  Girls  and  Little 
Folks,  several  pages  being  illustrated  in 
colors  so  as  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  color 
combinations.  The  ever  practical  dress- 
making article  describes  the  construction 
of  the  new  Di  Vernon  waist.  Summer  time 
comes  it:  for  its  share  of  attention  by  spe- 
cial articles  being  devoted  to  material  for 
cycling  skirts,  to  summer  dress  fabrics  and 
to  a  number  of  new  and  pretty  surf  habits 
or  bathing  stits.  Summer  Millinery  is  also 
illustrated  in  colors.  The  problems  of 
Moving  Day  and  after  are  dealt  with  very 
thoroughly  by  Margaret  Hall  and  the  eti- 
quette required  on  the  part  of  those  who 
have  moved  into  a  new  neighborhood  is 
indicated  by  Mrs.  Frank  Learned  in  her 
Social  Observances  Department.  Pastimes 
for  Children,  all  sorts  of  fancy  needlework 
for  summer  hours,  indoor  decorations  and 
other  varied  interests  corns  in  for  attention. 
The  wonderful  benefactions  of  Baroness 
Clara  De  Hirsch,  who  a:ded  her  husband 
in  giving  away  $100,000,000,  are  described 
and  illustrated  by  Sara  K.  Bolton.  The 
short  stories  of  the  minth  are  by  Elmore 
Elliott  Peake  and  William  McLeod  Kaine. 
A  collection  of  antique  silver  is  described 
in  a  special  article  devoted  to  the  subject 
by  N.  Hudson  Moore.  The  illustrated 
Cookery  dealj  with  birthday  parties  and  is 
very  beautiful. 

There  is  much  else  of  interest  in  The 
Delineator;  a  publication  that  safely  claims 
for  itself  that  there  is  no  magazine  publish- 
ed that  can  meet  the  needs  of  all  women 
at  so  many  points 


SCRRIBNER'S. 

Henry  Norman,  M.  P.  resumes  his  ar- 
ticle in  the  June  Scribner's.  The  origin 
and  traditions  of  the  Scotch  universities 
are  little  known  in  this  country,  and  will 
be  described  by  Prof.  John  Grier  Hibben, 
ofPrinceton,  who  visited  them  a  year  ago. 
Mrs.  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin's  amusing 
seriel,  "The  Diary  of  a  Goose  Girl,"  is 
continued.  Ernest  Seth-Thompson  will 
begin  another  of  his  animal  biographies 
the  hero  this  time  being  a  mountain  sheep 
known  as  "Krag  the  Kootenay  Ham." 
Walter  A.  Wyckoff,  the  author  of  ''The 
Workers,"  onced  worked  on  the  Union 
Pacific  .Railroad  as  a  section  hand,  and  he 
will  describe  the  incidents  of  that  exper- 
ience. 

MCCLQRE'S. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelp^'s  drain i 
''Within  the  Gates,"  begun  ia  McClure,  s 
Magazine  for  May,  is  continued  in  the 
June  number.  Josiah  Flynt  contributes 
a  new  ''World  of  Graft"  article  called 
"Boston,  a  Plain-Clothes  vlan's  Town." 
In  'The  King's  Gold,"  Robert  Barr  relates 
more  of  the  incognito  rambles  of  King 
James  V.  of  Scotland,  in  the  highways  and 
byways  of  his  Capital.  An  article  by  that 
clever  essayist,  E.  S.  Martin,  entitled 
"Women"  which  is  handsomely  embel- 
lished with  numerous  half-tone  engravings 
from  celebrated  portraits  of  beautiful  wo- 
men of  former  times.  The  author  of  ''The 
Women  and  her  Bonds"  Mr.  Lefevre,  con- 
tributes another  Wall  Street  story.  An 
exceedingly  important  discovery,  is  made 
public  for  the  first  time  in  an  article  cal- 
led "Geology  and  the  Deluge,"  by  Prof. 
Fredrick  G.  Wright,  of  Oberlin  College. 


280 


1HE  IRR1GAIION  AGE, 


THE    GENTLE    FILIPINO. 
I  have  chases  the  fierce  Apache 

Through  his  God- forsaken  land: 
I  have  tracked  the  daring  horse-thief 

Where  his  footprints  marked  the  sand; 

I  have  summered  with  the  robbers 

Down  at  Conep-by-the-Sea, 
But  the  gentle  Filipino — say, 

He  beats  them  all  for  me. 

He  beats  them  all  for  me,  my  son, 

*The  whole  immortal  lot, 
In  his  slushy,  mushy  country, 

Where  the  climate's  good  and  hot. 

I  have  tracked  the  red  and  yellow,    . 

And  I've  tracked  the  wild  and  tan 
But  the  gentle  Filipino  is 

The  high,  low,  jack  and  game. 

With  his  timid  little  manner 
And  his  sweet  and  loving  smile; 

And  his  easy  way  of  swearing  that 
He  loves  you  all  the  while. 

With  a  white  flag  on  his  shanty 
Hanging  out  to  catch  the  eye, 

And  his  little  rifle  ready 
To  plunk  you  by-and-by — 

For  to  plunk  you  by-and-by,  my  boy. 

To  shoot  you  in  the  back, 
And  to  slip  away  as  swiftly  as 

A  sprinter  down  the  track, 

To  come  around  when  they  plant 

Just  to  drop  a  little  tear. 
For  the  gentle  Filipino  is 

A  tender-hearted  dear. 

He's  as  gentle  as  a  kitten, 

And  his  pastime,  as  a  rule, 
Is  to  shoot  the  flag-of-truce  man 

As  a  sort  of  April  fool. 
And  if  he  can  find  a  tree-top 

To  climb  to  with  his  gnn, 
And  pick  ofi  the  lad  that's  wounded- 

Then  he  knows  he's  having  fun; 
He  knows  he's  having  fun,  boys, 

A  grand,  good  time  all  'round — 
They  look  so  awkward  tumbling 

From  the  stretchers  to  the  ground.. 


And  it  is  such  fun  to  shoot  them 
And  kill  them  where  they  lay, 

For  the  gentle  Filipino  loves 
His  sweet  and  childish  play. 

And  I  know  I  am  a  blacksmith, 
'Cause  the  pamphlets  saj's  I  am; 

But  I  think  I'll  keep  a  fighting 
Just  the  same  for  Uncle  Sam — 

Just  the  same  for  Uncle  Sam,  boys 

And  just  bear  this  in  mind: 
And  that  the  watch-dog's  better  than 

The  cur  that  sneaks  behind. 

And  I'll  try  to  bear  up  somehow 
Under  this  my  murd'rous  taint, 

For  the  gentle  Filipino 

Is  a  darned  queer  kind  of  saint. 

JOSEPH  L.  AGNELL. 

Company  E.  Fourth  United  States  Infantry. 
Manila,  P.  I.,  March  19,  1901, 

A  WOMAN'S  WORK. 
When  breakfast  things  are  cleared  away 

The  same  old  problem's  rising, 
For  she  again  pits  down  to  think 

Of  something  appetizing. 
The  dinner  she  must  soon  prepare, 

Or  give  the  cook  directions, 
And  great  is  the  relief  she  feels 

When  she  has  made  selections. 

When  dinner  things  are  cleared  away 

The  problem  that  is  upper 
Is  just  the  same  with 'one  word  changed — 

''What  can  I  get  for  supper?" 
She  wants  to  give  them  something  new, 

And  long  is  meditation, 
Till  choice  is  made,  and  then  begins 

The  work  of  preparation. 

That  "woman's  work  is  never  done" 

Has  often  been  disputed, 
But  that  she's  worried  is  a  fact 

And  cannot  be  refuted. 
The  worry  over  what  to  eat 

Is  greatest  of  these  questions, 
And  glad  she'd  be  if  someone  else 

Would  make  the  meal  "suggestions." 

— Pittsburg  Dispatch. 


I  BRIG  A  TION  AGE.  231 

COLORADO  BEN. 

Ben  Davis  was  a  handsome  youth,  but  dry  as  any  chip, 

For  Nature  gave  him  gaudy  clothes,  but  let  the  flavor  slip; 

And  underneath  his  gaudy  clothes  he  wore  a  pumpkin  heart, 

A  painted  turnip ,  dry  as  bran,  he  went  into  the  mart — 

A  hypocrite — a  Pharisee — a  fraud  in  royal  guise, 

Without  a  single  drop  of  juice — a  liar  of  great  size. 

And  those  who  bit  his  bloodless  flesh  were  prompt  with  gibe  and  curse. 

They  came  with  solid  chunks  of  prose — the  poets  threw  their  verse. 

Ben  Davis  heard  their  stinging  words,  they  rankled  in  his  mind, 

They  cut  him  to  his  mealy  heart;  they  forced  him  on  to  find 

Some  place  where  better  quality  might  grow  beneath  his  vest: 

He  followed  Greeley's  old  advice,  and  took  himself  "out  West." 

On  Colorado's  sunny  plains,  where  clouds  are  seldom  seen, 

Beside  an  irrigating  ditch,  he  donned  his  coat  of  green. 

The  blood  grew  warmer  in  his  cheek,  and,  In  the  warm  sunshine 

Of  mounrain  air,  his  flesh  absorbed  the  flavor  of  the  vine. 

Ben  Davis!  Colorado  Ben — apoligies  are  due 

From  one  who  has,  in  former  days,  hurled  ragged  verse  at  you! 

Wise  hogs  would  hardly  eat  you  for  the  second  time  back  East, 

But,  from  Westward  ho!  with  Baldwin  you  are  reckoned  not  the  least. 

You  "grew  up  with  the  country"  where  are  mellow  fruits — and  men. 

Now  go  up  head!     Good  luck,  old  boy,  oh,  Colorado  Ben! 

— R.  A'.    Yorker. 


THE  OLD  HOME  IS  SOLD. 

"We  sold  the  dear  old  home  to-day," 
The  old  folks  wrote  mj,  far  away; 
The  house,  the  garden  and  the  lands, 
All  now  belong  to  strangers'  hands. 
The  orchard  father  pruned  with  care, 
Will  luscious  fruit  for  others  bear. 
The  rose  that  grew  near  mother's  door, 
Will  bloom  for  her,  ah!  nevermore. 

0, 1  had  hoped  the  time  might  come 
When  1,  once  more  could  see  my  home; 
Could  tread  again  those  paths  of  yore, 
That  lead  down  by  the  river's  shore. 
I  look  back  through  the  past  and  see 
A  picture  dear  to  memory. 
A  home  of  joy  with  father  and  mother 
An  unbroken  band  were  we  together. 

Yeaps  rolled  on,  and  we  drifted  apart, 
Out  into  the  world  to  make  a  start. 
Sad  partings  came,  and  one  by  one 


282  THE  IRRIGATION  AGL. 

We  went  away  and  left  them  alone. 
Yes,  all  alone  were  the  old  folks  left 
In  a  saddened  home,  of  joys  bereft. 
Lonely  they  toiled  together  each  day — 
But  the  home  is  sold,  they're  going  away. 

Their  forms  are  bent  with  age  and  care, 
Furrowed  their  cheeks,  silvered  their  hair. 
•Like  a  storm-tossed  ship  they  drift  with  the  tide, 
Almost  in  reach  of  the  other  side. 
Father  of  mercy,  we  ask  of  Thee, 
Pilot  them  gently  o'er  life's  rough  sea; 
And,  when  their  stormy  voyage  is  o'er, 
Anchor  them  safe  on  the  other  shore. 

And  now,  old  home,  we  say  to  you 
A  long  farewell,  a  fond  adieu. 
Thy  walls  will  echo  never  more 
The  songs  we  sang  beloved  of  yore. 
No  more  from  distant  parts  of  earth, 
We'll  meet  again  around  thy  hearth. 
No  more  within  thy  sacred  shrine, 
Join  in  the  tune  of  "Auld  Lang  Syne." 

—  Written  for  Greens  Fruit  Grower  by  Mrs 
D.  C.   Weltner. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  XV  . 


CHICAGO,  JUNE,  1901. 


NO.  9 


„__      ,  In  no  country  in  the  world  has 

Extensive 
Irrigation          agriculture  ever  attained   to 

the  comparative  dignity  found 
in  Peru  by  the  Spanish  conqueror?.  Agri- 
culture is  admitted  to  be  the  backbone 
of  the  United  States,  and  statesmen  and 
politicians,  especially  at  election  times, 
manifest  great  friendliness  and  affection 
for  the  farmers;  but  the  ancient  Peru- 
vians, nobles  and  plebians  alike,  were 
all  actual  tillers  of  the  soil,  The  Inca 
himself  did  not  disdain  to  set  the  ex- 
ample, and  each  season  on  a  certain  day, 
attended  by  his  court,  the  monarch  turned 
up  the  fresh  earth  with  a  golden  plow. 

Ancient  Peru  included  a  large  part  of 
Chili,  and  husbandry  was  pursued  by  the 
Indians  on  principles  truly  scientific.  Agri- 
culture was  the  basis  of  the  political  insti- 
tutions; and  remarkable  provisions  existed 
for  the  distribution  of  the  land  in  equal 
shares  among  the  people.  Government 
assistance  rendered  productive  every  acre 
of  available  land.  Much  of  the  country 
was  arid,  and  to  reclaim  this  the  Incas  con- 
structed reservoirs  and  canals  on  a  magni- 
ficent scale.  Prescott,  in  his  ''Conquest 
of  Peru,"  describes  irrigation  works  of 
splendid  proportions  and  fine  efficiency. 
Some  of  the  canals  were  of  great  length, 
carrying  water  to  the  coast  valleys  from 
mountain  reservoirs  hundreds  of  miles 
distant.  He  mentions  one  canal  in  parti- 
cula  r  as  nearly  five  hundred  miles  long. 
The  building  of  these  long  aqued ucts  called 
for  some  remarkable  engineering,  the  re- 
sults of  which  in  many  places  are  plainly 
visible  today. 

These  works  of  the  Incas,  however,  were 
-e    stroyed  or  suffered  to  decay  by  the  Span- 


iards, whose  desire  was  only  for  gold. 
Nevertheless,  fhere  yet  remain  a  few  sec- 
tions under  the  ancient  irrigation.  A  re- 
cent consular  report  describes  several  val- 
leys teeming  with  tropical  luxuriance,  sit- 
uated between  parching  deserts,  irrigated 
by  water  flowing  through  the  old  water- 
courses of  the  Incas,  but  coming  from  un- 
known distances. 

Under  the  ancient  order,  the  greatest 
care  was  exercised  that  every  occupant  of 
the  land  should  receive  his  share  of  water. 
The  quantity  allotted  to  each  tract  of  land 
was  prescribed  by  law,  and  royal  overseers 
superintended  the  distribution  and  saw 
that  it  was  faithfully  applied.  There  was 
no  waste  and  there  wa§  no  speculation  in 
water  nor  over- appropriation,  and  there 
was  no  conflict  of  water  rights.  Although 
the  Peruvians  probably  did  not  enjoy  some 
of  the  privileges  of  the  irrigators  of  the 
United  States,  they  also  doubtless  escaped 
many  of  the  vexations. 

Several  of  the  Western  papers 
have  sounded  the  note  of  warn- 
ing in  the  matter  of  the  waste  of  artesian 
water  supply.  Flowing  or  artesian  well 
all  receive  their  supplies  from  vast  under' 
ground  reservoirs,  the  same  reservoir  sup- 
plying many  wells.  During  the  past  two 
years  thousands  of  new  wells  have  been 
bored,  tapping  these  underground  reser- 
voirs, and  complaint  is  now  made  that 
wells  are  allowed  to  flow  on  even  at  times 
when  no  use  is  made  of  the  water. 

The  result  is  that  the  underground  re- 
servoirs are  becoming  diminished  in  vol- 
ume, and  wells  which  flowed  freely  a  few 
years  ago  have  now  no  water.  The  good 
advice  is  given  that  legislatures  enact  laws 


waste  of 
Water. 


284 


I  BE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


requiring  owners  to  cap  their  wells  when 
the  water  is  not  actually  needed  for  a  use- 
ful purpose. 

There  is  more  of  truth  than 
fiction,  more  of  practicality 
than  poetry  in  the  representations  of  Mr. 
George  H.  Maxwell,  Executive  Chairman 
of  the  National  Irrigation  Association 
when  he  says: 

"It  would  accomplish  the  colonization 
of  the  West,  and  -the  creation  of  a  great 
market  for  manufacturing:  it  would  result 
in  the  employment  of  labor,  the  develop- 
ment of  mining,  in  assistance  to  naviga- 
tion, the  prevention  of  floods,  and  in  relief 
for  the  congested  condition  of  our  cities  in 
supplying  material  for  thousands  of  rural 
homes. 

The  great  stimulation  of  business  and 
production  incident  to  the  colonization  of 
the  Middle  West,  where  men  went  out  and 
took  up  from  160  to  640  acres  each,  and 
made  homes  for  themselves,  would  be 
small  compared  with  what  would  occur  if 
100,000,000  acres  of  arid  land,  which  would 
be  inexhaustibly  fertile,  were  given  water 
and  divided  into  10  to  40-acre  highly  cul- 
tivated farms." 

Eastern  Lead-      The  defeat    of    the   great 

crs  Less 

Arrogant.  River  and  Harbor  Bill,  car- 

rying its  $50,000,000  of  appropriation,  has 
caused  no  little  bitterness  of  spirit  among 
those  who  had  favored  the  resulting  im- 
provements to  the  various  rivers,  creeks, 
and  harbors  included  in  the  bill. 

The  suggestion  has  been  made  that  East- 
ern men  who  have  been  favorably  disposed 
to  the  irrigation  measures  proposed  for 
the  West  will  be  alienated  therefrom  by 
this  method,  <which  has  been  denounced  as 
a  dog-in-the-manger  policy  on  the  part  of 
Senator  Carter,  who  held  the  floor  of  the 
Senate  for  the  last  twelve  hours  of  its  ses- 
sion, and  thus  prevented  the  passage  of 
the  bill,  because,  they  say,  the  House  re- 
fused to  allow  the  irrigation  amendments. 
Senator  Carter  expressly  stated  that  he 
undertook  the  defeat  of  the  measure  with- 
out any  motive  of  revenge,  but  because  he 
believed  it  to  be  his  patriotic  duty  to  work 
his  utmost  to  prevent  such  wasteful  and 
extravagant  expenditures,  and  to  draw  the 


line  against  such  abuse  as  had  crept  into  a 
policy  of  national  improvement. 

That  the  River  and  Harbor  Bills,  which 
have  come  to  be  generally  known  as  "Gov- 
ernment pork  bills,"  have  grown  to  be  out- 
rageous extravagances,  is  well  recognized, 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  defeat  of  this 
measure  will  be  a  warning  to  Congress  to 
in  future  eleminate  these  ridiculous  bo- 
called  national  aids  to  navigation  where  a 
channel  to  be  improved  starts  with  only 
six  inches  of  water  (as  was  the  case  in  one 
instance  in  the  defeated  bill),  and  to  frame 
the  bills  on  the  lines  of  improvement  to  the 
great  harbors  and  waterways  which  really. 
affect  the  whole  United  States,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  recognize  the  sentiment  of 
the  country,  which  demands  that  the  great 
arid  area  of  the  West,  lying  like  a  vast 
fortune  in  trust,  shall  be  developed  and. 
made  to  contribute  its  share  to  the  nationa 
wealth. 


Mostly  Gov- 


connection  with  the  much- 


eminent  Land.discussed  proposition  for  th 
Government  to  provide  storage  reservoirs 
for  irrigation  in  the  West,  it  is  interesting- 
to  note  the  large  proportion  of  public  land 
yet  remaining  in  some  of  the  Western 
States  and  Territories.  Jn  Arizona,  76 
per  cent,  of  the  land  belongs  to  the  Gen 
eral  Government;  of  California,  with  all  its 
great  private  developement,  58  per  cent,  is 
public  land:  of  Montana.  78  per  cent,  re- 
mains public,  in  Utah,  89  per  cent,  belongs 
to  the  United  States:  in  Wyoming,  86  per 
cent;  in  Idaho,  89  per  cent.,  and  in  Nevada 
95  per  cent,  belongs  to  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment. 

With  title  to  all  this  vast  acreage  yet 
remaining  in  the  General  Government,  it 
would  seem  to  be  the  part  of  wisdom  for 
that  Government,  to  provide  the  means  for 
its  improvement  and  settlement. 

Differs  from    "The  forestry  and  irrigation 

the  American 

Way.  problems    in     almost    all  the 

countries  of  the  old  world  are  solved  by  the 
respective  governments.  The  compara- 
tively small  country  of  Sweden,"  says  Na- 
tional Irrigation,  "owna  nearly  20,000,000 
a^res  of  forest  lands,  the  income  from 
which  maintains  numerous  forestry  school 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


285 


besides  yielding  a  handsome  revenue  to 
the  State.  Germany  and  France  both  have 
extensive  forestry  departments,  and  Spain 
controls  all  irrigation  works.  The  general 
government  is  always  the  logical  manager 
of  both  class-  es  of  such  work,  for  successful 
irrigation  development  depends  not  only 
upon  proper  supervision,  but  likewise  upon 
a  comprehensive  forestry  system  which 
will  protect  this  important  source  of  irri- 
gation supply." 


Machinery  for     ne  adoption  of  pefroleum  as 

Irrigating.  a  fuel  by  some  of  the  western 
railroads  and  the  discoveries  of  the  vast 
California  oil  deposits  direct  special  atten- 
tion to  this  question  of  fuel  in  the  western 
States  where  coal  is  such  an  expensive 
commodity.  It  would  seem  that  the  Cali- 
fornia and  Texas  oil  fields  may  supply  the 
West  with  motive  power,  and  the  discov- 
ery of  oil  is  hastening  the  adoption  of  oil- 
using  engines. 

In  many  of  the  smaller  irrigation  sys- 
tems power  is  employed  extensively  in  get- 
ting the  water  to  the  land.  Where  coal 
and  wood  are  expensive  it  is  often  ad  van, 
tageous  to  use  engines  operated  by  gosoline- 
distillate,  kerosene,  or  crude  oil. 

A  recent  visit  to  the  large  Chicago  ware- 
houses of  Fairbanks,  Morse  &  Co.,  showed 
a  great  number  of  types  of  engines  and 
pumping  machinery  used  in  irrigating  — 
petroleum  engines,  and  those  using  gaso- 
line, kerosene  and  distillate,  steam  engines, 
boilers,  windmills,  etc. 

"If  a  considerable  quantity  of  water  is 
desired,  but  it  is  necessary  to  raise  it  only 
a  short  distance,  "explained  the  sales-man- 
ager, "then  a  centrifugal  pump  would  be  a 
desirable  type.  If,  however,  water  is  to 
be  taken  from  a  greater  depth  than  would 
be  available  for  an  ordinary  suction  pump, 
a  good  machine  would  be  a  combined  en- 
gine with  gear  and  box  forming  a  part  of 
the  engine,  the  base  being  extended  and 
arranged  to  carry  the  gearing.  A  special 
form  of  clutch  is  used  for  disengaging-  the 
gear  to  facilitate  starting,  or  so  that  the 
engine  may  be  used  for  other  service  with- 
out disconnecting  the  pump. 

"Another  interesting  method  of  pump- 
ing from  a  well  is  seen  in  the  work  of  a 


Money  for 

Irrigation. 


combined  engine  and  air-compressor.  The 
water  is  literally  blown  out  by  the  air 
forced  into  the  well.  A  pipe  is  placed 
within  the  well  casing  and  as  the  air  is 
forced  into  that  pipe  the  water  is  forced 
out  in  a  continuous  stream. 

"This  particular  engine,"  remarked  the 
manager,  pointing  to  a  modest-looking 
machine,  "will  pump  out  42, 000  gallons  per 
hour. 

"The  development  of  pumping  machin- 
ery in  the  United  States  within  the  last  few 
years  has  been  remarkable.  We  have 
reached  a  high  degree  of  perfection  in  this 
as  well  as  most  other  classes  of  machinery, 
and  American  pumps  and  engines  easily 
lead  the  world." 

The  creation  of  an  arid  land 
reclaimation  fund,  from  the 
proceeds  through  the  sale  of  western  pub- 
lic lands,  to  be  used  in  the  construction  of 
irrigation  works,  is  a  proposition  which 
will  commend  itself  to  every  interest.  The 
people  of  the  West  should,  of  course,  sup- 
port it  to  a  man,  while  there  can  certainly 
be  no  opposition  from  Eastern  Congress- 
men. 

Irrigation  and  When  the  President  said  in 
Immigration  New  Mexico  that  irrigation 
meant  immigration  he  struck  a  responsive 
chord  in  the  breasts  of  Western  people. 
We  have  paid  out  an  enormous  sum  for 
our  outside  expansion  the  past  three  years, 
and  shall  have  to  pay  out  more  yet.  We 
have  borne  the  burdens  of  expansion  with 
scarcely  a  knowledge  that  a  burden  ex- 
isted. To  provide  for  home  expansion  by 
irrigation  of  the  arid  lands  of  the  West 
would  entail  no  burden  whatever.  The 
sum  required  would  scarcely  make  an  ap- 
preciable difference  in  the  annual  expenses 
Of  the  Government. 

For  years  we  have  been  appropriating 
vast  sums  of  money  upon  the  theory  that 
the  improvement  of  rivers  and  harbors  is 
a  natural  and  proper  task  for  the  Govern- 
ment. There  is  just  as  much  reason  for 
the  Government  to  render  habitable  and 
productive  its  millions  of  acres  of  waste 
land.  We  are  dyking  the  Mississippi,  and 
millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  to 
keep  that  wayward  stream  within  its  nat- 


286 


THE  IRRl  GAT  ION  AGE. 


ural  channel.  To  be  sure  this  has  been 
and  is  being  done  on  the  theory  that  it  is 
necessary  for  the  improvement  of  naviga- 
tion, yet  every  intelligent  citizen  knows 
that  the  real  object  sought  is  the  protec- 
tion of  the  adjacent  lands  from  overflow. 
The  Mercury  recognizes  this  as  a  perfectly 
proper  object  of  Government  expenditure, 
as  it  does  also  its  kindred  work  of  making 
productive  the  waste  lands  of  the  West. 
It  also  recognizes  the  face  that  in  a  meas- 
ure both  objects  might  be  secured  by  a 
new  plan  of  operation,  that  of  building  im- 
mense impounding  reservoirs  at  the  head- 


waters of  the  Mississippi  and  other  streams 
whose  floods  do  annual  damage  to  the  lands 
along  their  banks.  Improvement  of  rivers 
and  harbors  and  irrigation  of  waste  lands 
are  indeed  kindred  matters,  and  should  be 
treated  as  being  upon  exactly  the  same 
footing  with  the  general  Government,  and 
in  a  large  measure  both  might  be  secured 
by  the  same  outlay  of  money.  The  West 
will  make  itself  felt  in  Congress  on  this 
subject  until  its  position  in  the  matter  has 
been  recognized  as  the  correct  one  and 
this  neceseary  work  has  been  taken  up  by 
the  Government. — San  Jose  Mercury. 


IRRIGATION   IN   HAWAII. 

BY  WALTER  MAXWELL,  PH.  D.,    in   Bulliton  90,  De- 
partment of  Agriculture. 

The  precipitation  of  atmospheric  moisture  is  very  uneven  and  ir- 
regular over  the  surface  of  the  earth.  There  are  zones  that  are  marked 
by  annual  deluges,  and  there  are  vast  areas  upon  which  rain  rarely 
falls.  These  rainless  areas  are  not  confined  to  conditions  peculiar  to 
specific  latitudes,  but  are  found  in  the  tropical  regions  of  India  and 
Africa,  over  the  wide  plateaus  of  North  America,  and  in  other  locali- 
ties having  widely  varying  climatic  conditions. 

The  regions  of  small  rainfall  are  very  generally  distinguished  by 
lands  of  great  natural  fertility.  This  is  due  largely,  on  the  one  hand 
to  the  absence  of  great  rains  that  leach  out  the  elements  that  feed 
plants,  and  on  the  other  hand,  to  the  relative  absence  of  crops,  which 
results  from  lack  of  rain.  Among  the  most  productive  tracts  upon 
the  earth  to-day  are  regions  that  were  naturally  arid,  but  which  have 
been  rendered  productive  by  irrigation.  These  tracts  include  the 
Punjab  and  other  vast  districts  of  India,  the  great  basin  of  the  Nile  in 
Africa,  and  large  semiarid  areas  that  have  more  recently  been  brought 
under  cultivation  in  the  middle  and  western  United  States. 

The  failure  of  the  natural  rainfall  to  produce  crops  may  be  due  to 
the  insufficiency  of  the  total  precipitation,  as  in  regions  in  India, 
Africa,  and  other  lands,  where  it  does  not  aggregate  10  inches  per 
year;  or  it  may  be  due  to  the  seasonal  distribution,  as  in  other  parts 
of  India  and  Africa,  in  northern  Queensland,  and  some  of  the  Pacific 
islands,  where  a  heavy  and  almost  the  whole  precipitate,  takes  place 
within  two  or  three  months.  In  speaking  of  the  agriculture  in  parts 
of  the  Himalayas;  Mr.  Buckley  says:  "Where  the  rainfall  varies 
from  50  to  as  many  as  100  inches  in  the  year,  crops  grown  on  the  ter- 
races in  the  mountains  are  matured  in  the  dry  season  by  artificial  irri- 
gation.'' In  some  localities  in  northern  Queensland  the  annual  rainfall 
reaches  and  exceeds  100  inches,  yet  the  sugar-cane  crop  has  to  linger 
through  an  annual  arid  period  which  greatly  reduces  the  yield,  while 
upon  the  Pacific  islands  of  Hawaii,  despite  the  winter  rains,  many  of 
the  most  fertile  lands  would  be  useless  without  the  prevailing  practice 
of  irrigation.  Irrigation,  consequently,  is  playing  an  increasingly 
important  part  in  modern  intensive  agriculture 

The  history  of  irrigation  covers  methods  of  applying  water  to 
'>crops.  inducing  the  crudest  efforts  of  the  peasant  and  the  great  sys 


'1HE  lUmGA'HON  AGE. 

terns  executed  by  governments  or  corporations,  such  as  are  in  opera- 
tion in  India,  the  United  States,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  Certain 
of  those  systems  are  vast,  and  have  been  instituted  under  the  pres- 
sure of  meeting  great  emergencies.  To-day  India  is  using  irrigation 
upon  a  stupendous  scale  in  grappling  with  the  calamity  of  famine. 

Economic  irrigation  requires  the  consideration  of  physical  laws 
which  were  unknown  to  the  authors  of  primitive  method-;,  and  waich 
have  not  been  generally  observed  in  establishing  the  huge  system  of 
irrigation  already  mentioned.  Some  of  the  physical  laws  which  u  nder- 
lie  any  rational  practice  in  the  application  of  water  to  crops  are  briefly 
considered  in  the  following  paper. 

EVAPORATION   OF  MOISTURE   FROM  WATEll  SURFACES   AND  SOILS, 

The  movement  of  moisture  is  constantly  going  on,     The  simplest 
evidence  of  this  movement  is  seen  in  rainfall  and  in  the   evaporation, 
from  water  and  soil  surfaces. 

The  factors  that  have  been  given  the  greatest  prominence  as  exer- 
cising a  controlling  action  upon  evaporation  from  soil  and  from  the 
surface  of  water  are  the  temperature  and  the  relative  humidity  of  the 
air-  This  view  is  amply  sustained  if  the  examination  is  confined  to  the 
action  of  these  factors  during  the  extreme  season  of  the  year  There 
is  no  question  concerning  the  greater  evaporation  of  moisture  from, 
soils  and  waters  during  the  months  of  summer,  when  temperatures  are 
high  and  the  amountof  atmospheric  moisture  is  also  relatively  smaller 
than  during  the  cold  season,  when  the  temperature  is  lower  and  the 
humidity  of  the  air  greater.  This  is  demonstrated  in  many  localities 
by  the  excess  of  water  that  accumulates  within  and  upon  the  soil  in 
winter  and  the  droughts  that,  obtain  in  the  summer.  There  are  local- 
ities and  regions,  however,  that  are  so  fortunate  as  to  hwe  the  great- 
est rainfall  during  the  season  of  greatest  evaporation  and  consequent- 
ly the  greatest  plant  growth.  Setting  aside  the  differences  concur- 
rent with  the  seasons  and  confining  observations  to  the  relative  actions 
of  the  several  factors -during  the  summer,  it  is  then  found  that  the 
temperature  of  the  air  and  the  amount  of  moisture  that  it  contain  ; 
are  not  the  most  dominant  factors  in  the  control  of  evaporati  m.  As 
already  said,  they  are  factors,  but  their  combined  effeats  do  not  com- 
pare with  the  effects  of  wind.  Not  only  in  the  matter  of  irrigation, 
but  also  in  the  location  and  exposure  of  reservoirs  this  fact  is  of  lead- 
ing importance.  In  view  of  this  the  writter  carried  out  a  series  of 
evaporation  determinations  by  means  of  evaporators,  at  the  same  time- 
keeping a  record  of  the  temperature  and  relative  humidity  of  the  air. 
These  observations  were  made  as  a  part  of  a  study  of  the  factors  that 
control  the  rational  irrigation  of  the  sugar-cane  on  the  Hawaiian 
slands-  The  form  of  evaporator  used  was  small  agalvanized  iron  pan.. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


li  inches  deep  and  having  a  superficial  area  of  120  square  inches.  The 
evaporator  was  placed  under  the  covered  stand  where  the  meteorolo- 
gical instruments  were  located  and  between  the  dry  and  wet  bulb 
thermometers,  thus  having  the  same  protection  from  the  sun  and  the 
same  exposure  to  the  wind  as  those  instruments.  At  7  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  first  day  500  grams  of  water  were  weighed  into  the 
evaporator,  and  at  the  end  of  each  twenty- four  hours  the  weight  was 
taken  and  recorded  and  the  volume  made  up  again  to  500  grams. 
These  observations  were  made  daily  throughout  the  year.  A  second 
evaporator  similar  to  the  first  was  placed  in  a  barn  30  feet  distant 
from  the  other.  The  large  doors  of  the  barn  were  kept  open  day  and 
night  to  allow  of  air  circulation,  but  any  violent  air  movement  was 
rigidly  guarded  against.  The  purpose  was  to  secure  the  same  condi- 
tions of  the  temperature  and  humidity  of  the  air  as  those  surround- 
ing .the  evaporator  placed  outdoors,  but  to  eliminate  the  factor  of 
wind.  The  data  furnished  by  the  tivo  evaporators  were  taken  and  re- 
corded in  the  same  manner  and  with  the  corresponding  readings  of 
thermometers.  The  results  of  these  observations  covering  a  period 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy  days,  reduced  to  monthly  averages,  are 
given  in  the  following  table: 

RELATIVE  EVAPORATION  FROM  WATER  SURFACE  EXPOSED  TO  THE  WIND  AND  PROTECTED  FROM 

THE  WIND. 


Month. 

Exposed  to  the  wind 

Protected  from  the  wind. 

Tempera- 
ture of 
air. 

Humidity 
.of  air 

Evapora- 
tion. 

Tempera- 
ture of 
air. 

Humidity 
of  air 

Evapora- 
tion. 

April  

°F. 
74  4 
76  0 
770 
78  3 
73  7 
768 
753 
71  0 

Per  cent. 
77  4 
802 
83  6 
77  3 
738 
804 
80  1 
832 

Per  cent. 
285 
27  2 
225 
258 
300 
243 
235 
233 

<>F 

78  7 
80  3 
81  3 
83  0 
82  4 
80  6 
78  8 
74  1 
) 

Per  cent. 
77  4 
802 
83  6 
77  3 
738 
80  4 
80  1 
83  2 

Per  cent. 
11  7 
113 
101 
131 
125 
100 
92 
9  4 

May  

June  

July  

August  

September  

October  

November  

Average  

75  9 

795 

256 

79  9 

76  5 

108 

A  relation  may  be  noted  between  the  temperature  and  humidity 
of  the  air  and  the  amounts  of  water  evaporated,  but  the  important 
fact  revealed  by  the  table  is  the  contant  and  great  difference  in  the 
amount  of  water  evaporated  from  two  pans.  The  total  amounts  of 
water  lost  during  the  eight  months  by  the  exposed  and  protected 
evaporators  were,  respectively,  33,480  grams  and  14,175  grams. 

The  outdoor  evaporator  lost  136  per  cent  more  water  that  the  in- 
door evaporator.  The  vast  difference  is  wholly  due  to  the  action  of 
the  wind,  to  which  the  former  was  exposed,  and  it  occurred  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  indoor  temperature  was  uniformly  4  degrees  higher 
than  the  outdoor  temperature. 


290  THE  JRRIGATION  AGE, 

The  differences  in  the  amounts  of  water  given  off  by  the  outdoor 
evaporator  on  different  days  bear  some  relation  of  the  differences  in 
the  temperature  and  humidity  of  the  air.  They  are  too  great,  how- 
ever, to  be  accounted  for  by  those  factors  alone;  they  were,  in  fact, 
largely  due  to  different  velocities  of  the  wind.  By  way  of  improving 
this,  we  make  use  of  the  data  recorded  during  the  month  of  Novem- 
ber. During  the  first  ten  days  of  that  month  the  average  daily  evap- 
oration, under  the  constant  action  of  the  northeast  trade  wind,  was 
33.7  per  cent.  During  the  following  eight  days,  when  the  wind  direc- 
tion was  south  and  the  air  was  almost  still,  the  average  evaporation 
was  only  13.2  per  cent.  During  these  eighteen  days  the  maximum 
evaporation  under  a  very  high  wind  reached  41. 2  per  cent,  while  upon 
another  day,  no  motion  of  the  air  being  observed,  the  evaporation 
•was  only  8.1  per  cent.  In  the  course  of  these  twenty  day  the  temper- 
ature variations  were  very  small. 

From  the  determinations  that  have  been  recorded  it  may  be  seen 
that  the  monument  of  the  air  is  the  paramount  factor  in  controlling 
the  rate  of  evaporation  from  water  and  soil  surfaces.  Soil  whose  sur- 
faces are  exposed  to  the  actions  of  strong  driving  winds  will  give  up 
more  moisture,  and.will  therefore  need  more- water, than  areas  in  shel- 
tered locations.  Water  surfaces  exposed  to  the  sweep  of  the  wind  lose 
heavily  by  evaporation.  Economy  of  water  therefore,  dictates  that 
reservoirs  be  built  so  as  to  have  the  greatest  depth  and  the  least  sur- 
face, and  that  they  be  located  so  as  to  be  sheltered  from  the  direct 
action  of  pervailing  strong  winds. 

TRANSPIRATION    OF  MOTRTURE    BY    VEGETATION. 

The  volume  of  water  evaporated  from  the  soil  and  the  volume 
transpired  by  the  plant  during  its  growth  are  the  controlling  factors 
in  determining  the  total  water  required  in  the  production  of  a  crop, 
and  therefore  the  quantity  of  water  to  be  supplied  by  irrigation. 

Water  enters  very  largely  into  the  structure  of  all  living  organ- 
isms. It  is  not  only  the  agent  which  makes  possible  the  mobility  of 
other  constituents  of  the  plant,  conveying  them  from  one  location  to 
another,  but  it  enters  in  large  proportion  into  the  structure  of  the 
organism  itself.  Consequently  plants  and  trees  at  all  times  hold  a 
great  volume  of  water,  the  supply  of  which  is  constantly  replenished 
by  the  water  taken  up  by  the  roots  and  as  constantly  depleted  by  the 
moisture  given  off  into  the  air  by  means  of  transpirtation.  It  is  these 
quantities  that  we  require  to  know  something  definite  about. 

The  waters  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  are  of  excellent  quality,  if 
they  do  not  come  in  contact  with  the  sea  inflow  or  with  soils  having 
high  contents  of  salt,  due  to  the  overflow  of  the  sea  at  some  earlier 
period.  In  some  localities,  however,  contamination  by  sea  water  has 


THE  IRR IGA TION  AGE.  291 

gone  so  far  that  the  water  is  destructive  to  vegetable  life.  In  most 
instances  the  deleterious  agent  is  common  salt;  in  others  there  is  a 
mixture  of  common  salt  with  chlorids  of  magnesium  and  calcium.  The 
latter  are  most  injurious  to  plant  life  and,  in  lowlands,  lying  almost 
level  with  the  sea,  where  there  are  no  means  of  getting  these  salts 
removed,  their  impregnation  renders  the  soil  useless. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  water  supyly  for  irrigatron  in  the 
Hawaiian  Islands  is  derived  from  the  underground  flow.  Ground 
waters,  on  account  of  the  considerable  proportions  of  certain  highly 
desirable  elements  they  contain,  may  be  very  valuable  for  application 
to  crops.  On  the  other  hand,  because  of  the  large  amount  of  sub- 
stances inimical  to  plant  life  held  in  solution  in  some  cases,  they  may 
be  quite  unfit  for  irrigation.  Numerous  instances  of  the  unfitness  'of 
such  waters  for  plant  use  are  furnished  by  other  countries,  and  special 
examples  have  been  found  by  the  writer  upon  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

DUTY    OF    WATER. 

By  the  term  "duty  of  water,"  as  used  in  this  bulletin,  is  under- 
stood the  volume  of  water  that  is  required  to  mature  a  given  crop  in 
given  conditions  of  soil  and  climate.  That  the  duty  of  water  can  not 
be  a  definite  factor,  the  water  being  in  equal  demand  and  rendering 
the  same  service  in  all  locations,  has  been  amply  indicated  by  the  facts 
stated  in  preceding  paragraphs  It  has  been  shown  that  there  are 
locations  where  the  volume  of  water  directly  evaporated  from  the  soil 
is  double  the  amount  removed  in  other  locations  and  under  totally 
different  conditions  of  climatic  exposure  and  action.  Further,  it  was 
shown  that  soils  themselves  vary  extremely  in  their  powers  to  take  up 
and  retain  moisture,  which  affords  another  illustration  of  the  factors 
that  determine  the  service  of  applied  water  in  relation  to  the  crop.  If 
a  given  volume  of  water  is  applied  to  a  soil  of  low  absorptive  capacity 
and  with  a  small  retentive  power,  loss  occurs  by  seepage  on  the  one 
hand  and  -by  extreme  evaporation  on  the  other,  thus  causing  a  large 
expenditure  by  the  soil  and  a  minimized  service  rendered  to  the  crop. 
Again,  crops  may  vary  between  very  wide  extremes  in  the  volume  of 
water  they  consume  per  unit  of  substance  formed,  and  consequently 
in  the  volumes  necessary  to  bring  them  to  maturity. 

IRRIGATION    PRACTICE   ON   THE   HAWAIIAN    ISLANDS. 

The  chief  crops  that  are  grown  by  the  aid  of  artificial  irrigation  in 
Hawaii  are  rice  and  sugar  cane. 

The  lands  used  for  rice  are  the  lowest  flats  found  at  the  outlets  of 
valleys  and  close  on  the  sea.  Irrigation  is  practiced  upon  all  these 
lands,  but  no  means  of  determining  the  volume  used  per  acre  have 
been  adopted,  and  data  are  not  at  hand  bearing  on  the  question. 

Sugar  production  is,  relatively  speaking,  a  recent  matter  so  far  as 


292 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 


the  present  volume  of  production  is  concerned.  So  late  even  as  1880 
the  output  is  recorded  as  being  30,000  tons,  while  the  production 
in  1889  was  282,807  tons.  The  part  played  by  artificial  irrigation 
it  the  production  of  the  Hawaiian  crop  is  seen  from  the  following 
statement: 

Tons. 

Sugar  grown  by  natural  rainfall    ., 116,382 

Sugar  grown  by  irrigation 166,425 

The  area  to  which  water  is  artifically  applied  is  yearly  increasing, 
and  in  two  years  more  than  two- thirds  of  the  crop,  which  is  also  vastly 
increasing,  will  be  grown  by  aid  of  irrigation. 

The  richest  lands  upon  the  islands  are  those  lying  toward  and  a 
little  above  sea  level.  In  most  of  the  districts,  however,  the  rainfall 
over  the  low-lying  lands,  and  especially  upon  the  leeward  side,  is  ut- 
terly insufficient  to  produce  the  sugar  crop.  Until  the  practice  of 
irrigation  was  adopted  these  lowlands  were  useless,  but  now  they  are, 
beyond  comparison,  the  richest  and  most  productive. 

The  primary  source  of  water  upon  the  Hawaiian  Islands  is  rainfall, 
Two  unfavorable  conditions  attend  its  precipitation:  (1)  The  maximum 
quantity  falls  during  the  cool  season,  when  the  crops  are  not  in  a  state 
of,maximum  growth  and  able  to  make  use  of  it,  and  (2)  the  chief  pre- 
cipitation is  over  the  mountain  areas,  where  the  water  falls,  soaks 
down  into  the  rock  strata,  and  runs  largely  to  the  sea,  unless  arrested 
and  returned  to  the  land.  An  illustration  of  the  variation  of  rainfall 
with  altitude  is  afforded  by  the  following  table: 

VARIATION    OF   RAINFALL    WITH   ELEVATION. 


.... 

Rainfall  at 

elevations  of 

Rainfall  at 

2.000-3,000 

sea  level 

feet 

(2!4  miles 

from  sea). 

Inches. 

Inches. 

82 

118 

28 

179 

The  apparently  disadvantageous  circumstance  of  heavy  precipi- 
tation at  maximum  elevations  has  been  turned  into  a  special  advantage 
by  engineering  means.  In  certain  districts  the  water  is  collected  by 
small  ditches  over  the  mountain  areas,  where  it  falls,  and  is  conducted 
by  main  ditches  or  by  the  flumes  down  to  the  cane-bearing  lands  be- 
low, over  which  it  is  distributed  by  gravity.  Where  the  rainfall  can 
not  be  easily  collected  over  the  mountain  areas,  the  water  which  sinks 
down  into  deep  substrata  is  tapped  and  arrested  at  or  near  sea  level, 
where  it  is  found  running  toward  the  sea.  In  places  where  the  lava 
rock  strata  run  out  before  reaching  the  sea  the  water  comes  to  the 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  293 

surface  in  springs,  but  the  great  body  flows  out  or  is  held  in  under- 
ground reservoirs  at  varying  depths,  and  has  to  be  sought  for  by 
means  of  wells,  from  which  ihe  water  is  lifted  and  forced  up  to  con- 
siderable elevations  by  high-  duty  pumps,  where  it  is  distributed, 

The  pumps  that  are  in  service  on  the  islands  are  chiefly  of  Ameri- 
can build,  and  are  in  some  instances  of  large  capacity.  Their  duties 
range  from  the  small  lifts  of  the  centrifugal  pumps  to  those  raising 
12,000,000  gallons  per  24  hours. 

The  amount  of  water  applied  in  the  irrigation  of  Hawaiian  sugar 
cane  is  controlled  mainly  by  the  volume  of  the  supply.  Concerning 
the  volume  that  is  considered  necessary  and  that  is  taken  as  a  basis  of 
estimation  in  calculating  the  water  required  by  any  given  plantation 
and  the  capacity  of  the  pumps  necessary  to  lift  and  apply  it,  reference 
is  had  to  the  data  contained  in  a  report  on  investigations  made  in  1889 

'by  Messrs.  J.  D.  Schuyler  and  G.  F.  Allaidt,  civil  engineers.  The 
data  and  the  views  contained  in  that  report  were  made  the  basis  of 
operations  by  the  authorities  quoted,  and  they  are  still  the  views  and 
represent  the  practice  of  those  men  who  were  on  plantation  at  the 
time  of  the  publication  of  the  report  in  1889.  Other  views  and  other 

'  methods  are  now  coming  into  practice  which  are  based  more  largely 
upon  the  principals  set  forth  in  the  earlier  paragraphs  of  this  report 
and  upon  results  obtained  in  actual  experiments  in  irrigation.  These 
will  be  spoken  of  later.  The  report  referred  to  says: 

It  seems  to  be  the  general  practice  here  [island  of  Oahu]  to  irrigate  "plant1 
cane  every  three  or  four  days  for  the  first  month  after  planting  or  unttl  it  has  made 
a  strong  growth  of  root  and  stalk.  After  that  a  watering  i?  given  every  seven  days 
for  a  time,  diminishing  to  one  watering  every  ten  days,  which  is  continued  for  about 
fifteen  months  from  the  time  of  planting,  or  until  the  maturity  of  the  cane.  It  is 
customery  to  eease  irrigation  from  one  to  three  months  before  cutting.  If,  as  in 
some  districts,  the  cane  did  not  mature  short  of  eighteen  to  twenty  months  from 
time  of  planting,  the  period  of  irrigation  would  be  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  months. 
In  making  our  estimate  we  have  assumed  that  fifteen  months  of  irrigation  would  be 
the  average  required  for  sugar  cane  on  the  leeward  slopes  of  this  island  [Oahu]. 
Three  waterings  per  month  is  the  least  that  is  considered  safe  to  apply  to  keep  the 
cane  growing  without  check.  In  localities  corresponding  in  position  and  climate  to 
Honouluili  it  is  customary  to  maintain  this  periodical  irrigation  regardless  of  the 

-  rainfall.     The  rain  may  at  times  exceed  the  quantity  applied  artificially,  but  irriga- 
tion is  performed  as  usual  notwithstanding,  in  order  that  there  shall  be  no  break  in 
the  waterings.     It  seems  to  be  generally  understood  by  all  planters  that  the  depth  of 
each  watering  shall  be  at  least  an  average  of  3  to  4  inches  over  the  whole  surface. 

•  Where   the  intervals   between  waterings  are  ten  days  and   the    depth  applied   is  4 
inches,  1  cubic  foot  of  water  per  second  will  perform  a  duty  of  59.5  acres.     With 
intervals  of  seven  days  and  the  same  depth  applied,  1  cubic  foot  per  second  would 
irrigate  but  41.6  acres,  or  55.5  acres  if  the  depth  applied  is  but  3  inches. 

At  this  place  it  may  be  convenient  to  state,  for  the  use  of  persons 

who  judge  by  the  standard  of  rainfall,  that  1  cubic  foot  of  water  per 

;  second  is  equal  to  a  flow  of  294,700,032  United  States  gallons  in  fifteen 

s  months,  and  that  if  this  volume  were  applied  to  41,6  acres  that  would 


294  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

be  equal  to  7,108,173  gallons  per  acre,  or  a  rainfall  of  210  inches  per 
year  and  262  inches  to  mature  the  crop. 

The  report  proceeds  to  give  examples,  and  begins  with  the  Ha- 
waian  Commercial  Company's  plantation  at  Spreckelsville,  island  of 
Maui,  of  which  it  says: 

The  record  for  the  calender  year  1888  shows  that  there  was  delivered  to  the 
plantation  the  following  quantity  of  water: 

Cubic  feet. 

From  the  Haiku  ditch 1,175,000,000 

From  the  Waihee  ditch 919,000,000 

2,094,000,000 

Or  15,700,000,000  gallons.     The  rainfall  during  this  period  was  19.08  inches. 

With  this  water  there  were  irrigated  2,000  acres  of  ''plant  cane"  and  600  acres 
of  "ratoons"  (volunteer  second  crop).  In  addition.  400  acres  of  seed  cane  were  irri- 
gated once  a  month,  consuming  a  quantity  roughly  estimated  at  70,000.000  cubic 
feet.  The  remaining  2,024.000.000  cubic  feet  would  be  equivalent  t<>  a  constant 
'  average  flow  through  the  year  of  64.18  cubic  feet  per  second,  which,  divided  into 
2,600  acres,  would  appear  to  give  an  average  duty  of  40.5  acres  per  cubic  foot  per 
second,  and  to  indicate  that  the  mean  depth  applied  was  nearly  18  feet  in  the  aggre- 
gate (22  feet,  or  264  inches,  for  the  crop  period  of  fifteen  months) 

The  report  states  that  the  explanation  for  "this  seemingly  low 
duty"  may  be  found  in  the  fact  that  the  water  was  also  used  for  cattle, 
domestic,  and  other  purposes. 

Mr.  Hugh  Morrison,  general  manager  of  the  plantation  at  Spreck- 
elsville, states,  as  an  epitome  of  his  experience,  that  11,000  cubic  feet 
per  acre  applied  every  seven  days  will  produce  the  very  best  results 
in  growing  sugar  cane.  Covering'the  period  of  fifteen  months  already 
stated,  that  amount  was  equal  to  5,348,200  gallons  per  acre,  or  a  rain- 
fall of  197 .inches,  which  with  the  19.08  inches  of  actual  rainfall  makes 
a  total  of  216.08  inches  to  produce  the  crop.  The  report  continues: 

Mr.  Morrison  further  adds  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  put  on  too  much  water 
of  course  within  reasonable  limits),  and  that  the  more  water  is  applied,  without  go- 
ing to  extremes,  the  greater  the  yield  He  has  obtained  a  yield  as  high  as  10  tons 
of  sugar  per  acre  in  localities  sheltered  from  the  wind.  The  average  yield  *of  1888 
on  2,000  acres  of  plant  cane  was  5|  tons  of  sugar  per  acre;  the  raroon  crop  averaged 
3§  tons  per  acre. 

On  the  Wailuku  plantation,  island  of  Maui,  where  the  water  supply  is  very 
abundant  and  in  excess  of  the  needs  of  the  plantation,  the  consumption  is  equal  to  a 
duty  of  about  50  acres  per  cubic  foot  per  second  on  plant  cane  and  60  acres  on  ra- 
toons. 

On  the  Hamakuapoko  plantation,  Maui,  where  the  average  annual  rainfall  is  re- 
ported as  36.2  inches,  the  amount  applied  is  stated  by  the  superintendent.  Mr. 
James  Cowan,  to  be  10,890  cubic  feet  per  acre  to  each  watering.  The  intervals  be- 
tween waterings  are  seven  days,  and  consequently  the  duty  of  water  in  continuous 
flow  is  55.5  acres  per  cubic  foot  per  second. 

This  amount  is  equal  to  a  depth  of  195  inches,  which,  with  the 
natural  fall  of  35.2  inches  of  rain,  is  equivalent  to  a  total  rainfall  of 
230.2  inches  to  mature  the  crop,  or  184.2  inches  per  annum.  Contin- 
uing, the  report  says: 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  295 

In  making  up  these  figures,  however,  Mr.   Cowan  qualified  them  by  saying  that 
hey  are  for  the  full  capacity  of  the  ditch,  which  is  not  always  full  when  required, 
and  is  only  partially   compensated  for  full  flow  by  the  rainfall.     *  The  ave- 

rage yield  of  the  plantation  is  given  at  5.6  tons  of  sugar  per  acre  for  plant  cane  and 
4  tons  for  ratoon  crop.  *     *     He  summarizes  by  stating  that  to  raise  1  pound 

of  sugar  requires  about  51.8  cubic  feet  of  water. 

There  are  so  many  elements  of  uncertainty  included  within  the 
foregoing  statement  that  it  must  be  coasidered  as  merely  an  approxi- 
mation to  the  truth.  The  report  further  states: 

On  the  Kekaha  plantation,  Kauai,  water  is  obtained  by  pumping  to  a  height  of 
18  to  36  feet,  en  average  of  about  27  feet.  The  delivery  of  the  water  is  contracted 
for  at  the  rate  of  $35  per  acre  per  unnum.  The  contractor  is  required  to  deliver 
sufficient  water  to  irrigate  700  acres  every  ten  days  to  an  average  depth  of  4  inches 
at  each  watering.  The  duty  thus  performed,  presuming  the  quantity  contracted  for 
is  fully  delivered,  would  be  59?  acres  per  cubic  foot  per  second.  The  pumping  is 
done  during  ten  hours  each  day.  The  three  pumps  required  to  have  a  capacity  of 
7,000,000  gallons  per  day  each.  Coal  costs  $11  per  ton  at  the  pumps.  A  very  un- 
usual yield  is  reported  from  this  plantation.  Ratoon  crops  for  seven  consecutive 
years  are  said  to  have  produced  an  average  of  5  tons  of  sugar  per  acre  each  year. 

In  summing  up  their  observations,  Messrs.  Schuyler  and  Allardt 
say  that  a  greater  duty  than  60  acres  per  cubic  foot  per  second  can 
not  possibly  be  considered  safe;  or  in  other  words,  at  least  5,000,000 
gallons  per  acre  are  required  to  make  the  crop. 

The  data  and  conclusions  furnished  by  Schuyler  and  Allardt  have 
been  given  at  length,  for  the  reason  that  they  formed  the  basis  of 
computations  some  ten  years  ago  and  are  still  followed  by  the  older 
plantation  authorities.  During  the  past  six  months  two  persons  who 
are  connected  with  the  opening  up  of  new  plantations  assured  the  wri- 
ter that  those  estimates  ''were  not  conservative  enough  to  be  safe, 
and  that  in  their  calculations  and  provisions  they  were  providing  for 
not  less  than  6,000,000  gallons^of  water  per  acre  for  the  crop.  The 
more  conservative  estimates  of  those  gentlemen  are  not  based  upon 
any  ascertained  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  the  soil  and  crop. 
They  are  merely  the  result  of  a  wish  to  be  safe.  As  a  consequence, 
when  the  basis  of  6,000,000  gallons  per  acre  for  the  crop  becomes  the 
practice,  some  other  gentlemen  of  conservative  mind  who  also  wish  to 
be  safe  will  appear  who  will  think  7,000,000  gallons  a  necessary  provi- 
sion. At  present  the  practice  upon  the  plantations  is  not  resting 
upon  ascertained  requirements  which  can  be  arrived  at  only  by  the 
aid  of  a  knowledge  of  the  physical  laws  that  have  been  set  forth  and 
by  actual  tests  involving  the  determination  of  the  amount  of  water 
that  the  crop  during  the  different  stages  of  growth  requires  in  given 
conditions  of  soil  and  climate. 

STUDY   OF  IRRIGATION   AT   THE   HAWAIIAN  EXPERIMENT  STATION, 

In  view  of  the  absence  of  established  data  bearing  upon  the  actual 
requirement  of  the  sugar  cane  in  the  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  of 
the  Hawaiian  Islands,  and  also  on  account  of  the  great  variations  that 


296 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


obtain  in  the  practice  of  irrigation,  the  writer  determined  upon  a 
series  of  tests  which  should  be  carried  out  along  lines  of  strictly  eco- 
nomic purpose,  but  controlled  by  the  aid  of  such  physical  and  chem- 
ical observations  as  were  previously  shown  to  underlie  any  system  of 
rational  irrigation 

The  Hawaiian  Experiment  Station  is  located  in  the  suburbs  of  Hon- 
olulu and  comprises  five  acres  of  land.  In  laying  out  the  area  into 
divisions  and  plats  special  provisions  was  made  for  the  use  of  irriga- 
tion water.  The  water  supply  is  that  of  the  city  municipality,  and  it 
is  laid  on  by  iron  pipes  with  very  numerous  faucet  discharges.  The 
distribution  is  made  by  means  of  rubber  hose,  thus  controlling  the 
delivery  at  any  place  or  time. 

The  topography  of  the  field  is  favorable  for  irrigation;  its  surface 
being  relative  level. 

The  soil  is  exclusively  derived  from  the  decomposition  of  basaltic 
lavas.  There  is  a  depth  of  15  inches  of  tillable  earth  resting  upon  a 
porous  subsoil-  an  understratum  which  is  composed  of  chips  of  lava 
stone,  scoria,  and  black  sand.  The  total  mass  of  soil  is  thus  relatively 
small,  1  acre  to  the  depth  of  15  inches  weighing  4,368,825  pounds. 
The  constituents  of  the  soil  are  shown  in  the  following  table: 

ANALYSIS   OP   SOILS   AT   HAWAIIAN   EXPERIMENT   STATION. 


Soil  constitutents 

Amounts 
present 

Soil  constituents. 

Amounts 
present 

Per  cent. 
9  526 

Per  cent 
5  515 

Combustible  matter..  .  <  

9  347 

Alumina  

12  540 

Insoluble  silica.          

15  660 

Manganese  oxid  .. 

145 

Solublb  silica  

17  058 

Lime.  .  .       

861 

Titonic  acid  (TiO)  

2  460 

Magnesia           

821 

Phosphoric  acid         

1  050 

Soda 

175 

Sulphuric  acid  

164 

Potash                      

581 

Carbonic  diocid  

080 

Nitrogen  

IS 

Chlorin         .          .           

Trace. 

Ferric  oxid  .  . 

23  630 

Total  .... 

99  go 

Continued. 


IRRIGATION   IN  CONGRESS. 


If  the  leading  minds  of  the  country  were  asked  to  seriously  dis- 
cuss the  topic:  "What  is  the  greatest  question  in  the  United  States 
awaiting  solution?"  it  is  probable  that  a  very  few  men  living  east  of 
the  Mississippi  would  think  of  "national  irrigation"  in  this  connection. 
To  most  of  such  the  subject  is  new  and  unstudied.  It  will  bear  study; 
it  will  bear  the  most  searching  scrutiny,  and  the  more  studied  the 
more  it  is  seen  to  be  a  question  of  exceptional  breadth  and  of  truly 
great  possibilities  and  far-reaching  importance  to  the  nation. 

The  query  that  many  eastern  people  are  now  making  is:  "What  is 
this  irrigation  problem  before  Congress?  Is  it  a  legitimate  one  for 
the  Government  1o  consider?  Is  it  one  whose  support  will  be  a  bene- 
fit to  the  country?  Along  whai,  lines  is  it  drawn?  In  short,  is  it  a 
question  of  really  national  import? 

Its  western  advocates,  regardless  of  political  affiliations,  claim 
that  it  is  the  most  important  national  question  to-day.  Eastern  legis- 
lators, regardless  of  party,  are  inclined  to  smile  broadly  at  this 
assertion. 

If  the  internal  history  of  the  American  Republic  is  studied  care- 
fully, however,  the  conclusion  will  be  reached  that  national  irrigation, 
properly  wrought  out,  is  likely  to  shortly  come  to  the  front  as  one  of 
the  most  important  national  questions  of  the  day.  It  embodies,  in  its 
truest  sense,  the  question  of  home-building,  and  the  American  people 
have  been,  up  to  the  present  time,  essentially  a  nation  of  home-build- 
ers. In  no  country  in  the  world  is  the  desire  for  home-building  so 
strong.  The  wish  to  own  and  have  and  live  in  homes  has  led  thous- 
ands of  Americans  to  endure  trials  and  hardships,  and  brave  dangers 
almost  beyond  conception.  This  controlling  wish  of  the  American 
people  has  conquered  a  continent.  The  hardy  pioneer  with  his  family 
and  his  earthly  belongings  stowed  in  his  wagon,  looking  for  a  home, 
has  accomplished  this.  The  locomotive  has  only  followed  the  prairie 
'  schooner. 

Now,  what  has  this  to  do  particularly  with  irrigation?  Simply 
that  the  opportunity  for  home-building  under  the  old  order  has  disap- 
peared. New,  cheap  homes,  within  the  means  of  the  hardy  settler, 
are,  under  favorable  conditions,  no  longer  available.  The  opening 
here  and  there  of  a  strip  of  good  land  to  settlement,  such  as  Oklahoma, 
and  the  following  rush  of  immigration,  attests  to  this  and  also  to  the 
fact  that  the  country  is  still  full  of  home  seekers.  Where,  then,  will 
they  now  turn? 


298  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

The  new  homes  of  the  future  must  be  found  on  irrigated  lands. 
There  are,  according  to  accepted  Government  reports,  some  74, 000, 000 
acres  of  rich  western  land  capable  of  irrigation  if  the  western  waters 
are  properly  conserved.  Irrigation  is  not  an  experiment  in  the  United 
States,  and  there  is  no  question  raised  as  to  the  feasibility  of  this 
reclalmation,  but  irrigation  development  in  a  private  way  has  reached 
its  limits.  But,  since  under  irrigation,  yields  are  very  large,  a  few 
acres  of  this  land  would  generously  support  a  family,  so  that  with  the 
lands  irrigated  rural  homes  would  be  provided  for  millions  of  citizens, 
waiting  and  anxious  to  go  upon  them. 

The  advocates  of  the  national  irrigation  policy  urge  that  the  Gov- 
ernment should,  where  possible,  build  storage  reservoirs  to  catch  the 
flood  waters  of  the  western  streams  and  thus  provide  for  the  reclama- 
tion of  these  lands.  The  Newlands  bill,  now  before  the  House  Irriga- 
tion Committee,  and  its  counterpart,  the  Hansbrough  bill,  on  the  Sen- 
ate side,  provide  for  the  setting  aside  of  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of 
public  lands  in  the  arid  States  and  Territories  as  an  "arid  land  reclam- 
ation fund,"  to  be  used  for  building  such  reservoirs,  and  that  the  cost 
of  such  construction  shall  be  put  upon  the  land  reclaimed  by  them, 
and  the  land  then  offered  for  sale  by  the  Government  in  small  tracts 
to  bona  fide  settlers,  upon  easy  terms. 

Who  will  come  to  the  support  of  such  a  policy?  More  people  and 
a  greater  diversity  of  interests  than  supported  the  homestead  act,  and 
such  legislation  would  be  even  more  popular  than  the  free  home  enact- 
ments. What  other  proposition  is  before  the  country  upon  which 
labor  and  capital  can  better  unite  and  which  they  can  support,  hand 
in  hand,  without  clash  or  jealousy?  Every  labor  union  in  the  United 
States,  which  has  discussed  the  question,  has  unanimously  supported 
it;  every  combination  of  capital,  of  whatever  sort,  which  has  consid- 
ered it,  has  given  it  unqualified  endorsement. 

The  opening  of  the  vast  area  of  western  lands  by  irrigation  would 
provide  cheap  homes,  certain  of  returning  the  owners  a  comfortable 
livelihood.  It  would  create  a  valuable  and  growing  market  for  every 
kind  and  description  of  manufactured  product,  and  would  thus  be 
favored  by  all  classes  of  manufacturing  and  commercial  interests  in 
the  country.  It  would  insure  cheaper  living  in  the  West,  which  would 
result  in  the  opening  of  numberless  mining  properties  whose  grade  of 
ore  is  not  sufficiently  high  to  warrant  development  under  present 
wage  conditions.  It  would  create  a  demand  for  transportation  which 
would  bring  to  its  support  every  railroad  interest. 

Can  any  proposition  ever  before  the  American  people  claim  the 
support  of  a  greater  diversity  of  interests  than  the  irrigation  and  rec- 
lamation of  the  vast  and  waste  areas  of  arid  land  under  an  honest 


THE  IKhlGAlON  AGE.  299 

policy,  which  would  insure  their  settlement  in  small  tracts  by  genuine 
home-builders? 

The  theory  of  State  cession  grew  out  of  the  old  idea  that  the 
National  Government  never  would  do  anything  for  the  reclamation  of 
the  arid  public  lands.  Nothing  is  more  certain  now  than  that  the 
Federal  Government  will  inaugurate  a  policy  for  their  reclamation, 
and  the  necessity  for  State  cession  is  thus  withdrawn.  The  reclama- 
tion of  the  arid  public  lands  could  not  be  accomplished  by  their  ces- 
sion to  the  States  for  many  reasons. 

The  rivers  are  mostly  interstate  streams.  Those  rising,  for  in- 
stance, in  Colorado  and  Wyoming  flow  into  or  through  seventeen 
States  and  Territories.  The  States  have  not  the  financial  resources. 
They  will  not  provide  the  necessary  capital  by  direct  taxation.  It 
cannot  be  raised  by  bonding  the  land.  This  has  been  tried  and  failed. 
The  States  cannot  raise  the  money  by  the  issuance  of  State  bonds 
The  people  would  not  vote  them  in  any  of  the  States,  and  many  of  the 
States  have  already  reached  the  limit  of  indebtedness  under  their 
constitution. 

Again,  the  history  of  all  State  land  grants  has  been  that  they  are 
squandered,  and  the  purpose  of  the  grant  is  not  accomplished.  Past 
experience  is  a  warning  against  State  cession  for  this  reason.  Con- 
ditional State  cession  is  utterly  impracticable.  No  conditions  could 
be  imposed  which  would  not  be  evaded,  and  the  confession  that  con- 
ditions are  necessary  is  the  strongest  argument  against  State  cession. 
More  than  all  this,  tnere  is  a  bitter  antagonism  to  State  cession  in  the 
West  which  is  so  deeply  rooted  that  the  West  itself  would  repudiate 
such  a  policy.  This  was  demonstrated  in  the  last  two  sessions  of 
Congress  by  the  large  number  of  strong  petitions  coming  from  the 
West  in  opposition  to  State  cession.  In  the  East  the  opposition  is 
still  more  intense,  and  it  is  certain  beyond  question  that  no  general 
policy  of  State  cession  could  ever  be  passed  through  Congress. 

This  being  so,  and  it  being  beyond  question  possible  to  secure  the 
inauguration  of  a  broad  policy  for  the  reclamation  through  the  Na- 
tional Government  itself  of  the  arid  public  domain,  the  wise  policy 
for  the  West  is  for  the  people  of  that  section  of  the  country  to  stand 
united  in  urging  the  speedy  inauguration  of  the  national  irrigation 
policy.  The  two,  however,  cannot  go  together..  State  cession  would 
kill  the  national  irrigation  movement.  The  strongest  argument  to 
induce  the  Government  to  undertake  the  construction  of  reservoirs 
and  irrigation  works  in  the  arid  region,  is  that  the  Government  is  the 
largest  land-owner  in  the  West.  If  the  Government  parted  with  the 
land  and  gave  it  to  the  States,  it  would  be  upon  the  theory  that  the 
States  could  take  the  lands  and  build  their  own  reservoirs  and  irriga- 
tion works.  This  they  fail  to  do,  and  enormous  detriment  to  the 
West  would  inevitably  result  by  such  a  disposition  of  the  lands. 


IRRIGATION  IN  HAWAII. 


Irrigation  is  transforming  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  On  Mauri,  one 
of  the  larger  islands  of  the  group,  an  engineering  feat  has  just  been 
successfully  carried  through  that  has  not  its  equal  in  the  Pacific 
Islands.  To  supply  water  to  the  Spreckelsville  plantation  a  canal 
has  been  dug  along  the  slopes  of  the  great  crater  of  Haleakala,  and 
by  it  a  stream  of  water  flowing  50,000,000  gallons  daily  is  brought  a 
distance  of  twenty-two  miles  and  thence  distributed  over  the  planta- 
tion lands. 

It  was  no  ordinary  undertaking,  the  building  of  this  great  canal, 
for  in  those  twenty-two  miles  from  Kailua  Gulch  to  Spreckelsville 
there  are  gulches  and  canyons  by  the  score,  each  of  which  had  to  be, 
crossed,  and  there  are  a  dozen  or  more  high  ridges,  to  pass  through, 
which  it  was  necessary  to  dig  tunnels,  some  of  which  are  nearly  half 
a  mile  in  length. 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  "ditch"  is  the  manner  in  which, 
it  is  carried  over  numerous  gulches  which  scar  the  sides  of  the  great 
extinct  crater.  Some  of  these  gulches  are  very  deep,  and  their  sides 
are  nearly  perpendicular.  To  cross  them  pipe  lines  are  used,  not 
stretched  across  on  trestles,  but  following  the  less  expensive  and 
more  stable  method  of  dropping  into  the  gulches  and  allowing  the 
water  to  flow  on  the  principle  of  the  inverted  siphon.  Of  these 
siphons  there  are  twelve  along  the  line  of  the  ditch,  winding  up  and 
down  like  huge  serpents,  all  constructed  of  quarter-inch  pipe,  forty- 
four  inches  in  diameter.  The  most  striking  of  them  crosses  Maliko 
Gulch,  a  gash  in  the  slope  of  the  volcano  which  stretches  nearly  from 
the  summit  to  the  sea,  and  which  is  350  feet  deep  and  less  than  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  Across  this  gorge  it  seemed  next  to  impos- 
sible to  carry  a  siphon,  but  it  has  been  done,  and  the  works  are  in 
successful  operation. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 

In  diversified  farming  by  irrigation  lies  tbe  salvation  of  agriculture 


SUGAR  BEETS. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  no  subject 
which  is  attracting  so  much  atttntion  in 
the  agricultural  world  as  sugar  beets.  A 
few  years  ago  this  crop  was  not  known  in 
the  United  States,  but  last  year  there  was 
beets  enough  raised  to  supply  35  factories 
in  this  country,  and  more  are  being  raised 
for  new  factories  every  year.  Every  agri- 
cultural journal  is  taking  up  this  subject, 
and  farmers  all  over  the  country  are  ad- 
vised to  try  this  crop.  Since  the  people 
of  Utah  demonstrated  that  beets  could  be 
successfully  raised  under  irrigation,  the 
arid  states  have  become  greatly  interested 
in  this  crop  and  before  many  years,  these 
states  will  become  great  sugar  producers 
as  was  predicted  by  H.  W.  Wiley  in  a 
government  bulletin  issued  in  February 
1899.  The  results  which  have  been  at- 
tained in  Utah  and  Colorado  the  last' few 
years  demonstrated  that  these  states  are 
particularly  adapted  to  this  crop  and  that 
there  is  a  great  future  for  the  sugar  in- 
dustry here.  Last  year  two  factories  were 
built  in  the  southern  part  of  this  state, 
and  the  best  five  year's  crop  of  beets  ever 
produced  in  the  United  States  was  grown. 
Such  results  have  given  a  great  impetus  to 
the  industry  there  and  are  attracting  at- 
tention elsewhere.  A  year  ago,  when  this 
industry  was  being  agitated  there,  the 
farmers  were  afraid  to  take  hold  of  this 
new  business.  They  were  making  good 
money  raising  melons,  and  were  loath  to 
make  a  change,  but  when  a  factory  was 
promised,  the  progressive  farmer  signed 
contracts  for  five  years  and  determined  to 
give  the  crop  a  trial.  They  were  assisted 


in  every  way  by  the  sugar  company,  and  a 
splended  crop  was  the  result.  This  year 
the  American  Beet  Sugar  company  at  Rocky 
Ford  have  more  than  doubled  their  acre- 
age. In  one  small  district  alone,  the  con- 
tracted for  over  1500  acres,  where  they 
had  536  last  year.  Farmers  who  followed 
the  advice  of  the  field  superintendents, 
cleared  from  $10  to  $100  per  acre.  The 
way  they  have  increased  their  acreage 
shows  they  are  well  pleases  with  the  crop. 

At  Lehi,  Utah,  last  year  they  had  a 
short  crop  because  of  the  scarcity  of  water, 
but  the  year  previous  they  planted  960 
acres  of  beets,  which  yielded  an  average  of 
16i  tons  per  acre,  or  a  total  of  15,840  tons, 
at  $4,50  per  ton,  brought  $73,530.  The 
cost  to  produce  this  crop,  including  the 
work  done  by  the  farmer,  was  $32,600. 
This  left  them  a  net  profit  of  $40,930. 

The  people  of  northern  Colorado  are 
fortunate  in  having  a  factory  located  in 
in  this  part  of  state,  so  the  farmers  can  de- 
monstrate what  they  can  do  with  this  crop. 
Everything  at  present  points  to  a  success. 
We  have  the  soil,  the  climate,  the  water, 
the  favorable  natural  conditions,  and  if  the 
farmers  give  this  crop  the  careful  atten- 
tion they  give  to  other  crops,  then  success 
is  assured,  and  other  factories  will  be 
erected  here.  But  in  spite  of  the  success 
that  has  been  made  around  them,  many 
farmers  are  still  afraid  of  this  crop  and  are 
willing  to  let  the  other  fellow  make  the 
start.  It  is  true  the  potato  is  a  splendid 
crop  here  and  will  never  be  entirely  sup- 
planted by  sugar  beets,  yet  that  is  no  rea- 
son why  we  should  not  have  another  good 
crop,  one  which  pays  well  and  has  an  ab- 


302 


THE  IRRIGA  T10N  AGE. 


solutely  sure  market  and  a  fixed  price. 
There  are  many  good  farmers  who  have 
faith  in  sugar  beets,  and  have  already  con- 
tracted so  there  will  be  many  fields  of  beets 
in  the  vicinity  next  summer  and  if  these 
are  planted  on  suitable  land  and  given  pro- 
per care  we  will  harvest  some  splendid 
crops  in  this  section.  But  beet  farmers 
must  not  forget  that  beets  must  be  planted 
on  good  land  and  not  on  land  that  will  not 
produce  other  crops. 

If  the  people  of  this  vicinity  want  a 
sugar  factory,  they  now  have  a  splendid 
chance  to  secure  one,  If  they  demonstrate 
to  the  world  they  can  grow  sufficient  beets 
of  the  proper  quality  to  supply  a  factory 
then  they  can  get  one,  but  capitalists  will 
not  invest  their  money  unless  they  are 
reasonably  sure  of  getting  good  returns. — 
Walter  L.  Webb,  in  Greeley  Tribune 


UTAH    WHEAT  IN  EAST. 

Several  weeks  ago  a  few  carlords  of 
Utah  wheat  were  shipped  East  as  an  ex- 
periment. Says  the  Semi-weekly  Tribune. 
It  has  always  been  claimed  by  Eastern 
millers  that  the  irrigated  wheat  of  Utah 
was  not  as  good  for  flour  as  the  product 
raised  without  irrigation.  They  gave  an 
excuse  for  this  the  fact  that  there  was 
much  more  water  in  the  Utah  wheat  than 
in  the  hard  wheat  of  the  East.  Bakers  of 
this  city  seemed  to  have  become  imbued 
with  this  idea,  too, and  so  they  imported 
some  of  the  hard  wheat  flour  of  the  East 
to  mix  with  the  soft-wheat  flour  of  Utah. 
The  result  was  a  very  superior  quality  of 
bread,  it  is  claimed,  and  this  Utah  wheat 
was  sent  East  to  allow  the  bakers  there  to 
test  its  worth  in  conjunction  with  their 
own.  The  experiment  has  proven  to  be 
satisfactory,  and  as  a  consequence  there  is 
quite  a  demand  for  Utah  wheat  in  places 
where  the  result  has  become  known. 
"There  are  probably  10,000  bushels  of 
Utah  wheat  going  out  daily, "  said  a  shipper 
yesterday,  "and  it  reaches  points  as  far 


east  as  Connecticut  and  as  for  south  as 
Tennessee.  The  value  in  the  mixtuse  of 
the  two  seems  to  be  that  the  soft  wheat 
grown  in  irrigated  countries  gives  a  flavor 
to  the  bread,  when  it  is  judiciously  used, 
that  cannot  be  obtained  when  all  hard 
wheat  is  u«ed;  and  on  the  other  hand,  the 
hard  wheat  gives  strength  and  color  to  the 
bread  that  cannot  be  had  here  without  its 
use.  I  look  for  very  good  results  from  the 
experiment. 


KEEPING  IN  THE  OLD  RUTS. 

M.  F.  Jackson,  of  Pes  Moines  county 
Iowa,  writes  the  following  to  the  Prairie 
Farmer. 

We  all  know  how  hard  it  is  to  get  a  load 
out  of  old  ruts.  It  takes  great  effort  on 
the  part  of  the  team.  So  it  takes  unusual 
effort  for  men  to  get  into  new  ways  of  do- 
ing things.  We  are  prone  to  do  as  our 
fathers  did.  We  love  to  follow  in  the  good 
(?)  old  ways  and  tell  of  the  profits  made 
when  we  were  young.  We  read  of  the  ex- 
periments made  at  our  agricultural  colleges; 
we  wonder  at  the  reports,  but  often  fail  to 
profit  by  them.  This  can  be  said  of  many 
farmers  who  read  agricultural  papers.  We 
are  advised  to  harrow  corn  before  it  comes 
up  and  after  it  is  up,  but  many  are  sure 
such  a  course  would  be  disastrous;  their 
fathers  never  harrowed  corn.  Last  year  a 
neighbor  had  corn  up  four  inches  high. 
The  weeds  were  showing  thickly.  He  had 
no  help  and  said  the  weeds  would  get  ahead 
of  him,  he  feared.  I  advised  him  to  har- 
row it  with  his  three-section  harrow.  It 
would  cultivate  the  corn,  and  be  death  to 
many  of  the  little  weeds.  He  could  cul- 
tivate the  corn  easier  and  better.  There 
was  no  trash  on  the  field,  but  he  was  &ure 
harrowing  would  cover  up  and  tear  up  his 
corn,  doing  more  harm  thon  good.  He 
would  keep  in  the  old  rut.  Too  many  far- 
mers keep  their  hogs  in  rather  small  en- 
closures, while  they  know  the  hogs  would 
do  much  better  if  they  had  green  feed,  for 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


303 


hogs  are  grazing  animals.  But  hogs  can- 
not be  turned  into  pastures  for  the  stock 
law  has  spoiled  all  our  fences  for  hogs. 
There  seems  to  be  no  other  way — so  they 
think — but  to  feed  corn  and  water.  There 
is  no  money  to  buy  slop  stuff.  All  the 
money  is  needed  for  something  else.  Last 
year  a  man  had  no  pasture  for  his  hogs  for 
it  had  been  overstocked  and  the  grass  was 
all  killed  out.  Something  must  be  done. 
He  penned  up  his  twelve  sows  and  let  his 
forty-five  pigs  run  free.  He  sowed  oats 
and  rape  on  one  three-acre  lot  and  disked 
them  in  as  early  as  the  ground  would  work 
well.  His  hogs  were  turned  into  this  lot 
about  May  15-20  and  they  had  plenty  of 
green  feed  till  late  in  July.  His  small 
lots  were  shoveled  and  sown  thickly  to  rape. 
How  the  pigs  enjoyed  the  sweet,  tender 
rape  as  the  lots  were  successively  opened 
to  them!  Now  he  added  shorts  slop  and 
continued  it.  Another  lot  of  three  acres 
was  plowed  and  fined.  Early  potatoes  and 
sweet  corn  were  planted.  At  the  last 
plowing  rape  seed  at  the  rate  of  three 
pounds  per  acre  was  cultivated  in.  The 
potatoes  were  dug  and  the  pigs  were  turn- 
ed in  in  August.  The  sweet  corn  lasted 
•  them  a  month  and  they  had  no  care  save 
being  watered.  The  rape  continued  grow- 
ing till  heavy  frost,  and  the  pigs  ate  it  un- 
til December  Twelve  calves  were  turned 
in  for  two  weeks  to  help  save  the  rape:  and 
then  much  of  it  froze  down.  This  man 
got  out  of  the  old  rut  of  feeding  corn  only, 
and  thinks  it  paid  him  $50  to  $100.  He 
never  had  pigs  do  better.  They  had  all 
the  corn  they  could  eat  quickly.  My 
clover  all  killed  out.  Plans  for  pasturing 
a  .carload  of  calves  were  seriously  disturbed. 
I  wanted  my  farm  to  pasture  them  so  that 
Iwould  not  have  to  hire  pasture  as  I  had 
often  done  before.  Twenty-eight  acres  of 
pasture  had  been  prepared  for  them;  four- 
teen acres  were  old  meadow  of  clover  and 
timothy,  and  fourteen  were  new  in  clover. 
The  clover  was  all  killed  and  the  part  in 
clover  was  bare  ground.  One  peck  of 


timothy  and  clover  seed  and  two  bushels 
oats  were  sown  to  each  acre  and  disked 
in.  The  old  meadow  was  left  to  itself- 
The  young  cattle  were  turned  in  the  latter 
part  of  May  and  they  staid  over  five  months. 
I  cut  six  tons  of  timothy  hay.  This  was 
not  big  pay,  but  it  beat  six  per  cent  and 
the  cattle  were  at  home.  Farmers  would 
do  well  to  experiment  more.  Profit  by  the 
experience  of  others.  Few  of  us  do  as  well 
as  we  can,  nor  as  well  as  we  might  if  we 
turn  more  of  the  things  we  read  into 
practice. 


THE  MATTER  OF  POTATO  PLANTING. 
Nearly  every  farmer  is  interested,  to  a 
more  or  less  extent,  in  the  matter  of  grow- 
ing potatoes,  whether  he  grows  merely  a 
sufficient  amount  for  home  consumption, 
or  wheather  he  grows  a  large  acreage  for 
the  purpose  of  marketing.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  the  results  of  experiments  made 
by  many  potato  growers  in  the  method  of 
planting,  For  instance,  in  the  planting  at 
different  depths  in  rows  from  two  to  three 
feet  apart  and  twelve  inches  apart  in  the 
rows.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  this 
method  of  planting  produces  large  yields, 
and  the  crop  can  be  cultivated  with  ease. 
Level  cultivation  is  recommended,  and 
but  very  little  soil  is  thrown  on  the  po- 
tatoes. Potatoes  will  develop  more  rap- 
idly in  warm  soil  than  in  that  which  is 
colder,  consequently  as  the  soil  for  the 
first  three  or  four  inches  of  the  surface  is 
warmer  than  in  tLe  three  or  four  inches 
lower  down,  the  condition  of  shallow  plant- 
ing are  more  favorable,  and  it  has  been 
demonstrated  that  level  cultivation  and 
shallow  planting  is  the  best  for  many  soils- 
On  the  other  hand,  much  of  the  success  of 
shallow  planting  will  depend  upon  the 
moisture  of  the  soil.  If  the  season  is  very 
dry  the  first  two  inches  of  soil  may  be  so 
dry  that  the  potato  will  not  take  root 
rapidly,  and  the  season  of  growth  will  thus 
be  shortened,  but  such  a  season  will  not 
occur  more  than  once  in  five  years.  From 


301 


THE  IRR1GA1ION  AGE. 


results  carried  on  at  some  of  the  experi- 
ment stations,  it  seems  reasonable  to  con- 
clude that  where  the  soil  is  not  dry  the 
best  results  may  be  obtained  from  shallow 
planting.  In  any  case  early  planted  pota- 
toes will  probably  succeed  best  when 
planted  shallow,  and  in  places  where  the 
spring  is  late,  or  where  the  ground  is  cold, 
best  results  will  always  be  had  from  shallow 
planting. 


DIVISION  OF  FORESTRY. 

Interest  in  scientific  forestry  is  rapidly 
increasing  in  the  South.  A  preliminary 
examination  has  been  made  by  the  Divi- 
sion of  Forestry  of  the  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture  of  the  largest  forest  in  Polk 
and  Monroe  counties,  Tennessee,  owned 
by  Senator  George  Peabody  Wetmore,  of 
Rhode  Island.  The  examination  has  es- 
tablished the  suitability  of  this  tract  to  be 
handled  under  practical  forest  methods. 
Work  will  now  be  begun  and  pushed  in 
making  a  working  plan  for  the  forest, 
which  contains  84,000  acres  of  hardwood 
timber. 

The  Division  has  also  received  from  the 
South  two  other  important  requests  for 
expert  assistance  in  forest  management, 
both  from  owners  of  private  tracts.  The 
first  is  from  the  Okeetee  Club,  which 
owns  60,000  acres  of  Shortleaf  Pine  land 
in  Beaufort  and  Hampton  counties,  in 
South  Carolina.  Mr.  Overton  W.  Price, 
Superintendent  of  Working  Plans  in  the 
Division  of  Forestry,  will  make  a  pre- 
liminary examination  to  ascertain  whether 
a  working  plan  for  the  tract  is  feasible. 

In  addition  to  Shortleaf  Pine,  this  tract 
contains  Cypress  in  the  swamp  lands,  and 
also  some  hardwood  timber.  The  Okeetee 
Club's  tract  borders  on  the  Savannah 
River;  with  markets  by  water  aod  rail  at 
no  great  distance. 

The  other  request  to  the  Division  for 
assistance  comes  from  northwestern  Geor- 
gia, where  a  preliminary  examination  of 


16,000  acres  of  Shortleaf  pine  is  wanted.. 

The  Division  of  Forestry,  through  its- 
section  of  tree  planting,  lias  succeeded  in 
arousing  widespread  interest  in  the  sub- 
ject of  tree  growing  on  the  plains  of  the 
upper  Mississippi  Valley.  An  agent  of 
the  Division  has  recently  returned  from 
that  region  and  reports  that  the  farmers  in. 
the  terriiory  west  of  the  Mississippi  and 
north  of  the  40th  parallel  of  latitude  are 
awaking  to  the  importance  of  planting 
trees,  especially  for  economic  purposes. 
The  planter?  of  this  section  are  anxious  to- 
avoid  the  mistakes  made  during  the  opera- 
tion of  the  Timber  Claim  Act.  The  groves- 
now  being  planned  are  designed  to  be 
permanent  features  on  the  horneste;ids. 

To  that  end,  the  farmers  will  use  a^ 
greater  proportion  .of  long-lived,  slow- 
growing  speeies  than  formerly.  The  de- 
mand for  such  hardy,  drouth-resisting 
species  as  the  Hackberry,  Green  Ash,. 
White  Elm.  Bur  Oak,  Red  Elm,  Red 
Cedar,  and  Western  Yellow  Pine  (Bull. 
Pine)  promises  to  be  greatly  increased 
during  the  next  few  years.  The  greatest 
present  difficulty  with  which  the  prospec- 
tive tree  planter  has  to  contend  is  the  fact 
that  commercial  growers  of  nursery  stock 
are  not  supplied  with  this  kind  of  mat- 
erial. The  nurseries  still  carry  large  quan- 
tities of  the  short-lived  kinds,  such  as 
Boxelder,  Cottonwood,  Maple  and  Willow, 
but  are  short  on  the  more  valuable  species. 

The  planting  of  conifers  on  the  prairies 
of  the  West  during  the  past  has  not  been, 
attended  with  general  success.  This  is 
owing  to  the  use  of  eastern  and  introduced 
kinds  that  are  not  adapted  to  the  country. 
There  is  abundant  evidence,  however,  that 
the  Red  Cedar  and  Western  Yellow  Pine 
(Bull  Pine)  will  thrive  throughout  this 
section.  The  desirability  of  evergreens- 
for  wind-breaks  on  a  bleak  prairie  should 
lead  owners  to  turn  their  attention  to  these 
hardy  native  species. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


305 


A  matter  of  considerable  interest  is  the 
forthcoming  publication  of  the  working 
plan  for  township  40,  in  the  New  York 
State  Forest  Preserve.  This  working  plan 
as  published  will  contain  maps,  illustra- 
tions, tables,  rules  for  cutting,  and  esti- 
mates of  stand.  It  will  be  of  especial 
value  not  only  to  people  interested  in  for- 
estry, but  to  lumbermen  as  well,  since  it  is 
the  result  of  careful  investigations  by  a 
practical  forester  and  a  practical  lumber- 
man. 

The  working  plan  for  Township  40,  is 
the  first  made  by  the  Division  of  Forestry 
for  State  land  in  the  Adirondacks.  The 
Division  at  the  request  of  the  New  York 
Forest,  Fish  and  Game  Commission  for 
expert  assistance  undertook  to  make  work- 
ing plans  for  the  1,250,000  acres  of  wood- 
land composing  the  Adirondack  Forest 
Preserve,  of  which  the  working  plan  for 
~  Township  40  is  the  first.  This  work  is 
•  being  done  with  a  view  to  obtain  a  regular 
income  from  the  State  forests  in  case  of 
the  repeal  of  the  constitutional  clause 
which  now  prohibits  lumbering  on  State 
lands.  Systematic  cutting  under  skilled 
forest  management  would  benefit  the  fu- 
ture growth  of  the  forests,  improve  their 
present  condition,  and  give  the  State  a 
large  and  increasing  annual  income. 


pany,  all  with  headquarters  at  Towanda, 
Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania,  have  made 
application  to  the  Division  of  Forestry  for 
assistance  in  preparing  a  plan  to  prevent 
the  occurrence  of  annual  forest  fires  on 
their  properties.  Mr.  H.  McC.  Curran  of 
that  Division  has  been  sent  to  investigate 
the  matter  and  report  upon  the  conditions, 
in  order  that  the  Division  may  be  prepared 
to  offer  advice  for  the  prevention  of  fires. 


The    State   Line   &   Sullivan   Railroad 
J  Company,  and  the  Long  Valley  Coal  Com- 


Among  the  recent  applicants  for  advice 
and  assistance  in  the  management  of  its 
woodlands  is  the  Moose  River  Lumber 
Co.,  which  owns  a  tract  of  16,000  acres  in 
the  Adirondacks  (N.  Y.).  This  tract  is 
mostly  Spruce  land  and  is  situated  in  Her- 
kimer  County.  The  preliminary  examina- 
tion has  already  been  made  by  one  of  the 
experts  of  the  Division  of  Forestry  and 
the  working  plan  \rill  be  prepared  this 
spring.  It  will  contain  estimates  of  the 
present  and  future  yields  of  timber  on  the 
tract,  and  will  also  make  recommendations 
regarding  the  lumbering.  This  applica- 
tion, taken  with  those  which  have  been 
received  from  other  owners  of  private  for- 
est lands  in  the  Adirondacks  during  the 
last  two  years,  brings  the  total  area  of 
private  land  in  that  region,  for  which 
working  plans  have  been  requested,  up  to 
more  than  400,000  acres.  On  140,000  acres 
these  plans  are  already  in  operation. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


THE  STAR  TROTTER 

BY  MURT  H.  BASSETT. 

"Take  her  to  the  Washingtonian 
Home  for  a  month  and  get  the 
"dope"  out  of  her,"  ordered  his 
honor,  as  Officer  Morierty  ambled 
out  of  the  dock  with  "Cocaine  Meg, " 
of  Plymouth  Place.  "Now,  Mr. 
Prosecutor."  continued  the  court  in 
a  lower  tone,  as  he  cast  his  eye 
down  the  trial  sheet,  "what  the 
duce  is  this  next  name?" 

"You've  got  me  there,"  replied 
the  alert  young  lawyer,  giving  his 
cuffs  an  extra  twist,  and  fastening 
his  eyes  on  the  trial  sheet  over 
which  the  police  judge  was  puzz- 
ling, his  brow  wrinkled  with  per- 
plexity. "It  looks  like  O.  K-y-a-n- 
y-a-n,"  slowly  spelling  the  name. 

"I  know  as  much  as  that,  con- 
found it,  but  that  don't  elucidate  to 
my  confused  intelligence  the  pro- 
nunciation," retorted  his  honor 
with  a  trace  of  irriscibility  in  his 
tone. 

The  hum  of  conversation  and 
shuffling  of  feet  had  by  this  time 
hushed  in  the  Harrison  street  sta- 
tion police  court,  the  usual  noise  of 
the  dingy  temple  of  justice  hushed 
to  a  subdued,  expectant  surprise  at 
the  unusual  lull  in  business  while 
the  colloquy  between  the  magis- 
trate and  his  adviser  proceeded. 
Time  enough  had  been  wasted  in 


the  busy  whirl  of  Harrison  street 
to  have  sent  six  "Hop"  fiends  to 
the  Bridewell.  Seven  stalwart  po- 
licemen, "the  very  foinest,"  stood 
with  their  backs  to  the  clerk's  desk 
waiting  for  their  cases  to  be  called, 
and  each  beat  a  subdued  tatoo  with 
their  clubs  on  the  spike-like  pal- 
ings, and  each  had  a  look  of  impa- 
tience on  his  face. 

"Indade,  Oim  iv  th'  opinyon,  ye's 
honor,  that  th'  nex'  case  is  me  own," 
remarked  Officer  Doherty,  leaning 
over  the  railing  dividing  the  trial 
dock  from  the  raised  diaz  where  sat 
the  purveyor  of  justice.  ' 'Th'  same 
is  an  ould  mon  I  bagged  on  the 
Hubbyard  place  lasht  night.  Oi 
think  his  name  is  Cayenne,  an'  tis 
he  that  is  a  pippery  wan,  himself." 

"That  name  will  do  as  well  as 
any,"  remarked  the  court  and  he 
proceeded  with  the  broken  thread 
of  business  by  calling  the  case  in  a 
loud  tone. 

Slowly  and  with  faltering  steps 
a  decrepit  old  man,  with  snow- 
white  hair  and  beard,  the  latter 
long,  pointed  and  unkempt,  moved 
forward  in  response  to  the  beckon- 
ing finger  of  Officer  Doherty.  He 
was  a  spare  piece  of  humanity.  He 
had  once  been  tall  but  was  now 
stooped  and  bent  with  age;  his  fin- 
gers were  long  and  bony.  His  com- 
plexion was  swarthy,  yet  sallow,  as 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


307 


of  those  peoples  whose  ancestry 
have  made  their  homes  for  centur- 
ies and  generations  beneath  the 
scorching  suns  of  the  tropics.  His 
nose  was  like  the  beak  of  an  aged 
eagle,  while  his  small,  black,  resfc- 
less  eyes  glistened  nervously  be- 
neath shaggy  brows.  In  his  right 
hand  he  carried  a  greasy  red  and 
yellow  turban,  removed  from  his 
head  in  deference  to  the  court. 

"Well,  officer,"  said  the  court, 
merely  glancing  at  the  trembling 
culprit,  and  resuming  the  brisk 
brusqueness  that  was  his  habitu- 
ally, "What  have  we  here?  What's 
the  trouble  with  the  aged  one:"' 

"Yer  honor,"  rattled  off  Officer 
Doherty,  "This  mon  was  stoppin' 
iviry  wan  on  Sthate  street  an'  was 
bumpin'  thim  fer  th'  coin  an'  I 
copped  him.  I  think  the  ould  mon 
is  a  habitou  of  Wan  Lung's  jint 
that  was  closed  up  lasht  wake." 

"Most  high  and  noble  Judge, 
learned  arbitrator  of  the  disputes 
of  man,  the  blue- coated  minion  doth 
me  wrong,"  spoke  the  prisoner. 
Canst  I  be  heard,  most  noble  judge, 
for  my  cause? 

On  receiving  the  assent  of  the 
court,  coupled  with  the  admonition 
that  "Time  is  money,"  the  old  man 
spoke  as  follows: 

"It  is  mete,  most  mighty  judge, 
that  I  should  recount  to  your  wise 
and  learned  ear  the  wonderful  story 
of  my  life.  Know  then,  that  I  am 
Omar  Kyanyan,  son  of  Indaranth 
Kyanyan,  the  great  ruler  and  mah- 
arajah  of  Sanganphore  in  India, 
and  last  in  power  of  a  dynasty  that 
traces  its  lineage  to  the  time  when 
the  leaves  first  turned  green,  when 


even  the  sacred  Veddas  of  our  loved 
land  were  young,  and  Bramah  him- 
self, in  form  of  man,  meditated  on 
the  mountain  tops  and  in  the  for- 
ests of  Hindostan.  One  hundred 
and  forty  years  ago  my  mother 
brought  me  forth  in  the  diamond - 
studded  and  gold-cealed  room  of 
the  maharajans.  Early  I  studied 
and  learned  of  the  magi  and  of 
them  was  taught  the  mystic,  occult 
symbols  of  the  brotherhood.  Great- 
ness was  mine  by  birth  and  happi- 
ness by  attainment,  for  on  reaching 
the  lusty  season  of  manhood  I  clove 
as  the  wild  fowl  to  his  mate  to  Ir- 
myrallis,  the  beautiful,  known  as 
the  "forest  flower,"  daughter  of  the 
rajah  of  Bengal.  But  greatness 
and  happiness  were  brief.  The 
hated  scarlet-coated  warriors  of 
the  Woman  of  the  West  took  from 
me  my  domain.  This  I  could  have 
suffered  and  borne,  but  when  they 
dishonored  my  sacred  religion,  and 
a  scoundrel  they  called  "Sergeant 
Brick,"  because  his  hair  was  the 
color  of  the  clay,  baked  long  and 
hard  in  the  heat  of  the  great  fires, 
tore  my  "Forest  Flower"  from  my 
arms,  I  joined  my  cause  with  those 
who  swore  to  rid  our  land  of  the 
hated  hirelings  who  carried  the 
death-dealing  missiles  immersed  in 
the  grease  of  the  condemned,  un- 
clean swine." 

'  'Your  tale,  I  must  admit,  is  some- 
what interesting"  interrupted  the 
judge,  "but  it  is  stringing  out  un- 
usually long  for  Harrison  street 
station.  Can't  you  get  to  the  point  ?" 

"Yes,  sahib— most  honored  and 
O,  most  noble  Judge,  thou  hast 
spoken  wisdom,  and  thy  words  drop 


308 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


on  my  weary  soul  like  the  sweetest 
dewdrops  on  the  parched  soil,"  re- 
plied the  culprit,  "but  though  the 
tale  be  somewhat  long,  yet  my 
wondrous  story  will  well  entertain 
you,  have  you  but  patience  to  hear 
your  unworthy  servant  to  the  end. 
Know,  then,  that  our  courage 
availed  but  little  against  their  cun- 
ning, and  Siva  must  have  been  on 
their  side.  We  were  soon  conquered 
and  our  land  laid  waste.  I,  O,  hon- 
ored Judge,  was  among  those  con- 
demned to  be  shot  from  the  yawn- 
ing mouth  of  the  cannon.  Then, 
before  the  hated  lines  of  the  ruffian 
red-coats  I  was  jammed  into  the 
immense  gun,  and  the  fuse  was  ig- 
nited. 1  passed  through  an  age  of 
apprehension  and  suspense,  then 
followed  a  terrific  detonation. 
There  was  a  glare  as  fiery  red  as 
the  burning  waters  in  the  bowels  of 
the  mountain  crater.  The  immense 
gun  hunched  on  its  haunches  like 
the  elephant  on  the  long  pull.  I 
seemed  to  be  burned  and  torn,  and 
then  I  shot  upward  through  space 
and  consciousness  was  lost. 

"How  long  I  was  bereft  of  sense 
is  past  my  ken,  but  it  must  have 
been  for  hours,  for  when  I  gained 
sensibility  I  was  floating  through 
the  realms  of  space.  The  cool,  re- 
freshing breeze  of  heaven  was  fan- 
ning my  fevered  brow.  Where  am 
I?  Where  am  I  going?  These  ques- 
tions rushed  through  my  mind,  but 
were  unanswered.  I  was  moving. 
It  seemed  to  me  my  progress  was 
upward.  My  motion  was  a  gentle, 
undulating  one,  as  of  a  person  float- 
ing upon  the  gentle  billows  of  a 
friendly  sea.  I  felt  as  light  and 


airy  as  the  leaf,  dried  by  the  hot 
caress  of  the  sun  and  separated 
from  the  parent  stem,  tossed  by  the 
zephers  of  autumn.  On,  on,  on,  I 
traveled,  and  the  thought  fastened 
itself  in  my  mind  that  I  was  the 
soul  of  my  former  self  moving 
through  the  refreshing  interspace 
to  meet  another  earthly  shell  and 
take  up  ray  abode  in  a  new  tene- 
ment. The  down  that  is  wafted 
from  the  thistle  could  float  no  more 
lightly  than  I.  and  lulled  by  the 
cadences  of  space  I  fell  asleep,  but 
to  awake  again  and  feel  the  same 
sweet  abandon.  I  cared  not  for 
food  or  drink.  The  freedom  and 
ease  of  the  bird,  the  eagle  that 
soared  above  the  rocky  crags  and 
rose  and  fell  on  the  ripple  of  the 
breeze,  was  mine.  Elysium  was 
mine  it  seemed,  and  could  I  float 
for  everlasting  ages  in  this  same 
sweet  way  no  greater  bliss  could  I 
ask. 

"At  last  I  fell  into  the  softest, 
most  gentle  slumber.  My  rest  and 
dreams  were  like  those  of  the  babe 
that  sways  in  the  grass  hammock, 
soothed  by  the  croon  of  the  happy 
mother,  when  the  torrid  air  pene- 
trates even  the  tangled  meshes  of 
the  banyan,  but  is  cooled  by  the 
moistened  curtain  of  the  bungalow. 

"From  this  sweet  slumber  I 
awoke  at  last  to  the  music  of  lutes 
more  charming  far,  it  seemed  to 
me,  than  those  I  had  imagined  are 
heard  in  paradise.  Gently  repos- 
ing on  a  soft  sward  I  opened  my 
eyes  in  wonder,  expecting  to  find 
that  I  was  but  the  victim  of  a  happy 
dream.  But  I  found  myself  the 
cynosure  of  a  swarm  .of  people. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


309 


People  they  were  of  bright  counte- 
nances and  attractive  dress,  but  dif- 
fering in  every  way  from  those  I 
had  known  in  life;  for  it  seemed  to 
me  sure  now  that  I  was  through 
with  earthly  life  and  had  entered 
upon  a  celestial  existence.  They 
were  formed  in  lines  of  manly 
beauty,  the  style  of  dress  of  each 
being  identical  with  all  others — a 
rich,  soft  purple  gown  that  swept 
in  easy  folds  from  shoulder  to  heel. 
Their  skins  were  blue,  not  the  cold, 
har.sh  blue  of  earth,  but  the  hea- 
venly soft  tint  of  the  summer  sky. 
Their  eyes  were  a  deep,  glowing 
red,  beaming  with  warmth  and 
kindness,  like  the  traveler's  fire 
upon  the  bleak  mountain.  Their 
hair  was  ringlets  of  yellow,  rival- 
ing the  sheen  of  gold.  Clustered 
thick  around  me  their  appearance 
was  pleasing. 

"To  my  eager,  excited  questions 
they  quick  gave  answer,  and  though 
their  tongue  was  new  it  was  not 
strange;  I  readily  and  quickly  un- 
derstood. I  was  first  kindly  in- 
formed that  to  them  I  was  a 
stranger  from  the  far-off  earth,  and 
that  I  had  fallen  upon  their  planet, 
which  they  called  'Emusra.'  Fur- 
thermore they  told  me  that  they  had 
watched  my  progress  through 
space  and  since  I  had  left  the  earth 
they  had  by  aid  of  their  powerful 
instrument  directed  my  course 
through  space,  being  anxious  to  re- 
ceive a  visitor  from  ejarth.  I  readily 
learned  that  they  were  adepts  in 
science  for  they  quickly  showed  me 
their  Universe  Searchers,  small 
instruments  that  one  could  hold  in 
the  hand  easily  and  view  the  min- 


ute doing  of  mankind  on  the  far 
away  planet  which  I  inhabited  and 
from  which  I  was  unkindly  thrown. 
But,  most  noble  judge,  it  would 
take  ages  for  me  to  tell  you  all 
about  those  people.  They  lived  and 
had  their  beings  in  a  different,  a 
higher,  grander  sphere  than  ours. 
Their  mode  of  living  was  reduced 
to  a  science.  Instead  of  food  and 
drink  their  sustenance  was  happy 
thought,  and  they  were  far  above 
the  grosser  forms  of  life,  physically 
as  well  as  mentally. 

"I  found  that  'Emusra'  was  the 
scene   of  peculiar  conditions.      It 
was  but  a  small  dot  in   space  being 
but   100  miles  in  diameter.      Day 
followed   night  very  quickly,  each 
being  but  a  little  more  than  an  hour 
in  duration  to  my  mind  but  to  these 
people    the    diurnal    change     was 
equivalent   to  ours   and   their  days 
and  years  were  quickly  spent.   One 
thing  I  early  noticed  and  that  was 
that  there  was  an  extreme  number 
of  beautiful  birds,  myriads  of  them 
in  the   trees   above   and   that  they 
were  posessed  of  the  powers  of  rea- 
son and  speech  in  even  greater  de- 
gree than  the  men  and  women.     I 
was  shortly  told  that  the  birds  were 
living   the   after  life,    or  in  other 
words  were  the  souls  of  those  who 
passed  from   life   as   a   human   in 
'Emusra'.     No  one  died  on  Emusra 
but  was    'restricted.'     The   planet 
was  densely  populated,  so  much  so 
that  methods  were  taken   to  thin 
out  the  people.     At  certain  places 
pn   the   planet  were    'Restricters.' 
These  were  large  machines  of  the 
nature  of  catapulets  worked  by  in- 
genious mechanical  devices.  Every 


310 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


morning  a  certain  number  of  'Emus- 
rans'  were  'restricted'  by  being 
placed  on  these  machines  and  shot 
upward  into  space  at  a  startling 
velocity.  Thus  was  the  population 
kept  within  bounds,  and  without  it 
they  assured  men  that  there  would 
soon  be  not  even  standing  room  on 
the  planet.  There  was  no  mourn- 
ing among  friends  and  relatives 
when  an  'Emusran'  was  'restricted,' 
for  the  next  morning  that  one  would 
appear  in  the  form  of  one  of  the 
beautiful  birds  overhead  and  hold 
refined  converse  and  association 
with  the  loved  ones  left  behind. 

"Age  was  the  test  for  candi- 
dates for  'restriction' — and  in  test- 
ing for  age  years  were  not  counted 
— for  they  reasoned  that  a  man  may 
be  old  in  years  yet  young  in  vigor 
of  life.  So  the  test  of  senility  was 
the  number  of  hairs  in  the  heads  of 
the  people,  silvered  by  time  or 
trouble,  either  cause  being  deemed 
sufficient  to  entitle  the  candidate  to 
restriction.  Here  it  might  be  re- 
marked, parenthetically  that  there 
are  no  hairless- headed  people  in 
'Emusra.'  The  candidate  for  the 
offices  of  the  catapult  was  first  sub- 
mitted to  the  hair  counter,  an  in- 
genious piece  of  mechanism  that 
counted  the  grey  hairs  in  the  head 
as  quickly  noble  judge,  as  you 
would  snap  your  prosperous  finger. 
If  two  thousand  silver  hairs  were 
found  the  candidate  was  placed 
upon  the  'Restrictor,'  and  his  trans- 
mogrification accomplished. 

"Brief  indeed,  twenty  days,  forty 
hours,  earth  time,  was  my  stay 
among  these  people,  when  at  last 
submitting  to  the  examination  as 


they  who  inhabited  that  planet 
must  submit,  I  was  found  to  be 
eligible  to  the  'restrictor.'  With 
pleasurable  anticipation  of  a  happy 
after  life  in  a  new  form,  I  stepped 
upon  the  catapult.  The  mechanism 
was  touched  and  I,  as  I  had  seen 
many  'Emusrans',  shot  upward 
again  into  space. 

"Prom  that  moment,  Most  Noble 
Judge,  I  lost  consciousness  again. 
I  remember  no  more  until  y ester 
e'en,  as  the  sable  shades  of  night 
were  falling  I  found  myself  floating- 
and  splashing  upon  the  waves  of 
your  noble  lake.  Crawling  upon 
the  shore  I  wandered  through  the 
streets  of  your  wonderful  city. 
Meeting  a  pedestrian  I  inquired  of 
him  my  whereabouts.  He  told  me 
this  is  Sheecauga  in  America.  Just 
then  your  minion  of  the  blue  coat 
seized  me,  and  after  confinement  in 
a  noisome  dungeon  for  the  night  I 
was  brought  into  your  noble  pres- 
ence." 

The  "court"  sat  back  on  his 
throne  of  justice  "paralyzed"  in 
wonder.  The  clerk  found  voice 
and  pronounced  the  trembling  cul- 
prit the  "prince  liar,  or  the  wonder 
of  the  ages."  Officer  Doherty  shook 
his  head  in  wonder,  while  the  hold- 
up men,  the  panel  gang  and  all  the 
combings  from  the  vice-ridden  dis- 
tricts had  a  look  of  awe-struck  won- 
der on  their  faces,  at  the  grewsome 
tale  of  the  maharajah. 

Just  then  a  farmer,  who  had  been 
held  up  at  a  stock-yards  saloon  of 
his  money  received  for  a  consign- 
ment of  cattle,  and  who  was  pre- 
sent to  testify  against  his  assail- 
ants, stepped  forward  and  said: 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


311 


"Jedge,  this  man  is  the  biggest 
liar  in  the  state.  I  hev  knowed  him 
for  twenty  year.  His  name  is  Bill 
Jimplin  an'  he  used  to  run  a  livery 
stable  down  to  my  hum,  Newton, 
Ellenoy.  Five  year  ago  he  moved 
to  Chicago.  Bill  uster  tell  some 
purty  big  yarns  but  this  beats  any 
I  ever  heard  him  tell  afore." 

"Omar  Kyanyan,  or  BillJimplin, 
started  to  angrily  expostulate  a 
denial,  but  the  court  stopped  him. 
"you  may  go,"  said  his  honor,  ''get 
out  of  here  quick." 

The  Star  Trotter  lost  no  time  in 
ambling  out  of  the  court  room  and 
soon  trudged  out  of  view  on  Harri- 
son stseet. 


Prof.  Elwood  Mead,  of  Cheyenne,  Wyo.. 
who  lost  an  arm  by  falling  beneath  a  street 
car  in  Washington,  is  reported  as  gaining 
steadily  and  will  be  out  of  the  hospital 
soon. 

For  several  days,  ever  since  his  arrival 
in  Washington,  in  fact,  Mr.  Mead  has  been 
very  busy  before  the  Industrial  Commis- 
sion, and  at  the  same  time  making  pre- 
parations for  an  extended  trip  through 
Italy,  where  he  expected  to  study  the 
Italian  method  of  irrigation,  said  to  su- 
perior to  our  own,  with  a  view  of  intro- 
ducing their  advanced  practices  into  this 
country.  He  had  planned  to  sail  in  about 
two  weeks.  Many  inquiries  were  made  at 
the  hospital  today  as  to  his  condition, 
«very  one  expressing  deep  regret  at  his 
misfortune. 


ABOUT  EXCHANGES. 

SATURDAY   EVENING   POST. 

The  Saturday  Evening  Post  of  June  8 
contains  an  article  by  Chas.  Emory  Smith, 
Post- Master  General  of  the  United  States, 
entitled  "How  Conkling  Missed  Nomina- 


ting Elaine."  It  is  a  bit  of  inside  history 
concerning  these  two  noted  enemies  that 
will  be  of  interest  to  all  who  remember  the 
"plumed  knight"  and  his  ambition  to  be- 
come president.  A  serial  story  of  absorb- 
ing interest  is  that  of  "Calumet  K" — A 
Romance  of  th6  Great  Wheat  Corner,  by 
Merwin-  Webster,  the  third  installment  of 
which  is  given  in  this  number.  S.  W.  Al- 
lerton  contributes  "Business  Methods  in 
Farming,"  and  Frank  G.  Carpenter  tells 
us  of  "The  Japanese  Emperor  at  Home." 

THE   DELINEATOR. 

The  Delineator  for  July  gives  the  usual 
fashion  plates  and  hints  on  what  is  worn, 
and  also  an  article  on  the  Pan-American 
exposition.  With  this  are  given  a  number 
of  beautiful  illustrations,  some  of  them  in 
colors  of  the  exposition  buildings.  "A 
Dream  of  Red  Roses"  and  "According  to 
the  Code"  make  up  the  fiction  department. 
M'CLURE. 

Are  women  better  than  men?  This  is  a 
question  that  E.  S.  Martin  asks  and  ans- 
wers in  an  article  entitled,  "Women,"  in 
McClure's  Magazine  for  June.  No  better, 
only  different;  or  if  better,  merely  in  a  ne- 
gative fashion.  They  drink  less,  smoke 
less  and  certain  of  their  emotions  are  less 
strong  than  corresponding  emotions  in 
men.  Women  are  what  men  make  them, 
and  while  men  are  still  appreciably  far 
from  perfection  r  why,  women  will  be  still 
a  little  short  of  the  angels  they  are  some- 
times represented,  and  what  is  worse,  ex- 
pected to  be. 

LADIES  HOME   JOURNAL. 

Maxfield  Parrish's  fine  decorative  design 
on  the  cover  of  the  Ladies  Home  Journal 
for  June  forms  a  fitting  introduction  to  a 
remarkably  attractive  issue.  Among  the 
most  interesting  features  of  this  [number 
are  a  double  page  of  pictures,  entitled 
"Where  Golf  is  Played,"  showing  some  of 
the  handsomest  country  club  houses  in 
America;  a  series  of  curious  "Love  Stories 
of  the  Zoo  "  told  by  Clifford  Howard;  the 


1HK  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


first  installment  of  afacsinating  new  serial,. 
"'Aileen."  by  Elizabeth  Knight  Tnmpkins; 
a  touching  full  page  picture  of  "The  Pass- 
ing of  the  Farm,"  by  W.  L.  Taylor;  the 
queer  experience  with  "Some  People  I 
have  Married,'  by  the  Rev  D.  M.  Steele, 
ami  a  vigorous  article  on  "Women  as 
"Poor  Pay,"  by  Edward  Bok.  Numerous 
other  .articles  of  general  and,  domestic  in- 
terest fill  out  the  rest  of  the  number. 

SCRIBNER'fe. 

An  unpublished  diary  by  Faancis  Park- 
man;  the  great  historian,  will  appear  in 
July  Scribners,  followed  by  Senator 
Hoar,  in  his  estimate  of  great  orators  that 
he  has  heard,  places  Edward  Everett  at 
the  head  of  all  American  orators.  The  ro- 
mantic beauty  of  Sicily  by  Prof.  Kufus  B. 
Richardson.  John  LaFarge,  will  describe 
an  aristocratic  family  of  Tahiti,  whose 
sons  and  daughters  have  been  educated  in 
Europe  and  speak  all  the  languages  of 
civilization  while  preserving  many  of  the 
traditions  and  customs  of  their  barbaric 
ancestors.  Leroy  M.  Yale  has  been  all 
his  life  an  ardent  fisherman.  He  tells, 
with  rare  literary  skill,  the  story  of  a 
quaint  New  England  character,  "Uncle 
David,"  from  whom,  as  a  boy,  he  learned 
the  art  of  fishing  and  hunting.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  Coast  and  Goedetic  Survey, G.  R. 


Putnam,  will  tell  of  a  trip  which  he  took 
in  out-of-the-way  portions  of  the  Yukon 
Delta  in  Alaska.  Mrs.  Julia  C.  R.  Dorr, 
the  aged  poet,  will  have  a  pnem  on  her 
summer  garden.  Mr.  Setori-Thomp.son's 
biography  of  ''Krug,  the  Kootenay  Ram," 
will  be  concluded. 

WOOD  VATEB  PIPE. 

An  artistic  pocket  catalogue  of  \Vyo- 
koff's  Wood  Water  Pipe  can  be  had  free 
upon  application  to  A.  Wyckoff  &  Sons  Co., 
101--111  E.  Chemming  Place,  Elmira.  New 
York.  It  described  the  different  kinds  of 
Wood  pipe  manufactured  by  them,  the 
uses  they  nave  put  to  and  gives  a  \n\\g  list 
of  names  of  parties  who  are  using  them. 
The  price  is  cheaper,  and  it  is  easier  to 
handle  than  iron  pipe,  as  it  is  made  in 
lengths  of  from  four  to  eight  feet,  and 
can  be  laid  by  an  ordinary  laborer,  no 
special  tools  being  required.  Write  for 


W  ANT  ED—  Ladies  and  gentlemen  to  introduce 
the  "hottest"  seller  on  earth.  Dr.  White's  Klec- 
trical  Comb,  patented  1899.  Agents  are  coining 
money.  Cures  all  forms  of  scalp  ailments,  head- 
aches, etc.,  yet  costs  the  same  as  an  ordinary 
comb  Send  50c  in  stamps  for  sample.  G.  N 
ROSE,  Gen.  Mgr.,  Decatur,  111. 

WANTED— Business  men  and  women  to  take  ex 
elusive  agency  for  a  8tate,  and  control  sub" 
agents  handling  Dr.  White's  E'ectric  Comb." 
$3.000  per  month  compensation.  Fact.  Call  and 
I'll  prove  it,  G.  M.  ROSE,  Gen.  M«r  ,  Decaiur,IH.\ 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL.  xv . 


CHICAGO,  JULY,  1901. 


NO.  10 


Covenmcnt  The  Geological  Survey  is  ruak- 
Survey.  jng  surveys  of  reservoir  sites 

in  various  sections  of  the  arid  region. 
There  are  many  fine  opportunities  for 
mountain  storage  of  the  waters  now  wast- 
ed in  floods,  as  every  western  man  knows 
— storage  which  would  later  render  barren 
plains  and  valleys  fertile  and  smiling  with 
crops  and  dotted  with  small  homes. 
Against  the  time  when  this  saving  of  a 
valuable  commodity  must  be  undertaken, 
the  determination  of  the  best  reservoir 
sites  should  be  made  and  the  sites,  with 
their  adjacent  drainage  basins,  should  be 
reserved  for  such  use.  This  work  the 
hydrographers  of  the  Survey  have  been 
engaged  upon  for  some  ten  years,  and 
hundreds  of  great  natural  basins,  lacking 
only  dams  to  be  converted  into  lakes  have 
been  surveyed  and  reserved  by  the  Govern- 
ment. This  is  work  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance to  the  future  of  the  west  and  of 
the  whole  country,  and  it  should  be  vigor- 
ously prosecuted.  In  the  west  water  is  the 
measure  of  land  values.  It  is  essential 
that  these  sites  and  their  accompanying 
watersheds  should  be  preserved  from  de- 
forestation and  misuse. 

The  Increase  Conservative  people  who  have 
in  Population,  thought  the  estimates  that 
the  western  half  of  the  United  States 
would  support  50,000,000  people  if  its  irri- 
gable lands  were  all  reclaimed,  to  be  ex- 
travagant and  visionery  should  not  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  large  centers  of 
population  result  from  dense  agricultural 


communities.  It  is  generally  admitted 
that  75,000,000  or  100,000,000  acres  of 
highly  productive  land  can  yet  be  re- 
claimed through  irrigation.  Probably 
more  than  this  acreage  can  eventually  be 
cultivated  since  new  sources  of  under- 
ground and  other  water  supply  are  being 
continually  discovered,  while  at  the  same 
time  the  utilization  of  water  is  being  re- 
duced to  a  much  more  economical  basis. 

But  the  occupation  of  any  great  tract 
of  land  by  small  farmers  and  fruit  grow- 
ers means  the  development  of  cities  and 
towns  innumerable.  Denver,  for  instance, 
is  a  good-sized  city,  which  derives  its  sup- 
port largely  from  irrigation  enterprises. 
It  is  a  product  of  irrigation,  and  there  are 
hundreds  of  other  such  centers,  all  of 
which  would  develop  enormously  in  popu- 
lation with  a  comprehensive  system  of 
irrigation  an  established  fact. 

Thus  the  population  of  the  arid  region 
may  be  destined  to  an  increase  far  beyond 
what  the  actual  increase  in  western  culti- 
vatable  acreage  might  indicate. 
Worthless  as  There  are  millions  of  acres  of 
a  Gift.  lands  in  the  arid  regions  that 

belong  to  the  Government.  That  land 
now  is  utterly  worthless.  The  Govern- 
ment has  been  offering  to  give  it  away  for 
the  last  thirty  years  if  anybody  would  go 
and  live  on  it.  No  one  will  take  it  even 
as  a  gift.  Let  the  Government  use  its 
credit  to  put  up  irrigation  reservoirs,  get 
water  onto  these  dry  acres,  and  then  in- 
vite the  settlers  to  come,  provided  that 


314 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE, 


they  will  pay  the  cost  of  irrigation.  See 
how  they  will  flock  there  in  unnumbered 
thousands.  There  would  not  be  a  vacant 
acre  left  in  five  years,  if  men  only  had  to 
pay  the  actual  cost  of  irrigation  to  get  a 
title  to  the  land. 

If  the  great  desert  stretches  of  the  arid 
west  are  ever  to  be  reclaimed  and  made 
into  comfortable  and  productive  homes 
for  the  millions  who  will  seek  them,  the 
Federal  Government  will  necessarily  have 
to  take  the  lead  and  build  the  storage  irri- 
gation reservoirs. 

Destroyed  the  The  change  in  the  face  of  na- 
Source.  lure  caused  by  the  destruction 

of  the  mighty  forests  of  Lebanon  has  per- 
manently impoverished  the  entire  region 
involved.  The  Judean  valley  was  rendered 
arid,  and  Palestine  to-day  can  support  but 
few  people  because  her  water  courses  have 
been  dried  up,  for  the  great  trees  which 
sheltered  the  snows  and  kept  the  pitiless 
sun  from  reaching  into  the  heart  of  the 
springs  have  been  destroyed  utterly,  and 
are  without  successors. 

Irrigation  in  The  Bussian  Government  ex- 
Russia,  pends  considerable  sums  annu- 
ally for  purposes  of  irrigation,  and  the  re- 
sults obtained  have  proved  very  successful. 
The  plan  adopted,  where  there  are  no  riv- 
ers, is  to  construct  dams  or  series  of  dams 
across  valleys  or  gullies,  and  thereby  form 
reservoirs,  in  which  rain  or  melted  snow  is 
collected  and  stored.  From  these  ponds 
it  is  an  easy  mattar  to  run  the  water  to  and 
spread  it  over  lower  levels.  The  Steppe, 
which  is  absolutely  flat  in  but  few  places, 
lends  itself  easily  to  this  system,  the  great 
drawback  to  which  is,  of  course,  the  initial 
cost,  which  can  be  borne  by  only  a  few 
land  owners,  a  large  number  of  whom  have 
been  obliged  during  late  years  to  hypothe- 
cate their  estates  in  copsequence  of  .the 
succession  "of  Bad  crops. 

Haze*  S.  -  .  lii'icbi$»n.'s    f ampus    r  af.  p  r.m 

Pingree,'.  ^.gpyejnor.  <iied  at  the  Gjan,d 

Hotel,  London,  June   18,t   His  death,  is 


particularly  sad  on  account  of  his  absence- 
from  the  home  he  so  longed  for,  which  was- 
shown  by  his  oft-repeated  inquiry,  "How 
soon  can  I  start  for  home."  For  months 
Mr.  Pingree,  accompanied  by  his  son,  H. 
S.  Pingree,  Jr. ,  familiarly  known  as  "Joe," 
had  been  touring  South  Africa  and  the 
continent  of  Europe,  partly  for  pleasure,, 
partly  with  a  view  to  enlarging  the  great 
shoe  business  which  the  enterprise  and 
thrift  of  the  father  had  built  up.  He  ex- 
pected to  be  at  his  home  ere  this,  and  just 
as  he  was  about  to  start  he  was  stricken 
down  with  the  fatal  malady,  and  now  only 
the  coffined  remains  of  Michigan's  great- 
hearted governor  may  be  received  by  his- 
family  and  friends,  where  they  had  hoped 
to  extend  to  him,  in  the  full  flush  of  life 
and  health,  a  glad  and  cordial  welcome 
home. 

The  career  of  Hazen  S.  Pingree  was  an 
unusual  one.  Born  on  his  father's  farm  at 
Denmark,  Me.,  August  30,  1842,  he  re- 
mained there  his  father's  helper  until  14 
years  of  age,  when  he  was  sent  by  hia 
father  to  Hopkinton,  Mass.,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  cutter  in  a  shoe  shop.  He  was- 
19  years  of  age  when  the  civil  war  broke 
out,  and  it  is  only  an  evidence  of  the  char- 
acter that  has  made  his  name  memorable 
that  he  was  a  volunteer  in  the  First  Massa- 
chusetts infantry.  He  was  one  of  the  men. 
captured  by  Mosby,  the  guerilla,  and  five 
months  following  were  spent  in  Anderson- 
ville  prison,  an  experience  from  which  he 
never  fully  recovered  and  to  which  it  is- 
believed  his  untimely  death  is  due.  The 
West  offered  tempting  invitations  to  a  man, 
of  Pingree's  native  ability,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  war  he  came  to  Detroit.  There  he 
worked  in  a  produce  market  until  he  had 
amassed  the  little  fortune  of  $460,  and 
with; this  he  bought  a  shoe.. shop  that  was- 
rapidly  going  .down.  This  factory  grew 
until  1,000  men  were  employed  land  an  an- 
nual business  o;f  more  than  .$l,OOQ,OOp, wag. 
transacted.  ,-.,...  .  ••  ^  r.  • 

-  .::.'.  *'    ;  •'•  v  ••.••'  ••.    .  •     • 


rlHE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


315 


A  New  Appli-  -^n  interesting  example  of  the 
cation  of  Elec-  value  of  electricity  in  making 
tricity.  profitable,  old  industries  which 

have  fallen  into  decay,  is  to  be  found  in 
the  valley  of  the  Yuba  Kiver,  California, 
which  was  years  ago  the  scene  of  an  ac- 
tive search  for  gold.  As  much  gold  as 
could  then  be  profitably  found  was  se- 
cured and  the  locality  abandoned ;  but  the 
advent  of  electricity  has  created  a  new 
and  unusual  activity  there.  Many  miles 
back  in  the  mountains  a  large  water  plant 
has  been  constructed  for  the  generation  of 
electricity;  by  means  of  the  power  from 
this  source,  the  people  along  the  lower 
and  sandy  parts  of  the  valley  have  begun 
to  use  huge  machine  dredges  to  work  the 
old  abandoned  placer  mines.  These 
dredges  scoop  up  the  gravel  in  which  gold 
is  thought  to  exist,  pass  it  back  to  be  sep- 
arated and  deposit  it  on  the  ground  be- 
hind them.  It  is  an  unusual  and  exceed- 
ingly interesting  sight  to  see  these  great 
machines  eating  their  way  into  the  earth. 
They  stop  at  nothing  but  work  along 
steadily  through  fields  and  orchards  and 
leave  behind  them  as  complete  a  picture 
of  desolation  as  one  could  expect  to  find. 
The  operators  are  said  to  be  making  a 
good  thing  out  of  it  as  the  power  is  cheap 
and  the  findings  of  the  precious  metal  is 
sufficiently  large  to  bring  very  good  re- 
turns. The  work  was  lately  watched  with 
much  interest  by  some  of  the  members  of 
the  United  States  Geological  Survey  who 
were  making  a  general  reconnoisance  in 
that  region. 

Irrigation  ^he  constantly  increasing  en- 
West  Means  thusiasm  in  the  western  arid 
Benefit  East.  states  over  the  reguits  and 

possibilities  of  irrigation  is  a  happy  omen 
for  the  whole  country.  Hundreds  of 
square  miles  of  territory,  before  desolate, 
have  been  brought  under  cultivation  in 
this  way.  Cultivated  country  means  a 
demand,  for  the  necessities  of  life.  Many 
necessities  and  most  of  the  luxuries  of 
life,  and  a  large  part  of  the  agricultural 


machinery  of  the  country  are  made  east  of 
the  Mississippi  Eiver.  Hence  irrigation 
means  a  growing  flood  of  eastern  supplies 
to  western  markets.  Again,  irrigation 
means  wonderful  production ;  hundreds  of 
carloads  of  high  priced  fruits,  ready  for 
shipment  each  year,  from  tracts  that  were 
poor  sheep  pastures  before.  The  East 
wants  these  car  loads  of  fruit;  Europe 
wants  them,  and  across  the  country  for 
thousands  of  miles  the  railroads  carry 
them.  Hence  irrigation  means  two  long 
lucrative  hauls  of  freight,  the  supplies 
west  and  the  products  east,  and  the  divi- 
dends of  thousands  of  stockholders  in  the 
East  and  West  alike  reap  the  benefits. 
There  are  many  other  benefits  from  irri- 
gation, but  these  are  enough.  Irrigation 
is  not  a  sectional  matter ;  it  is  a  great  Na- 
tional Question. 

Lean  Cows  Tlie  United  States  Geological 
and  Irrigation  Survey  has  been  making  some 
valuable  studies  on  the  Great  Plains,  west 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  in  connection 
with  artesian  waters.  What  this  vast 
section  needs  above  all  things  is  water, 
and  it  has  been  estimated  that  millions  of 
dollars  would  be  added  to  its  value  if  only 
a  reliable  supply  could  be  found.  An 
interesting  illustration  of  the  bad 
effect  of  the  lack  of  water,  during 
the  summer  season,  is  found  upon  the 
cattle  ranches.  The  great  herds  of  cattle 
which  roam  on  the  Plains  sometimes  have 
extreme  difficulty  in  finding  water,  especi- 
ally in  time  of  draught.  Their  usual 
drinking  places  may  be  miles  away  from 
where  they  are  obliged  to  graze,  and  it  is 
not  at  all  unusual  for  them  to  travel  all 
night  or  even  longer,  from  the  one  to  the 
other.  As  a  result  of  going  these  long 
distances  at  frequent  intervals  stock  be- 
comes poor  and  thin,  and  the  profit  of 
cattle  raising  is  thereby  much  impaired. 
Water  bearing  rocks  are  known  to  exist  in 
large  quantities  under  the  whole  region  of 
the  Great  Plains  which  ought  to  yield  an 
abundant  supply.  The  work  of  the  Gov- 


316  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

ernment  Survey  has  been  an  attempt  to  all  the  people.  There  will  be  larger  op- 
locate  these  strata  and  find  whether  it  is  portunities  than  ever  before,  and  the  re- 
practicable  to  attempt  to  reach  them.  If  wards  will  be  greater  than  at  any  time  in 
they  can  be  found  without  too  deep  bor-  the  world's  history. 

ings,  not  only   will   the  grazers  receive  a          Irrigation  has  already  achieved  miracles 

great  benefit,  but  land  will   become  valu-  in  the  far  West  and  it  is  only  in  its  begin- 

able  for  high   class   agriculture  and  the  ning.     Millions  and  millions  of  people  will 

support  of  a  large  population.  find  beautiful  homes  on  what  are  now  arid 

plains.     Water    will     make    the    deserts 

Leader  of  the   This  country,  with  its  seventy-      ,,          ,.,  ,          .  -c,,  .. 

*        bloom  like  a  garden  of  Eden,  just  as  it 
wono.       five   millions   now   leads    the      ,         ,-r>.        .,         ,     ,,         ,          -nv 

has  at  Riverside  and  other  places  in  Cali- 
civilized  world.     But  with  so  vast  a  conti-      .  m,       ,,  .„  ,  ,,        ,, 

forma.     Thus  there  will  be  on  the  other 

nent,  the  resources  of  which  have  merely        . ,       ,  ,,      ,, ,,  , 

J      side  of  the  Mississippi,  in   the   course  of 

been  touched,  it  is  certain  that  it  has  only      ,.  ,   ..  ,,    ,      ,.  , 

J      time,  as  great  a  population  as  that  which 
passed  the  first  great  stage  of  its  distinc-  .  ,  ,      -,-,  ,., 

stretches  eastward.     Every  year  the  centre 
tion.     The   new  century  opens  a  vista  of        ,  ,  ,.  ,        v-, 

of  population   moves   westward.      Every 
growth  in  material   and   political   things       ,       ,     .,  .  »  .„ 

decade  this  rate  of  movement  will  grow 
that  invites  the  highest  ambition  of  schol-  ... 

swifter, 
ars  and  statesmen,  and  the  best  energies  of 


BY  THE  WAY. 

Life's  a  journey, 

Not  so  long, 
Try  to  ease  it 

With  a  song. 
Birds,  though  busy 

On  the  wing, 
Pause  a  little 

While  they  sing. 
Music  soft 

The  traveler  hears 
If  he  doesn't 

Close  his  ears. 
Teeming  nature 

Still  finds  room 
For  the  fragile 

Flow'rets  bloom. 
Loveliness 

The  traveler  spies 
If  he  doesn't 

Close  his  eyes. 

—  Washington  &tar. 


IRRIGATION     IN    HAWAII. 


(Continued  from  last  issue.) 

The  power  of  this  soil  to  take  up  water  is  48.5  per  cent.  The  cli- 
matic conditions  have  already  been  amply  discussed,  since  the  data 
contained  in  the  earlier  paragraphs  of  this  work  bearing  upon  the 
evaporation  of  moisture  from  water  and  soil  surfaces  and  the  trans- 
piration of  water  by  the  sugar  cane  were  all  observed  and  recorded  at 
this  station. 

By  the  mode  of  applying  water  in  use  at  the  experiment  station 
every  gallon  of  water  that  goes  onto  each  experimental  plat  is  meas- 
ured and  recorded.  This  exactness  is  absolutely  necessary  not  only  in 
order  to  note  the  action  of  the  water,  but  also  that  of  other  factors 
upon  the  development  and  results  of  the  crop.  Consequently  the 
records  of  rainfall  and  the  measurement  of  the  water  applied  furnish 
the  total  water  at  the  disposal  of  the  crop  in  the  course  of  its  growth. 

Two  crops  of  cane  have  already  been  grown  upon  the  experiment 
station  grounds  by  the  aid  of  irrigation.  The  first  crop  was  planted 
in  July,  1897,  and  harvested  20  months  later.  The  second  crop  was 
planted  in  June,  1898.  and  is  now  being  taken  off  (March,  1900.)  The 
period  of  irrigation,  however,  extended  from  the  time  of  planting 
until  November  of  the  following  year,  making  some  17  months  during 
which  water  was  applied.  Unless  the  weather  is  extremely  dry,  the 
cane  does  not  receive  water  several  weeks  previous  to  its  being  cut, 
in  order  to  induce  a  more  thorough  ripening.  Excess  of  moisture 
operates  to  keep  the  cane  immature  and  induces  new  shoots  to  appear 
and  grow,  thus  injuring  the  crop. 

In  the  followihg  table  are  recorded  the  amounts  of  water  the  crop* 
received  during  the  years  specified  as  rainfall  and  by  irrigation: 

AMOUNTS  OF  WATER  RECEIVED  BY  CROPS  AT  HAWAIIAN  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


Month. 

1897-98. 

1898-99. 

Rainfall. 

Irrigation 

Rainfall. 

Irrigation. 

JUly                 .                      .                                        

Inches. 
063 
1.02 
4.  IX 
2.07 
2.11 
.88 
6.18 
8.04 
10.39 
1.21 
.84 
260 
.94 
1.58 
.88 
1.75 
1.32 

Inches. 
3.0 
3.0 
1.5 
3.5 
2.0 
3.5 
00 
1C 
0.0 
1.0 
4.6 
2.0 
5.0 
5.5 
6.5 
4.5 
1.0 

Inches. 
0.94 
1.58 
.88 
1.75 
1.32 
1.86 
1.00 
3.75 
3.98 
.85 
2.01 
.88 
.17 
1.90 
.75 
2.92 
.47 

Inches. 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
3.0 
3.0 
2.0 
4.0 
1.5 
3.0 
4.0 
4.0 
7.0 
7.0 
9.0 
8.0 
6.0 
3.0 

•October  

April        ...              

-May                                  .  .              

July                                                .           .    

November  

Total                              

46.56 

48.0 

26.01 

78. 

318 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


From  the  data  in  the  rainfall  columns  it  is  seen  that  the  most  of 
the  rain  falls  during  the  cooler  months  of  the  year,  which  are  the 
months  of  minimum  plant  growth..  This  is  a  special  climatic  draw- 
back. The  most  advantageous  combination  of  climatic  conditions 
is  the  concurrence  of  high  temperature  and  maximum  rainfall,  or  a 
moist,  hot  season,  and  a  dry,  cool  season,  which  combination  occurs 
in  the  sugar  zone  of  Queensland.  It  is  very  apparent  that  water  does 
not  possess  a  maximum  value  if  it  falls  during  the  cool  season  and 
when  the  crop  is  not  in  ful]  growth  and  able  to  make  use  of  it.  For 
this  reason  a  less  value  and  importance  have  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
rainfall  of  these  islands  than  might  otherwise  be. 

The  table  shows  that,  during  the  years  1898  and  1899,  the  rainfall 
covering  the  period  of  seventeen  months  was  only  26,01  inches,  or  18.3 
inches  per  annum.  It  should  also  be  understood  that  the  extra  defi- 
ciency in  the  rainfall  can  not  be  measured  by  the  simple  amount  of 
that  deficiency,  for  the  reason  that,  instead  of  the  cloudy,  wet  days 
when  the  rain  should  have  fallen,  dry  days  of  high  evaporation 
occurred,  thus  aggravating  the  natural  situation  and  causing  a  greater 
need  for  the  water  supplied  by  artificial  means.  When  the  totals  x>f 
the  data  contained  in  the  table  are  brought  together,  it  is  seen,  how- 
ever, that  the  difference  in  the  total  amounts  of  water  consumed  by 
the  respective  crops  are  not  material  and  no  greater  than  has  been 
reasonably  accounted  for. 


TOTAL  WATER  RECEIVED  BY  TWO  CROPS  OF  SUGAR  CANE. 

Crop  period. 

Rainfall. 

Irrigation 

Total. 

1897-98.. 

Inches. 
46.56 
56.01 

Inches. 

48 
77 

Inches. 

94.56 
103.01 

1898-99  

Before  proceeding  to  furnish  the  full  results  of  the  two  crops 
attention  may  be  called  to  the  comparative  value  of  the  water  which 
fell  as  rainfall  and  that  of  the  water  applied  in  irrigation,  taking  the 
sugar  equivalent  as  the  expression  of  value.  It  is  possible  to  do  this 
by  the  use  of  data  obtained  during  the  season  of  1897-98,  when  tests 
were  carried  out  in  the  experiment  field  under  identical  conditions  of 
soil,  cultivation,  and  fertilization.  In  these  tests  twenty  plats  of  cane 
were  grown  by  the  aid  of  irrigation  in  addition  to  the  rainfall,  and 
eight  tests  were  made  without  any  irrigation  (PI.  IV,)  the  results 
being  as  follows: 


YIELD  OF  IRRIGATED  AND  UNIRRIGATKD  CANE. 


N  um  ber  of  tests. 

Rainfall. 

Irrigation 

Yield  of 
sugar  per. 
acre 

20... 

Inches. 

46  56 

Inches. 

48 

Pounds. 
24  735 

8  ,  

46.56 

.-.,•      .1,090 

Difference  in  favor  of  irrigation  

__  —  _— 

i        23,155- 

THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


319 


Nothing  could  show  more  conclusively  than  these  figures  the 
necessity  of  irrigation  under  the  existing  conditions,  and  the  enor- 
mous sugar-equivalent  value  of  irrigation  water  applied  systematically 
to  the  cane  during  the  season  of  maximum  growth,  which  is  the  sum- 
mer season.  An  equal  volume  of  water  falling  in  heavy  rains  during 
the  cool  season,  when  growth  is  slow,  is  largely  lost  through  percola- 
tion and  produce  a  comparatively  small  value  in  sugar. 

The  following  tables  contain  a  statement  of  the  crops  of  1897-98 
and  1898-99  and  of  the  value  of  the  water  applied  by  irrigation.  A 
brief  table  is  first  given  showing  the  average  weight  of  cane  and 
yields  of  sugar  for  the  two  seasons: 


YIELD  OF  CANE  AND  SUGAR  AT  HAWAIIAN  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

Crop  period. 

Number 
of  tests. 

Yield  of  . 
cane  per 
acre. 

Yield  of 
sugar  per 
acre. 

1897-98                 .                   

20 
15 

Pounds. 
166,562 
192.440 

Pounds. 
24,755 
27,133 

1898-99  .                                     

These  are  the  results  in  cane  and  sugar  per  acre  of  crops  that 
were  about  nineteen  months  on  the  ground  and  subject  to  systematic 
irrigation  for  seventeen  months. 

The  relation  of  the  crops  to  the  total  volume  of  water  received 
both  as  rainfall  and  by  irrigation  is  as  follows: 

WATER  REQUIRED  TO  PRODUCE  1  POUND  OF  SUGAR. 


Crop  period. 

Rainfall. 

Irrigation 

Water 
per  acre. 

Yield  of 
sugar  per 
acre. 

\Vater  re~ 
quired  to 
produce  1 
pound  of 
sugar. 

1897-98        

Inches. 

46.56 

Inches. 

48 

Gallons. 

2,567,682 

Pounds. 
24,755 

Pounds. 

865 

1898-99                      *        

26.01 

1  1 

2,797,133 

27,133 

859 

The  volumes  of  water  consumed  by  the  cane  per  pound  of  sugar 
made  during  the  growth  of  the  two  crops  are  very  nearly  the  same. 
During  the  growth  of  the  crop  of  1897-98  some  of  the  rainfall  occurred 
in  heavy  precipitations,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  water  escaped 
through  the  subsoil  and  was  lost.  During  the  production  of  the  crop 
of  1898-99  none  of  the  water  received,  either  from  rainfall  or  from 
irrigation,  was  lost  in  this  manner.  No  single  rainfall  exceeded  1 
inch,  and  in  irrigating  no  more  than  1  inch  of  water  was  applied  at 
any  single  watering. 

It  is  seen  from  the  preceding  tables  that  the  maximum  quantity 
of  water  applied  artifically  during  a  season  of  extreme  drought  was 
77  inches  during  a  period  of  seventeen  months,  or  2,090,858  gallons  of 
water  per  acre,  to  make  a  crop  containing  27,133  pounds  of  pure  sugar 


320 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


per  acre.  These  results  are  the  average  of  fifteen  tests,  which  were 
made  under  identical  conditions  of  soil,  cultivation,  and  fertilization. 
The  following  table  brings  together  the  estimates  of  the  duty  of 
water  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands  contained  in  the  report  of  Schuyler  and 
Allardt,  previously  referred  to,  and  the  results  of  experiments  made 
at  the  Hawaiian  Experiment  Station  by  the  writer: 

DUTY  OF  WATER  IN  HAWAIIAN  ISLANDS. 


Water  applied  per 
acre  per  crop. 

Yield  of 
sugar  per 
acre. 

Water  re- 
quired to  pro- 
duce 1  pound 
of  sugar. 

Depth. 

Quantity. 

According  to  Schuyler  and  Allardt: 
Spreckelsville  (1)  

Inches. 

2S2.oo 

216.00 
23020 
198.20 

94.56 
103.01 

Gallons, 
7,114,348 
5,865,264 
6,250,850 
5,381,428 

:J.5(J7,682 
2,797,133 

Pounds. 
11,100 
11,100 
11,300 
12,000 

2i,755 
27,133 

Pounds. 

5,345 
4,407 
4,013 
3,740 

865 
*59 

Spreckelsville  (2)    .... 

Hamakuopoko  

Kekaha  

At  the  experiment  station: 
First  crop  (1897-98 

Second  crop  (1S98-99  

In  the  above  table  the  yields  of  sugar  per  acre  as  given  are  higher 
than  stated  by  the  plantation  authorities.  For  Spreckelsville  the 
yields  as  stated  were  "for  plant  cane,  5.75  tons  of  sugar  per  acre;  the 
ratoon  crop,  3^  tons  per  acre;"  for  Hamakuapoko,  "5.6  tons  of  sugar 
per  acre  for  plant  cane  and  4  tons  for  ratoon  crops,"  and  for  ratoon 
crops  at  Kekaha  "5  tons  of  sugar  per  acre  for  seven  years."  These 
figures  express  the  amounts  of  sugar  per  acre  obtained  by  the  mills 
and  marketed,  and  not  the  full  amounts  produced  by  the  soil.  As  a 
correction,  and  to  make  the  figures  comparable  with  the  statement  of 
experiment  station  yields,  20  per  cent  has  been  added  to  the  amounts 
given  by  the  plantations.  This  may  be  rather  too  much,  but  it  has  to 
be  remembered  that  the  mills  ten  years  ago  did  not  obtain  as  much 
sugar  from  the  cane  as  they  do  to-day.  However,  the  figures  of  yield 
as  given  are  probably  a  little  in  favor  of  the  plantation. 

In  comparing  the  data  contained  in  the  table  it  is  again  to  be  re- 
membered that  the  figures  furnished  by  the  plantations  state  what 
was  actually  being  done  by  those  plantations.  The  experiment-station 
data  show  what  has  been  done  and  what  it  is  possible  to  do,  where 
the  irrigation  is  carried  out  according  to  scientific  principles  and 
where  the  conditions  are  under  coutrol.  Upon  a  large  plantation  the 
conditions  can  not  be  controlled  to  the  same  extent  as  is  possible  with 
experiments  on  limited  areas.  This  in  no  wise  lessens  the  force  of  the 
fact  that  plantations  are  wasting  huge  volumes  of  water  in  their 
practice  of  irrigation  or  removes  the  necessity  of  examining  into  and 
determining  the  location  and  causes  of  the  waste. 

The  figures  contained  in  the  last  column  of  the  table  show  the 
pounds  of  water  received  from  rainfall  and  irrigation  per  pound  of 


THE  IRRIGA 1  ION  A  GE.  321 

sugar  grown.  Instead  of  using  sugar  as  the  standard  we  may  use  the 
total  dry  substance  of  the  crops  in  its  relation  to  the  water  received 
per  acre.  The  exact  data  furnished  by  the  station's  experiments 
enable  this  to  be  done: 

WATER,  USED  TO  PRODUCE  1  POUND  OF  DRY  SUBSTANCE. 


Crop  period. 

Water  re- 
ceived per 
acre. 

Dry  sub- 
stance 
produced 
per  acre. 

Water  re- 
quired to 
produce  1  Ib 
of  dry  sub- 
stance. 

Pounds. 
21,414.457 

Pounds 

98,725 

Founds. 
216 

la(te  qq 

23,328,089 

110,087 

212 

By  "dry  substance  produced  per  a  jre"  is  meant  the  total  amounts  of  water-free  cane  and 
leaves  produced  by  1  acre  of  ground.  During  the  crop  period  1897-98  some  rainfall  water  was  lost 
by  percolation  through  the  subsoil,  but  how  much  was  not  ascertained.  During  the  growth  of  the 
crop  of  1898-99  no  water  was  lost.  Two  hundred  and  twelve  pounds  of  water  were  used,  therefore 
to  produce  a  pound  of  dry  substance. 

The  most  fertile  plantation  upon  the  Hawaiian  Islands  last  year 
yielded  20,500  pounds  of  sugar  per  acre,  and  according  to  the  esti- 
mate of  the  manager,  consumed  a  little  over  5,000,000  gallons  of 
water  per  acre.  On  this  plantation  a  less  volume  of  water  propuced 
double  the  quantity  of  sugar  that  was  obtained  at  Spreckelsville  and 
Hamakuapoko;  consequently  the  waste  of  water  at  those  places  must 
have  been  great.  Upon  this  fertile  plantation,  however,  there  are 
ample  evidences  of  past  excessive  irrigation  and  waste.  The  volume 
of  water  used  per  acre  was  double  that  used  at  the  experiment  station- 
to  produce  less  sugar  per  acre. 

A  small  crop  of  say  30  tons  of  cane  or  4  tons  of  sugar  per  acre  can 
not  in  its  growth  consume  the  volume  of  water  demanded  by  a  crop 
of  80  tons  of  cane  or  10  tons  of  sugar  per  acre.  Lt  can  consume  only 
a  fixed  portion  of  that  volume.  The  same  principle  applies  in  the 
demands  made  upon  the  soil  for  plant  food.  The  large  crop  absorbs 
more  of  the  soil  constituents  to  compose  its  substance  and  promote  its 
growth.  Water  is  only  one  of  the  essential  factors  which  control  the 
size  of  the  cane  or  other  crop.  The  depth  and  fertility  of  the  soil, 
the  fertilizing  elements  supplied,  and  the  extent  of  cultivation  are  all 
potent  factors  affecting  production.  It  has  already  been  shown  in  a 
previous  paragraph  that  the  growth  of  the  cane  and  the  amount  of 
water  used  during  increased  growth,  as  indicated  by  the  increased 
transpiration  of  water  by  the  cane,  are  very  noticeably  influenced  by 
the  action  of  nitrogenous  fertilizers. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  WATER. 

In  the  Hawaiian  Islands  sugar  cane  is  irrigated  exclusively  by 
ditches  and  forrows.  In  laying  out  a  field  to  be  planted  in  sugar  cane 
the  first  step  is  to  make  a  survey  of  the  area  and  to  determine  its  con- 


322 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


tour.  The  notes  of  the  survey  will  show  the  direction  in  which  the 
cane  furrows  shall  be  constructed  and  also  show  where  the  laterals 
which  feed  the  furrows  should  be  located.  On  uneven  ground  the 
furrows  are  curved  in  order  that  the  grade  may  be  kept  uniform. 

If  a  field  is  practically  level— and  there  are  vast  areas  of  relatively 
level  land  in  locations  where  cane  sugar  is  likely  to  be  grown — the 
furrows  are  dug  straight  through  the  field.  The  most  level  field, 
however,  usually  has  a  dominant  decline  in  some  direction  which  is 
usually  determined  by  the  general  formation  of  the  lands  of  the 
region.  The  Hawaiian  Islands  are  .of  volcanic  origin,  and  hence  the 
general  slope  of  the  land  is  from  the  craters  to  the  sea.  The  country 
is  mountainous  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  volcanoes.  The  slopes 
become  flatter  as  lower  levels  are  reached,  until  the  decline  apparently 
disappears  in  the  lands  bordering  on  the  seacoast.  The  latter  have 


FIG.  2.— Irrigation  of  sugar  cane  on  level  land  by  means  of  laterals. 

been  deposited  by  streams  running  from  higher  lands.  In  spite  of  the 
flat  appearance  of  these  lowlands  they  generally  have  a  decline 
toward  the  sea  which  is  not  only  sufficient  to  make  the  distribution  of 
water  a  simple  matter,  but  also  to  effect  the  discharge  of  underground 
water.  This,  however,  is  not  always  the  case,  the  writer  having 
several  tracts  in  mind  where  the  ground  water  can  not  find  a  dis- 
charge owing  to  its  service  being  but  slightly  above  the  level  of 
high  tide. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AOL.  323 

The  diagram  (fig.  2)  shows  a  field  that  is  furrowed  for  planting 
and  has  subditches  dug  for  the  distribution  of  water.  The  furrows 
are  made  at  right  angles  to  the  fall  of  the  land  and  the  distributing 
laterals  are  constructed  at  right  angles  to  the  furrows,  or  parallel 
with  the  natural  water  flow. 

As  the  diagram  shows,  the  main  ditch  feeds  the  laterals  and  these 
feed  the  furrows.  The  laterals  discharge  into  the  furrows  on  each 
side,  the  water  flowing  one-half  of  the  distance  between  laterals  in 
each  direction.  The  furrows  in  the  diagram  are  between  the  rows  of 
cane.  In  the  Hawaiian  Islands  the  cane  is  generally  planted  and 
kept  in  furrows  and  not  ridged  up,  and  the  water  is  applied  in  those 
furrows,  running  in  and  out  around  the  cane  stalks.  In  other  coun- 
tries visited  by  the  writer,  where  irrigation  is  required  during  a  part 
of  the  growing  season,  the  cane  is  more  generally  upon  the  ridge  and 
the  water  is  applied  between  the  rows  of  the  cane,  as  shown  by  the 
diagram.  The  practice  is  controlled  by  such  factors  as  the  nature  of 
the  soil,  the  rainfall  at  specific  seasons,  and  the  related  questions  of 
drainage. 

In  the  diagram  (fig.  2,)  the  lines  indicating  the  rows  of  cane  are 
assumed  to  be  5  feet  apart,  which  is  the  usual  distance.  In  some 
situations,  owing  to  local  causes,  the  distance  between  the  cane  rows 
may  be  as  much  as  6  feet  or  as  little  as  4£  feet.  The  distance  between 
the  laterals  is  assumed  to  be  30  feet,  which  means  that  the  water  is 
intended  to  flow  only  15  feet  from  each  side  of  the  laterals  that  are 
feeding  the  furrows.  The  lines  running  midway  between  but  parallel 
with  the  laterals  represent  earth  dams  in  the  furrows.  These  limit 
the  length  of  flow  of  the  water  from  the  laterals  on  each  side.  Only 
lands  having  a  very  even  surface  can  be  laid  out  upon  the  simple  plan 
of  the  diagram. 

Before  speaking  in  detail  of   the  methods  of  applying  water,  one 
other  system  will  be  described.     This  provides   for   the  direct  dis- 
charge of  the   water  from    the   main  ditch  into  the  furrows.     The 
system  (fig.  3)  has  been  observed  by  the  writer,  its  results  considered, 
and  it  is  mentioned  chiefly  to  show  its  essential  defects. 

In  the  system  illustrated  in  this  diagram  (fig.  3,)  the  water  supply 
is  from  a  main  ditch  of  considerable  size  (a  width  of  5  to  8  feet  has 
been  observed,)  which  feeds  the  water  furrows  between  the  rows  of 
cane  direct,  as  illustrated  by  the  arrows  in  the  diagram.  The  cane 
rows  are  drawn  straight  through  the  field.  The  water  flows  parallel 
with  the  rows  of  cane  and  not  at  right  angles  to  them,  as  shown  in 
diagram  (fig.  2.)  Consequently  the  water  has  to  distribute  itself  by 
flowing  from  the  main  ditch  to  the  opposite  end  of  the  field.  As 
already  remarked,  this  system  of  distribution  is  exemplified  in  order 
to  make  clear  its  very  palpable  drawbacks,  which  will  be  briefly 
explained. 


324 


THE  IR RIG All ON  AGE. 


Volume  of  the  application. — Schuyler  and  Allardt,  in  treating  of 
this  subject  under  the  conditions  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  state  that 
*'it  seems  to  be  generally  understood  by  all  planters  that  the  depth  of 
each  watering,  i.  e.,  the  volume  of  each  application,  shall  be  at  the 
least  an  average  of  3  to  4  inches  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  ground." 
The  same  authors  quote  one  of  their  witnesses  assaying  "11,000  cubic 
feet  per  acre  every  seven  days  will  produce  the  very  best  results 
in  growing  sugar  cane/'  That  volume  is  equal  to  3£  inches  of  water 
over  the  whole  ground  per  weekly  application.  Another  example 
from  the  same  authority  gives  "10,890  cubic  feet  per  acre  to  each 
watering  every  seven  days."  This  volume  is  equal  to  an  application 
of  3  inches  of  water  over  the  whole  ground  once  a  week.  When  the 
small  rainfall  was  added  to  the  amounts  applied  by  irrigation  upon  the 


Mam  Water  Ditch 


FIG.  3. — Irrigation  of  sugar  cane  on  level  land  by  direct  discharge  of  the  water  from 
the  main  ditch  into  the  furrows.  . 

plantation  spoken  of  by  Schuyler  and  Allardt,  then  the  average  appli- 
cation per  seven  days  over  the  stated  period  of  fifteen  months  or 
sixty- five  weeks  appeared  as  follows: 

DEPTH  OF  WATER  APPLIED   TO   SUGAR  CANE   DURING   SIXTY-FIVE   WEEKS 

FALL  AND  IRRIGATION). 


Plantation. 

Wuter 
applied 
per  acre. 

Mean 
application 
per  week. 

Sprecklesville  (1)  

Inches. 
262.0 

Inches. 

4.03 

Sprecklesville  (-))              ....                   .     .        

216.0 

3.32 

230.2 

3.54 

198.2 

3.05 

1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  325 

The  figures  in  the  outer  column  indicate  the  average  depth  of 
application  per  week  during  the  growth  of  the  crop,  which  is  given  as 
sixty-five  weeks.  Concerning  the  value  placed  upon  the  rainfall, 
Schuyler  and  Allardt  say,  ''the  rain  may  at  times  exceed  the  quantity 
applied  artifically,  but  irrigation  is  performed  the  same  as  usual,  not- 
withstanding, in  order  that  there  shall  be  no  break  in  the  continuity 
of  the  waterings." 


HOW  I  WILL  CONQUER  THE  NILE, 


BY  SIR  JOHN  AIRD,  ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF. 

Within  a  short  time  "the  uprising  of  the  Nile,"  the  yearly  over- 
flow which  from  time  immemorial  has  inundated  the  country  bordering 
on  the  patriarch  of  rivers,  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  Modern  engin- 
eering skill  has  overthrown  nature  and  the  tradition  of  centuries,  and 
in  the  future,  no  matter  how  great  the  freshets  of  water,  the  Nile  will 
never  flood  its  banks;  two  great  dams,  Assuan  and  Assiut,  stand  as 
impregnable  barriers. 

The  damming  of  the  Nile,  now  successfully  approaching  comple- 
tion, is  one  of  the  most  stupendous  engineering  feats  of  modern  times. 
So  far  over  twenty  millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  in  pushing 
the  work,  and  fully  five  millions  moro  will  be  needed  to  complete  it. 
An  army  of  workmen  representing  all  nationalities  has  been  busily 
engaged,  and  like  magic  a  city  has  sprung  up  at  the  site  of  the  opera- 
tion. It  is  difficult  to  convey  a  clear  conception  of  the  magnitude  of 
the  work.  It  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated  in  its  immensity. 

Thousands  of  workmen  are  busily  engaged  making  mortar,  mov- 
ing the  blocks  of  granite  or  placing  them  in  their  proper  positions. 
Steam  engines  are  continually  passing  along  the  line  of  railway,  which 
covers  ten  miles,  bringing  men  and  materials.  Steam  cranes  and  trav- 
elling trolleys  are  hard  at  work  in  every  direction;  and  a  feeling  of 
admiration  comes  over  one  at  sight  of  this  toiling  mass  of  humanity, 
so  perfectly  drilled  and  directed  that  by  no  chance  does  one  man  inter- 
fere with  or  retard  the  work  of  another.  It  seems  like  one  huge  loom 
working  out  some  great  piece  of  tapestry,  which  is  gradually  approach- 
ing its  completion.  Scotchmen  are  very  numerous  at  the  barrage,  as 
somehow  they  always  are  in  undertakings  of  this  kind  in  all  parts  of 
the  world,  their  sterling  qualities  being  especially  valuable  when  deal- 
ing with  native  races. 

A  great  army  of  masons  is  constantly  busy  cutting  and  dressing 
the  blocks,  each  one  of  which  is  measured  and  surveyed  by  competent 
pspectors,  who  initial  it  before  it  is  passed  as  fit  to  be  used.  In  the 
early  days  expensive  machinery  was  sent  out  from  England  to  expe- 
dite the  cutting  of  these  blocks,  but  it  was  subsequently  found  that 
the  old  way  of  splitting  the  stone  by  means  of  wedges  was,  after  all, 
the  best  and  easiest,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  machinery  has  not  even 
been  unpacked.  Our  best  masons  are  Italians,  but  there  are  mechan- 
ics of  many  nationalities,  all  working  together  in  perfect  accord. 

In  the  matter  of  stone  we  were  very  fortunate; -in  fact,  but  for  a 
£ieat  piece  of  luck  the  work  would  not  be  anywhere  near  completion. 


1HL  IRRIGATION  AGL.  32r 

and  would  have  cost  a  great  additional  sum.  I  refer  to  the  find  of  our 
granite  right  here  in  the  bed  and  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  I  had 
calculated  on  having  to  ship  the  greatest  part  of  the  material  for 
stonework.  I  was  aware  that  a  certain  kind  of  granite  was  to  be 
found  in  this  vicinity,  but  did  not  believe  that  it  would  be  hard  enough 
or  of  sufficiently  good  quality  to  be  available.  When  we  commenced 
excavating  there  were  unearthed  what  apparently  seemed  inexhaus- 
tible quarries  of  as  fine  a  granite  as  could  be  found  anywhere  on  the 
globe.  This  saving  in  time  and  money  can  scarcely  be  overestimated; 
for  not  only  is  high-quality  granite  expensive,  but  the  difficulty  of 
transportation  would  have  entailed  enormous  outlay,  not  to  speak  of 
irritating  and  expensive  delays  while  waiting  for  material. 

The  total  extent  of  the  dam  is  one  mile  and  a  quarter,  of  which  one 
mile  and  an  eighth  of  the  foundation  is  finished.  Temporary  dams, 
enabling  the  remaining  section  to  be  put  in,  are  now  carried  across 
the  channel.  Pumps  for  getting  in  the  permanent  dam  foundations 
will  be  started  immediately.  The  whole  of  the  granite  masonry  re- 
quired for  the  dam  is  cut  and  ready  to  be  laid  in  place.  The  parapet 
alone  remains  to  be  prepared.  The  portion  of  the  dam  remaining  to 
be  built  is  that  across  the  well-known  western  channel.  This  will  be 
the  most  difficult  part  of  the  entire  work,  but,  profiting  by  experiences 
gained  thus  far,  I  feel  confident  that  I  can  cope  with  any  problem  that 
may  arise. 

The  first  great  difficulties  to  contend  with  were  those  connected 
with  the  foundations  of  the  dam.  Although  advantage  was  taken  of 
Ihe  numerous  large  rocks  stretching  across  the  river,  it  was  found 
that  between  them  were  serious  faults  or  fissures,  in  which  it  was 
necessary  to  go  down  great  distances  before  arriving  at  a  sound 
bottom.  Speaking  generally,  in  many  places  the  depth  of  the  founda- 
tions amounts  to  twice  the  height  of  the  superstructure.  The  founda- 
tions have  now  been  completed  to  within  a  distance  of  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  of  the  west  bank.  Each  portion  of  the  bed  of  the  river 
has  had  to  be  dammed  and  cleared  of  water  before  the  work  could 
proceed,  in  order  that  it  should  be  perfectly  sound  and  lasting.  This 
has,  of  course,  caused  an  immense  amount  of  labor. 

There  are  altogether  one  hundred  and  eighty  sluices.  On  the 
shore  ends  these  are  in  a  double  tier,  but  they  are  single  in  the  central 
portion.  These  will,  of  course,  be  opened  and  shut  by  hydraulic 
power.  The  upper  sluices  are  not  carried  to  the  actual  top  of  the 
dam,  which  would  thereby  be  weakend,  but  are  openings  in  the  work 
with  a  continuous  line  of  masonry  above  them.  The  locks  are  to  be 
•erected  on  the  west  or  uncompleted  side,  and  will  be  of  immense 
^strength  and  adequate  capacity.  Many  of  the  sluices  where  the  pres 


328  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

sure  is  expected  to  be  greatest  are  lined  with  iron  frames,  the  castings 
of  which  have  come  from  Glasgow  and  Ipswich. 

The  height  of  the  structure  from  low  Nile  level  will  be  about 
sixty  feet,  and  the  slope  of  the  stonework  on  the  down  side  will  be 
two  yards  in  every  three,  in  order  to  meet  the  enormous  pressure  of 
the  water.  On  the  upper  side  it  will  be  nearly  perpendicular.  You 
can  readily  understand  these  precautions  to  secure  strength,  when 
you  hear  that  there  will  be  times  when  the  dam  will  be  called  upon  to 
withstand  the  tremendous  pressure  of  a  discharge  of  fifteen  thousand 
tons  of  water  per  second.  Such  an  overwhelming  avalanche  would 
sweep  away  like  chaff  an  ordinary  structure.  The  dam  will  control 
the  great  river  for  one  hundred  and  forty  miles. 

At  Assiut  the  giant  regulating  dam  across  the  Nile  approaches 
completion,  the  foundation  being  practically  all  in  position,  leaving  a 
portion  of  the  superstructure  to  be  completed.  The  sluice  openings 
here  number  one  hundred  and  nineteen,  all  sixteen  feet  wide.  This 
dam  is  somewhat  similar  in  principle  to  the  well-known  barrage  near 
Cairo,  but  the  details  of  construction  are  entirely  different,  as  the 
foundations  are  guarded  against  undermining  by  a  complete  line  of 
cast  iron  and  steel  piling  above  and  below  the  work.  The  barrage 
itself  is  constructed  of  high-class  masonry,  instead  of  brick- work  as 
at  the  old  barrage. 

As  a  supplementary  work  to  the  reservoirs-dam  is  the  new  head- 
work  to  the  Ibramieh  Canal,  consisting  of  a  regulation  of  sluices  and 
a  lock.  To  permit  of  the  commencement  of  this,  a  division  channel 
has  had  to  be  constructed  for  the  Ibramieh  Canal,  where  four  to  five 
thousand  men  are  engaged  in  cutting.  The  work  here  is  now  practi- 
cally completed. 

The  greatest  source  of  delay  with  which  we  have  to  contend  has 
been  the  annual  flood  of  the  Nile.  This  suspends  the  work  from  three 
to  four  months,  during  which  everything  is  covered  with  watSr.  As 
this  recedes  repairs  have  to  be  done  to  any  damage  which  may  have 
been  effected;  but  with  the  exception  of  some  of  the  rails  being  dis- 
placed and  a  few  timber  balks  being  washed  away,  very  little  harm  is 
done,  and  that  little  is  very  speedily  rectified,  and  the  work  renewed 
with  fresh  vigor  at  the  point  where  it  had  to  be  abandoned. 

Our  army  of  employees,  ranging  from  skilled  engineers,  whose 
salaries  run  into  thousands,  down  to  the  humble  laborer  who  makes 
four  shillings  per  day,  during  their  long  stay  have  built  up  quite  a 
little  city  at  Assouan.  Every  effort  has  been  made  to  further  their 
comfort.  Habitable  barracks  have  been  erected,  and  airy  dwellings 
built  for  the  large  staff.  A  hospital  has  been  fitted  up,  attended  to  by 
two  doctors,  with  all  the  necessary  assistants  and  appliances.  In 
works  of  this  character  accidents  are  occasionally  unavoidable,  and 


THE  IRRIGA 1  ION  AGE.  329 

every  provision  has  been  made  for  their  immediate  and  skilful  treat- 
ment. There  is  also  a  building  set  apart  for  infectious  cases,  such  as 
small-pox,  where  the  patients  are  separated  at  once'  from  the  other 
work-people  and  thus  the  risk  of  contagion  is  avoided.  A  club  has 
also  been  started  for  general  recreation,  and  some  highly  successful 
entertainments  have  been  greatly  assisted  by  voluntary  performers 
from  among  the  visitors  at  Assouan. 


THE    NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT 
SHOULD  AID  IRRIGATION. 


A  meeting  was  held  by  the  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  Real  Estate  Exchange  of  Denver,  CoL,  May  29th,  to  listen  to  an 
address  by  George  H.  Maxwell,  executive  chairman  of  the  National 
Irrigation  Association. 

Mr.  Maxwell  said  that  what  he  wished  to  urge  more  than  any- 
thing else  was  that  the  business  men  of  the  West  should  act  together. 
If  they  did  not,  there  would  nothing  more  come  of  any  movement  than 
came  of  the  one  started  ten  years  ago,  when  nothing  was  done. 

"Congress,"  said  Mr.  Maxwell,  "ten  years  ago  appropriated  $10,- 
000  for  the  making  of  surveys  and  the  beginning  of  the  work.  The 
plan  fell  down  and  went  to  pieces  for  no  other  reason  than  that  the 
business  men  of  the  country,  the  men  who  had  the  most  to  gain,  never 
came  together,  and  allowed  the  whole  thing  to  be  destroyed  by  per- 
sons who  had  special  interests. 

The  whole  problem,  Mr.  Maxwell  said,  he  found  to  be  one  of 
organization.  If  the  business  men  of  the  entire  West,  not  of  one  State 
or  one  locality  alone,  should  agree  on  a  proposition,  and  take  care  that 
it  should  be  a  sound  one,  when  they  should  all  pull  together  the  force 
would  be  irresistible.  The  irrigation  problem  had  passed  beyond  the 
stage  where  private  enterprise  or  even  State  aid  would  be  of  avail. 
There  was  only  one  resource  and  that  was  to  have  the  national  gov- 
ernment take  it  in  hand.  It  was  too  large  to  be  handled  by  any  other 
power  or  authority. 

"Suppose,"  said  Mr.  Maxwell,  "that  you  could  wake  up  to-morrow 
morning  with  the  positive  knowledge  that  this  country  was  entirely 
changed  and  was  a  humid  one.  There  would  be  such  a  rush  to  take 
up  the  lands  of  the  State  that  in  ten  years  Denver  would  be  a  city  of 
more  than  a  million  population.  Well,  by  bringing  all  interests 
together,  as  it  now  is,  you  can  put  twice  the  population  on  those  lands. 
The  result  we  want  to  accomplish  is  to  put  as  much  population  as  we 
can  on  the  arid  lands  of  the  West.  It  is  hopeless  to  try  to  get  it  done 
by  private  capital.  The  work  must  be  on  so  vast  a  scale  that  returns 


330  THE  IRR1 GA 11  ON  A  GE. 

cannot  be  expected  in  a  time  that  will  make  it  a  profitable  investment. 
Where  systems  can  be  built  by  settlers  they  have  been  built.  The 
Carey  land  act  is  a  failure  because  the  people  of  the  West  do  not  see 
how  it  is  possible  to  reclaim  the  lands  by  it.  The  law  to  make  irriga- 
tion districts  and  issue  bonds  on  uncultivated  land  has  been  tried  and 
has  failed.  There  is  no  recourse  or  resource  except  the  national  treas- 
ury. If  anyone  brings  up  an  objection  to  the  national  proposition,  ask 
them  to  present  a  better. 

"Draw  a  line  through  the  center  of  the  United  States  and  the 
whole  country  west  of  it,  excepting  only  a  narrow  strip  along  the 
Pacific  coast,  is  an  arid  region  where  irrigation  is  needed.  Denver  is 
the  hub  of  this  wheel.  It  is  the  center  of  the  region,  which  has  one- 
tenth  or  less  of  the  population  of  the  United  States.  If  the  national 
irrigation  policy  is  carried  out  this  territory  would  have  more  popula- 
tion than  all  the  United  States  has  now.  We  can  double  the  popula- 
tion of  the  West  in  five  years,  and  the  East  would  never  miss  a  man, 
woman  or  child. " 

Mr.  Maxwell  urged  unity  of  action,  stating  that  there  could  be 
nothing  done  unless  there  was  absolute  harmony  and  unity.  No 
national  law,  he  said,  would  ever  interfere  with  the  present  manner 
of  distributing  water  under  the  laws  of  the  State  or  with  any  existing 
water  rights.  There  was  no  sentiment  in  the  East,  he  added,  against 
any  equitable  manner  of  storing  and  distributing  water.  There  was 
objection  to  any  plan  that  would  place  the  stored  water  in  the  hands 
of  large  companies  and  not  in  those  of  actual  settlers.  It  might  be 
neeessary  in  some  districts  for  the  Government  to  store  water  and 
assist  in  the  construction  of  the  canals  to  carry  it  to  places  where  it 
could  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  actual  settlers. 

"This  is  what  we  are  asking  for,"  said  Mr.  Maxwell.  "First,  an 
appropriation  of  $250,000  every  year  for  surveying  and  laying  out  the 
work,  selection  of  sites  and  preparations  for  giving  water  to  actual 
settlers.  Second,  a  direct  appropriation  in  the  river  and  harbor  bill 
to  build  reservoirs,  just  as  they  have  been  built  on  the  headwaters  of 
the  Mississippi.  Third,  that  where  the  government  builds  these  res- 
ervoirs they  shall  not  conflict  with  any  vested  rights/' 

'Mr.  Maxwell  paid  his  compliments  to  Representative  Mondell  of 
Wyoming,  claiming  that  the  gentleman  had  opposed  every  effort  made 
to  reserve  public  lands  for  actual  settlers.  The  only  bill  that  was  put 
through  Congress  was,  Mr.  Maxwell  stated,  pushed  through  by  east- 
ern men  on  the  House  committee.  They  saw  that  it  would  benefit  the 
country,  and  ior  that  reason  they  were  in  its  favor.  In  conclusion, 
the  speaker  assured  the  gentlemen  present  that,  if  they  should  adopt 
a  plan  favoring  settlers  and  not  large  cattle  and  other  companies,  the 
eastern  Congressmen  would  aid  them  in  every  way  possible. 


CONVICTS  FOR  ARID  LANDS. 


SENATOR     DIETRICH     OF     NEBRASKA     HAS     A 
UNIQUE  IRRIGATION  SCHEME. 

An  open  letter  to  His  Excellency,  Ex-Governor  of  Nebraska,  Hon.  C.  H.  Deifcrich, 

now  U.  S.  Senator. 

LINCOLN,  NEB. 
Oov.  Deitrich,  Dear  Sir. 

I  read  with  great  pleasure  and  approval  your  late  invaluable 
article  on  the  subject  of  ''Irrigation  of  our  arid  lands  of  the  west"  as 
it  appeared  in  the  Kansas  City  Star;  and  as  a  co-worker  in  the  common 
cause  of  the  best  interests  of  humanity  and  philanthrophy,  I  take 
great  pleasure  in  expressing  to  you  and  the  world  at  large  my  appre- 
ciation of  your  zeal  in  this  the  greatest  enterprise  that  is  before  the 
American  people,  and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  reproducing  it  for  the 
benefit  of  other  readers  through  the  pages  of  that  invaluable  medium 
of  exchange  of  thought,  the  "IRRIGATION  AGE,"  published  at  Chicago 
by  that  prince  of  good  fellows,  Hon.  J.  E.  Forrest. 

And  we  here  submit  your  article  in  full : 

"In  the  next  Congress  an  effort  will  be  made  to  place  all  peniten- 
tiaries under  federal  control  and  utilize  the  energies  of  all,  except  the 
most  desperate  criminals,  in  the  contruction  of  irrigating  trenches  and 
reservoirs  for  the  reclamation  of  the  arid  districts  in  the  West.  Sen- 
ator C.  H.  Dietrich  of  Nebraska  is  the  sponsor  of  the  scheme  and  is 
now  preparing  a  bill  which  he  will  introduce  into  the  next  Congress 
to  bring  about  the  desired  change. 

"Recently  a  conference  of  congressional  members  from  several 
states  with  arid  lands  was  held  in  Omaha.  Senator  Dietrich  gave  a 
brief  outline  of  his  scheme  and  the  congressmen  who  were  present 
pledged  support  to  the  measure.  As  a  result  of  the  meeting  Senator 
Deitrich  hastened  to  Washington  to  begin  work  on  the  bill.  He  will 
have  the  hearty  support  of  the  Nebraska  delegation,  regardless  of 
party  affiliations,  and  they  will  try  to  secure  additional  aid  from  the 
representatives  from  the  other  arid  states. 

"Senator  Dietrich  proposes  to  divide  the  United  States  into  dis- 
tricts, in  each  one  of  which  a  federal  prison  will  be  maintained.  To 
the  federal  prisons  all  convicts  will  be  sent.  The  authorities  at  each 
penitentiary  will  be  required  to  select  all  orderly,  well  behaved  con- 
victs for  labor  in  the  arid  regions.  These  men  are  to  be  provided  with 
citizens'  clothing  and  taken  to  the  scene  of  their  labors,  where  they 
will  be  treated  as  ordinary  workmen.  Good  conduct,  and  according 


332  1  HE  IRR1 GA1ION  A  GE. 

to  the  plans  of  Senator  Dietrich,  greatly  shorten  the  length  of  the- 
original  sentence.  Besides,  the  prisoners  will  be  allowed  a  fair  month- 
ly sum  for  their  services  and  the  total  amount  will  be  given  them 
when  they  are  discharged.  In  this  way  the  task  of  redeeming  the 
barren  lands  in  the  Western  states  could  be  cheaply  and  economically 
done  by  men  who  are  now  pining  in  confinement.  A  vast  increase  in 
wealth  would  result,  contends  the  senator.  The  convict  would  be 
greatly  benefited  because  the  pure  air,  wholesome  food  and  interest- 
ing labor  would  make  his  surroundings  more  cheerful.  The  demoral- 
izing atmosphere  of  the  prison  would  be  counteracted.  Short  term 
men  and  those  whose  criminal  instincts  are  not  prominently  developed 
could  labor  together  and  the  worst  feature  of  prison  life,  the  dissemi- 
nation of  evil  desires,  would  be  eliminated. 

HOW  HE  WOULD  EMPLOY  SOLDIERS. 

"To  guard  the  prisoners,  the  idle  troops  and  cavalry  squads  could 
be  pressed  into  service.  The  district  in  which  the  convicts  labor,  ac- 
cording to  the  plan  of  Senator  Dietrich,  could  be  guarded  by  a  strong 
picket  line  of  soldiers.  The  latter  would  rarely  come  in  contact  with 
the  convicts  and  would,  he  says,  receive  valuable  training 'in  scouting. 
In  camp  a  detailed  record  of  the  delinquencies  of  the  convicts  could  be 
kept.  For  pardons,  good  prison  records  would  be  absolutely  indis- 
pensable. Senator  Dietrich  is  confident  that  by  this  method  insurrec- 
tion would  be  unheard  of  and  attempts  to  escape  would  be  made 
rarely. 

"Civil  engineers  and  government  experts  are  relied  on  by  the  sen- 
ator to  outline  and  direct  the  work.  By  careful  selection  the  convicts 
would  be  sufficiently  skilled  to  perform  all  of  the  labor  required.  He 
has  devised  no  method  for  determining  in  what  section  of  the  country 
the  work  would  be  done,  intrusting  that  feature  to  the  government's 
civil  engineering  department. 

"Senator  Deitrich  was  first  prompted  to  devise  the  scheme  on  hu- 
manitarian grounds.  Twenty- five  years  ago  he  was  working  as  a  day 
laborer  in  the  swamps  of  Arkansas  and  Mississippi.  At  that  time  the 
convict  camp,  with  all  its  terrors,  was  in  vogue.  The  prisoners  were 
compelled  to  do  the  most  exhausting  labor  on  a  diet  of  bacon,  corn- 
bread  and  river  water,  with  only  a  few  hours  devoted  to  sleep  and 
rest.  Nearly  all  the  convicts  wore  the  ball  and  chain.  The  inhuman 
treatment  and  loss  of  energy,  as  well  as  the  unsanitary  conditions, 
vividly  impressed  the  future  senator.  Prom  that  time  until  the  pres- 
ent he  has  never  ceased  to  meditate  on  a  plan  for  improving  prison 
conditions. 

HE'S  AGAINST   PRISON    WALLS. 

'  According  to  his  theory,  confinement  within  prison  walls  detract 


THE  IRKIGA  T10N  A  GE.  333 

from  the  strength  of  mind  and  body.  The  moral  atmosphere  is  tain- 
ted and  cantaminating.  There  is  no  distinction  made  between  the 
most  debased  criminal  and  the  man  who  erred  through  the  strenuous 
pressure  of  unfortunate  circumstances.  He  claims  that  out  of  the  33,- 
000  criminals  in  the  United  States,  25,000  are  detained  within  the 
prison  walls  on  account  of  the  defects  of  the  present  system.  In  prison 
the  convict  is  frequently  employed  in  time-killing  drudgery,  argues 
the  senator.  His  labor  benefits  neither  himself  nor  the  state.  When 
the  prisoner  is  released,  mind  and  body  are  botl^  weakened  by  confine- 
ment. Reproach  and  contempt  follow  as  a  matter  of  course.  Under 
such  circumstances  there  is  no  chance  for  the  discharged  prisoner 
who  wants  to  lead  an  honest  life.  He  cannot  make  a  living  in  compe- 
tition with  his  fellows.  Vagrancy  and  fresh  crimes  are  the  inevitable 
results. 

"By  labor,  in  the  arid  regions, the  convicts  could  work  in  the  open 
air.  Their  surroundings  would  be  the  most  healthful.  The  labor,  in- 
sists the  senator,  would  be  pleasant  and  less  onerous  than  in  the 
prison.  In  the  continual  change  of  scene,  the  men  would  forget  the 
past  and  no  longer  brood  over  their  mistakes  or  plot  revenge.  It 
would  induce  them  to  forget  their  condition  and  the  wages  paid  would 
be  of  assistance  when  the  day  of  assistance  when  the  day  of  discharge 
came." 

Knowing  you  as  I  do,  Dear  Governor,  1  am  not  surprised  at  your 
originating  this  novel  and  humanitarian  plan  of  constructing  this 
grand  work,  at  the  same  time  relieving  so  much  mental  as  well  as  the 
physical  sufferings  of  that  unfortunate  class  of  our  people,  viz,  the 
criminal  and  convicts  of  our  prisons;  but,  Dear  Governor,  will  you 
pardon  me  for  a  kindly  criticism  of  a  few  sections  of  your  article,  and 
consider  the  substitutes  I  may  suggest  as  they  appear  more  practical 
to  me. 

For  forty   years  I  have  advocated  the  idea  and  it  being  the  duty 
of  the  general  government  to  construct  the  reservoirs  and  main  canals 
to  furnish  or   supply  the  water  for  this  purpose  of   reclaiming  these 
arid  lands    of  the  west,  and  providing  homes  for  100,000,000  people 
where  now  but  a  few  thousand  exist . 

Nine  years  ago  I  advocated  this  principle  in  the  National  Irriga- 
tion Convention,  and  have  since,  but  never  until  at  our  very  zealous 
and  harmonious  session  at  Chicago  last  winter  did  this  plan  meet  with 
general  favor,  and  at  that  session  after  brief  discussion  by  delegates 
from  Massachusetts,  California,  Arizona  and  North  Dakota  and  near 
all  the  intermediate  states  and  territories  this  method  was  adopted 
and  President  McKinley  was  memorialized  to  lay  the  matter  before 
Congress,  asking  for  an  appropriation  to  begin  the  work. 

Now,  Dear  Sir,  you  propose  to  have  this  work  done  as  far  as  may 


334  THE  .IRRIGATION  AGE 

be  practical  by  convict  labor,  taking  them  from  the  federal  prisons, 
clothing  them  in  citizens'  garb,  and  guarding  them  with  soldiers  to 
keep  them  at  work  and  guard  against  insurruction  and  escape,  and  to 
pay  them  for  their  labor,  while  this  savors  nicely  of  a  humanitarian 
spirit,  and  the  writer  would  not  discourage  it,  could  he  see  it  to  be 
feasible,  but,  dear  sir,  after  a  familiar  acquaintance  of  twenty-five 
years  with  the  character  of  convicts  in  our  Nebraska  penitentiary,  we 
are  of  the  opinion  that  it  would  require  at  least  two  mounted  and 
armed  soldiers  to  watch  one  average  convict  during  the  day  and  at 
night  I  fear  three-fourths  of  them  would  escape  taking  the  soldiers' 
horses  with  them. 

Again,  dear  Governor,  bear  in  mind  there  are  thousands  of 
loyal  and  good  men  and  women,  too,  that  have  never  violated  the 
laws  of  the  land  and  brought  down  upon  themselves  the  condemnation 
of  law,  if  any  class  are  to  be  favored  why  not  these  honest  and  indus- 
trious toilers  of  the  West  that  have  for  years  struggled  against  adver- 
sity to  reclaim  this  arid  country  and  make  for  themselves  homes,  while 
the  convicts  have  stolen  their  horses  and  cattle  by  day  and  night. 
Let  these  do  the  work  for  pay. 

"Prison  walls  are  demoralizing,''  you  say,  to  which  we  respond  a 
most  hearty  amen!  So,  too,  Governor,  are  the  environments  of  the 
average  homesteader  on  the  plains  struggling  for  an  existence  for  his 
family,  and  to  see  his  crops  fail  year  after  year  for  want  of  water. 
Your  humble  servant  gave  five  years  of  the  best  of  his  life's  efforts  to 
improving  a  farm  of  1,500  acres  in  western  Nebraska  near  twenty 
years  ago.  We  started  a  settlement  twenty  miles  from  a  post-office 
or  blacksmith  shop,  hired  money  of  an  Eastern  loan  company  to  make 
our  improvements.  In  five  years  we  had  four  timber  claims  improved, 
300  acres  nicely  cultivated,  2.000  fruit  trees  planted  and  dead  for 
want  of  water,  the  best  buildings  in  the  county,  a  new  county  organ- 
ized, Perkins,  a  railroad,  the  B.  &  M.,  running  through  our  land, 
a  county  seat  town,  Grant,  but  a  half  mile  from  our  land;  the 
loan  company  had  all  our  land  but  320  acres  (and  they  were  insolvent), 
and  we  gave  up  the  struggle  of  endeavoring  to  succeed  in  agriculture 
under  a  shortage  or  insufficiency  of  water;  we  left  the  premises  of  as 
fertile  land  as  the  best  in  Illinois  or  Iowa,  the  purest  and  best  air  and 
delightful  climate  with  far  more  experience  than  we  took  there  and 
$5,000  less  money — a  wiser,  if  a  sadder  man;  and  ours  was  the  experi- 
ence of  thousands  of  as  industrious  and  worthy  men  and  women  as 
can  be  found  anywhere.  And,  dear  Governor,  "We  love  that  country 
so,  is  why  we  hate  her  faults,"  lack  of  water  only,  and  though  we  may 
never  be  allowed  the  privilege,  duty,  or  pleasure  of  another  effort  at 
redeeming  as  we  once  tried  by  the  toil  of  our  hands  and  the  sweat  of 
our  brow,  we  feel  with  you  it  is  a  commendable  enterprise  in  which  to 


THE  1RR1GA  T10N  A  GE.  335 

do  our  best  by  pen  and  voice  and  prayer,  and  sir  should  we  succeed, 
generations  yet  unborn  will  rise  up  and  call  us  blessed. 

In  the  August  issue  of  IRRIGATION  AGE  I  will  endeavor  to  show 
why  Col.  A.  Hoagland's  patented  steel  canal  or  flume  should  be 
adopted  for  this  work  in  lieu  of  a  dug  canal.  Meantime  I  am,  sir,  in 
all  good  works  and  deeds, 

Yours  very  truly, 

C.  B.  PARKER. 


A  DIPLOMAT. 

You  have  heard  the  tale,  perchance, 
How  an  ancient  King  of  France 

Of  his  baker  made  a  minister  of  state ; 
For  his  majesty,  'tis  said, 
Liked  a  certain  kind  of  bread, 

Which  no  baker  in  the  land  could  dupli- 
cate. 

But  one  day  he  took  a  bite, 
When  upon  his  royal  sight 

Burst  an  insect  they  had  baked  into  the 

bread ; 

Cried  the  monarch,  "Ha,  a  roach  ! 
Bid  the  pastry  cook  approach, 

He  shall  answer  for  this  outrage  with 
His  head." 

When  the  baker  viewed  the  bug, 
He  made  answer  with  a  shrug: 

"Tis  a  rasin,  sire  I  put  into  the  food.' 
Then  he  praised  its  luscious  taste, 
And  he  swallowed  it  with  haste, 

And  he  smacked  his  lips  as  though  he 
thought  it  good. 

And  the  monarch,  reconciled, 

To  his  courtiers  turned  and  smiled, 

"I   confess,"   he   cried,  "at  length  I've 

found  my  mate. 
Such  a  diplomatic  head 
Shouldn't  waste  time  baking  bread". 

So  he  forthwith  made  him  minister  of 

state. 
-  -Milton   Goldsmith  in  Harlem  Lijc. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 


In  diversified  farming  by  irrigation  lies  tbe  malvation  of  agriculture 


SUGAR  BEETS. 

Extracts  from  Bulletin  63  Experiment 
Station,  Colorado: 

Mr.  Frank  Watrous,  in  charge  of  the 
substation  at  Rockyford,  grew  beets  in 
1890,  '91,  and  '92,  and  records  the  results 
of  his  experiments  in  bulletin  No.  21. 
The  season  of  1890  was  spent  in  groping 
after  facts,  and  the  product,  though  en- . 
couraging,  was  not  large.  The  yield  ob- 
tained ranged  from  eight  to  seventeen  tons 
per  acre.  Some  of  these  yields  were  from 
half  acre  plots,  others  estimated  from 
•ingle  rows. 

In  1891  an  experiment  in  irrigating 
beets  was  made,  from  which  Mr.  Watrous 
concludes  that,  in  an  ordinary  season,  one 
irrigation  during  the  growing  season  is 
sufficient  to  produce  the  best  results  both 
as  to  tonnage  per  acre  and  saccharine  mat- 
ter contained.  Four  plots  of  one-fourth 
acre  each  were  planted  to  Vilmorin  beets. 
Plot  1  was  not  irrigated;  plot  2  was  irriga- 
ted once;  plot  3  was  irrigated  twice;  and 
plot  4  was  irrigated  three  times.  The  dates 
of  irrigation  are  not  given.  The  results 
are: 

Plot  1.  Yield:  9  tons  per  acre.  Sugar: 
14.25  per  cent.  Purity:  80.5  per  cent. 

Plot  2.  Yield:  10.8  tons  per  acre. 
Sugar:  15.2  per  cent.  Purity:  84.3  per 
cent. 

Plot  3.  Yield:  9.9  tons  per  acre.  Sugar: 
14.22  per  cent.  Purity;  79.5  per  cent. 

Plot  4.  Yield:  9.9  tons  per  acre.  Sugar: 
13.0  per  cent.  Purity:  76.0  per  cent. 

In  1892  the  plots  were  1-1000  and  |  acre 
each,  four  of  the  sixteen  plots  being  I  acre 
each,  four  of  the  sixteen  plots  being  i  acre 


in  area.  The  yields  from  the  I  acre  plots 
were  18  7  tons,  20.5  tons,  25.0  tons,  and 
25.7  tons  per  acre,  and  the  sugar  percent- 
age 15.18,  16.7,  15.9,  and  18.9.  The  co- 
efficient of  purity  was  between  82  and  85. 
The  yield  from  the  1-100  acre  plots  was 
somewhat  higher,  as  was  to  be  expected, 
the  sugar  content  ranging  from  13  to  15.8 
per  cent,  and  the  coefficient  of  purity  from 
76  to  85. 

The  plan  of  culture  adopted  as  the  re- 
sult of  the  three  years  study  is  as  follows: 
After  land  had  been  plowed,  harrowed, 
and  made  quite  smooth,  even,  and  free 
from  lumps,  stones,  or  trash,  seed  was 
sown  with  an  ordinary  hand  drill,  sowing 
eighteen  pounds  to  the  acre,  covering  an 
inch  or  less  in  depth,  in  double  rows  one 
foot  apart,  separated  by  a  space  two  feet 
wide.  Then,  with  one  horse  and  a  shovel 
plow,  a  trench  was  made  in  this  space,  the 
dirt  being  thrown  on  both  sides  to  finish 
covering  the  seed.  The  rows  are  worked 
over  quickly  with  a  rake  or  hoe,  and  the 
seeding  is  complete.  Beet  seed  requires 
considerable  moisture  to  produce  germina- 
tion, hence,  in  a  dry  spring,  water  may  be 
turned  in  these  ditches  and  beets  brought 
forward,  independent  of  dry  weather. 

To  facilitate  irrigation,  rows  should  not 
be  more  than  three  hundred  feet  in  length, 
preferably  less.  It  should  not  be  neces- 
sary to  drench  the  upper  end  in  order  to 
moisten  the  lower  end. 

Proper  cultivation  consists  in  hand  hoe- 
ing or  working  with  a  fine-toothed  cultiva- 
tor, the  surface  of  the  ground  being  stirred 
as  soon  after  irrigation  as  practicable. 
From  experience  at  this  Station  it  seems 
safe  to  state  that  the  more  careful  cultiva- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


tion,    with   the   proper  amount   of    water 
when  needed,  the  more  sugar  per  acre. 

Bulletin  No  36  discusses  the  genera* 
outlook  for  the  sugar  industry  in  Colorado1 
The  question  of  market  for  the  sugar 
which  might  be  produced  in  the  State  is 
answered  as  follows:  ''To  produce  ^he. 
sugar  consumed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Col- 
orado would  require  five  factories  of  large 
size,  employing  two  hundred  men  each, 
who  with  their  families,  would  represent 
about  four  thousand  people.  It  would  re- 
quire the  growing  of  sugar  beets  on  fifteen 
thousand  acres  of  land,  and  add  more  than 
three  hundred  dollars  to  the  income  of  each 
of  two  thousand  farms." 

Touching  the  question  of  profit,  the 
writer  says:  "If  prices  are  such  as  to 
make  the  business  profitable  anywhere, 
then  it  will  pay  in  Colorado." 

The  irrigable  portions  of  Colorado  below 
5000  feet  in  altitude  and  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  possess  the  best  possible  cli- 
mate for  the  growth  of  sugar  beets,  as  do 
many  of  the  valleys  of  the  western  portion 
of  the  State,  but  the  parks  of  Colorado  are 
too  cold  for  the  sugar  beet  to  be  grown  with 
profit. 

The  common  cause  of  failure  among  be- 
ginners is  a  lack  of  thorough  preparation  of 
the  soil.  The  plowing  should  be  done  in 
the  fall,  subsoiling  to  fifteen  or  eighteen 
inches.  If  this  is  done,  a  thorough  har- 
rowing just  before  planting  will  be  all  that 
is  needed. 

If  the  plowing  is  done  in  the  spring  it 
should  be  delayed  until  just  before  plant- 
ing. The  planting  is  done  with  a  drill. 
An  ordinary  wheat  drill  may  be  used,  but 
there  are  special  drills  for  planting  beets. 
Twenty-four  inches  is  recommended  as  the 
distance  between  rows,  being  none  too  far 
apart  for  irrigation. 

The  quantity  of  seed  recommended  to  be 
sown  is  at  the  rate  of  twenty  pounds  to  the 
acre.  This  quantity  is  large,  but  advisable 
in  order  to  get  a  full  stand.  The  seed 
should  be  put  in  about  an  inch  and  a  half 


deep.  If  the  ground  is  thoroughly  wet  a*- 
the  time  of  planting  half  an  inch  may  suf- 
fice. 

If  the  plowing  is  done  in  the  spring 
it  may  be  advisable  to  irrigate  the  ground 
thoroughly  before  plowing,  and  thus  insure 
a  good  supply  of  moisture  in  the  subsoil. 

If,  after  the  seed  is  sown,  the  weather 
is  so  dry  that  the  seed  has  to  be  "irrigated 
up,"  the  chances  of  a  profitable  crop  are 
slight.  The  seed  can  be  successfully  "ir- 
rigated up"  by  running  a  furrow  six  inches 
from  the  drill  and  allowing  a  small  head  of 
water  to  run  until  it  has  wet  the  seed  by 
soaking  sideways. 

The  planting  may  be  done  from  the  last 
of  March  till  the  middle  of  June.  Sugar 
beets  sown  the  first  of  May  will  be  ready 
for  harvesting  about  the  first  of  October. 

The  first  cultivation  should  take  place  as 
soon  as  the  plants  are  up  enough  to  enable 
one  to  follow  the  row.  Whatever  imple- 
ment is  used,  it  should  merely  scratch  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  leaving  it  level  and 
killing  the  small  weeds  without  throwing 
dirt  onto  the  young  plants.  The  weeds 
must  be  kept  down.  The  ground  should 
be  cultivated  after  each  irrigation  to  level 
the  ground  and  make  a  dirt  mulch  on  top 
to  preserve  the  moisture. 

The  beet  crop  in  Colorado  will  need  one, 
and  possibly  two  or  three,  irrigations.  The 
last  irrigation  should  be  given  about  six 
weeks  before  the  crop  is  mature.  In  1895 
a  heavy  rain  in  September  kept  the  beet 
crop  in  full  growth,  until  frost,  and  pro- 
duced a  crop  with  much  less  than  the  usual 
amount  of  sugar. 

The  plants  should  be  thinned  when  they 
have  four  leaves,  leaving  but  one  plant  in 
a  place.  The  distance  between  plants 
chould  be  eight  to  ten  inches.  There  is 
generally  but  little  difference  in  the  weight 
of  the  crop  in  cases  where  the  beets  stand 
six,  eight,  and  ten  inches  apart.  It  is 
easy  to  grow  beets  weighing  five  pounds 
each,  where  the  soil  is  rich,  by  thinning  to 
twelve  inches,  but  such  beets  are  inferior 


338 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


to  beets  averaging  less  than  two  pounds  for 
sugar,  and  also  for  stock  feeding. 

In  thinning,  the  plants  are  cut  out  by 
means  of  a  sharp  hoe,  leaving  bunches  of  a 
few  plants  each,  which  must  be  thinned  to 
a  single  plant  by  hand. 

The  soil  of  Colorado  is  generally  rich 
enough  to  grow  several  crop 3  of  beets  with- 
out fertilizing,  but  it  must  eventually  be 
fertilized  in  order  to  maintain  the  yield. 

In  case  alfalfa  ground  is  broken  up  beets 
should  not  be  grown  on  it  the  first  season, 
but  rather  a  crop  of  wheat.  This  will  put 
the  soil  in  better  condition  and  will  rot  the 
alfalfa  roots.  It  is  not  advisable  to  grow 
beets  more  than  two  years  in  succession  on 
the  same  ground.  Alkali  ground  may  be 
an  exception. 

If  barnyard  manure  is  used  to  fertilize 
he  soil,  the  beets  can  advantageously  fol- 
low a  crop  of  corn. 

The  best  varieties  are  the  Kleinwansle- 
bener  and  Vilmorin. 

The  harvesting  is  done  either  by  means 
of  a  beet  puller  or  by  plowing  a  furrow 
near  the  beets  and  pulling  them  by  hand- 

The  topping  is  done  by  means  of  a  heavy 
knife.  Topping  machines  have,  as  yet. 
not  been  successful. 

The  factories  work  on  beets  hauled  di- 
rectly from  the  field  up  to  the  time  freez- 
ing weather  sets  in.  Beets  to  be  used  in 
the  latter  part  of  the  season  should  be  pro- 
tected from  freezing;  for  this  purpose  they 
may  be  put  into  shallow  pits  and  covered 
wkh  straw  and  dirt,  either  near  the  factory 
in  pits  provided  by  them,  or  in  the  field. 

The  cost  of  growing  an  acre  of  beets  va- 
ries in  different  parts  of  the  country,  the 
size  of  area  planted,  the  condition  of  the 
ground,  etc.  The  range  is  from  thirty  to 
forty-five  dollars,  or  from  two  to  four  dol- 
lars per  ton. 

About  eleven  tons  of  sugar  beets  per 
acre  at  four  and  a  half  dollars  per  ton  is  a 
fair  average  crop,  with  a  possibility  of  a 
much  larger  yield.  Compared  with  alfalfa 


or  wheat,  the  return  seems  large,  but  much 
more  labor  is  required  to  produce  it. 

Sugar  beets  have  a  high  value  for  stock 
feeding.  They  have  been  fed  at  the  Col- 
lege with  good  results,  except  where  fed  to 
steers.  The  beets  seem  to  be  too  watery 
for  profitable  feeding  to  steers  where  the 
feeding  is  done  out  of  doors  in  cold  weather. 
It  is  advisable  not  to  feed  them  to  fatten- 
ing lambs  for  the  last  six  weeks  before 
marketing,  grain  being  preferable  at  this 
period,  so  that  the  flesh  and  fat  may  har. 
den  for  shipment. 

The  tops  are  good  feed  for  all  classes  of 
farm  animals.  They  may  be  fed  at  once, 
as  soon  as  harvested,  or  put  in  a  silo  and 
fed  through  the  winter. 

The  next  record  of  results  occurs  in  bul- 
letin No.  42.  In  1897  we  made  an  effort  to 
enlist  persons  in  different  parts  of  the 
State  in  the  raising  of  sugar  beets.  The 
Station  has  already  established  beyond  any 
doubt  the  adaptability  of  both  the  soil  and 
climate  of  this  section  of  the  State  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  sugar  beet,  and  also  of 
that  of  the  Arkansas  valley,  where  the  sub- 
station at  Rockyford  is  located,  but  no  co- 
operative work,  including  all  sections  of 
the  State,  had  been  entered  upou.  The 
Station  received  from  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  at  Washington,  five  hundred 
pounds  of  beet  seed,  and  from  A.  Keil- 
holz,  Quedlinburg,  Germany,  two  hundred 
pounds.  This  seed  was  sent  to  six  hun- 
dred and  eleven  persons  residing  in  forty- 
seven  counties  of  the  State.  Most  of  the 
analyses  of  these  beets  were  made  by  the 
Department  of  Agriculture  in  Washington. 
The  State  was  divided  into  five  sections,  as 
follows: 

1.  The  valley  of  the  South  Platte  and 
its  tributaries 

2.  The  Divide  south  of  Denver,  where- 
crops  are  raised  without  irrigation. 

3.  The  valley  of  the  Arkansas. 

4.  The  valley  of  the  Grand. 

5.  The  San  Luis  valley. 

The  varieties  used  were   the  Kleinwan. 


'LHE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


zlebener,  Vilmorin.  and  the  Imperial 
White.  As  there  were  one  hundred  and 
six  samples  of  the  Kleinwanzlebener  va- 
riety out  of  the  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  recorded,  no  distinction  is  made  be- 
tween the  varieties  in  this  summary. 

The  percentage  of  sugar  in  the  samples 
from  the  Platte  valley  ranged  from  11.5  to 
20.0,  the  coefficient  of  purity  from  73  to 
86,  and  the  orop  in  tons  from  9  to  47. 

The  percentage  of  sugar  in  the  samples 
from  the  Divide  section,  growth  without 
irrigation,  ranged  from  11  to  18,  the  co- 
efficient of  purity  ranged  from  71  to  87 
and  the  yield  in  tons  from  9  to  22. 

The  percentage  of  sugar  in  the  samples 
from  the  Arkansas  valley  ranged  from  12 
to  20;  coefficient  of  purity  from  73  to  86, 
and  the  crop  in  tons  from  12  to  40. 

The  samples  from  the  Grand  valley 
showed  percentages  of  sugar  ranging  from 
12  to  19,  coefficients  of  purity  ranging 
from  74  to  86,  and  crops  from  15  to  42 
tons. 

The  samples  from  the  San  Luis  valley 
showed  percentages  of  sugar  ranging  from 
11.5  to  17.9,  coefficients  of  purity  from 
74.2  to  86.9. 

The  time  of  ripening  of  beets  in  Col- 
orado will  vary,  of  course,  but  the  average 
of  the  samples  taken  between  September 
25th  and  October  10th  is  14.1  per  cent 
sugar  and  80.7  per  cent  purity,  which  is 
an  excellent  grade  of  beet.  To  get  the  crop 
to  ripen  is  the  principal  aim  of  the  beet 
grower.  The  mort  important  factor  in  this 
is  that  the  beet  shall  be  kept  growing  all 
the  time  from  the  sproutiug  of  the  seed 
until  the  harvest.  Some  of  the  conditions 
on  which  the  ripening  of  the  crop  depends 
are  beyond  the  control  of  the  grower.  In 
Colorado  it  is  true  in  general  that  the  crop 
will  not  ripen  until  the  vigor  of  growth  has 
been  checked  by  frost.  The  best  means 
of  determining  whether  a  crop  is  ripe  or 
not,  that  is,  in  condition  to  go  to  the  fac- 
tory, is  by  means  of  an  analysis,  but  a 
good  judgment  can  be  formed  by  cutting  a 


beet  and  noticing  the  rate  at  which  the  cut 
surfaces  darken. 

The  increase  in  percentage  of  sugar  and 
coefficient  of  purity  during  ripening  is- 
about  three  per  cent  for  the  former  and 
about  five  per  cent  for  the  latter. 

Some  very  suggestive  facts  relative  to 
methods  of  culture  were  observed  during 
this  year's  study.  Certain  principles  of" 
beet  growing  have  come  to  be  considered 
as  essential  to  the  production  of  the  best 
beets.  These  principles  were  violated  by 
most  of  the  growers  of  beets  this  year,  it 
being  their  first  experience,  and  yet  they 
obtained  good  results.  It  is  said  that  beets 
should  never  be  planted  on  new  ground. 
This  was  violated  with  good  results,  giv- 
ing, in  one  case,  beets  of  15.2  per  cent 
sugar  and  82.4  per  cent  purity,  and  in  an- 
other 19.4  per  cent  sugar,  and  in  others^ 
the  beets  were  above  the  average.  Ground 
which  had  been  broken  but  one  year  gave 
uniformly  good  results.  So,  too,  in  regard 
to  time  of  plowing  and  sub^oiling.  All 
writers  on  sugar  beet  culture  agree  that 
beets  should  not  be  planted  on  ground  that 
has  been  recently  manured.  Sixteen  per- 
sons report  manuring  with  stable  manure.. 
The  crops  were  late  in  ripening,  but  with 
three  exceptions,  the  quality  was  good. 
The  results  as  a  whole  indicate  much  more 
gain  than  loss  from  the  application  of 
stable  manure. 

The  hardest  part  of  beet  raising  is  to  get 
a  full  stand  all  over  the  field.  The  poor 
growth  of  the  seed  is  due  to  lack  of  mois- 
ture, too  deep  planting,  and  poorly  pre- 
pared ground.  The  lack  of  moisture  cao 
be  overcome  in  two  ways — by  irrigating 
before  or  after  planting  the  seed.  The 
latter  seems  to  be  more  promising  as  a 
general  method.  Of  fifteen  persons  trying 
this  method,  eight  report  having  obtained 
a  thick  stand,  being  twice  as  large  in  pro- 
portion as  those  reporting  a  thick  stand  by 
depending  on  rain  or  the  original  moisture 
in  the  ground. 

Mr.   Geo.  H.  West  of  Greeley,   contri  - 


"340 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


'buted  an  interesting  article,  published  in 
bulletin  No.  4'2,  containing  the  observa- 
tions and  conclusions  of  his  study  of  the 
subject,  which  he  designates  "Growing 
Sugar  Beets  for  Factories."  Mr.  West 
studied  this  subject  in  Nebraska,  Utah, 
and  New  Mexico.  Of  the  growing  of  beets 
in  Nebraska  he  says:  The  farmers  are 
largely  Germans,  with  some  Russians. 
Women  and  children  work  with  the  men 
in  the  fields.  Where  a  large  acreage  is  in 
beets,  the  thinning,  weeding,  hoeing,  pull- 
ing, and  topping  is  done  by  contract.  La- 
borers receive  from  fifteen  to  twenty  dol- 
lars per  month,  the  usual  wages  by  the  day 
being  one  dollar  and  board.  On  contract 
work  the  rate  is  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dol- 
lar for  boys;  one  dollar  for  men  and  wo- 
men, without  board.  For  a  man  and  team, 
two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  per  day;  for 
man  and  horse,  one  dollar  and  seventy-five 
cents.  Land  rent  from  three  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  to  six  dollars  per  acre. 

The  average  yield  in  1897  was  7.25  tons, 
and  the  sugar  extracted  by  the  factory  at 
Norfolk  was  10.95  per  cent.  The  percent- 
age of  sugar  in  the  beets  was  13.1  percent, 
purity  81.5  per  cent. 

The  Grand  Island  beet  raisers  averaged 
•8.1  tons  per  acre.  The  average  percentage 
of  sugar  in  the  beets  in  1897  is  said  to 
have  been  12.87,  and  purity  79.5.  The 
percentage  of  sugar  obtained  from  these 
'beets  by  the  factory  was  8.72. 

The  tables  given  show  that  in  1897  the 
factories  at  Norfolk  and  Grand  Island 
treated  the  largest  tonnage  and  made  the 
highest  saving  attained  up  to  that  year. 
The  range  of  farm  wages  is  from  fourteen 
to  twenty  dollars  per  month,  with  board; 
and  from  one  dollar  to  a  dollar  and  a  quar- 
ter by  the  day.  Women  aud  children  gen- 
erally work  on  the  contract  plan.  Many 
girls  get  a  dollar  a  day  in  the  beet  fields, 
and  prefer  it  to  house  work.  Boys  from 
ten  to  eighteen  years  of  age  receive  from 
fifty  to  eighty  cents  per  day,  a  man  and 
team  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents,  and  a  man 


and  horse  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents 
per  day.  Contracts  can  occasionally  be 
made,  as  in  Colorado,  at  two  dollars  per 
day  for  man  and  team.  Land  rentals 
range  from  four  dollars  to  seven  dollars 
per  acre.  The  crop  of  1897  is  said  to  have 
been  reduced  fully  one-third  by  drought. 
No  beets  are  grown  by  irrigation  in  Neb- 
raska. 

At  Lehi.  Utah,  the  conditions  are  said 
to  be  ideal  for  the  growing  of  beets  and 
running  a  sugar  factory.  The  farms  vary 
from  five  to  forty  acres  in  extent,  and  fully 
nine-tenths  of  them  are  worked  by  the 
owners.  Mortgages  are  rare  and  the  far- 
mers prosperous.  The  women  do  not 
work  in  the  fields,  and  the  girls  seldom 
work  there  unless  at  home.  Much  of  the 
hand  labor  is  done  by  boys.  The  average 
acreage  per  grower  is  less  than  four  acres. 
The  highest  average  yield  per  acre  was  in 
1896,  13.4  tons.  The  average  per  acre 
from  1891  to  1897,  inclusive,  was  9.44 
tons.  The  highest  average  percentage  of 
sugar  in  the  beets  was.  in  1896,  13.9  per 
cent.  The  average  percentage  from  1891 
to  1897,  inclusive,  was  12.4  per  cent.  The 
average  percentage  of  sugar  extracted, 
1891  to  1897  inclusive,  was  8.46.  Land 
rentals  range  from  $7.50  to  $15.00.  The 
soil  shows  a  great  diversity  about  Lehi, 
but  is  generally  a  heavier  soil  than  the  up- 
lands of  northern  Colorado. 

The  Eddy.  New  Mexico,  sugar  beet  fac  - 
tory  has  been  run  for  two  seasons  only, 

1896  and  1897.     The  valley,  though  a  nat- 
ural fruit  garden,  lacks  the  farming  popu- 
lation, and  perhaps,  too,  the  close,  careful 
cultivation  and  knowledge  of  irrigation  of 
the  other  farm  districts  of   Colorado.     In 

1897  they  grew  1,900  acres  of  beets;  yield, 
three  tons  per  acre:  percentage  of  sugar, 
14.2;  purity,   80  per  cent;  percentage  of 
sugar  extracted  from  the  beets,  10.53. 

The  average  cost  of  growing  and  deliver- 
ing a  crop  of  beets  at   Norfolk,  Nebraska, 
is    $26.50   per  acre;    the   average   profit 
$11.04.     The  yields  range  from  five  to  fif- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


341 


teen  tons  per  acre.  The  net  returns  vary 
from  a  profit  of  $29.00  to  a  loss  of  $7.55 
per  acre.  At  Grand  Island,  Nebraska,  the 
average  was  $28.73  per  acre,  and  the  ave- 
rage profit  $9.27.  The  yield  varied  from 
five  to  twelve  tons  per  acre,  and  the  net 
results  from  a  profit  of  $17.00  to  a  loss  of 
$12.00  per  acre.  Mr.  West  puts  the  aver- 
age cost  of  growing  and  marketing  sugar 
beets  in  Nebraska  at  $30.00  per  acre,  and 
statts  that  the  officials  of  both  factories 
put  it  at  the  value  of  seven  tons  of  beets, 
or  $28. 00. 

The  average  cost  of  growing  beets  in 
Utah,  not  including  land  rentals,  is  put 
at  $32.50  per  acre.  The  average  yield  is 
stated  at  $10.1  tons,  but  the  yield  for  1897 
was  6.75  tons.  Improved  beet  cultivating 
implements  had  not,  at  that  time,  been 
introduced  into  Utah,  and  this,  with  the 
higher  land  rental  and  cost  of  irrigation, 
raises  the  actual  cost  to  probably  $40.00 
per  acre. 

Relative  to  the  profits  of  beet  culture, 
Mr.  West  says:  Large  yields  are  regular- 
ly obtained  by  those  farmers  who  do  thor- 
ough, clean  work,  and  intimates  that 
therein  lies  a  big  secret  of  success. i: 

It  is  also  pointed  out  that  the  labor 
question  is  a  most  serious  problem  in  this 
industry.  It  is  too  important  to  be  en- 
tirely passed  over,  even  in  a  summary 
such  as  this. 

Concerning  the  feeding  of  pulp  to  cat- 
tle and  sheep  he  gives  results  obtained  in 
Nebraska  and  Utah.  At  Lehi  the  pulp  is 
placed  in  silos  with  addition  of  about  one- 
half  per  cent,  of  its  weight  of  salt.  The 
cattle  always  have  access  to  plenty  of  hay, 
pulp,  and  water.  They  never  feed  a 
pound  of  grain  in  fattening  the  stock,  un- 
less the  pulp  gives  out. 

John  Reimers,  Grand  Island,  Nebraska, 
had  had  three  years'  experience  in  feeding 
pulp  to  cattle.  He  fed  fifty  pounds  of 
pulp,  twenty  pounds  of  corn  meal,  a  little 
bran,  and  oil  cake,  and  the  usual  amount 
of  hay  per  day,  as  a  full  ration.  Hake 


Bros.,  also  of  Grand  Island,  fed  lambs  a 
mixture  of  four  pounds  of  pulp  to  one  or 
one  and  a  half  pounds  of  corn  meal,  be- 
sides hay,  as  a  full  ration.  The  results 
are  highly  satisfactory.  The  pulp  is  said 
by-  Superintendent  Geu.  Austin,  of  Lehi, 
to  give  the  best  results  after  fermenting 
in  the  silos  for  thirty  days,  and  shou 
not  be  fed  sooner  than  this. 

The  experiments  made  in  1898  are 
grouped  as  follows  in  bulletin  No.  51: 

1.  Different  dates    of    planting.     Re- 
sults in  favor  of  early  planting  in  respect 
to  yield,  sugar  content,  and  purity. 

2.  Planting  on   freshly  plowed  ground 
as   compared    with    planting    on    ground 
plowed  a  few  days  before  planting.     Re- 
sulted  in   favor  of    planting    on    freshly 
plowed  ground  by  2.3  tons  in  yield,  two 
per  cent,  in  purity,  and  a  slight  excess  in 
sugar. 

3  Seed  irrigated  in  planting  as  compared 
with  that  not  irrigated.  Results  obtained 
on  the  College  Farm  showed  no  advantage 
from  tliis  piuclicu.  The  soil  \vu>  a  uaher 
heavy  loam  ami  was  inoi^t  at  planting 
time.  Guod  results  have  .been  observed 
from  tins  |>ract  ce  on  lighter  soils. 

4.  Soakinjr  seed   before  planting.     Re- 
sults did  not  show  any  gain  from  the  soak- 
ing of  the  seed. 

5.  Sowing  at   the   bottom  of  a  three- 
inch  furrow.     The  resulting  stand  was  not 
so  good  as  that  obtained  by  sowing  at  or- 
dinary  depths.     The   yield  was   once   as 
good  and  twice  poorer  than  that  from  sim- 
ilar rows  of  ordinary  planting.     The  per- 
centage of  sugar  and  purity  were  not  per- 
ceptibly different  from  other  plantings. 

6.  Different  depths  of  planting.     The 
depths    at   which    the   seed   was   planted 
were  from  one-half  an  inch  to  an  inch  and 
a  half.     The  first  series,  planted  May  llth 
in  a  wet  soil,  showed  no   difference,  but 
the  later  planting,  made  May  27th  when 
the    soil     had     dried    out    considerably, 
showed  an  advantage  in  favor  of  the  deep- 
est  planting,    amounting    in   comparison 


342 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


with  the  shallower  plantings  to  more  than 
one-third  of  the  crop.  The  stand,  yield 
and  quality  were  all  better  than  in  the 
cases  of  shallower  planting. 

7.  Transplanting.     Transplanted  beets 
are  usually  ill-shaped.     The  yield  may  be 
good,  percentage  of  sugar  and  purity  high, 
but  the  method  would  not  be  a  financial 
success. 

8.  Different  distances  of  thinning.   The 
results  obtained  show    that  the  distance 
apart  of  the  beets,  from  four  to  ten  inches, 
has  but  sligh£   influence  on  the  quality  of 
the   crop   as   to  sugar  and  purity.     In   a 
general  way  the   thicker  stand  tends  to  a 
larger  yield,  but  there  are  exceptions  to 
this  statement. 

9.  Different  dates  of  thinning.       The 
results  show  that  the   thinning  of  beets 
can   be  extended   over   a   period   of    two 
weeks  without  injury  to  the  crop. 

10.  Variety  tests.     Six  varieties,  Zehr- 
ingen;    Vilmorin's    improved,    grown    in 
Russia;    Kleinwanzlebener,  grown  by  Vil- 
morin;       Pitschke's     Elite;       Vilmorin's 
French,   very  rich;   and  Schreiber's  Elite 
were  grown   side  by  side  with  Kleinwanz- 
lebener,   strain   not    given,    with    almost 
identical   results  in    percentage   of   sugar 
and  purity,   the  sugar  ranging  from  15  to 
17.20  per  cent.,  and  the  purity  from  76  to 
81.9.     The   average   of   all    the    samples 
analyzed   in   this   test   is    16.04  per  cent, 
sugar,  and  78.9  purity. 

11.  Number  of  irrigations.     At  Rocky- 
ford,  beets  were  grown    without  irrigation, 
with  one,  and  with  four  irrigations.     This 
experiment  was  of  little  value,  being  de- 
feated  by    the   unusually  heavy  rains  of 
that  season. 

At  Pueblo,  Mr.  C.  K.  McHarg  applied 
water  to  one-half  of  some  experimental 
plots  twice  after  the  20th  of  August,  the 
other  half  receiving  none  that  date.  The 
two  later  irrigations  produced  an  increase 
of  one-seventh  in  the  weight  of  the  crop, 
and  the  percentage  of  sugar  was  increased; 
beets  from  the  half  irrigated  late,  con- 


tained 16.42  per  cent,  sugar,  81.0  purity,, 
and  thos^  from  the  other  half  contained 
15.79  per  cent,  sugar.  81.7  purity. 

12.  American  grown  seed  vs.  imported, 
seed.  Two  samples  of  American  grown 
seed  were  used,  one  grown  in  Utah  and 
the  other  in  New  Mexico,  both  were 
strains  of  Kleinwanzlebener  beets.  The 
imported  seeds  were  the  Original  Klein- 
wanzlebener, Vilmorin.  Mangold  and 
Elite  Kleinwanzlebener. 

The  Elite  Kleinwanzlebener  and  the 
Vilmorin  were  sent  us  by  the  U.  S.  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  as  the  best  beet 
seed  that  they  could  get.  The  Original 
Kleinwanzlebener  was  selected  by  the 
Utah  Sugar  Company  as,  in  their  judg- 
ment, the  best  brand  of  seed  on  the  mar- 
ket from  which  to  raise  their  own  seed. 
The  Utah  grown  seed  produced  a^  large  a 
crop  and  one  richer  in  sugar  and  purity 
than  the  average  of  these  three.  It  ex- 
cels its  parent  strain  in  richness  and  pur- 
ity, and  is  but  little  inferior  in  quality  of 
crop. 

The  New  Mexico  seed  equals  the  Vil- 
morin and  is  not  far  behind  the  original 
Klein  wanzleLener. 

The  germinating  quality  qf  the  seed  is 
quite  satisfactory. 

In  1899  the  questions  whose  solution 
were  attempted  were: 

Does  it  pay  to  subsoil?  The  results  of 
ten  tests  made  at  this  Station  show  an 
average  gain  of  18  per  cent,  in  the  weight 
of  the  crop  as  the  result  of  subsoiling. 

Is  it  advisable  to  plant  the  best  seed 
very  early?  The  average  crop  from  ten 
plots  sown  between  April  10th  and  20th 
was  27.7  tons;  from  ten  plots  sown  be- 
tween May  1st  and  10th  was  24.3  tons; 
from  ten  plots  sown  between  May  15th 
and  26th  was  20.5  tons;  and  from  ten  plots 
sown  between  May  31st  and  June  10th 
was  15.3. 

The  percentage  of  sugar  in  these  vari- 
ous crops  scarcely  differed  at  all,  0.76  of 
one  per  cent,  being  the  maximum  differ- 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


«nce,  and  3.2  was  the  maximum  difference 
in  purity.  The  difference  in  crop,  how- 
ever, is  very  decidedly  in  favor  of  very 
early  planting. 

The  question  of  the  distance  between 
rows  is  recurred  to  again,  and  a  former 
recommendation  is  repeated,  i.  e.,  making 
the  alternate  spaces  between  rows  nar- 
rower and  wider.  The  distances  advo- 
cated are  eleven  and  twenty-seven  inches. 
The  chief  advantage  claimed  is  in  irrigat- 
ing, also  an  increase  of  crop. 

IRRIGATING   UP   THE    SEED. 

Twelve  experiments  were  made  with 
irrigating  up  the  seed,  and  a  like  number 
without  irrigation.  Of  the  twelve  experi- 
ments with  irrigrtion  none  failed,  of  those 
without  irrigation  two  failed.  The  crops 
from  the  twelve  irrigated  at  the  time  of 
planting  averaged  26.3  tons  to  the  acre. 
The  crops  from  the  ten  plots  which  came 
up,  but  which  were  not  irrigated  at  the 
time  of  planting,  averaged  25.4  tons  to 
the  acre. 

INSECTS   INJURIOUS   TO   BEETS. 

The  earliest  observations  on  this  sub- 
ject seem  to  have  been  made  by  Prof.  C. 
P.  Gillette  in  1894,  when  he  records  the 
•leaf  hoppers  Gnathodus  abdominalis,  Pla- 
tymetopius  acutus,  and  Agallia  uhleri,  as 
doing  injury  to  beets  in  the  vicinity  of 
Grand  Junction,  also  a  mealy  bug,  Dacty- 
lapius  solani,  as  infesting  the  crowns  of 
the  plant.  The  next  mention  of  injury  to 
beets  by  insects  is  in  1897,  when  the 
writer's  patch  of  beets  was  seriously  in- 
jured by  the  leaf  hoppers  Agallia  uhleri, 
A.  sanguineolenta,  A.  cinerea,  and  the 
striped  beetle  Systena  taeniata.  Later 
Monoxia  puncticollis.  and  also  the  blister 
beetle,  Macrobases  unicolor,  did  some 
•damage. 

In  1869  the  beet  army- worm  (Laphygma 
flavimaculata)  made  its  appearance  near 
•Grand  Junction,  and  was  very  destructive. 
It  did  not  appear  in  injurious  numbers  in 
this  locality  in  1900.  Prof.  Gillette  and 
his  assistant,  Mr.  E.  D.  Ball,  found  but 


few  specimens  of  either  the  first  or  second 
brood.     Prof.  Gillette  (Thirteenth  Annual 
Report  of  the   Colorado  Agricultural  Ex- 
periment Station)  says  of  this  failure  of 
the  insect  to  appear  the  second   season: 
The  very  sudden  appearance  of  this  insect 
which   had  never  before  been  considered 
injurious,  in   such    destructive    numbers, 
and   its  equally   sudden  disappearance,  is 
quite  remarkable.     Particularly   is  this  so 
from  the  fact  that  the  fall  brood  of  worms 
in  1899  were  but  little  parasitized,  and  the 
moths    matured    in    enormous    numbers. 
The  latter  must  have  failed,  for  some  rea- 
son,   to   winter  over.     These  worms    ap- 
peared on  some  experimental  patches  of 
beets  at  Lamar  and  Rockyford   in  1899, 
and  the  first  brood  appeared  in  destructive 
numbers  in   1900.     The  worms  began  to 
appear  during  the  first  week  in  June,  and 
were  abundant  by  the  14th,  when  spray- 
ing was  begun.     Late  planted  beets  were 
not  injured  by  them,  except  where  they 
were  planted  near  patches  of  weeds  or  ear- 
lier beets.     The   poisons    were   effectual, 
especially  where  two  sprayings  were  made 
with  Paris  green. 

Other  insects  mentioned  by  Prof.  Gil- 
lette as  having  been  observed  on  beets  and 
not  already  mentioned,  are  Nysius  angus- 
tatus  Coften  called  false  cinch  bug),  more 
or  less  abundant  everywhere,  in  some  cases 
causing  beets  to  wilt  and  die.  Deilephila 
lineata  was  found  as  an  occasional  feeder, 
especially  where  purslane  was  allowed  to 
grow.  (Mr.  Ball's  notes.) 


MONEY  IN  HORSE-RADISH  CULTURE. 

The  cultivation  of  horse  radish  is  one  of 
the  profitable  fields  neglected  by  market 
gardener  and  general  farmer.  In  the  vi- 
cinity of  large  cities  men  who  give  the 
business  the  proper  time  and  attention 
clear  $300  or  more  an  acre  every  year.  If 
the  roots  are  sold  in  the  open  market  these 
figures  are  obtained,  but  when  ground  and 
put  in  cans  for  use,  the  profits  run  up  to 
early  one  thousand  dollars  an  acre.  The 


344 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


demands  are  never  supplied  in  the  large 
cities,  and  but  few  of  the  smaller  towns 
ever  have  the  roots  or  salad  on  the  mar- 
ket. No  farm  should  be  without  at  least 
some  plants  of  the  horse  radish  as  it  is  a 
most  valuable  appetizer  aud  healthful  food 
assistant. 

The  Bohemian  and  Bavarian  horse  rad- 
ish is  found  on  all  hotel  and  public  eating 
house  tables  of  Europe.  It  is  served  in 
whole  roots,  thin  shavings  or  the  grated 
salad  form,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
most  important  items  of  expenditure  for 
customers.  The  best  roots  come  from 
Bayersdorf,  where  the  growers  report  get- 
ing  from  $250  to  300  an  acre  from  the  pro- 
duct. They  harvest  as  many  as  10.000 
roots  from  an  acre  and  leave  the  mother 
root  to  come  out  the  following  season  and 
make  additional  crops.  The  little  village 
has  a  population  of  probably  1,500  people 
all  depending  on  the  growing  of  horse  rad- 
ish and  enjoying  perfect  prosperity. 

Horse  radish  requires  a  good,  rich  loam 
containing  little  clay  to  insure  a  successful 
crop.  In  Europe  a  soil  that  has  been  first 
loosened  by  a  crop  of  clover  or  other  long 
fibrous  roots,  and  left  in  a  condition  to 
supply  abundant  nitrogen  is  preferred  for 
the  root  crop.  The  growers  of  the  United 
States  say.  that  a  tract  of  land  formerly 
cultivated  to  cabbage  or  similar  clean 
crops,  is  best  suited  to  horse  radish  plant- 
ing. The  soil  should  be  moist  and  not 
wet,  deeply  plowed  and  well  pulverized. 
A  fertilizer  containing  about  9  per  cent 
Potash  and  a  similar  amount  of  Phosp- 
horic Acid  with  4  percent  nicrogen  should 
be  applied  in  the  spring,  when  the  plants 
are  set.  An  other  good  mixture  per  acre 
would  be  300  to  400  pounds  of  ground 
bone  and  100  pounds  of  Muriate  of  Pot- 
ash. Annual  applications  of  similar  fer- 
tilizers must  be  made. 

The  American  plan  is  to  plant  small 
cuttings  of  roots  in  rows  about  18  inches 
apart  either  way.  the  roots  being  covered  by 
6  or  8  inches  of  earth.  In  Europe  the 


long  roots  are  set  in  holes  leaning  at  an- 
angle  of  about  35  degrees.  This  is  done, 
so  that  the  shoots  may  be  rubbed  during 
the  growing  season  by  the  thumb  and  fore* 
finger,  to  break  off  any  sprouts  or  warts 
that  might  form  and  thus  make  the  roots 
clean  and  clear.  It  also  gives  the  harvester 
a  better  opportunity  for  cutting  out  the 
roots  and  leaving  the  original  mother  stalk. 
It  is  not  ueccessary  in  our  country  to  rub 
the  roots,  but  if  they  are  planted  after  the 
foreign  plan,  they  can  be  harvested  morti 
easily.  Our  markets  do  not  demand  the 
whole  root,  so  that  thej  need  not  be  per- 
fectly smooth  to  grate. 

Cultivation  of  horse  radish  is  an  essen- 
tial feature  and  the  profit  depends  much 
on  the  way  this  is  done.  The  ground 
should  be  kept  loose  on  the  surface  and 
the  weeds  and  grasses  kept  well  cleaned 
out  from  the  beds.  If  several  shoots  come 
up  from  the  root  the  smaller  ones  should 
be  carefully  broken  off  to  prevent  the 
strength  of  the  plant  coming  to  the  top 
rather  than  the  root.  Good  roots  will 
form  each  year  and  the  new  ones  should  be 
cut  out  in  the  fall  or  early  in  the  spring, 
before  the  plants  are  too  far  advanced  in 
growing.  A  Mattock  is  generally  used  in 
digging  the  roots  for  home  use  or  the  mar- 
ket. The  leaves  are  first  cut  off  and  a 
stroke  made  on  either  side  of  the  plant  to 
bare  the  roots  when  those  wanted  are  cut 
off.  leaving  the  mother  root  about  one  foot 
beneath  the  surface. 

Marketing  is  best  done  by  grinding  or 
grating  the  roots  and  thus  preparing  them.' 
for  the  table.  In  the  cities  however  the 
whole  roots  are  in  demand,  at  from  eight 
to  fifteen  cents  a  pound.  The  grower  will 
soon  learn  which  is  the  best  way  to  get 
into  market  and  supply  the  demand  ac- 
cordingly. 


THE  CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 
Tea  culture  is  nne  of  the  established  in- 
dustries of   the  Southern   portion   of  the- 
United   States.      Experiments   conducted. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


345 


for  the  past  ten  years  have  fully  demon- 
strated that  the  commercial  tea  can  be 
produced  and  that  at  least  400  pounds 
may  be  taken  from  an  acre.  The  most  ex- 
tensive tea  gardens  are  operated  in  South 
Carolina  where  50  acres  are  planted  and 
produce  an  average  of  400  pounds  per 
acre.  In  the  oriental  isles  some  of  the 
most  successful  tea  growers  get  1,000 
pounds  from  an  acre.  The  tea  plants  will 
stand  cold  as  low  as  zero  and  are,  there- 
fore, adapted  to  nearly  all  of  the  great 
South. 

The  different  grades  of  tea  used  consist 
of  the  leaves  of  the  Camellia  tea.  The 
original  plant  comes  from  Assam  in  North- 
ern British  India.  It  grows  luxuriously 
often  attaining  a  height  of  25  feet.  The 
leaves  are  a  bright  green,  measuring  9 
inches  in  length  and  four  inches  in  width. 
The  trees  were  transplanted  in  Japan  and 
became  more  stunted,  the  growth  being 
small  or  large  in  proportion  to  the  heat  or 
cold  in  which  it  grew.  It  requires  a  rich, 
well  drained  soil,  containing  plenty  of 
plant  food,  where  the  rainfall  is  abundant 
"and  the  climate  not  too  severe. 

There  are  about  fifty  varieties  of  tea 
that  have  been  acclimated  to  other  coun- 
tries beside  the  hot  valleys  of  India, 
Among  them  are  the  Darjeeling,  Kangra. 
Kumaon,  Ceylon,  Formosa,  Chinese  and 
Japanese.  Seed  comes  from  China  and 
Japan  and  costs  from  50  cents  to  $1.00 
per  pound.  There  are  approximately  400 
seeds  in  a  pound.  The  seed  should  be 
planted  early  in  the  Fall,  on  light,  sandy 
soil,  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  inches. 
If  the  rainfall  is  not  enough  to  keep  up 
good,  perfect  moisture,  artificial  irrigation 
should  be  applied.  The  seeds  germinate 
in  early  spring  and  plants  will  reach  a 
height  of  6  to  8  inches  during  the  first 
summer. 

The   soil   for    the   tea   crop   should  be 

thoroughly  pulverized  and  put  in  good  con- 

ition   before  transplanting  the  trees.     It 


is  essential,  of  course,  that  a  sufficient 
amount  of  plant  food  be  supplied,  as  the 
tea  needs  nourishment,  the  same  as  any 
other  plant.  Both  the  quality  and  quan- 
tity will  be  influenced  by  the  kind  of  fer- 
tilizer applied.  A  suitable  mixture  for 
tea  would  be  about  400  to  500  pounds  of 
a  complete  fertilizer,  which  should  analyze 
3  per  cent  Nitrogen,  7  per  cent  Phosphoric 
Acid  and  8  per  cent  Potash;  in  place  of 
this  from  300  to  400  pounds  of  Bone  Meal 
and  150  pounds  of  Muriate  of  Potash  can 
be  applied  per  acre.  The  fertilizer  should 
be  broadcasted  and  then  thoroughly  mixed 
with  the  soil. 

Leaves  may  be  plucked  from  the  trees 
the  second  year.  Crops  will  increase  every 
season  for  a  number  of  years,  the  trees- 
probably  being  at  their  best  in  six  or  seven 
years.  The  yield  of  tea  bush  generally 
ranges  about  5  ounces  of  dried  tea,  ready 
for  market.  Leaves  are  generally  picked 
by  children  who  receive  50  cents  per  day 
for  their  work.  It  requires  4  pounds  of 
green  leaves  to  make  one  pound  of  the 
dried  product.  Picking  may  be  made 
every  ten  days  or  about  twenty  times  dur- 
ing the  season. 

The  tea  is  prepared  for  market  by  being 
rolled  or  fired  to  make  the  green  or  black 
teas  of  commerce.  For  these  purposes 
machines  are  employed.  These  are  manu- 
factured especially  for  the  purpose  and 
may  be  made  by  the  grower  with  but  little 
expense.  The  work  of  tea  growing  is  new 
but  is  worthy  an  investigation  by  every 
farmer  in  the  Southern  States.  The  im- 
mense volumns  of  tea  imported  every  year 
makes  a  great  amount  of  money  sent  to- 
foreign  lands  which  should  be  kept  in  the 
South.  As  the  Southern  portion  of  our 
country  is  rapidly  developing  into  one  of 
the  richest  sections  of  the  world,  aud  tea 
is  one  of  the  natural  products  of  the  soil 
and  climate,  it  should  bocome  one  of  the 
money-making  crops. 

JOEL  SHOMAKRR. 


346 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


FERTILIZING  THE  ORCHARD. 

The  orchards  of  this  country  are  the 
most  neglected  of  any  of  our  crops.  It  may 
seem  strange  to  some  to  call  an  orchard  a 
«rop,  but  that  is  what  it  is.  It  is  grown 
for  the  purpose  of  producing  something 
for  use  or  sale  just  as  other  crops  are,  and 
it  is  a  notorious  fact  that  this  crop  is 
more  neglected  than  any  other  we  grow. 
Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  Cornell,  recently 
said  some  things  about  orchard  manage- 
ment. He  said: 

Good  drainage,  natu.al  or  artificial,  is 
essential  to  success.  Trees  are  impatient 
•of  wet  feet. 

Good  tillage  increases  the  available  food 
supply  of  the  soil,  and  also  conserves  its 
moisture. 

Tillage  should  be  begun  just  as  soon  as 
the  ground  is  dry  enough  in  the  spring, 
and  should  be  repeated  as  often  as  once  in 
4en  days  throughout  the  growing  season, 
which  extends  from  spring  until  July  or 
August. 

Only  cultivated  crops  should  be  allowed 
in  orchards  early  in  the  season.  Grain 
and  hay  should  never  be  grown. 

Even-howed  or  cultivated  crops  rob  the 
trees  of  moisture  and  fertility  if  they  are 
allowed  to  stand  above  the  tree  roots. 

Watch  a  sod  orchard.  It  will  begin  to 
fail  before  you  know  it. 

Probably  nine-tenths  of  the  apple  or- 
chards are  in  sod,  and  many  of  them  are 
meadows.  Of  course  they  are  failing. 

The  remedy  for  these  apple  failures  is 
to  cut  down  many  of  the  orchards.  For 
the  remainder  of  the  treatment  is  cultiva- 
tion, spraying — the  trinity  of  orthodox 
apple  growing. 

Potash  is  the  chief  fertilizer  to  be  ap- 
plied to  fruit  trees,  particularly  after  they 
come  into  bearing. 

Potash  may  be  had  in  wood  ashes  and 
muriate  of  potash.  It  is  most  commonly 
•used  in  the  latter  form.  An  unusual  ap- 
plication of  potash  should  be  made  upon 
tearing  orchards,  500  pounds  to  the  acre. 


Phosphoric  acid  is  the  second  important 
fertilizer  to  be  applied  artificially  •  to  or- 
chards. Of  the  plain  superphosphates, 
from  300  to  500  pounds  may  be  applied  to 
the  acre. 

Nitrogen  can  be  obtained  cheapest  by 
means  of  thorough  tillage  (to  promote  nitri 
fication)  and  nitrogenous  green  manures. 

Barn  manures  are  generally  more  econo- 
mically used  when  applied  to  farm  crops 
than  when  applied  to  orchards;  yet  they 
can  be  used  with  good  results,  particularly 
when  rejuvenating  the  old  orchards. 


SOIL  MAPS. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture  at  Wash 
ington  will  soon  issue  soil  maps  which  will 
enable  the  farmer  wherever  he  is  located  to 
determine  just  what  crops  will  bring  him 
the  largest  returns.  They  are  printed  in 
colors,  the  meaning  of  the  different  colors 
fully  explained  and  suggestions  as  to  rela- 
tive values  of  soils  and  their  adaptability  to 
crops  offered  for  the  guidance  of  the  tiller 
of  the  land. 

The  magnitude  of  the  work  may  be 
understood  when  it,  is  known  that  the  en- 
tire country  will  be  included.  The  vast 
single  map  which  will  represent  the  coun- 
try as  a  whole  will  indicate  each  ten-acre 
plot  by  a  square  one-eighth  inch  in  size. 
But  each  farmer  will  be  able  to  procure  a 
chart  of  his  own  neighborhood  on  a  larger 
scale,  so  that  he  can  arrange  his  planting 
in  accordance  with  the  suggestions  which 
it  conveys.  The  work  is  done  by  town 
ships  to  start  with,  and  these  are  put  to- 
gether to  make  counties,  which  are  finally 
assembled  to  form  complete  maps  of  states 

Hitherto  the  business  of  farming  has 
been  to  some  extent  guess  work;  the  far- 
mer formed  a  surmise  as  to  what  crop- 
were  best  for  him  to  try.  and  did  his  plant- 
ing accordingly.  Henceforth  it  may  be  quite 
different.  He  may  study  the  government 
map,  and  from  it  may  obtain  advice  based 
on  the  highest  scientific  knowledge  as  to 
what  will  be  best  for  him  to  grow.  Then 


rl HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


347 


he  can  go  ahead  with  a  reasonable  certainty 
of  satisfactory  results.  In  the  first  place, 
the  soil  map  will  show  what  kind  of  agri- 
cultural industry  any  given  locality  is  best 
adapted  for,  whether  fruit  raising,  vege- 
table growing,  dairying,  or  general  farm- 
ing. The  value  of  this  to  home-seeking 
folk,  who  desire  to  engage  in  certain  lines 
of  production,  cannot  be  overestimated. 
Then,  after  the  general  location  is  deter- 
mined he  will  find  the  specific  place  on 
which  he  best  may  succeed  by  consulting 
the  detailed  description  on  the  map  of  just 
the  piece  of  land  required. 

The  map  will  call  attention  to  certain 
troubles  of  soils  which  have  been  investi- 
gated through  chemical  analyses.  One  of 
these  is  acidity,  which  has  an  important 
influence  upon  farming  over  large  areas* 
another  is  excess  or  deficiency  or  certain 
elements  of  plant  growth,  which  can  be 
supplied  by  fertilizers;  and  yet  another  is 
alkali.  As  for  alkali,  seience  has  ascer- 
tained both  the  source  of  it  and  the  remedy. 
It  comes  usually  from  wash  from  the 
mountains,  from  salts  carried  on  to  the 
land  by  irrigation,  or  from  deposits  laid 
down  at  a  period  when  the  land  was  sea 
bottom.  The  remedy  is  to  under-drain  the 
land  and  wash  out  the  alkali  and  to  pre- 
vent the  accumulation  of  seepage  water  in 
the  subsoil. 


The  map  will  give  a  basis  for  the  intro~ 
duction  of  new  crops  from  abroad  by  show- 
ing what  areas  are  specially  adapted  to  cer- 
tain kinds  of  plants.  It  was  incidental  st 
this  investigation  that  the  important  fact 
was  ascertained  that  real  Sumatra  tobacco 
could  be  grown  in  the  Connecticut  valley, 
a  discovery  which  will  put  millions  of  dol- 
lars into  the  pockets  of  American  produc-^ 
ers.  In  these  days  of  rapid  agricultural 
development  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  encourage  in  every  possible  way  the  in- 
troduction and  spread  of  new  industries, 
such  as  truck  growing,  fruit  culture  on  im- 
proved principles,  etc.,  and  the  soil  map 
here  described  has  an  obvious  and  impor- 
tant bearing  upon  all  such  problems. 

It  is  along  these  advanced  lines  of  agri- 
cultural development  that  the  department 
must  do  its  most  important  work.  It  is 
gratifying  to  note  the  order  and  consis- 
tency with  which  the  work  is  being  pressed 
toward  certain  definite  results — toward  the 
continued  extension  of  the  scope  of  our 
agricultural  products  on  the  one  hand  and 
the  acquirement  of  power  to  produce  from 
a  given  piece  of  lano  the  utmost  of  which 
it  is  capable  of  yielding,  on  the  other. 
With  such  a  wealth  of  intelligent  thought 
and  effort  directed  in  its  interest.  Ameri- 
can agriculture  must  steadily  rise  to  higher 
ground. 


GEM  FROM  PHILIPPINES. 

A  Denver  lady  is  in  receipt  of  one  of  the 
best  souvenirs  that  has  yet  come  from  the 
Philippines,  says  the  Chattanooga  (Tenn.) 
News.  It  is  a  New  Year's  card  sent  by  a 
.relative,  who  is  commanding  one  of  the 
volunteer  regiments. 

The  card,  or  rather  album,  is  a  home- 
made affair,  evidently  altogether  his  own 
handiwork.  On  every  other  page  is  a 
verse  of  poetry,  not  the  ordinary  doggerel 
of  the  average  youth,  but  real  poetry.  On 
the  alternate  pages  are  camera  views  of 
scenes  in  the  land  of  the  Orient.  The 
leaves  are  neatly  bound  together  with  a 
piece  of  blue  ribbon,  and  on  the  cover  are 
pen  sketches,  very  artistically  done,  while 
the  whole  is  most  attractive. 

The  verses  are  as  follows: 

Oh !  the  big  round  moon's  a-fillin'  all  the 

camp  with  silver  light, 
And  among  the  ferns  and  bushes  dodge 

the  fireflies  big  and  bright, 
And  the  boys  rolled  in  their  blankets  sleep 

as  silent  as  the  dead, 
And  the  night  wind  rustles  softly  in  the 

palm  leaves  overhead. 

I   can   near   the   guard   a-walkin'  and  off 

somewhere,  pretty  far, 
There's   a  native   woman   singin'   and   a- 

thumpin'  a  guitar ; 
And  the  music  sets  me  dreamin'  and  my 

thoughts  are  bound  to  roam 
To  the  girl  that   sings   supraner   in   our 

meet'n'  house  at  home. 

Bound   me   bends   the   feathered   grasses 

with  the  dew  a  shinin'  wet, 
And   the   palm    tree    'gainst   the   skyline 

makes  a  ragged  silhouette. 


And  that  old  guitar  a-plunkin'  isn't  just  a 

concert  band, 

And  she  sings  in  Filipino,  so  I  do  not  un- 
derstand. 
But  there's  magic  in  it  surely,  for  it  takes 

me  far  away, 
Till  the  smell  of  tropic  flowers  turns  to 

that  of  new-mown  hay, 
And   I'm  lis'nin',  carried    somehow    over 

miles  and  miles  of  foam, 
To  the  girl   that  sings  supraner  in   our 

meet'n'  house  at  home. 
I'm  a-sittin'  dressed  for  Sunday  in  the  old, 

familiar  pew. 
And   I   hear   the   parson   ironin',  like  he 

never  would  get  through ; 
I  can  see  the  sunshine  streamin'  through 

the  window's  colored  stain. 
And  I  smell  cologne  and  camphor;  yes, 

and  pep'mint.  plain  as  plain. 
I  can  hear  Aunt  Hannah  coughin' ;  I  can 

hear  old  Jenkins  snore, 
And  the  hymn  book  pages  rustle  as  the 

people  thumb  'em  o'er; 
And  I  hear  the  sweet  notes  risin'  upward 

towards  the  heavenly  dome, 
As  that  girl,  she   sings   supraner  in   our 

meet'n'  house  at  home. 

But  the  old  guitar  stops  playin'  and  the 

singin'  it  stops  too, 
And  my  Sunday  clothes  are  turnin'  khaki 

brown  and  army  blue ; 
And  the  church  in  old  New   England  is 

once  more  a  forest  black, 
Full  of  Malay  heathens,  hopin'  they  may 

shoot  me  in  the  back. 

But  I  thank  the  native  woman  for  the  com- 
fort of  her  song, 

And  I  hope  the  mail  boat's  hustlin'  that's 
a-comin'  from  Hongkong, 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


349 


For   I   know   it   brings  a  letter,  o'er  the 

South  Pacific's  foam. 
From  the  girl  that  sings  supraner  in  our 

meet'n'  house  at  home. 


MILE  A   MINUTE  SNUB. 
We  worked   for   Bill   McKinley,   and  we 

hustled  for  him  fair; 
We  argued  and  we  quarreled  till  he  landed 

in  the  chair; 
We   pointed   out  the   future;   'twould  be 

glorious  and  grand 
If  folks  would  only  recognize  that  he  could 

save  the  land ; 
But  when  he  got  to  Bowersville  upon  this 

western  trip 

His  train  slid  by  our  station 
At  a 

mile  a  minute 

clip. 
Why,  when  we  read  the  papers — how  he 

planned  to  come  this  way — 
We  bought  a  bunch  of  banners  and  got 

ready  for  the  day ; 
We  put  flags  on  the  deepo  and  put  up  a 

speaker's  stand 

And  bought  a  lot  of  musie  for  the  .Bowers- 
ville brass  band. 

And  when  the  engines  whistled  we  pre- 
pared to  let  'er  rip, 
But  the  train  went  by  us  people 
At  a 

mile  a  minute 

clip. 
WTe're  done  with  Bill  McKinley.     He's  a 

emperor — that's  what — 
To  pass  the  men  that  made  him  like  they 

wasn't  on  the  spot ! 
Yes.  sir.     He's  lost  his  chances  when  they 

was  within  his  reach. 
We've  got  some  unused  fireworks — and — 

I — had — prepared  a  speech — 
A  few  short  words  of  welcome,  but  McKin- 
ley got  too  flip 

When  he  rattled  by  our  station 
At  a 

mile  a  minute 

clip. 


ABOUT  EXCHANGES 

SCRIBNER'S. 

For  July  contains  a  "Tour  in  Sicily,"  by 
Bufus  B.  Richardson;  "Parkman  at  Lake 
George," Francis  Parkman ;  "Uncle  David," 
by  LeEey  Milton  Yale;  "Krag,  the  Koote- 
nay  Earn,"  Part  II,  by  Ernest  Seton- 
Thompson,  author  of  ''Wild  Animals  I 
have  Known";  "When  Gitchigamme 
warned  the  Muscovite,"  by  Sewell  Ford ; 
"Some  Famous  Orators  I  have  Heard,"  by 
George  F.  Hoar;  "Passages  from  a  Diary 
in  the  Pacific— Tahiti,"  John  La  Farge; 
"The  Delta  Country  of  Alaska,"  G.  R. 
Putnam;  "Homesick,"  Julia  C.  R  Dore; 
"The  Diary  of  a  Goose  Girl— Chaps.  IX.- 
XI,"  by  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin ;  "Matthew 
Arnold,"  by  W.  C.  Brownell ;  "Dawn  at 
Venice,"  by  Martha  Gilbert  Dickinson; 
"The  Field  of  Art,"— Daumier  to  Forain. 
LADIES'  HOME  JOURNAL. 

Seldom  has  a  better  chance  for  "stay-at- 
home  traveling"  been  offered  than  in  the 
Ladies  Home  .Journal  for  July.  From 
West  Point,  as  pictured  by  George  Gibbs 
on  the  cover,  readers  may  go  with  W.  L. 
Taylor  to  see  "A  Busy  Boston  Street  at 
High  Noon;"  next  try  "Goin'  Fishin'  with 
Joe  Jefferson"  in  Florida;  then  travel  out 
West  with  Ernest  Seton -Thompson  to  see 
"The  Mother  Teal  and  the  Overland 
Route" ;  next  go  along  the  Atlantic  coast 
to  find  out  how  the  places  "Where  our 
Country  Began"  look  to-day;  then  seek 
Northern  Michigan  to  hear  "The  Story  of 
a  Maple  Tree,"  by  William  Davenport 
Hulbert ;  next  visit  an  Eastern  magazine 
editor's  office  and  enjoy  the  good-humored 
raillery  of  "The  Case  Against  the  Editor," 
by  Edward  Bok;  and  finally  see  what 
"The  Country  of  Sheridan's  Ride"  looks 
like  nowadays.  There  are  many  other 
articles  of  equal  interest  on  various  sub- 
jects. 

SATURDAY    EVENING    POST. 

Twenty-five  years  ago,  when  "Elbow 
Room"  and  "Out  of  the  Hurly-Burly" 
were  the  successes  of  the  day,  Max  Adeler 


350 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


suddenly  ceased  writing.  For  a  quarter 
of  a  century  he  was  proof  against  the 
blandishments  of  editors,  but  Avithin  a  few 
weeks  he  has  completed  a  new  series  of 
humorous  stories  which  show  him  at  his 
best.  Tales  of  Old  Turley.  which  will 
appear  in  early  numbers  of  Ike  Saturday 
Evening  Post,  are  wonderfully  droll  stor- 
ies of  the  quaint  characters  in  an  old- 
fashioned  country  town  before  the  war. 
Local  politics,  school  committee  fights, 
church  squabbles  and  women's  clubs  lend 
themselves  admirably  to  Max  Adeler's 
humorous  touch,  and  form  the  basis  of 
some  of  the  cleverest  stories  that  have 
been  written  for  many  a  day. 

MCCLUKE'S  MAGAZINE 

for  July  contains  ''Long  Distance  Baloon 
Racing,"  by  Walter  Wellman,  the  new 
sport  as  practiced  by  the  French.  Illus- 
trated by  W.  R.  Leigh;  "With  Mrs.  Ken- 
worthy's  Assistance,''  by  Pascal  H.  Cog- 
gins;  illustrated  by  Henry  Hutt;  "The 
Story  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence," 
by  Ida  M.  Tarbell,  illustrated  with  authen- 
tic portraits  and  fac-simile  autographs  of 
the  signers;  "Within  the  Gates."  by  Eliz- 
abeth Stuart  Phelps.  Act  III.  end  of 
drama  Illustrated  by  Harry  Fenn ;  '  'Two 
of  a  Kind."  by  Ellsworth  Kelley;  illus- 
trated by  Orson  Lowell;  ':Recollectionsof 
E.  L.  Davenport."  by  Clara  Morris;  illus- 
trated with  a  portrait;  ''The  Loon,"  by 
William  Davenport  Hulbert:  illustrated 
by  W.  M.  Hardy;  "Kim."  by  Rudyard 
Kipling,  chapters  XI  (continued)  and  XII; 
illustrated  by  Edwin  Lord  Weeks; 
"Praesto,"  a  poem,  by  T.  E.  Brown; 
"Governor  Odell  of  New  York,"  by  Rollo 
Ogden,  a  business  man  in  politics;  "The 
Striker's  Story,"  by  Frank  H.  Spearman. 
McTerza  and  the  Railroad  Kiot;  illus- 
trated by  Jay  Hambidge;  "Hare  and  Tor- 
toise," by  George  Madden  Martin,  How 
Emmy  Lou  Spelled  Down  tho  Second 
Reader;  illustrated  bv  Charles  L.  Hinton. 


THE   FORUM. 

The  July  Forum  is  opened  by  important 
articles  on  political  problems  of  the  day. 
The  first,  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Jameson  Reid,  is 
"A  Plea  for  the  Integrity  of  China."  as 
against  the  attempts  of  European  powers 
to  secure  its  partition  for  their  own  advan- 
tage. Congressman  H.  S.  Boutell  shows 
the  bearing  of  ''Tho  Sale  of  Texas  to 
Spain"  upon  the  question  whether  all  ter- 
ritory acquired  by  the  government  be- 
comes ip so  facto  "an  integral  part"  of  the 
United  States.  Other  political  articles 
are  contributed  by  Oscar  W.  Underwood, 
who  protests  against  "The  Corrupting 
Power  of  Public  Patronage."  and  by  Mr. 
Walter  Macarthur.  who  gives  an  account 
of  ''The  Movement  for  a  Shorter  Working 
Day."  Five  articles  deal,  more  or  less; 
with  educational  subjects.  President 
Thwing,  of  Western  Reserve  University. 
brings  together  the  opinions  he  has  gath- 
ered from  graduate  correspondents  re- 
specting "The  Shortened  College  Course.' 
Mr.  Jacob  Schoenhof  quotes  the  example 
of  European  and  English  enterprise  to 
stimulate  this  country  to  pay  greater  at- 
tention to  ''Higher  Technical  Training." 
Mr.  John  Corbin  puts  the  question.  "Is 
the  Elective  System  Elective?"  and  shows 
that  in  many  cases  the  object  intended  by 
this  system  is  not  fulfilled.  Mr.  R.  Clark 
points  out  "Certain  Failures  in  School 
Hygiene."  which  be  has  noticed  in  various 
schools  in  several  States.  Prof.  A.  D.  F. 
Harnlin.  of  Columbia  University,  offers  "A 
Plea  for  Architectural  Studies"  on  account 
of  the  valuable  contribution  they  make  to 
general  culture  Other  articles  are : 
"Medical  Practice  and  the  Law."  by  Mr. 
Champe  S.  Andrews;  ''The  Ethics  of 
Loot,  "by  Dr.  Gilbert  Reid;  "The  Liberal 
Party,  a  Menace  to  English  Democracy." 
by  Mrs.  Mahood;  and  "Religious  Journal- 
ism in  England  and  America,"  by  Mr. 
Herbert  W.  Horwill. 


WANTED— Ladies  and  gentlemen  to  introduce 
the  "hottest"  seller  on  earth.  Dr.  White's  Elec- 
trical Comb,  patented  1899.  Asrents  are  coining; 
money.  Cure*  all  forms  of  scalp  ailments,  head- 
aches, etc.,  yet  costs  the  same  as  an  ordinary 
comb  Send  50c  in  stamps  for  sample.  G.  N 
ROSE,  Gen.  Mgr.,  Decatur,  111. 

WANTED— Business  men  and  women  to  take  ex- 
clusive agency  for  a  8tate,  and  control  sub- 
agents  handling  Dr.  White's  Electric  Comb. 
13.000  per  month  compensation.  Fact.  Call  and 
I'll  prove  it,  G.  N.  ROSE,  Gen.  Mj?r.,  Decatur.Ill. 


THE  IRRIGATION  A 


VOL.  xv . 


CHICAGO,  AUGUST,  1901. 


NO.  11 


The  Man  The  author  of  the  leading  ar- 
From  India.  ticle  -n  thig  number)  Mr.  E 

H.  Pargiter,  has  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  English  government  for  the  last  26 
years  in  northern  India  in  the  construc- 
tion and  management  of  irrigation  canals. 
At  present  lie  is  traveling  through  the 
United  States,  and  if  he  is  suited  with 
the  outlook  and  prospects,  may  locate 
here  permanently.  The  article  is  too  long 
for  one  issue,  consequently  it  will  be  con- 
tinued in  following  numbers  until  com- 
pleted. 


Artesian 

Water 

Discovery. 


In  the  West  oil  and  water,  it 
seems,  go  hand  in  hand,  not- 
withstanding their  natural  an- 
tipathy to  one  another.  The  search  for 
petroleum  on  the  Mohave  desert  in  Cali- 
fornia has  resulted  in  the  development  of 
a  supply  of  artesian  water  which  is  des- 
tined in  time  to  prove  of  more  value  than 
oil.  The  discovery,  says  the  Sun  Fran- 
cisco Chronicle,  has  been  made  near  Vic- 
tor, a  mining  town  located  in  the  heart  of 
the  desert  on  the  Colton-Barstow  branch 
of  the  Santa  Fe  system,  midway  between 
those  two  places.  Prospecting  for  oil  has 
been  in  progress  there  for  weeks,  as  it  is 
on  the  line  of  the  supposed  extension  of 
the  Kern  river  belt.  Three  wells  have 
struck  a  strong  artesian  flow  of  water  within 
the  past  week.  All  of  them  are  repre- 
sented to  be  gnshers.  The  last  of  the 
three  penetrated  the  water  belt  at  a  depth 
of  185  feet,  and  it  is  yielding  a  steady 
stream  of  215  miner's  inches.  It  emerges 


from  the  earth  with  such  force  that  up  to 
the  present  time  the  owners  have  failed  to 
cap  the  pipe,  and  the  flow  is  consequently 
unrestrained. 

This  fortunate  discovery  has  given  a 
new  and  unexpected  value  to  the  land  and 
revolutionized  the  prospects  of  that  deso- 
late region.  If  the  water  belt  is  found  to 
underlie  the  whole  desert  it  will  doubtless 
become  one  of  the  mjst  productive  agri- 
cultural districts  in  the  State.  All  that 
the  soil  in  that  section  needs  to  make  it 
produce  crops  of  any  kind  is  moisture. 
Wherever  the  soil  could  be  irrigated  it 
has  yielded  generously.  But  the  avail- 
able water  supply  has  been  so  scant  that 
it  has  been  impossible  to  cultivate  more 
than  a  few  small  areas  scattered  widely 
apart  along  the  edge  of  the  great  barren 
waste. 

Homes  for  Mr.  A.  H.  Naftzger,  the  Presi- 
Toilers.  dent  of  the  Southern  Califor- 

nia Fruit  Exchange,  recently  testified 
before  the  Industrial  Commission  at  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  Naftzger,  whose  business  is 
dependent  almost  solely  upon  irrigation, 
made  some  interesting  statements  regard- 
ing the  subject.  Among  other  things,  he 
said: 

''It  has  been  carefully  estimated  that 
under  a  system  of  national  irrigation  sev- 
enty-five million  to  one  hundred  million 
of  acres  of  lands  now  practically  desert 
and  worthless  could  be  reclaimed  and 
made  productive.  It  would  be  nearly  or 
quite  impossible  to  do  this  without  Gov- 


352 


1HE  IRRIGA1ION  AGE. 


eminent  aid.  If  Government  aid  be  ob- 
jected to  on  the  ground  that  the  develop- 
ment of  these  arid  lands  would  bring  them 
into  productive  competition  with, and  tend 
to  decrease  values  of  farming  lands  in  the 
Eastern  States,  the  answer  is,  first,  that 
the  development  of  any  portion  of  our 
country  is  incidentally  a  benefit  to  all; 
but  more  specifically,  if  these  desert  lands 
should  be  watered,  vast  quantities  of  ma- 
chinery, implements,  and  other  manufact- 
ured goods  will  be  required  by  the  settlers 
upon  the  lands,  practically  all  of  which 
manufactured  goods  would  have  to  come 
from  Eastern  States.  This  alone,  I  think, 
would  more  than  compensate  for  any 
otherwise  possible  depreciation  of  Eastern 
farming  lands,  occasioned  by  increased 
Western  competition.  If  the  West  shall 
have  more  water,  the  East  will  have  more 
trade. 

"But  these  Western  lands  would  for  the 
most  part  be  devoted  to  a  different  class 
of  products  than  those  of  the  Eastern 
States,  increasing  interstate  commerce 
and  developing  home  markets  in  both 
directions. 

"Again,  who  can  say  that  these  Western 
lands  will  not  be  needed  for  homes  for  the 
overflow  of  Eastern  cities  and  towns.  Un- 
der the  rapidly  developing  economic  and 
industrial  conditions  now  astonishing  the 
world,  and  particularly  by  reason  of  the 
introduction  of  the  'community  of  inter- 
est' idea,  having  for  its  ostensible  object 
economy  in  both  production  and  distribu- 
tion, there  is  strong  probability  that  many 
who  are  now  wage  earners  must  in  the 
near  future  obtain  their  livelihood  by  cul- 
tivation of  the  soil.  The  Government 
owns  these  arid  lands,  and  it  is  certainly 
not  unreasonable  nor  improvident  that  it 
should  expend  some  of  its  revenues  in 
making  them  irrigable. " 

The  Nile  and  Egyptian  agriculture  has  only 
the  Missouri.  reached  its  high  state  of  per- 
fection through  the  aid  of  irrigation;  AH 


of  the  land  under  cultivation — over  6,000,- 
000  acres — is  irrigated.  That  which  i& 
not  irrigated  is  a  desert.  Egypt, 
with  its  world-famous  Nile,  has  many 
pages  in  the  history  of  the  world,  so  that 
irrigation  may  be  said  to  be  one  of  the 
prime  history-makers  of  the  world.  It  has- 
been  stated  that  the  irrigated  land  of 
Egypt  supports  a  population  of  over 
5,000,000  people,  and  at  the  same  time 
pays  a  national  debt  one-half  as  large  as- 
that  of  the  United  States. 

With  all  its  fame  the  Nile  does  not 
water  nearly  as  much  territory  as  could, 
one  of  our  own  rivers.  The  Missouri,  in 
time  to  come,  may,  too,  have  its  place  in 
the  history  of  the  world.  Agriculture 
brings  industry  and  industry  begets  peace. 
The  Missouri  and  its  tributaries  are  sus- 
ceptible of  supplying  water  for  many 
times  the  area  supported  by  the  Nile. 

An  Irrigated  On  the  small  island  of  Madeira, 
isiaid.  west  coast  Of  Afrjcai)  irrigation 

is  practiced  more  extensively,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  area  of  the  island,  which  is 
only  120  square  miles,  than  in  any  coun- 
try in  the  world;  fully  one-half  of  the 
island  being  under  water  systems,  Ma- 
deira is  in  reality  an  irrigated  patch  in 
the  ocean,  growing  splendid  crops. 
Canals  have  been  constructed  with  care 
and  skill,  some  of  them  sixty  or  more 
miles  in  length.  The  thrifty  farmers  have 
on  their  land  reservoirs,  into  which  they 
collect  their  share  of  the  water  when  it  i» 
delivered  to  them,  and  from  them  distrib- 
ute it  to  their  crops  as  desired. 

The  Reclama-  The  irrigation  problem  is  one 
!l°!jc=r]ein'  °*  tne  most  important  ques- 
tions before  the  people  of  this  country. 
It  is  of  vital  interest  to  the  West,  for  stat- 
istics show  that  the  population  of  many  of 
the  country  districts  of  the  West  is  not  as 
great  at  the  present  time  as  it  was  tea. 
years  ago.  The  people  have  been  attracted 
to  the  cities  and  the  cities  have  increased 
in  population.  While  Congresi  at  its  last 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


353 


session  did  nothing  for  irrigation,  the  sub- 
ject was  more  generally  discussed  than 
heretofore,  and  a  foundation  was  laid  for 
practical  advance  in  the  immediate  future. 
The  idea  of  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands 
is  better, understood  than  ever  before,  and 
the  question  is  now  in  shape  for  a  good 
reclamation  bill.  If  the  people  of  the 
West  will  see  that  Representatives  are 
elected  on  a  stout  irrigation  platform, 
there  is  little  doubt  that  a  bill  looking  in 
the  right  direction  can  be  passed. 

The  opposition  found  in  some  sections 
of  the  East  to  the  reclamation  of  the  arid 
lands  is  not  well  taken.  A  little  consider- 
ation will  show  the  most  obtuse  mind 
that  the  development  of  the  West  is  to  the 
direct  advantage  of  the  eastern  half  of  the 
country.  It  is  to  the  advantage  of  the 
farmers  of  the  East,  as  the  Western  peeple 
buy  the  products  of  the  Eastern  factories, 
and  the  workers  of  the  factories  are  pro- 
vided with  food  from  the  farms  of  the 
East.  More  money  will  be  put  into  the 
pockets  of  the  East  by  the  reclamation  of 
the  arid  wastes  than  is  taken  out,  many 
times  over.  A  wider  market  is  what  the 
East  needs  and  it  is  presented  in  the  pro- 
posed irrigation  of  vast  tracts  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river. 

The  general  plan  of  reclamation  is  to 
start  upon  a  few  well-defined  irrigation 
projects  which  are  too  large  for  private 
enterprise.  Storage  reservoirs  present  a 
good  beginning  and  the  Government 
should  undertake  no  reservoir  which  does 
not  have  a  capacity  for  irrigating  at  least 
100,000  acres  of  land. 

Spain  now  has  18,000,000  people. 
Spain  is  a  semi-arid  country  which  bor- 
ders on  the  ocean.  Nevada  and  Utah, 
with  the  proper  application  of  water  which 
is  actually  available  in  those  two  States, 
can  maintain  as  great  a  population  as  that 
of  the  interior  of  Spain.  Colorada  has 
3,000,000  acres  of  land  under  ditch,  but  it 
is  possible  to  double  the  area  if  reasonable 
methods  are  applied. 


The  problem  of  the  reclamation  of  our 
arid  lands  is  a  large  one,  and  those  who 
have  not  been  through  the  West  and  stud- 
ied it  can  hardly  realize  its  great  national 
bearing. — National  Irrigation. 

Irrigation  in  Consul  Norton,  at  Harput,  Ar 
Turkey.  meniaf  has  made  a  report  to 
the  State  Department  showing  the  great 
possibilities  for  irrigation  in  Turkey,  and 
calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  Otto- 
man government  is  anxious  to  undertake 
some  experimental  artesian  well  borings. 
Much  of  this  region,  Mr.  Norton  states* 
was  under  irrigation  and  had  great  agri- 
cultural wealth  2,000  years  ago,  but  the 
entire  deforestation  of  the  mountains  has 
stopped  the  water  supply  and  rendered 
the  land  unproductive.  The  Turkish 
government  is  now  wisely  undertaking  to 
reclaim  some  of  this  territory. 

The  Desert  An  exhibit  made  in  the  June 
Watered.  igsue  of  j\fational  Irrigation 

of  the  development  of  Eiverside  and  Red- 
lands,  California,  which  was  prepared  by 
Mr.  Charles  E.  Richards,  of  Los  Angeles, 
and  which  shows  what  a  few  years  of  irri- 
gation will  do  for  a  sage-brush  desert, 
presents  an  impressive  object  lesson  to  the 
easterner  who  has  business  connections 
with  the  West.  Merchants  who  at  pre- 
sent find  a  market  in  the  western  States 
for  a  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  their 
goods  annually  would  sell  ten  thousand 
dollars'  worth  if  those  arid  lands  were  ir- 
rigated with  the  waters  now  running  use- 
lessly away. 

The  building  of  storage  reservoirs  by 
the  Government  would  make  populous 
many  such  desert  spots  as  were  Riverside 
and  Redlands  only  a  few  years  ago. 

Americans  are  growing  great 
quantities  of  rice.  The  Secre- 
tary of  Agriculture  says  that  we  can  not 
only  grow  all  our  own  rice,  but  that  we 
can  profitably  export  it.  There  is  in 
Louisiana  and  Texas  what  might  be  called 
a  rice  boom.  In  Louisiana  over  100,000 


Irritated 
Rice. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


seres  are  under  irrigation  for  this  crop, 
while  Texas  is  developing  very  extensive 
acreages.  The  possibility  of  using  im- 
proved machinery  is  largely  responsible 
for  this.  The  oriental  method  of  harvest- 
ing the  crop  is  for  a  laborer  to  wade  into 
the  rice  slough  with  a  sickle  and  reap  a 
fraction  of  an  acre  a  day.  The  Louisiana 
and  Texas  method  is  to  plant  the  rice  in 


plats  surrounded  by  small  levees  or  fur- 
rows, into  which  plats  water  is  then 
turned.  When  the  rice  is  nearly  ripe,  the 
levee  is  broken  down  and  the  water  al- 
lowed to  run  off.  In  a  few  days,  when  the 
rice  has  ripened,  the  soil  has  dried  suffi- 
ciently to  allow  a  machine  harvester  to  go 
upon  the  land  and  do  the  work  of  many 
men. 


Some  men   take   life   serious,   some  as  a 

jest, 
However  they   take   it,    each   thiaks    his 

the  best, 

And  each  tries  to  make  the  best  of  it. 
I  am   one   of   those   mortals   who  thinks 

it  all  fun, 
And   laugh   with    the   rising    and  setting 

sun, 

Take  things  as  they  come,  for  the  fun 

of  it. 

I  laugh   with  every  bright,  sunny  day — 
When   clouds   shed   tears,  I   laugh  them 

away 

Its  best  to  make  the  best  of  it. 
Who   cares   for  my  sorrow?     The  world 

loves  a  smile 
To   drown  its  own  misery  —  it's  cares  to 

beguile, 
So  I  laugh  with  the  world,  for   the  fun 

of  it. 
There    are     times    when    I     feel    "blue 

devils"  creep 

Upon   me   till  my  soul  would  weep. 
But  I  laugh  and  make  the  best  of  it. 


"JUST  FOR  THE  FUN  OF  IT." 
BY  J.  M.  W.  EANDEGG. 

A   smile   that   I   meet   but   adds    to   the 

spice 
Of  life,  and  makes  earth  paradise, 

And  I   smile   right   back,   for  the   fun 

of  it. 

And   as  I  am  wandering,  mile  upon  mile 
O'er   roughly   hewn    paths  of  this  planet, 

I  smile, 

Not  minding,  but  making  the  best  of  it. 
When    I    cast    in   my    chips,   below    or 

above, 
Where    we're    all    put   to    work,    coal     or 

clouds  to  shove. 

I  shall  think  it's  all  for  the  fun  of  it. 
So  I  throw  to  the  winds  all  trouble  and 

care 
And  go  through   the   world   to  do   or   to 

dare 

Whatever  betake,  make  the  best  of  it. 
A  man  lives  but   once,  and   the  time  is 

So  short 
When    death     leads    him    out    to    some 

lonely,  strange  port. 
So   I   laugh   while   I   live,  for  the  fun 

of  it. 


IRRIGATION    IN    INDIA   AND 
AMERICA. 

BY  E.  H.  PARGITER,  OF  THE  IRRIGATION  BRANCH,  PUBLIC  WORKS 
DEPARTMENT,  PANJAB,  INDIA. 

The  writer  of  this  article,  after  passing  through  the  three  years' 
course  of  theoretical  study  and  practical  training  at  the  Royal  Indian 
Engineering  College  at  Cooper's  Hill,  England,  (being  one  of  the  stu- 
dents who  entered  this  college  when  it  was  first  started  in  1871),  went 
out  to  India  in  1874  as  an  assistant  engineer  in  the  Irrigation  Branch 
of  the  Public  Works  Department  in  the  Panjab  Province.  He  has 
spent  his  whole  service  since  then  in  that  Province  on  the  design,  con- 
struction and  management  of  many  of  the  Irrigation  Canals,  large  and 
small,  in  different  parts  of  that  Province. 

It  will,  perhaps,  be  as  well  to  explain  here  briefly  the  system  of 
the  Indian  Public  Works  department.  All  buildings  and  works 
required  solely  for  troops  and  military  purposes,  belong  to  a  separate 
Military  Works  Department,  which  is  worked  and  engineered  chiefly 
by  officers  of  the  Corps  of  Royal  Engineers.  All  buildings  and  works 
required  for  civil  or  general  purposes,  are  in  the  charge  of  the  Public 
Works  Department,  which  is  now  worked  and  engineered  chiefly  by 
civil  engineers,  together  with  some  Royal  Engineers,  and  other  mili- 
tary men  trained  as  engineers,  who  have  chosen  to  take  up  service  in 
this  department,  while  they  can  be  spared  from  military  duty. 

The  Department  is  divided  into  three  separate  branches,  quite 
independent  of  each  other,  viz. :  the  Railway  branch,  the  Irrigation 
branch,  and  the  Roads  and  Buildings  branch.  There  is  but  one  rail- 
way branch  for  the  whole  of  India,  under  one  Director,  quite  irrespec- 
tive of  the  different  Provinces,  so  that  a  railway  engineer  may  be 
transferred  from  one  part  of  India  to  any  other  part  at  any  time;  and 
railways  are  constructed  and  worked  in  sections  that  are  in  no  way 
fixed  by  the  boundaries  of  Provinces.  But  there  is  a  distinct  Irriga- 
tion branch,  and  a  distinct  Roads  and  Buildings  branch  in  each  Prov- 
ince, each  under  its  own  chief  engineer,  who  is  secretary  to  the  Local 
Provincial  Government  for  his  branch. 

Transfers  from  one  branch  to  another  are  not  frequent  or  usual, 
so  that  the  majority  of  the  engineers  who  enter  the  Department 
remain  each  in  the  branch  in  which  he  commenced  his  service,  and 
they  should  become  in  time  more  or  less  experts  and  specialists — in 
their  particular  lines  of  professional  work.  This  separation  of  the 
-branches  has  been  found  necessary  for  efficiency,  for  both  in  railway 


356  1  HE  IRR1 GAIION  A GE. 

and  in  irrigation  work  an  engineer  requires  a  great  deal  of  special' 
knowledge  and  experience.  He  must  have  several  years'  training  on 
the  construction  and  management  of  railways  and  canals  beiore  he  is 
fully  competent  to  design,  construct,  or  manage  a  railway  or  irriga- 
tion canal  to  the  best  advantage.  Hence  arises  the  advisability  of  an 
engineer  beginning  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  in  either  department 
and  steadily  working  his  way  up.  He  by  degrees  becomes  better  fitted 
for  and  also  obtains,  in  course  of  time,  the  charge  of  more  and  more 
important  works,  according  to  the  experience  gained  and  the  abilities 
displayed  by  him. 

There  is  another  point  of  considerable  importance  that  concerns 
the  Irrigation  branch  especially,  more  than  the  other  branches,  and 
makes  transfers  of  engineers  from  one  Province  to  another  most 
inconvenient.  This  is  the  fact  that  the  engineer  in  charge  of  a  com- 
pleted and  running  canal  has  not  only  to  look  after  the  canal  and  its 
distributaries  and  maintain  them  in  proper  working  order,  but  has 
also  to  arrange  for  the  due  allotment  of  water  to  every  estate  or  hold- 
ing, for  the  measurement  and  record  of  every  acre  irrigated  and  for 
the  proper  assessment  with  water  rates  of  all  fields  watered  and  crops 
grown  thereby.  These  duties  bring  him  into  constant  and  close  com- 
munication with  the  irrigators,  who  are  mostly  simple  village  folk; 
and  it  is  highly  desirable,  for  the  most  efficient  and  economical  man- 
agement of  a  canal,  that  he  be  in  close  touch,  and  be  able  to  converse 
freely  in  their  own  language  with  the  country  village  people. 

Now  the  language  of  the  village  people  in  one  province  is  very 
different  from  that  in  another  province.  The  universal  official  lan- 
guage, Urdu  or  Hindustani,  is  known  only  by  educated  people  and 
those  that  have  lived  in  connection  with  such.  But  the  simple  coun- 
try people,  living  in  small  villages  scattered  over  the  country,  and 
getting  little  or  no  education  beyond  what  their  isolated  life  and  self- 
sufficing  communities  require,  speak  only  their  own  dialect  and  can 
understand  but  little  of  the  ornate  Hindustani,  the  vocabulary  of 
which  is  largely  made  up  of  Arabic  and  Persian  words,  quite  foreign 
to  the  native  dialects  of  India.  An  European  official,  after  some  years 
residence  in  one  Province,  should  have  to  some  extent  acquired  the 
language  of  that  Province,  and  be  able  fairly  well  to  understand  and 
make  himself  understood  by  the  people.  But  if  he  should  be  trans- 
ferred to  another  Province,  he  at  once  finds  himself  among  a  new 
people,  speaking  quite  a  different  language,  which  he  cannot  under- 
stand nor  express  himself  in.  Therefore,  though  as  an  engineer  his 
efficiency  is  as  great  as  before,  as  an  administrator  it  is  very  much 
hampered.  Hence  on  account  of  the  languages  of  the  country,  trans- 
fers from  one  Province  to  another  are  inadvisable  and  not  usual; 
while  for  the  sake  of  professional  experience  and  efficiency,  transfers 


THE  1RE1 GA  T10X  A  GE.  357 

from  one  branch  of  the  Department  to  another  are  not  advisable  and 
are  sparingly  effected. 

The  different  Provinces  of  India,  each  ruled  by  its  Governor  or 
Lieutenant  Governor,  with  Secretaries  for  the  various  departments  of 
the  administration,  are  in  some  respects  comparable  to  the  different 
States  of  the  Union  of  the  United  States  of  America;  and  the  Govern- 
ment of  India,  to  the  Federal  Government  of  the  United  States;  after 
making  full  allowance  for  the  very  important  and  distinguishing 
point  of  difference,  that  the  Government  of  India  is  mainly  bureau- 
cratic, while  that  of  the  United  States  is  representative.  Again  such 
powers  of  local  self-government  as  a  Province  has,  have  been  dele- 
gated by  the  Government  of  India,  which  is  in  all  matters  supreme, 
and  always  retains  in  its  own  power  the  appointment  of  Provincial 
Governors  and  their  chief  officials  and  Secretaries. 

This  supremacy  of  the  Government  of  India  over  the  administra- 
tion of  the  Provinces  effectually  safeguards  the  country  against  an 
existing  and  useful  irrigation  canal  being  deprived  of  its  water  supply 
from  a  river,  by  the  construction  of  another  canal  higher  up  the  river 
in  perhaps  another  Province.  For  no  such  canal  can  be  constructed 
by  any  private  person  or  company  without  the  express  permission  of 
the  Government;  for  it  is  laid  down  in  the  law  that  the  Government 
is  the  sole  owner  of  all  the  water  in  all  natural  streams  and  lakes, 
and  every  project  for  a  canal  would  have  to  receive  the  sanction  of 
the  Government  of  India,  before  any  expenditure  could  be  incurred  by 
a  Provincial  Government  on  its  construction.  Before  that  sanction 
could  be  given,  the  report  on  the  project  would  have  to  clearly  show 
that,  either  no  existing  rights  or  interests  would  be  injured  by  the 
construction  and  working  of  the  proposed  canal,  or  that  if  any  such 
injury  would  result,  full  compensation  or  reparation  was  provided  for. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  no  private  canals  of  any  size  or  importance  exist 
in  North  India.  There  are  a  few  small  ones  whose  supply  does  not 
appreciably  affect  the  volume  of  water  in  the  rivers  that  feed  them. 
And  in  the  case  of  all  Government  canals  full  investigation  is  made, 
and  care  taken  to  provide  against  any  detriment  to  existing  irrigation 
rights.  In  this  respect  the  solicitude  of  the  Government  for  the  pro- 
tection and  well  being  of  the  people  is  strikingly  paternal,  and  even 
grand-motherly  at  times.  The  improvement  of  the  country  and  the 
colonization  of  the  waste  lands  is  slow  but  sure.  All  this  is  in  strik- 
ing contrast  with  what  has  taken  place  in  the  Western  States  of  the 
United  States,  where  irrigation  is  a  necessity  for  the  cultivation  of  the 
country.  Private  enterprise,  not  only  unrestrained,  but  encouraged 
and  allowed  full  scope  for  the  development  of  its  schems,  has  rapidly 
engraved  the  face  of  the  land  with  numerous  canals  and  ditches  and 
turned  grass  prairies  and  barren  unproductive  tracts  into  green  fields 


358  7  HE  1RRIGA  7  ION  A  GE. 

and  smiling  orchards.     Within  the  borders  of  any  one  State  ample1 
provision  can  be  and  generally  has  been  made  to  protect  and  safeguard 
the  rights  of  first  users  against  usurpation,  of  the  water  supply  by 
later  comers.     But  where  the  sources  of  a  river,  whose  water  is  util- 
ized in  a  State  for  irrigation,  are  not  within  that  State,  but  in  another 
State,  it  may  always  happen,  and  has  happened  repeatedly  already, 
that  the  residents  of  the  latter  State  can  divert  the  water  to  their  own 
use  and  purposes,  and  absolutely  deprive  the  users  of  it  in  the  other 
State,  of  all  right  to  it.     An  over-ruling  supreme  power  in  such  cases 
certainly  appears  to  be  called  for,   and  could  without  difficulty  be 
vested  in  the  Federal  Government,  or  in  a  kind  of  Board  of  Arbitra- 
tion formed  by  the  States  concerned.     Such  an  arrangement  should 
give  confidence  to  owners  and  users  of  existing  irrigation  facilities 
and  also  to  prospectors  and  constructors  of  new  canals  and  ditches 
that  their  property  would  not  be  liable  to  become  worthless,  and  their 
labor  and  money  thrown  away.     If  the  boundaries  of  States  requiring 
irrigation  canals  could   have   been   fixed   carefully   along   the   great 
watersheds  of  the  country  much  inconvenience  and  loss  would  have 
been  saved  and  litigation  prevented.     Lines  of  latitude  and  longitude 
can  never  form  such  satisfactory  geographical  boundaries  as  the  nat- 
ural physical  features  of  a  country  do.     Creation  was  not  made  to  cor- 
respond or  fit  in  with  them  in  any  way.     To  force  States  or  countries 
to  regulate  their  boundaries  in  exact  accordance  with  them  tends  to 
cripple  the  States  and  countries  and  deprive  them  of  necessary  mem- 
bers and   extremities,  which,  falling  within  the   border  of   another 
State  of  generally  a  different  agricultural  type,  are  of  little  use  to  the 
rest  of,  that  State  and  have  their  capabilities  and  resources  neglected, 
1  or  even  made  to  suffer  by  adverse  legislation.     Such  boundaries  form 
a  kind  of  bed  of  Procrustes,  compelling  different  physical  types  of 
natural  creation  to  conform  to  the  same  human  legislative  pattern. 
It  may  be  now  too  late  to  make  any  alterations  of  State  boundaries; 
but  their  inconveniences  in  the  matter  of  allowing  the  same  water 
supply  to  belong  to  different  States  might  be  minimized  by  the  pro- 
vision of  some  controlling  or  arbitrating  authority.     The  people  of 
America  have  already  effected  such  wonders  and  overcome  so  many 
difficulties,  that  they  should  find  it  quite  feasible  to  arrange  something 
satisfactory  in  the  settlement  of  disputes  and  troubles  as  to  water 
supply  for  irrigation  purposes. 

In  States  where  the  water  of  streams  is  not  required  for  irriga- 
tion, riparian  rights  to  the  use  or  ownership  of  the  water  may  reason- 
ably be  upheld.  But  where  the  water  is  absolutely,  necessary  for 
irrigation  purposes  in  order  that  the  land  may  be  cultivated  and 
inhabited,  it  really  becomes  the  life  blood  of  the  country,  which  with- 
out its  vivifying  influence  permeating  everywhere  is  -as  a  dead  body, 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  359 

lifeless  and  useless.     To  make  a  mass  of  flesh  a  living,  working  body, 
the  blood  must  not  simply  flow  through  a  few  main  arteries,  but  must 
be  conducted  throughout  the  whole  body,  and;penetrate  to  every  cell, 
from  main  artery  to  branch  arteries,  and  then  to  capillaries.     Simi- 
larly, in  an  arid  country,  the  water  in  a  stream  or  river  should  not  be 
held  to  belong  to  the  land  forming  its  banks  alone  but  to  every  por- 
tion of  land  to  which  it  can  be  conveyed.     The  river  artery  can  dis- 
tribute its  life-blood  to  canals  or  ditches  as  branch  arteries;  and  these 
in  their  turn  to  laterals  and  watercourses,  as  capillaries,  to  be  con- 
veyed to  every  field  and  to  make  the  land  a  living,  producing  country. 
Under  these  conditions,  riparian  rights  are  an  anomaly,  and  require 
to  be  superseded  by  the  right  of  the  whole  neighboring  land  to  the 
beneficial  action  of  the  water.     The  lands  bordering  a  river  will  always 
retain  the  natural  advantages  they  possess  of  proximity  to  the  source 
of  the  supply  of  water  and  the  consequent  power  to  bring  the  water 
on  the  land  with  a  small  expenditure  of  labor  and  money;  but  that 
they  should  be  given  or  allowed  to  claim  the  exclusive  right  to  the 
use  of  the  water  in  arid  regions  is  really  indefensible.     To  insist  that 
the  law  of  water  rights  applicable  to  and  permissable  in  States  with 
ample  rainfall  must  necessarily  be  applied  to  arid  States  is  to  enact 
again  the  old  story  of  Procrustes  and  his  bed. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  meteorological  conditions 
vary  very  much  throughout  the  great  plains  of  North  India.  The 
regular  rainy  season  lasts  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle  of 
September,  and  during  this  time  the  monsoon  from  the  Bay  of  Bengal 
gives  the  Province  of  Bengal  a  heavy  rainfall  sufficient  to  grow  rice 
with  extensively  without  the  aid  of  irrigation.  As  the  monsoon 
sweeps  up  country  to  the  northwest,  along  and  parallel  to  the  Hima- 
laya range  of  mountains,  it  gradually  parts  with  its  moisture  and  the 
rainfall  decreases  as  it  proceeds.  Throughout  the  Northwest  Prov- 
inces the  rainfall  is  sufficient  for  maturing  ordinary  crops;  but  as  the 
Panjab  is  reached,  the  belt  of  country  lying  to  the  South  of  the  Hima- 
layas receives  just  enough  rain  for  growing  crops  on,  but  the  tracts 
further  to  the  South  and  Southwest  obtain  very  little  and  are  desert; 
for  the  rainfall  diminishes  with  the  distance  from  these  mountains. 
Wherever  the  average  annual  rainfall  is  less  than  15  inches  cultiva- 
tion becomes  impossible  without  irrigation  from  wells  or  canals. 
About  four-fifths  of  the  total  annual  fall  comes  in  the  three  months  of 
the  hot  weather  rainy  season;  of  the  remaining  portion  nearly  all 
usually  comes  in  one  or  two  spells  of  several  days  each,  in  December, 
January,  or  February.  Occasional  showers  are  received  at  other 
times.  In  the  belt  of  country  which  receives  a  little  less  than  15 
inches  of  annual  rainfall,  a  plentiful  crop  of  fine  grass  grows,  suffi_ 
cient  to  support  large  herds  of  cattle  and  flocks  of  goats  and  sheep> 


360  THE  IRR1 GA 11  ON  A  GE. 

while  in  local  hollows  which  receive  the  drainage  from  surrounding 
higher  lands,  and  so  become  well  saturated  with  water,  crops  can  be 
grown,  aided  by  irrigation  from  wells,  where  the  depth  of  the  spring 
level  below  the  ground  is  not  too  great,  the  water  being  raised  in  a 
chain  of  earthen  pots  on  a  wheel,  worked  by  bullock  power;  lifts  up 
to  50  or  60  feet  are  sometimes  worked. 

In  the  Province  of  Bengal  there  are  some  canals,  large  and  small, 
constructed  by  the  Government.  In  most  years  these  do  compara- 
tively little  irrigation,  as  the  rainfall  is  amply  sufficient  for  the  crops 
grown  by  the  people;  and  then  these  canals  often  do  not  even  pay 
their  working  expenses,  much  less  any  interest  on  their  capital  cost. 
But  in  one  or  two  years  out  of  ten  or  eleven  years  the  rainfall  is  defi- 
cient, and  then  the  cultivators  are  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
supply  these  canals  afford.  They  therefore  serve  as  protective  works 
against  the  ill  consequences  of  years  of  scarcity  or  famine;  and 
though  they  do  not  pay  as  a  commercial  speculation  when  only  their 
revenues  from  assessed  water  rates  are  considered,  yet  they  enable 
the  people  to  tide  over  bad  years,  and  keep  up  the  cultivated  area, 
land  revenue,  and  trade,  to  their  usual  amounts.  Thus  the  Govern- 
ment finds  it  worth  its  while  to  maintain  these  canals  every  year  in 
good  order  for  their  indirect  results,  and  to  keep  up  the  full  estab- 
lishment necessary  for  working  them,  as  it  is  impossible  to  foretell  in 
what  year  they  may  not  be  balled  on  to  supplement  a  poor  rainfall. 

In  the  Northwest  Provinces  irrigation  canals  begin  to  pay  com- 
mercially by  bringing  in  a  good  net  revenue  after  paying  all  working 
expenses  and  interest  on  the  capital  cost  of  construction.  The  river 
Ganges  is  tapped  by  two  large  canals;  one,  the  upper  Ganges  canal 
takes  out  at  Hard  war,  at  the  foot  of  the  lower  hills,  where  the  great 
plain  is  entered  by  the  river;  and  the  other,  the  lower  Ganges  canal, 
takes  out  much  lower  down  in  the  plains.  These  are  both  on  the 
right  or  south  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  slope  or  fall  of  the  land  is 
favorable  for  irrigation  by  flow  or  gravity. 

The  river  Jumna  is  tapped  by  two  large  canals,  taking  out  of  it 
opposite  each  other,  one  on  each  bank.  The  eastern  Jumna  canal  on 
the  left  bank  is  in  the  Northwest  Provinces,  and  the  Western  Jumna 
canal,  on  the  right  bank,  is  in  the  Panjab  Province.  These  also  tako 
out  near  where  the  river  emerges  from  the  lower  hills  into  the  great 
plains.  Another  canal,  the  Agra  canal  takes  out  below  the  city  of 
Delhi. 

While  these  canals  irrigate  every  year  a  large  area,  many  culti- 
vators taking  canal  water  regularly  for  the  more  valuable  crops,  such 
as  sugar-cane  or  rice,  which  require  water  for  a  longer  period  or  in 
greater  quantity  than  the  rains  supply;  still  a  very  large  area  of  land 
•within  the  tract  of  country  commanded  by  the  canals  is  cultivated  in 


1HE  1RRIGA  7 10 N  A  GE.  361 

most  years  by  means  of  the  rainfall  alone,  or  with  the  assistance  of 
wells,  ordinary  grain  and  fodder  crops  being  grown.  But  whenever 
the  rainfall  is  deficient  much  of  this  land  takes  canal  water  in  order 
that  crops  may  be  sown  or  matured.  The  people  have  only  to  send  in 
a  written  request  to  the  engineer  in  charge  of  the  canal  for  water  for 
their  land,  and  arrangements  are  at  once  made  to  supply  the  water,  as 
much  more  being  taken  into  the  canal  at  its  head  from  the  river  as 
may  be  required,  up  to  the  full  carrying  capacity  of  the  canal,  or*  the 
quantity  available  in  the  river  if  this  is  less.  In  such  years,  the  area 
irrigated  by  a  canal  and  the  revenue  received  from  the  water  rates 
assessed  thereon,  are  largely  increased  above  the  average;  and  the 
canal  returns  a  satisfactory  income  to  the  Government  besides  avert- 
ing the  loss  that  would  be  caused  by  the  land  being  thrown  out  of  cul- 
tivation for  a  time. 

The  great  rivers,  from  which  the  canals  of  North  India  are  sup- 
plied, have  their  sources  far  back  among  the  high  snowclad  ranges  of 
the  Himalaya  Mountains.  During  the  generally  constant  and  often 
heavy  rains  of  the  rainy  season,  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle 
of  September,  these  rivers  are  in  flood.  After  the  cessation  of  the 
rains  they  are  at  their  lowest  level  and  with  their  least  volume  of 
water.  The  cold  weather  rains  from  December  to  February  cause 
them  to  rise  a  little  for  a  time  and  sometimes  produce  freshets  in  them 
for  a  day  or  two;  but  they  fall  again  very  soon  when  those  rains  have 
ceased.  At  the  same  time  more  or  less  heavy  falls  of  snow  take  place 
in  the  higher  mountains.  In  the  beginning  of  March,  when  the  power 
of  the  sun  appreciably  increases,  these  snows  begin  to  melt  and  cause 
the  rivers  to  rise  gradually.  As  the  season  advances  and  the  beat 
increases,  the  snows  melt  faster,  so  that  the  continual  rise  of  the  riv- 
ers is  steadily  maintained  until  the  rainy  season  begins,  by  which 
time  the  snows  are  largely  exhausted.  This  rise  is  at  the  rate  of 
from  1  to  2  or  3  feet  a  month  during  March,  April  and  May;  and  by 
the  time  the  rains  begin  the  rivers  are  from  3  to  6  feet  higher  than 
their  cold  weather  level.  During  the  rainy  season  heavy  falls  of  rain 
in  the  hills  cause  floods  to  come  down  suddenly,  making  a  river  to 
rise  sometimes  several  feet  further  in  one  day.  These  fluctuations 
are  frequent  throughout  the  rainy  season.  The  greatest  floods  pro- 
duce a  rise  in  a  river  of  from  10  to  16  feet  above  its  cold  weather  level, 
in  its  course  through  the  plains,  while  its  width  is  increased  from  less 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  as  much  as  4  or  5  miles  in  the  case  of  the 
largest  rivers,  and  the  volume  of  'water  is  increased  nearly  one  hun- 
dred fold. 

These  rivers  are  peculiarly  well  adapted  for  feeding  irrigation 
canals.  They  are  high  throughout  the  hot  weather  months,  when 
water  is  most  in  demand,  and  give  then  a  practically  unlimited  supply, 


362  THE  IRRIQA110N  AGE. 

far  in  excess  of  what  is  required  for  irrigation.  During  the  cold 
weather  less  water  is  required,  and  the  whole  supply  of  a  river  is 
often  dammed  up. at  the  weir  and  taken  into  the  canal  or  canals  taking 
out  of  the  river  above  its  weir. 

As,  however,  the  beds  of  the  rivers  are  pure  sand  to  a  great 
depth,  there  is  a  large  underflow  below  each  weir,  and  this  comes  out 
on  to  the  river  bed  again  at  some  distance  downstream,  again  forming 
a  flowing  river,  though  of  greatly  diminished  volume. 

In  years  of  drought,  when  the  rains  in  the  plains  fail,  the  rainfall 
in  the  Himalaya  mountains,  though  very  much  less  than  usual,  is  still 
always  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  the  rivers  rise  and  give  them  a 
fairly  good  supply,  more  than  enough  to  fill  to  their  fullest  capacities 
all  the  canals  at  present  constructed  and  supplied  from  them.  Hence 
the  first  canal  along  a  river  never  suffers  from  want  of  water  during 
the  rainy  season;  others  lower  down  its  course,  where  there  are  no 
weirs  to  raise  and  impound  the  water,  may  receive  a  less  supply  than 
usual  owing  to  the  river  level  being  lower  than  in  years  of  good  rain- 
fall, but  the  river  supply  is  not  all  utilized.  Such  canals  are  small 
and  occur  in  series  and  will  be  described  further  on  as  Inundation 
Canals.  A  weir  cannot  be  provided  for  each  one,  as  the  cost  would  be 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  benefit  to  be  gained,  and  is  absolutely  pro- 
hibitive. But  the  question  of  amalgamating  a  series  of  these  canals 
and  giving  them  all  one  head  with  a  weir  in  the  river,  is  now  coming 
under  consideration  in  the  Irrigation  Department  of  the  Panjab  as  a 
practical  scheme, 

(TO  BE  CONTINUED.) 


STORAGE  RESERVOIRS. 


SPEECH    OF    HON.    FRANCIS   G.    NEWLANDS,    OF 
NEVADA,  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESEFTATIVES. 


Mr.  Chairman,  when  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Rivers 
and  Harbors  was  speaking  I  interrogated  him  regarding  the  following 
item:  "Reservoirs  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  River:  For 
continuing  improvement,  $300,000."  I  asked  him  what  purpose  those 
reservoirs  served.  His  answer  was  that  they  were  supposed  to  serve 
the  interests  of  navigation;  that  they  were  on  the  headwaters  of  the 
Mississippi  and  were  intended  to  increase  the  flow  of  the  water  during 
the  summer  season,  but  that  in  his  judgment  legislation  with  Defer- 
ence to  this  matter  had  been  unwise  and  inefficient  to  accomplish  the 
purpose  intended.  I  have  since  inquired  of  the  gentleman  who  repre- 
sents Minnesota,  and  he  informs  me  that  for  a  distance  of  nearly  200 
miles  the  flow  of  this  river  is  materially  increased  by  these  reservoirs, 
that  the  water  is  8  inches  higher  than  it  otherwise  would  be,  and  you 
all  know  what  that  means  with  flat-bottomed  boats  on  the  headwaters 
of  these  great  rivers. 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  it  is  the  view  of  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and 
Harbors  that  the  appropriations  reported  by  that  committee  should 
be  confined  entirely  to  navigation  and  that  no  items  relating  to  irriga- 
tion should  be  inserted  in  a  river  and  harbor  bill.  I  submit  that  this 
is  a  narrow  view  of  the  jurisdiction  enjoyed  by  this  committee.  The 
rules  of  the  House  refer  to  that  committee  all  bills  relating  to  the  im- 
provement of  rivers,  and  I  submit  that  a  public  work  on  a  river, 
whether  with  a  view  to  promoting  navigation  or  irrigation,  is  an 
improvement  of  a  river,  and  that  the  committee  has  jurisdiction  of  the 
subject-matter.  This  view  has  been  taken  by  the  Senate  upon  numer- 
ous occasions,  and  two  years  ago  the  Senate  conferees  strenuously 
though  unsuccessfully  insisted  upon  an  amendment  to  the  river  and 
harbor  bill  which  was  intended  to  provide  for  the  construction  of  res- 
ervoirs at  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri  River,  with  a  view  of  pro- 
ducing a  steadier  flow  of  that  river  to  the  Mississippi,  into  which  it 
emptied.  The  interests  of  both  navigation  and  irrigation  can  often- 
times be  met  by  the  same  improvement. 

What  improvements  are  required  in  our  rivers?  In  the  first  place 
the  navigable  rivers  are  subject  to  floods,  and  we  seek  to  prevent  the 
overflow  by  constructing  levees.  Immense  sums  have  been  expended 


364  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

on  the  lower  part  of  the  Mississippi  in  an  effort  to  confine  the  stream 
and  to  prevent  overflow  of  the  adjoining  land.  Another  character  of 
improvement  is  the  dredging  of  the  rivers  for  the  purpose  of  meeting 
the  period  of  drought  in  the  summer  when  th«  rivers  are  low  and 
when  bars  and  shallows  obstruct  navigation.  The  flow  of  the  lower 
Mississippi  is  increased  by  the  flow  of  the  rivers  tributary  to  it.  Some 
of  them,  like  the  Ohio,  taking  their  source  in  the  humid  regions,  and 
others,  like  the  Missouri,  the  Arkansas,  and  the  Platte,  taking  their 
source  in  the  arid  regions  from  the  snows  of  the  mountains,  and  it  is 
contended  that  by  storing  the  flood  waters  in  the  mountain  regions, 
caused  by  the  rapid  melting  of  the  snows  in  the  Spring,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  flood  in  the  Missouri  and  the  Mississippi  rivers  can  be 
prevented  and  a  more  equal  and  sustained  flow  of  the  rivers  thus 
promoted. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  waters  stored  in  these  reservoirs 
are  not  the  only  waters  which  will  be  held  back  during  the  flood  sea- 
sons* The  character  of  all  the  mountain  streams  in  the  arid  region  is 
that  they  are  torrential  during  April,  May  and  June  aad  that  they  are 
reduced  to  almost  nothing  in  the  following  months.  Large  areas  of 
arid  lands  lie  within  reach  of  these  streams,  but  the  condition  of  the 
flow  during  the  hot  months  of  July,  August,  and  September  limits  the 
area  of  reclamation;  for  whilst  the  waters  of  the  early  spring  and 
summer  months  is  sufficient  for  the  requirements  of  vast  areas  of  land, 
yet  if  the  waters  were  diverted  over  them  and  crops  were  planted, 
they  would  lack  water  at  the  period  of  greatest  want  when  the  crops 
were  ripening  for  harvest. 

The  storage  of  water  above  enables  a  larger  utilization  of  the  flood 
waters  which  are  unstored,  and  storage  insures  a  supply  during  the 
period  of  greatest  drought.  The  result  would  be  that  for  every  acre- 
foot  of  flood  water  stored  there  would  be  four  or  five  acre-feet  of  flood 
water  taken  out  over  the  arid  lands,  thus  diminishing  the  flow  of  the 
streams  tributary  to  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  during  the  torren- 
tial period,  and  these  great  plains,  now  arid,  would  themselves  be 
made  the  storage  reservoirs  of  vast  quantities  of  flood  waters  which 
would  otherwise  rush  down  to  the  Mississippi,  so  that  effectual  stor- 
age will  not  be  confined  simply  to  the  artificial  reservoirs,  but  will  be 
extended  to  these  large  areas  of  land  which  will  be  reclaimed  and 
which  will  absorb  annually  a  volume  of  water  at  least  two  feet  deep 
over  the  entire  surface.  The  diversion  and  overflow  of  flood  waters 
over  the  arid  lands  above  would  diminish  the  overflow  in  the  Lower 
Mississippi  and  would  diminish  the  cost  of  the  levees  intended  for 
protection  of  the  adjoining  lands.  The  water  carried  over  the  arid 
lands  above  would  penetrate  the  soil  and  would  seep  gradually  back 
to  the  rivers  and  keep  the  streams  below  fuller  during  the  hot  month 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  365 

than  they  would  be  had  not  this  water  been  diverted  or  stored.  Thus 
a  saving  will  be  effected  in  the  dredging  of  the  shallows  intended  to 
relieve  as  against  low  water  as  well  as  in  the  construction  of  the 
levees  intended  to  relive  as  against  flood  water. 

We  content  that  by  the  construction  of  storage  reservoirs  at  the 
head  waters  of  these  rivers  in  the  rocky  mountains  a  large  proportion 
of  the  expenditures  for  levees  on  the  lower  Mississippi  will  be  saved 
and  that  a  more  equal  flow  of  the  main  river  will  be  maintained,  and 
thus  the  expense  of  dredging  during  the  hot  season  will  be  greatly 
diminished.  Navigation,  like^  irrigation,  requires  that  the  streams 
should  maintain  an  equal  flow;  that  they  should  not  be  torrents  at  one 
season  and  attenuated  threads  at  another. 

The  evils  which  attach  to  both  navigation  and  irrigation  are  the 
same,  viz.,  that  the  streams  are  overflowing  at  a  time  when  the  water 
is  not  needed  and  they  are  attenuated  threads  at  a  time  when  the 
water  is  most  in  demand;  and  we  of  the  arid  regions  contend  that 
both  navigation  and  irrigation  can  be  promoted  by  the  storing  of 
these  waters  at  the  sources  of  these  mountain  streams  which  are  trib- 
utary to  the  great  navigable  rivers. 

We  also  contend,  even  assuming  that  the  river  and  harbor  bill 
should  be  confined  to  improvements  essential  to  navigation,  that  the 
proper  place  for  appropriations  for  storage  reservoirs  on  the  rivers 
tributary  to  our  navigable  rivers  is  in  the  river  and  harbor  bill,  as 
they  tend  to  promote  navigation,  although  having  a  very  much  larger 
value  in  the  promotion  of  irrigation. 

But  all  the  rivers  in  the  arid  region  are  not  tributaries  to  naviga- 
ble rivers.  Upon  what  theory,  then,  should  the  Government  proceed 
to  store  water  on  such  rivers?  Our  contention  is  that  irrigation  is  a 
public  use,  just  as  navigation  is;  that  it  is  subject  to  the  control  of  the 
law,  and  that  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  under  the  "general 
welfare"  clause  of  the  Constitution,  can  do  anything  in  the  way  of  in- 
ternal improvement  that  is  calculated  to  promote  the  general  welfare, 
and  that  the  general  welfare  is  promoted  by  maintaining  an  equal  and 
sustained  flow  of  a  stream  for  irrigation  as  well  as  by  maintaining  it 
for  navigation. 

Besides  this,  the  United  States  Government  is  the  owner  of  600,- 
000,000  acres  of  land  in  the  arid  region,  of  which  100,000,000  acres  can 
be  reclaimed  by  a  gradual  process  of  storage  extending  over  fifty  or 
one  hundred  years.  The  reclamation  of  these  lands  will  make  more 
valuable  the  remaining  pastoral  lands,  which  are  now  used  in  common 
by  all  the  stock-raising  interests  in  the  West.  The  Government  un- 
doubtedly has  the  power  to  look  after  its  own  property — to  survey  it, 
to  mark  it  by  section  posts,  and  to  put  it  in  condition  for  settlement 
and  sale;  and  if  the  maintenance  of  an  equal  flow  in  the  rivers  running 


366  1  HE  IRRIGA TION  AGE. 

through  its  lands  is  essential  in  order  to  enable  its  lands  to  be  re- 
claimed by  settlers,  it  can  take  such  measures  as  it  deems  advisable 
for  the  purpose  of  making  the  waters  available  to  settlers. 

Large  areas  of  lands  along  these  rivers  have  already  been  taken 
up  by  settlers,  and  they  have  been  able  to  solve  the  easy  problems  of 
irrigation,  consisting  simply  in  the  diversion  of  the  waters  over  the 
adjoining  lands,  but  they  are  not  able  to  control  the  torrential  flow 
which  ha's  its  source  perhaps  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  those  set- 
tlements, nor  have  they  been  able  to  store  the  water  so  as  to  maintain 
the  supply  during  the  hot  season  of  Ju\y  and  August,  when  water  is 
essential  to  the  ripening  of  the  crops.  The  limit  of  reclamation  and 
settlement  has  been  reached  unless  the  Federal  Government,  acting, 
as  it  can,  without  regard  to  State  lines,  make>  a  scientific  study  of 
each  river  and  its  tributaries  and  so  stores  the  wate:'  as  to  prevent  the 
torrential  flow  in  the  spring  and  to  increase  the  scanty  flow  in  the 
summer.  By  doing  this  its  arid  lands  will  be  made  available  for  set- 
tlers, and  it  can,  if  it  chooses,  secure  compensation  by  a  charge  upon 
the  lands. 

It  is  estimated  that  there  are  about  600.000,000  acres  of  arid  pub- 
lic lands  in  the  West,  and  of  this  about  100,000,000  acres  can  be 
reclaimed  if  storage  is  afforded.  It  is  also  estimated  that  the  storage 
of  water  will  cost  from  $2  to  $10  per  acre-foot;  the  average  probably 
would  be  about  $5  per  acre-foot.  The  cheaper  forms  of  storage  would 
doubtless  be  attempted  first,  and  the  more  expensive  forms  of  storage 
would  only  be  taken  up  years  hence,  when  the  pressure  of  population 
and  the  increased  value  of  the  lands  would  warrant  the  expenditure. 

A  convenient  argument  against  the  immediate  prosecution  of  this 
work  is  that  we  have  no  estimate  of  its  ultimate  cost.  Our  answer  is 
that  if  the  Government  had  halted  at  the  threshold  of  any  great  pub- 
lic work  for  inquiry  as  to  what  the  prosecution  of  like  work  would  cost 
within  one  hundred  years,  the  estimate  would  probably  have  para- 
lyzed the  action  of  Congressional  bodies.  For  instance,  when  the  first 
river  and  harbor  bill  was  introduced,  suppose  some  captious  member 
of  Congress  had  demanded  a  halt  until  it  could  be  ascertained  what 
the  total  cost  over  a  period  of  one  hundred  years  would  be.  I  imagine 
that  the  statement,  verified  subsequently  by  events,  that  in  one  hun- 
'dred  years  nearly  $400,000,000  would  be  expended  on  the  river  and 
harbor  bill  would  have  staggered  the  imagination,  and  yet  this  amount 
has  been  expended  and  the  country  has  not  felt  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  forecast  the  future  and  state  exactly  what  the 
storage  in  the  arid  regions  will  cost;  but  assuming  that  100,000,000 
acres  of  land  are  to  be  reclaimed;  that  this  land  on  an  average  will 
require  annually  200,000,000  acre-feet  of  water,  and  that  at  least  four 
fifths  of  this  will  be  supplied  by  the  flood  stream,  and  that  one-fifth 


THE  IRRIGA  TION  A  GE.  367 

will  be  supplied  by  the  stored  water,  we  will  require  within  the  next 
fifty  or  one  hundred  years  a  storage  capacity  equal  to  40,000,000  acre- 
feet  of  water — that  is  to  say,  a  storage  equal  to  covering  40,000,000 
acres  1  foot  deep,  or  1,000,000  acres  40  feet  deep.  Assuming  that 
the  average  cost  of  this  would  be  $5  per  acre-foot,  the  total  cost 
would  be  within  a  period  of  fifty  or  one  hundred  years  about 
$200,000,000. 

Expenditures  of  the  settlers  upon  their  lands  would  far  exceed 
this;  it  would  probably  average  from  $10  to  $40  or  $50  per  acre, 
dependent  upon  the  cost  of  the  main  canals,  the  level  or  broken  char- 
acter of  the  ground,  and  the  difficulty  in  leading  out  the  water  from 
the  river.  But  thing  is  assured,  and  that  is  that  every  acre  of  land 
reclaimed  would  be  worth  at  least  $50,  and,  as  100,000,000  acres  are  to 
be  reclaimed,  we  would  have  a  total  increase  in  the  wealth  of  the 
country  in  land  alone,  without  improvements,  of  $5,000,000,000  by  the 
expenditure  upon  the  part  of  the  Government  of  $200,000,000,  and  we 
would  have  a  country  opened  up  for  the  surplus  population  of  the  East 
and  the  middle  Western  States. 

There  are  two  ways  of  legislating  upon  this  work.  One  is  to  pass 
annually  a  bill  similar  to  the  river  and  harbor  bill,  providing,  first,  for 
the  construction  of  projects  which  have  been  surveyed,  estimated,  and 
reported  favorably,  and,  second,  making  appropriations  for  surveys, 
estimates,  and  reports  as  to  projects  that  are  contemplated.  Such 
appropriations  would  come  out  of  the  National  Treasury  and  would  be 
raised  from  general  taxation,  just  as  the  appropriations  in  the  river 
and  harbor  bill  are. 

Another  method  would  be  to  fasten  the  cost  of  the  Government 
work  of  storage  upon  the  public  lands  susceptible  of  reclamation. 
Such  a  plan  would  involve  the  ereation  of  an  arid  land  reclamation 
fund  in  the  Treasury,  into  which  all  moneys  received  from  the  sales 
of  public  lands  in  the  arid  and  semiarid  States  would  go.  The  receipts 
from  the  sales  of  public  lands  last  year  amounted  to  about  $3,000,000, 
and  including  commissions  and  fees,  to  $4,000,000.  So  the  sum  avail- 
able for  the  first  year  would  be  about  $4,000,000.  Provision  should 
be  made  for  investigation,  surveys,  estimates,  and  reports  by  the  Geo- 
logical Survey  of  various  projects,  and  upon  approval  of  a  project  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  he  should  be  authorized  to  withdraw 
from  entry  the  lands  in  the  reservoir  sites  and  to  withdraw  from  entry, 
except  under  the  homestead  act,  all  land  susceptible  of  irrigation  by 
reason  of  such  project.  He  should  then  be  given  power  to  contract 
for  the  work;  no  contract  to  be  made  unless  the  money  is  in  the  fund' 
When  the  project  is  completed  the  total  cost  should  be  ascertained, 
and  the  price  of  the  lands  susceptible  of  irrigation  and  of  the  water 
rights  attached  thereto  should  be  so  fixed  as  to  compensate  the  fund 


368  TEE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

in  ten  annual  installments,  thus  maintaining  th«  perpetuity  of  the 
fund  for  progressive  work. 

If  the  report  should  show  that  lands  already  setlted  required 
stored  water,  power  should  be  given  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  to 
sell  water  rights  to  such  settlers  upon  the  same  terms  as  to  new  set- 
tlers. Right  of  entry  under  the  law  should  be  limited  to  80  acres,  and 
the  sale  of  the  water  right  to  existing  settlers  should  be  limited  to  an 
amount  sufficient  for  80  acres;  the  purpose  of  this  being  not  only  to 
prevent  the  creation  of  monopoly  in  the  lands  now  belonging  to  the 
Government,  but  to  break  up  existing  land  monopoly  in  the  West  by 
making  it  to  the  interest  of  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land  made 
more  valuable  by  the  possibility  of  securing  stored  water,  to  divide  up 
his  land  and  sell  to  actual  settlers.  The  bill  should  be  so  framed  as  to 
make  its  operation  automatic,  progressive,  and  complete,  to  guard 
against  improvident  projects,  to  prevent  land  monopoly,  to  secure 
homes  for  actual  settlers,  and  to  promote  the  division  of  the  large 
tracts  of  land  which,  under  the  unfortunate  administration  of  State 
and  national  Laws,  have  been  created  in  the  West. 

Under  this  plan  the  West  would  reclaim  itself  without  calling  upon 
the  general  taxpayers  for  a  dollar. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  cession  of  the  arid  lands  to  the 
States  would  produce  the  same  results,  and  would  relieve  the  Federal 
Government  of  a  great  work.  My  answer  to  this  is  that  the  Govern- 
ment has  no  right  to  abdicate  the  great  trust  imposed  upon  it  by  the 
ownership  of  600,000,000  acres  of  land,upon  which  the  homes  of  un- 
born millions  are  to  be  made.  It  cannot  afford  to  intrust  these  lands 
either  to  the  ignorance,  the  improvidence,  or  the  dishonesty  of  local 
legislatures.  The  experience  of  all  the  Western  States  has  been  that 
the  grants  of  land  made  by  the  Federal  Government  to  the  States  for 
the  purpose  of  education  or  local  improvement  have  been  maladminis- 
tered  and  have  resulted  in  the  concentration  of  immense  holdings  of 
land  in  single  ownership. 

This  country  has  to-day  70,000,000  of  people;  within  one  hundred 
years  it  will  have  300,000,000  people.  The  pressure  for  land  will  be- 
great. 

Imagine  the  discontent  and  disturbance  which  will  result  from 
an  improvident  administration  of  these  great  areas  easily  capable  of 
supporting  100,000,000  people. 

Besides  this,  the  physical  conditions  are  such  as  to  prevent  States 
from  dealing  with  this  question.  The  arid  region  must  be  considered 
as  a  unit,  regardless  of  State  lines.  Each  unit  should  be  a  main  river 
and  all  its  tributaries.  The  plains  to  be  watered  may  be  in  one  State; 
the  sources  of  the  river  which  is  to  water  them,  and  the  only  available 
sites  for  reservoirs,  may  be  in  an  adjoining  State.  No  State  can  act 


I  HE  IRRIGA 1  JON  A  GE.  369 

outside  of  its  own  boundaries,  nor  can  it  clothe  its  citizens  with  suffi- 
cient power  so  to  do. 

The  National  Government,  by  reason  of  its  national  character,  is 
alone  capable  of  taking  hold  of  this  interstate  question  and  solving  it. 
Nor  can  this  undertaking  be  intrusted  to  private  or  corporate  enter- 
prise. Storage  enterprises  are  of  such  magnitude  as  to  require  im- 
mense capital.  Their  purpose  is  to  bring  about  a  union  of  the  water 
with  the  land,  and  no  corporation  can  successfully  operate  unless  it 
has  a  grant  of  an  immense  area  of  land.  This  involves  all  the  evils  of 
land  monopoly  or  subjects  the  enterprise  to  all  the  expenses  connected 
with  promotion,  bond  selling,  etc.  The  speculative  element  must  be 
entirely  eliminated;  the  purpose  is  to  create  homes  for  the  people,  to 
make  the  waters  of  the  West  available  for  the  reclamation  of  arid 
lands  by  actual  settlers,  and  to  eliminate  entirely  the  speculator  and 
the  capitalist. 

The  cession  of  the  arid  lands  would  furnish  no  relief  to  the  State 
of  Nevada.  Nevada  is  an  impoverished  State.  It  was  brought  into 
the  Union  just  at  the  close  of  the  civil  war  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
in  reconstruction  legislation  and  before  it  had  the  population  and 
wealth  which  is  usually  regarded  as  essential  to  the  assumption  of  the 
burdens  of  statehood.  It  came  in  reluctantly.  It  was  persuaded  by 
the  leaders  of  the  republican  party  to  accept  statehood  as  a  patriotic 
duty.  It  is  true  Nevada  has  produced  more  mineral  wealth  than  any 
other  State  in  the  Union.  It  has  produced  $600,000,000  in  gold  and 
silver,  more  than  one-fourteenth  of  the  entire  stock  of  gold  and  silver 
in  the  world  to-day,  and  yet  it  has  not  profited  by  it;  it  is  too  near  to 
San  Francisco.  The  promoters  of  Nevada  enterprises  were  San  Fran- 
ciscans and  the  profits  went  to  San  Francisco,  where  they  built  up 
stately  edifices  and  inaugurated  world-wide  enterprises.  But  very 
little  of  that  wealth  was  expended  in  anything  relating  to  the  perma- 
nent, substantial,  and  harmonious  development  of  Nevada. 

The  railroad  status  also  affected  it  unfavorably.  As  a  rule  trans- 
continental lines  are  built  through  uninhabited  country,  and  then  they 
build  up  that  country  by  the  promotion  of  settlement.  The  Central 
Pacific  road  was  unfortunately  involved  in  a  controversy  with  the 
Government,  and  instead  of  pursuing  the  usual  policy  of  building  up 
the  country  which  it  traversed,  the  aim  of  its  owners  was  to  divert  its 
business  to  the  Southern  Pacific,  and  to  advance  the  region  traversed 
by  the  Southern  Pacific  at  the  expense  of  the  country  traversed  by 
the  Central  Pacific.  It  was  contended  that  the  Central  Pacific  was 
worthless,  because  it  was  built  through  a  worthless  State,  and  that 
Nevada  was  simply  a  good  foundation  for  a  bridge  from  Ogdea,  Utah, 
to  California, 

Then  came  the  depressing  effect  of  our  financial  legislation,  which 


370  THE  IRR1 GA  TION  A  GE. 

resulted  in  the  fall  of  the  price  of  silver  from  $1.29  an  ounce  to  60 
cents  an  ounce.  You  can  readily  understand  that  in  mining  enter- 
prises, in  which  the  operating  expenses  amount  to  from  one-half  to 
three-fourths  of  the  gross  receipts,  a  fall  of  over  one-half  in  the  price 
of  the  product  of  the  mines  would  absolutely  suspend  and  destroy 
silver'mining.  Prior  to  that  time  conditions  were  speculative.  Farm- 
ing itself  was  speculative,  commercial  life  was  speculative.  Little 
was  done  during  that  period  of  tremendous  mining  output  in  the  way 
of  building  the  foundation  of  harmonious  and  proportionate  growth. 
The  result  is,  that  under  all  these  discouraging  conditions  Nevada  has 
declined  in  population  since  1880,  while  the  population  of  the  other 
intermountain  States  and  Territories  has  nearly  trebled.  No  one  who 
is  familiar  with  that  region  can  contend  for  a  moment  that  Arizona  is 
equal  to  Nevada  in  its  mineral  or  agricultural  resources,  but  railroad 
and  other  conditions  have  been  better  there,  and  that  territory  has 
advanced  from  a  population  of  35,000  in  1880  to  a  population  of  nearly 
150,000  to-day,  while  Nevada  has  declined  from  65,000  to  45,000. 

In  addition,  Nevada  is  in  debt  $300,000.  It  has  reached  the  limit 
of  its  debt  under  the  constitution  of  the  State.  How  was  that  debt 
contracted?  It  was  contracted  when  it  was  a  Territory  for  money 
borrowed  by  that  Territory  in  fitting  out  troops  for  the  civil  war — a 
war  claim  which  has  constantly  been  recognized  by  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States,  but  which  has  been  rejected  by  this  body. 

Now,  assuming  that  cession  of  the  lands  should  be  made  to 
Nevada,  how  could  she  utilize  them?  The  only  thing  she  could  do 
would  be  to  turn  them  over  to  corporations  and  syndicates,  and  we 
would  then  have  a  repetition  of  the  land  monopoly  which  now  so  un- 
fortunately exists  both  in  California  and  Nevada  as  the  result  of 
grants  to  those  States  by  the  Government  for  educational  purposes — 
a  land  monopoly  which  in  itself  prevents  settlement  and  which  ulti- 
mately will  create  indescribable  discontent. 

Then,  again,  the  physical  conditions  of  Nevada  would  prevent  the 
utilization  of  such  cession.  Three  of  the  most  important  rivers  of  the 
State — the  Truckee,  the  Carson,  and  the  Walker — have  their  sources 
in  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains  in  California,  These  rivers  flow 
through  the  western  part  of  the  State  into  great  lakes  in  the  sink  of 
the  desert,  where  their  waters  lie  unutilized.  The  problem  is  to  pre- 
vent these  waters  from  flowing  into  these  lakes  in  the  lowest  part  of 
the  desert  and  to  hold  them  back  in  the  mountains  above  in  artificial 
reservoirs. 

The  plains  to  be  irrigated  are  in  Nevada;  the  reservoir  sites  are  in 
California.  All  the  sources  of  the  water  supply  of  these  rivers  are  in 
California.  To  cede  the  plains  to  Nevada  and  to  cede  these  mountain 
lands  to  California  would  tend  to  absolute  divorce  between  the  water 


THE  IRRl  GA  TION  A  GE.  371 

and  the  land,  and  jet  these  waters  are  useless  to  California  as  there 
are  no  plains  in  California  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains.  That  region  is  entirely  mountainous. 

Now,  the  torrential  flow  of  these  rivers  has  increased  in  late 
years.  Why?  Because  the  Government  has,  permitted  these  moun- 
tains to  be  denuded  of  their  forests.  The  forests  are  the  natural  pro- 
tectors of  the  great  snow  banks,  which  in  themselves  are  natural  res- 
ervoirs of  water.  If  the  forests  remain,  the  snows  melt  much  more 
gradually,  and  thus  a  more  equal  flow  of  the  streams  is  maintained, 
permitting  a  wider  extent  of  agriculture;  but  as  these  forests  are  de- 
stroyed and  the  snow  banks  are  exposed  to  the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun, 
the  result  is  a  great  flow  of  water  in  the  months  of  April,  May  and 
June,  and  no  water  when  it  is  most  required.  The  consequence  is 
that  the  lowest  flow  of  the  streams  limits  the  area  of  land  that  can  be 
brought  under  cultivation.  You  cannot  make  your  calculations  with 
reference  to  the  flood  flow  of-  the  stream,  because  that  is  maintained 
only  during  the  early  months,  and  if  you  measure  your  reclamation  by 
that  flow  your  lands  would  be  without  water  in  July  and  August,  and 
so  it  is  that  reclamation  by  private  enterprise  of  lands  adjoining  these 
streams  has  been  necessarily  limited  by  their  periods  of  lowest  flow. 

The  problem  is  to  prevent  this  water  from  flowing  into  these 
great  lakes  in  the  desert  and  to  store  them  in  the  mountains  in  places 
naturally  adapted  for  reservoirs,  and  thus  maintain  an  equal  flow  of 
the  streams  throughout  the  agricultural  season,  instead  of  having  a 
rushing  torrent  at  one  time  and  no  water  at  another, 

Nevada  is  reproached  to-day  because  she  is  impoverished,  and  yet 
she  is  prostrated  because  the  Federal  Government  has  neglected  its 
duty.  Ninety-five  per  cent  of  the  lands  in  Nevada  are  public  lands? 
which  pay  no  taxes  of  any  kind  for  State  or  local  government,  and  the 
owners  of  the  other  5  per  cent  have  to  administer  the  laws  and  the 
police  and  the  .road  building  of  the  entire  State.  Nevada  and  Utah 
are  similar  in  topography,  in  soil,  and  in  general  resources.  They 
have  an  area  equal  to  that  of  Spain.  Spain  is  entirely  cultivated  by 
means  of  irrigation,  except  along  the  seashore.  Spain  supports 
17,000,000  people.  If  a  liberal  policy  were  pursued  in  Nevada  and 
Utah  of  preserving  the  fores  ts,  of  conserving  the  flood  waters,  and 
utilizing  the  natural  resources  of  those  States,  they  could  easily  main- 
tain an  equal  population.  Within  one  hundred  years  this  country  will 
have  300,000,000  people,  and  the  proper  development  of  this  arid  coun 
try,  the  home  of  millions  yet  to  come,  should  be  an  essential  part  of 
the  govermental  policy. 

Now,  I  ask,  who  should  undertake  this  work?  Who  can  undertake 
the  work?  The  view  of  the  people  of  the  arid  region  is  that  this  is  a 
public  work  of  internal  improvement  which  ought  to  be  undertaken  by 


372  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE 

the  Government  of  the  United  States.  It  resembles  in  character  the 
old  canals  that  were  constructed  years  ago,  or  the  interstate  roads 
that  were  constructed  by  the  General  Government,  or  those  improve- 
ments that  have  been  made  for  a  number  of  years  in  dredging  our  riv- 
ers and  improving  our  harbors — public  improvements  intended  for  th&\ 
general  welfare;  improvements  from  which  the  Government  does  not 
expect  a  direct  reimbursement,  but  simply  the  general  advantage  that 
comes  to  the  entire  country  and  the  general  welfare  from  the  promo- 
tion of  enterprises  of  this  kind.  And  inasmuch  as  the  rivers  of  the 
arid  region  as  a  rule  are  not  navigable  rivers,  and  the  only  public  use 
to  which  we  can  put  them  is  irrigation,  not  navigation,  we  claim  that 
a  fair  and  equitable  distribution  of  the  benefits  of  Government  requires 
that  these  streams  should  be  maintained  in  equal  flow  by  the  system 
of  reservoirs  to  which  I  have  alluded. 

But  we  also  claim  that  this  is  not  simply  a  governmental  matter 
in  the  ordinary  sense,  buo  that  the  Government  itself  occupies  the 
position  of  proprietor,  pursuing  the  usual  obligations  of  land  proprie- 
tors, it  is  its  right  and  its  duty  to  put  these  lands  in  condition  for  set- 
tlement. 

By  so  doing  it  can  continue  the  traditional  policy  of  the 
country,  which  has  been  to  open  up  the  public  lands  for  settlement, 
restricting  the  number  of  acres  to  be  granted  to  each  individual,  the 
purpose  being  to  promote  home  building  amongst  a  free  people.  And 
these  arid  lands  have  particular  advantages  for  that  kind  of  settle- 
ment; for  if  you  will  only  see  to  it  that  moisture  is  applied  to  them  by 
these  artifical  methods,  you  have  the  most  scientific  system  of  agri- 
culture that  can  be  conceived. 

Mr.  STEELE.  Is  there  any  timber  at  the  head  waters  of  those 
streams  that  would  protect  the  banks? 

Mr.  NEWLANDS.  Oh,  yes;  there  are  forests  at  the  heads  of  these 
streams,  though  in  some  cases  th(  forests  have  been  largely  cut  down. 
Still,  they  protect  in  a  great  degree  the  streams,  and  our  whole 
scheme  involves  not  only  the  construction  of  reservoirs,  but  the  pres- 
ervation of  forests  by  having  a  rational  cutting  of  the  trees  instead  of 
an  indiscriminate  and  destructive  cutting. 

Mr.  SHAFROTH.  Allow  me  to  state  that  the  general  character  of 
all  the  mountainous  regions  where  it  is  proposed  that  these  reservoirs 
shall  be  constructed  is  that  they  are  in  timber.  The  snow  which  falls 
there  is  retained  somewhat,  yet  not  sufficiently  retained  to  let  it  fall 
equally. 

Mr.  STEELE.  I  understood  that  that  was  the  case  generally,  but 
I  was  not  sure  as  to  its  being  the  case  in  Nevada. 

Mr.  NEWLANDS.  It  is  true  of  the  three  streams  I  have  spoken  of 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State  that  have  their  source  in  the  Sierra 


THE  1RRIGA  Tl  ON  A  GE.  373 

Nevada  Mountains.     It  is  not  true  to  the  same  extent  of  the  Humboldt 
River,  which  takes  its  source  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State. 

Now.  the  question  is,  Who  should  do  this  work?  We  claim  that  it 
is  a  matter  of  govermental  and  Federal  legislation,  and  that  in  addi- 
tion it  is  an  obligation  that  rests  upon  the  Government  as  the  owner 
of  these  vast  areas  of  public  lands  which  can  be  opened  up  to  settle- 
ment. As  I  was  remarking,  irrigation  is  the  most  scientific  method 
of  agriculture.  We  cannot  determine  the  amount  of  moisture  falling 
from  the  heavens;  we  cannot  regulate  it;  we  cannot 'control  it.  There 
may  be  too  much;  there 'may  be  too  little.  But  as  to  water  that  is 
taken  from  a  stream  by  a  ditch,  and  distributed  over  lands  at  low 
level,  there  can  be  an  absolutely  scientific  adjustment  of  the  moisture 
to  the  requirements  of  the  soil.  When  you  have  a  rich  soil  and  a  sun 
that  is  kindly,  if  you  add  the  necessary  moisture,  you  have  all  the 
conditions  of  a  most  abundant  cultivation — so  much  so  that  in  that 
region  40  acres  of  land  properly  irrigated  will  sustain  a  family  better 
than  160  acres  of  land  in  the  Middle  or  Western  -States;  and  under  cer- 
tain characters  of  cultivation  10  or  15  acres  of  land  will  support  a 
family. 

Mr.  MORRIS.  Mr.  Chairman,  before  the  gentleman  sits  down  I 
should  like  to  ask  him  a  question.  The  gentleman  began  his  remarks 
by  reading  the  item  in  the  river  and  harbor  bill  providing  for  the  res- 
ervoirs at  the  head  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  upon  that  he  based 
the  remarks  which  he  has  made.  Does  not  the  gentleman  know  that 
those  reservoirs  were  constructed  entirely  for  the  purpose  of  increas- 
ing the  navigability  of  the  Mississippi  River? 

Mr.  NEWLANDS.     So  I  understand. 

Mr.  MORRIS.  And  therefore  came  within  the  rule  laid  down  by 
the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and  Harbors. 

Mr.  NEWLANDS.  I  understood  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Rivers  and  Harbors  to  say  that  these  reservoirs  were  provided  for  the 
purpose  of  promoting  navigation.  I  have  also  understood,  however, 
that  they  were  put  there  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  power  on 
that  river,  but  I  may  be  mistaken  as  to  that.  However  that  may  be, 
I  still  insist  that  when  you  can  join  the  two  uses,  when  you  can  pre 
vent  the  floods  and  increase  the  equal  flow  of  these  rivers  by  the  stor- 
age of  the  water,  you  are  promoting  a  purpose  which  is  within  the 
province  of  a  river  and  harbor  bill. 

Mr.  MORRIS.  I  simply  want  to  correct  the  impression  which  may 
have  been  produced  by  the  gentleman's  remarks  as  to  the  committee 
having  gone  outside  of  its  plan  of  making  the  bill. 

Mr.  NEWLANDS.  Oh,  no;  I  simply  called  attention  to  the  fact. 
The  reservoirs  had  been  constructed  there,  and  the  reservoirs  which 
we  wish  will  serve  the  same  purpose  as  those,  for  they  will  not  only 
promote  the  reclamation  of  arid  lands,  but  they  will  also  tend  to  the 
maintenance  of  the  equal  flow  of  the  streams. 


CONVICT    LABOR    FOR    ARID 

LANDS. 

BY  E.  H.  PARGITER. 

Under  the  above  heading,  in  the  July  number  of  the  IRRIGATION 
AGE,  was  published  a  criticism  by  Mr.  C.  B.  Parker  on  Senator  C.  H. 
Dietrich's  proposal  to  employ  the  convict  labour  of  the  penitentiaries 
of  the  States  on  the  construction  of  canals  and  reservoirs  needed  for 
the  irrigation  and  pettlement  of  arid  lands  in  the  Western  States.  In 
this  article  Mr.  Parker  takes  exception  to  the  proposal,  mainly  on  the 
ground  that  there  is  to  be  had  an  abundant  supply  of  free  labor,  thou- 
sands of  men  ready  and  willing  to  come  and  do  the  work;  and  that  the 
claims  of  these  men  to  be  given  whatever  remunerative  employment 
there  is  going  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  or  subordinated  to  other 
claims,  in  the  otherwise  reasonable  and  praiseworthy  endeavor  to  im- 
prove the  conditions  under  which  our  convicts  at  present  labor.  He 
also  points  out  the  most  obvious  difficulties  and  dangers  to  be  met  and 
overcome  in  safeguarding  a  large  number  of  desperate  criminals,  and 
in  preventing  their  escape  or  finding  opportunities  for  further  crime. 

It  has  been  well  said  that  whenever  it  is  proposed  in  America  to 
undertake  or  attempt  any  new  enterprise,  in  which  Americans  have 
had  no  practical  experience,  they  look  around  the  world  to  see  where 
such  an  enterprise  has  been  attempted  or  is  being  best  carried  on;  they 
then  make  a  thorough  study  of  its  ways  and  workingsito  ascertain  its 
good  points  and  also  its  defects  and  failures,  if  any;  and  then,  when 
starting  it  in  their  own  country,  try  to  go  one  better  by  continuing  to 
avoid  possible  defects  and  by  improving  on  previous  methods.  Now 
in  this  matter  of  the  useful  and  profitable  employment  of  prison  labor 
on  great  public  works,  such  as  a  large  canal  constructed  in  arid  and 
almost  uninhabited  lands,  North  India  furnishes  us  with  examples  in 
point,  and  so  we  can  turn  to  it  in  our  search  for  experience.  This  ex- 
perience goes  to  show  that  under  certain  conditions  there  is  ample 
room,  and  there  is  a  good  opportunity  for  the  useful  and  profitable 
employment  of  convict  labor  as  well  as  almost  unlimited  free  labor  on 
such  a  work.  The  requisite  conditions  are,  first,  that  a  large  amount 
of  unskilled  labor  can  be  concentrated  at  one  place  and  kept  at  work 
there  for  a  considerable  time;  and,  second,  that  a  site  and  materials 
for  housing  them  economically  while  at  work  at  that  place  can  be 
secured.  On  the  large  canals  of  North  India  these  conditions  are 
found  at  and  near  the  head  works  of  the  canal.  Here  its  channel  is 
widest,  and  in  deep  digging  giving  a  very  large  quantity  of  earthwork 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  573 

in  excavation  in  the  first  few  miles;  and  there  is  also  a  great  deal  of 
work  to  be  done  in  the  river,  on  the  weir,  and  on  training  and  protec- 
tive embankments  or  other  works.  It  is  the  custom,  then,  in  India  to 
allot  these  works  with  the  entire  excavation  of  the  first  six  or  eight 
miles  of  the  main  canal  to  prison  labor.  A  temporary  jail  is  built  in 
a  central  position  within  the  length  of  work  allotted  and  organized  for 
the  reception  and  maintenance  of  from  1,500  to  2,000  prisoners,  with  a 
trustworthy  and  fully  qualified  superintendent  and  staff  of  guards. 
The  convicts  are  marched  out  every  morning  to  their  work  and 
marched  back  every  evening  to  the  jail,  where  they  can  be  securely 
housed  for  the  night.  They  never  have  more  than  four  or  five  miles 
distance  to  walk  to  their  work,  and  seldom  so  much.  There  is  enough 
work  to  employ  them  for  several  years  around  the  jail;  so  that  the 
expense  of  constructing  it  is  fully  repaid  in  the  end  by  the  value  of 
the  work  done. 

In  the  excavation  of  eight  miles  of  a  canal  with  a  bed  width  of 
from  150  to  200  feet  and  with  a  depth  of  digging  of  from  ten  to  twenty 
feet,  there  is  sufficient  work  to  employ  1,600  prisoners  for  some  years. 
All  their  work  is  done  by  spade  and  barrow  or  basket;  the  soil  dug 
out  by  spade  is  carried  away  either  in  baskets  on  the  heads  of  men  or 
in  wheelbarrows:  it  is  not  the  object  to  save  labor  by  the  use  of 
machinery,  but  to  employ  as  much  labor  as  possible;  the  value  of  the 
work  done  by  each  man  exceeding  the  cost  of  his  maintenance,  and  so 
bringing  in  a  profit  to  the  Government,  if  possible.  The  convicts  are 
secured  against  escape  by  having  chains  from,  the  waist  to  the  ankles; 
these  prevent  their  running  or  moving  fast,  while  leaving  them  quite 
free  for  work  or  for  walking;  and  they  are  looked  after  by  guards 
with  firearms  or  other  weapons.  Any  attempt  at  mutiny  or  escape 
can  be  promptly  suppressed. 

In  India  these  temporary  jails  are  built  of  adobe  or  sun  dried 
brick,  with  the  cheapest  and  simplest  timber  roofs,  doors  and  win- 
dows, and  the  work  of  construction  is  mainly  carried  out  by  convicts 
brought  to  the  place,  and  kept  there,  before  the  coming  of  the  main 
body  of  convicts.  When  the  work  these  men  have  been  brought  for 
is  completed,  they  are  removed  to  some  other  canal  to  be  similarly 
employed  there  for  the  next  few  years.  The  adobe  walls  of  the  jail 
are  left,  and  the  useful  timber  either  sold  or  removed  for  the  next 
jail. 

While  convict  labor  is  thus  being  employed,  the  whole  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  canal  system,  including  several  hundreds  of  miles  of 
canal,  branches,  distributaries  (Laterals),  and  all  the  buildings, 
bridges,  or  other  works,  is  being  done  by  paid  free  labor,  usually  on 
contracts.  The  Indian  Government  system  allows  of  both  kinds  of 
labor  being  fully  employed;  for  the  system  contemplates  the  con- 


376  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

struction  of  many  great  public  works,  another  being  commenced  as 
soon  as  one  is  completed. 

For  the  same  thing  to  be  practicable  in  America,  it  is  necessary 
that  the  Federal  Government,  which  alone  is  able  to  do  so,  should 
arrange  for  the  construction  of  large  canals  or  reservoirs  in  arid 
lands,  where  all  kinds  of  labor  are  required,  and  temporary  sites  for 
jails  or  penitentiaries  can  be  obtained  at  no  great  cost.  It  would  not 
be  necessary  to  mass  together  so  many  convicts  as  can  be  done  in 
India,  but  the  requisite  condition  appears  to  be  that  they  be  employed 
sufficiently  long  in  one  place  to  render  worth  while  the  construction 
of  safe  quarters  for  them,  where  they  can  be  securely  housed  every 
night.  The  safe-guarding  of  criminals  is  an  essential  feature  of  use- 
fully employing  them;  and  it  follows  from  this  that  they  be  not  re- 
quired to  work  at  such  a  distance  from  their  quarters,  as  to  prevent 
their  going  from  and  returning  to  them  every  day.  A  large  reservoir 
might  easily  give  a  few  hundred  convicts  employment  for  two  or 
three  years.  Convict  labor  could  thus  be  employed  on  large  concen- 
trated works,  while  smaller  or  more  scattered  works  would  be  avail- 
able for  free  paid  labor. 

The  further  question  of  rewarding  convicts  for  good  labor  is  be- 
yond the  scope  of  this  article,  which  only  attempts  to  show  how, 
when  and  where  convict  labor  may  be  usefully  and  profitably  em- 
ployed. But  good  use  might  well  be  made  of  the  opportunities  avail- 
able for  improving  the  status  of  a  convict,  and  of  holding  out  to  him 
promises  of  reward  for  good  conduct  and  faithful  working  to  orders. 


J  • 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM 


SSSSSSQQSQQQQSSQQ 

i. 


In  diversified  farming  by  irrigation  lies  the  salvation  of  agriculture 


THE  NEW  BUREAU  OF  FORES- 
TRY. 

On  the  first  of  July  the  Division  of  For- 
estry and  three  other  scientific  divisions 
of  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
were  advanced  to  bureaus.  This  was  pro- 
vided for  by  the  last  session  of  Congress, 
which  appropriated  for  the  expenses  of  the 
Bureau  of  Forestry  during  its  first  year 
$185,440.  The  appropriation  of  the  Divi- 
sion of  Forestry  during  the  year  just 
ended  was  $88,520.  For  the  year  1898-99 
it  was  $28,520. 

These  figures  show  how  rapidly  the  for- 
est work  of  the  Government  has  expanded 
of  late,  and  also  how  well  it  has  commen- 
ded itself  to  Congress.  There  was  a  time 
when  the  practical  value  of  the  scientific 
investigations  carried  on  by  the  Govern- 
ment was  not  fully  understood,  and  far- 
mers were  inclined  to  think  that  the  money 
spent  on  experiment  stations  and  chemical 
laboratories  was  of  little  benefit  to  them. 
Now  the  case  is  very  different.  The  im- 
provements in  agriculture  due  to  the  work 
of  the  Department  have  increased  the  value 
of  the  farm  products  of  the  country  by 
many  millions  of  dollars  annually.  As 
this  kind  of  work  has  proved  its  practical 
utility,  Congress  has  shown  itself  generous 
toward  it.  The  readiness  with  which  Con- 
gress has  increased  the  appropriations  for 
the  Division  of  Forestry  is  the  best  evi- 
dence that  forestry  has  proved  its  impor- 
tance from  a  business  standpoint. 

The  change  from  a  Division  to  a  Bureau, 
and  the  larger  appropriation,  will  make 
possible  both  an  improved  office  organiza- 
tion and  more  extended  field  work.  The 
Bureau  will  be  provided  with  a  much 


lager  office  force  and  will  be  organized  in 
three  Divisions.  But  field  work,  not  office 
work,  is  what  the  Bureau  exists  for.  This 
work  has  been  going  on  during  the  last 
year  from  Maine  to  California  and  from. 
Georgia  to  Washington.  It  includes  the 
study  of  forest  conditions  and  forest  prob- 
lems all  over  the  country,  the  giving  of  ad- 
vice to  owners  of  forest  lands,  and  the 
supervising  of  conservative  lumbering  op- 
erations which  illustrate  forest  manage- 
ment on  business  principles.  This  work. 
can  now  be  greatly  extended.  Private 
owners  of  some  three  million  acres  have 
applied  for  this  advice,  which  in  every 
case  requires  personal  examination,  and 
about  177,000  acres  have  been  put  under 
management.  This  land  is  in  many  tracts, 
large  and  small,  and  is  owned  by  individ- 
uals, clubs,  and  corporations.  Several 
State  governments  have  also  asked  the 
aid  of  the  Bureau.  But  the  greatest  de- 
mand is  that  of  the  Department  of  the  In- 
terior of  the  National  Government,  which 
has  asked  for  working  plans  for  all  the 
Forest  Reserves,  with  the  enormous  total 
area  of  about  47  million  acres. 


FERTILIZING    THE    ORCHARD. 

The  orchards  of  this  country  are  the 
most  neglected  of  any  of  our  crops.  It 
may  seem  strange  to  some  to  call  an  or- 
chard a  crop,  but  that  is  what  it  is.  It  is 
growni  for  the  purpose  of  producing  some- 
thing for  use  or  sale  just  as  other  crops 
are,  and  it  is  a  notorious  fact  that  this 
crop  is  more  neglected  than  any  other  we 
grow.  Prof.  L.  H.  Bailey,  of  Cornell,  re- 
cently said  some  things  about  orchard 
management.  He  said: 


378 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


Good  drainage,  natural  or  artificial,  is 
essential  to  success.  Trees  are  impatient 
of  wet  feet. 

Good  tillage  increases  the  available  food 
supply  of  the  soil,  and  also  conserves  its 
moisture. 

Tillage  should  be  begun  just  as  soon  as 
the  ground  is  dry  enough  in  the  spring, 
and  should  be  repeated  as  often  as  once  in 
ten  days  throughout  the  growing  seasons, 
which  extends  from  spring  until  July  or 
August. 

Only  cultivated  crops  should  be  allowed 
in  orchards  early  in  the  season.  Grain 
and  hay  should  never  be  grown. 

Even-hoed  or  cultivated  crops  rob  the 
trees  of  moisture  and  fertility  if  they  are 
allowed  to  stand  above  the  tree  roots. 

Watch  a  sod  orchard.  It  will  begin  to 
fail  before  you  know  it. 

Probably  nine-tenths  of  the  apple  or- 
chards are  in  sod,  and  many  of  them  are 
meadows.  Of  course  they  are  failing. 

The  remedy  of  these  apple  failures  is  to 
cut  down  many  of  the  orchards.  For  the 
remainder  of  the  treatment  is  cultivation, 
spraying — the  trinity  of  orthodox  apple 
growing. 

Potash  is  the  chief  fertilizer  to  be  ap- 
plied to  fruit  trees,  particularly  after  they 
come  into  bearing. 

Potash  may  be  had  in  wood  ashes  and 
muriate  of  potash.  It  is  most  commonly 
used  in  the  latter  form.  An  unusual  ap- 
plication of  potash  should  be  made  upon 
bearing  orchards,  500  pounds  to  the  acre. 
Phosphoric  acid  is  the  second  important 
fertilizer  to  be  applied  artificially  to  or- 
chards. Of  the  plain  superphosphates, 
from  300  to  500  pounds  may  be  applied  to 
the  acre. 

Nitrogen  can  be  obtained  cheapest  by 
means  of  thorough  tillage  (to  promote 
nitrification)  and  nitrogenous  green  man- 
ures. 

Barn  manures  are  generally  more  econ- 
nomically  used  when  applied  to  farm  crops 
than  when  applied  to  orchards;  yet  they 


can  be  used  with  good  results,  particularly 
when  rejuvenating  the  old  orchards. 

BEET  SUGAR  IN  MICHIGAN. 

The  Bay  City  Sugar  Co.,  of  Essexville, 
which  has  the  largest  factory  of  its  kind  in 
Michigan,  has  begun  operations  for  the 
season.  The  beet  shed  has  a  capacity  for 
10,000  tons,  and  upward  of  7,000  tons 
have  already  been  delivered  by  the  farm- 
ers. 

There  is  excellent  prospect  of  another 
sugar  factory  being  erected  at  Essexville 
by  outside  capital.  It  will  cost  $1,500,000, 
and  will  be  the  largest  sugar  mill  east  of 
California. 

It  is  proposed  to  utilize  the  Boyce.  Pen- 
niman  and  Boutwell  tracts  of  land,  cover- 
ing several  hundred  acres,  underlaid  with 
coal,  which  will  be  mined  solely  for  the 
use  of  the  mill. 


IMPROVING      FARM      VALUES 
WITH  IRRIGATION. 

The  universal  use  of  irrigation  in  the 
West  has  practically  revolutionized  farm 
values  in  many  regions.  These  methods 
of  supplying  the  crops  with  water  are 
many,  but  they  all  show  an  amount  of 
adaption  to  conditions  that  proves  the  ex- 
istence of  Yankee  genius  here  yet.  There 
are  more  varieties  of  windmills  for  pump- 
ing up  water  than  one  could  describe 
in  a  week.  These  windmills  are  not  ex- 
pensive affairs,  but  in  most  cases  are  built 
of  ordinary  articles  picked  up  on  the  farm 
or  in  secondhand  shops.  They  perform 
the  work  required  of  them  satisfactorily, 
and  tha|  is  all  one  can  ask  of  them.  The 
construction  of  a  good  working  windmill 
on  any  farm,  and  a  pumping  attachment, 
with  irrigation  canals  and  reservoir,  adds 
100  or  200  per  cent  to  the  value  of  a  farm 
in  a  region  where  summer  droughts  are 
heavy  drawbacks  to  farming.  With  little 
extra  work  during  the  winter  season  it  is 
an  easy  matter  to  make  such  improvements 
on  almost  any  farm.  The  system  can  be 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


379 


-enlarged  and  extended  season  by  season, 
and  the  farm  gradually  enhanced  in  value. 
A  farm  that  has  a  fair  home-made  irri- 
gation plant  is  practically  independent  of 
the  weather.  The  farmer  is  then  sure  of 
his  crop  no  matter  how  hot  or  dry  the  sea- 
son may  prove.  The  great  benefit  derived 
from  an  irrigation  plant  is  so  apparent  that 
it  seems  strange  that  so  few  are  in  exis- 
tence. It  is  not  always  necessary  to  build 
a  windmill  for  irrigation,  for  there  are  of- 
ten natural  advantages  which  any  farmer 
can  avail  himself  of.  When  brooks  flow 
through  farms  they  furnish  in  the  winter 
and  spring  seasons  an  abundance  of  wa- 
ter, but  when  summer  advances  they  often 
dfy  up  and  prove  of  no  earthly  good.  The 
question  of  importance  is  how  can  such  a 
stream  be  converted  into  use  for  irrigating 
the  plants.  It  would  not  be  so  dfficult  if 
a  reservoir  was  dug  and  built  on  the  farm, 
so  that  the  water  could  be  stored.  Such  a 
reservoir  could  easily  be  increased  in  size 
each  year,  and  with  the  water  stored  in  it, 
what  would  prevent  digging  ditches  to 
carry  the  water  to  the  fields  when  needed. 
Some  will  say  that  such  work  represents 
an  immense  amount  of  labor;  but  if  the 
farmer  intends  to  live  permanently  on  his 
farm,  will  it  not  pay  him  to  do  a  little  to- 
ward the  improvement  each  year,  even 
though  it  may  take  ten  years  to  complete 
the  job?  He  can  rest  assured  that  he  is 
increasing  the  value  of  his  farm  fully  ten 
per  cent  every  year,  a  fact  which  he  will 
realize  when  he  comes  to  sell  it. — Profes- 
sor James  S.  Doty,  New  York. 


RECENT   WORK    OF  THE   DIVI- 
SION OF  FORESTRY. 

The  result  of  the  work  of  the  Division 


has  been  to  turn  practical  forestry  in  the 
United  States  from  a  doubtful  experiment 
into  an  assured  success.  Special  studies 
of  some  of  the  most  important  trees,  com- 
mercially, have  been  made,  from  which 
can  be  calculated  their  probable  future 
yield.  Cheap  methods  of  harvesting  the 
present  lumber  crop  without  inj'uring  the 
productivity  of  the  forest  have  been  put  in 
operation.  Such  concerns  as  The  Great 
Northern  Paper  Company  and  The  Deer- 
ing  Harvester  Company  have  been  led  to 
undertake  conservative  management  of 
their  forest  properties.  Meanwhile,  the 
work  of  tree  planting,  particularly  in  the 
almost  treeless  Western  States  of  the 
plains,  has  been  furthered;  the  relation  of 
the  forest  to  the  volume  of  streams, 
erosion,  evaporation,  and  irrigation  have 
been  studied;  matters  connected  with  irri- 
gation and  water  supply  have  been  investi- 
gated; hopeful  progress  has  been  made  in 
the  direction  of  regulating  grazing  in  the 
Western  reserves  in  a  manner  fair  both  to 
the  important  interests  of  .cattle  and 
sheep  owners  and  to  those  who  look  to  the 
reserves  as  a  source  of  continuous  supply 
of  wood  and  water;  and  studies  of  forest 
fires  were  conducted  with  a  view  of  reduc- 
ing the  great  yearly  loss  from  this  source, 
a  loss  which  has  been  estimated  at  $50,- 
000,000. 

Field  work  is  to  go  on  this  summer  in 
17  States  There  are  in  all  179  persons  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  the  Bureau.  Of  this 
number  81  are  student  assistants — young 
men,  largely  college  students,  who  expect 
to  enter  forestry  as  a  profession,  and  who 
serve  during  the  summer  on  small  pay  for 
the  sake  of  the  experienced  gained. 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


A  Striking  Contrast. 

One   of  the    members    of    the    United 
States  Geological   Survey  recently  called 
attention  to  a  striking  contrast  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  country  lying  on  each 
side  of  the  boundary  line  between  Oregon 
and  Idaho.     In  southwestern  Idaho,  near 
Boise   City  and  the  state  line,  there  is  a 
considerable  section  well  developed  by  irri- 
gation.    Owing   to   the  combined   advan- 
tages of  the  rich  character  of  the  soil,  the 
favorable    conditions  of  the   climate  and 
irrigation,   this  district  contains  some   of 
the    best    fruit    growing  country  in   the 
world.      Just  on   the   other  side   of  the 
state  line  in  Oregon  along  the  Malheu  and 
Owyee  rivers  exactly  the  same  conditions 
exist — rivers,  soil  and  climate — with  the 
exception   of  the  application  of  water  to 
the  land  by  irrigation,  the  vital  condition. 
In  consequence  this  section,  though  but  a 
few  miles  distant  from  the  other  and  just 
as  capable  of  high  development,  is  a   des- 
ert country.     Here  is  the  whole  important 
question  of  irrigation  in  the  arid  West  in 
a  nutshell,  with  its  homes,  farms  and  in- 
dustry; without  it,  a  desert. 


A  Curious  Result  of  Irrigation 

Experienced  irrigators  of  the  arid  lands 
of  the  West  say  that  where  the  character 
of  the  soil  is  loose  and  sandy,  as  it  is  in 
many  parts  of  the  central  valley  of  Cali- 
fornia and  often  elsewhere  in  the  West,  it 
drinks  up  the  water  put  upon  it  in  a  most 
astonishing  way.  Thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  gallons  are  run  over  and  quickly 
absorbed  by  the  thirsty  soil  when  irriga- 
tion is  first  begun,  and  this  may  be  con- 
tinued for  two  or  three  years  if  the  soil  is 


deep.     After  several  years  of  continuous 
soaking,  however,  during  which   time  the 
ground   has   taken    in  great  quantities  of 
water,  it  reaches  a  condition  approaching 
saturation,  when   it  no  longer  needs  more 
to  make  it  suitable  for  crops,  and  the  ques- 
tion may  even  become  one  of  getting  rid 
of  the   surplus.     It  is  a  well  known  fact 
that  the  country  where  Fresno,  in  South- 
ern  California,  stands  to-day,  was  origin- 
ally a  desert,  arid  waste  where  sheep  had 
to  scramble  for  a  living  in  a  good  year  and 
frequently  starved   to  death  in  a  dry  one. 
To-day   there   are  thousands   of  acres   of 
land  under  cultivation  there  and  the  prob- 
lem is  no  longer  one  of  irrigation,  but  of 
drainage;  and  there  is  being  now  seriously 
agitated   in   the   San   Joaquin  Valley  the 
question    of  the    construction    of    a  great 
drainage  canal   to   drain  off  the  irrigating 
water.     In   the  city   of  Tulare  when  the 
white  people  first  went  there,  water  could 
not  be  found  in  wells  at  depths  less  than 
75   to   100  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground.     To-day  it  is  impossible  to  pump 
a  well  dry;  it  is  even  difficult  to  puuip  it 
down  a  foot;  10  or  15  feet  below  the  sur- 
face the  country  seems  to  have  become  a 
great  sponge.     The  reason  for  this  rather 
surprising  result  of  irrigation  is  that  waler 
introduced  upon   a  given  tract,  sinks  into 
the  soil  and  in  the  course  of  years  widely 
overflows,  its  boundary,  thoroughly  moist- 
ens  the  adjoining    lands  and   completely 
changes  the  character  of  the  whole   sec- 
tion.    The   significance   of  this   result   is 
that  though  at  first  investments  in   irriga- 
ting plants  give  returns  for  but  a  limited 
area,    in    the   course    of    years   the   same 
plant  will  have  opened  up  for  occupation 


7  HE  JRRIGA  7  ION  A  GE. 


381 


and  cultivation  a  much  larger  area  than 
was  originally  expected.  This  view  of  the 
matter  is  interesting  and  suggestive  of  the 
possibilities  of  present  irrigated  lands  in 
the  next  generation.  Data  concerning  the 
conditions  are  being  brought  together  by 
the  Geological  Survey  as  part  of  its  in- 
vestigation of  the  extent  to  which  the  arid 
land  can  be  redeemed. 


An  Inter- State  Complication. 

An  interesting  complication,  which  has 
arisen  in  the  growing  demand  for  water 
in  the  West  for  irrigation  purposes,  was 
noted  in  a  recent  reconnoissance  made  by 
the  United  States  Geological  Survey  in 
Western  Nevada.  This  part  of  Nevada 
receives  very  little  rain,  and  hence  is  a  dry 
and  unproductive  land.  But  so  wonderful 
are  the  possibilities  of  development  in  a 
seemingly  dead  country  by  means  of  irri- 
gation, as  has  been  illustrated  time  and 
time  again  in  other  sections  of  the  West, 
that  even  this  inhospitable  tract  could  be 
brought  under  cultivation  and  made  suit- 
able to  sustain  a  good  population  if  devel- 
oped by  irrigation.  But  it  seems  that  the 
rivers  in  western  Nevada  all  rise  on  the 
eastern  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  on 
the  Californian  side  of  the  line.  Indeed, 
this  boundary  seems  to  ha>ve  been  origin- 
ally drawn  so  as  to  include  all  the  good 
land  available  on  the  east  up  to  the  border 
of  the  interior  desert.  Thus  California 
controls  the  headwaters  of  these  streams, 
and  with  all  the  conservatism  born  of  im- 
aginary lines,  the  Californian  settlers  are 
slow  to  allow  the  erection  of  storage  reser- 
voirs and  irrigating  plants  which  are  needed 
to  give  the  Nevada  settlers  the  water  they 
require. 

Like  everything  else  time  will  straighten 
out  this  difficulty,  which  is  serious  enough 
now,  and  Nevada  will  get  its  water,  but 
the  instance  as  an  example  of  the  hin- 
drances in  the  way  of  progress  is  interest- 
ing and  suggestive. 


Brigham  Young's  Peaches- 

In  connection  with  the  widespread  and 
growing  interest  in  the  irrigation  of  west- 
ern .  lands  which,  through  the  energy  of 
the  western  people  and  the  helpful  co- 
operation of  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey  is  doing  so  much  to  develop  the 
arid  lands,  the  following  information  which 
has  recently  come  to  light  regarding  the 
baginnings  of  irrigation  in  Utah,  will  be 
of  interest: 

About  fifty-four  years  ago  the  Mormons 
went  into  that  territory,  then  dry  and  un- 
productive, and  immediately  "began  to  im- 
prove it.  They  laid  out  Salt  Lake  City  on 
a  broad  and  comprehensive  plan  and, 
among  their  very  first  improvements,  in- 
troduced water  from  the  hills  for  use  in 
their  houses  and  gardens.  Four  years 
after  they  had  become  settled,  or  about 
the  year  1851,  President  Fillmore  sent  a 
party  of  federal  officers  to  take  charge  of 
the  territorial  government.  Among  them 
were  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
t  erritory,  judges  of  the  supreme  court  and 
several  Indian  agents.  The  wife  of  the 
secretary,  among  many  interesting  remem- 
brances of  her  stay  at  Salt  Lake  City, 
mentions  the  fact  that  the  irrigating 
ditches  used  by  the  Mormons  ran  as  they 
still  do  along  the  sides  of  the  streets  like 
gutters,  and  that  through  them  constant 
streams  of  clear  water  were  flowing.  These 
ditches  furnished  the  water  for  the  gar- 
dens about  the  houses  and  was  diverted 
wherever  each  householder  needed  to  use 
his  supply.  On  one  occasion,  the  secre- 
tary's wife  states,  Brigham  Young,  with 
much  pride,  brought  her  one  of  the  first 
four  peaches  which  had  ripened  in  his  gar- 
den under  irrigation,  saying  that  he  wished 
her  to  have  the  honor  of  eating  it. 

Irrigation  Means  Population. 

The  steady,  persistent  demand  for  gov- 
ernment aid  to  make  possible  the  exten- 
sion of  irrigating  systems  in  the  arid  West 
is  yearly  becoming  more  arid  more  uni- 


382 


1HE  IRRIQA1ION  AGE. 


versa!.  It  is  not  a  subterfuge  of  politics, 
but  a  real  economic  necessity.  Nothing  is 
more  clearly  brought  out  in  the  figures  of 
the  population  of  the  various  states,  which 
the  census  bureau  has  just  published,  than 
the  disparity  in  numbers  of  the  population 
of  the  eastern  and  western  states.  Some 
of  the  comparatively  small  eastern  states 
far  outstrip  their  western  sisters,  which 
have  room  enough  ai:d  to  spare  for  half  a 
dozen  of  them.  Idaho,  Colorado,  Nevada 
with  only  one  or  two  persons,  or  in  case  of 
Idaho  only  a  fraction  of  a  person,  to  each 
square  mile  territory  is  not  a  strong  show- 
ing. To  be  sure  these  states  have  much 
land  unsuited  to  the  life  of  large  popula- 
tions, but  there  are  millions  of  acres  scat- 
tered along  the  river  valleys  which  could 
easily  be  made  habitable  and  extremely 
productive  by  the  introduction  of  water  to 
the  dry  lands.  From  all  sides  rises  the 
cry  for  action.  Nebraska  has  just  had  an 
enthusiastic  irrigation  congress;  reports 
come  from  Texas  and  New  Mexico  of  a 
scheme  to  use  the  waters  of  the  Rio 
Grande;  Colorado  has  an  established  ex- 
ample of  the  benefits  of  such  work,  and 
California  owes  much  of  her  agricultural 
prestige  to  the  reclaiming  of  her  great  cen- 
tral valley  by  irrigation.  The  western 
states  are  enthusiastic;  the  United  States 
Geological  Survey  is  helping,  and  there 
are  sure  to  be  beneficial  results  of  a  wide- 
spread national  character. 

Irrigation  by  Electricity. 

Frederick  H.   Newall,    chief   hydrogra- 
pher  of  the  government  geological  survey, 


has  given  his  unqualified  indorsement  to- 
the  plan  for  irrigating  the  arid  West  by 
electric  power,  and  predicts  that  the  inno- 
vation will  add  untold  acreage  to  the  irri- 
gated land.  The  scheme  seems  feasible 
and  should  result  in  even  more  good  than 
Mr.  Newall  now  expects. 

The  plan  is  a  very  simple  one,  by  which 
the  water  is  made  to  generate  its  own  dis- 
tributing power.  The  streams  in  the 
mountains  will  be  used  to  run  the  ma- 
chinery at  the  powerhouse,  and  the  elec- 
tricity thus  generated  will  be  transmitted 
to  the  field  below,  where  it  can  be  applied 
to  an  electric  motor  operating  a  centrifu- 
gal pump  whieh  will  lift  the  underflow 
from  the  stream  to  the  surface  and  distrib- 
ute it  over  the  surrounding  land  as  re- 
quired. The  farmer  turns  on  his  motor 
and  the  water  flows.  When  he  has  enough 
he  shuts  it  off  and  prevents  useless  waste. 

The  practicability  of  the  scheme  has 
been  demonstrated  by  the  number  of  plants 
already  in  operation  in  the  San  Joaquin 
valley,  where  it  is  claimed  that  the  water 
is  being  pumped  at  a  less  cost  than  that  of 
gravity  ditches.  Colorado  presents  many 
opportunities  for  installing  plants  in  the 
canons  economically,  and  the  benefit  will 
be  widespread  when  such  plants  are  in- 
stalled. The  ultimate  development  of  this 
class  of  work  must  rest  largely  upon  water 
conservation,  the  restraining  of  the  spring 
flood  to  supply  a  continuous  discharge  dur- 
ing the  summer  months,  keeping  the  power 
plants  in  operation  as  well  as  furnishing 
water  for  the  ditches. — Colorado  Weekly 
limes. 


ABOUT  THE  INDIAN. 
The  total  expenditure  by  the  Govern- 
ment  on  account  of  the  Indian  service 
from  March  4,  1789,  up  to  and  including 
July  30,  1900,  has  been  $368,358,217,  ac- 
cording to  the  annual  report  of  Commis- 
sioner of  Indian  Affairs  William  A.  Jones. 
The  expenditures  for  the  fiscal  year  ended 
last  July  amounted  to  $10,175,107.  Of 
this  amount  at  least  $3,330,000  was  de- 
voted to  the  cau!*e  of  Indian  education. 

The  report  reviews  the  changes  in  the 
system  of  the  purchasing  of  supplies,  by 
which  the  supplies  are  bought  in  open 
market  shipped  by  common  carrier  at  tar- 
iff or  better  rates,  and  estimates  that  this 
saves  20  per  cent  in  cost. 

Under  the  head  of  obstacles  to  self-sup- 
port of  the  Indians,  the  report  deprecates 
the  ration  system,  annuity  payments  and 
the  leasing  of  allotments.  The  ration  sys- 
tem, says  the  report,  is  the  corollary  of  the 
reservation  system.  The  Indian  popula- 
tion of  the  United  States  is  about  267,900, 
of  which  45,270  receive  a  daily  ration. 
The  ration  issued  and  its  value  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  tribe.  Nearly  two-fifths  of 
the  number  receiving  rations  belong  to  the 
great  Sioux  nation.  The  ration  has  been 
gradually  reduced  the  past  few  years,  in 
accordance  with  the  policy  of  the  Indian 
bureau. 

If  the  Indians'  claim  for  full  ratons  as  a 
right  is  conceded  the  commissioner  pre- 
dicts that  the  time  when  they  will  be  self- 
supporting  lies  in  the  very  distant  fnture, 
if  it  comes  at  all.  A  number  of  Indians 
also  are  assisted  by  occasional  issues  and 
at  several  agencies  the  old  and  indigent 
are  provided  for.  Altogether  there  are 
57,570  Indians  receiving  subsistence  in 


some  degree,  exclusive  of  Indian  children 
in  boarding  schools.  The  Commissioner 
urges  that  the  indiscriminate  issue  of  ra- 
tions should  stop  at  once.  The  old  and 
helpless,  he  says,  should  be  provided  for, 
but  rations  should  be  issued  to  the  able- 
bodied  only  for  labor,  while  those  who 
have  been  educated  in  Indian  schools  de- 
pend entirely  on  their  own  resources. 

Annuities  distributed  last  year  aggre- 
gated $1,507.543,  the  per  capita  ranging 
from  $255  down  to  50  cents.  The  report 
says  that  the  large  money  payments  to  the 
Indians  are  demoralizing  in  the  extreme. 
They  degrade  the  Indians  and  corrupt  the 
whites;  they  induce  pauperism  and  scan- 
dal and  crime;  they  nullify  all  the  good 
effects  of  labor.  Unscrupulous  people  in- 
duee  the  Indian  to  go  into  debt  and  then 
when  the  debt  has  accumulated  and  the 
Indian's  credit  is  gone,  pressure  is  brought 
to  bear  by  the  creditors  upon  the  Govern- 
ment to  pay  the  Indian  so  that  he  can  pay 
his  honest  debts.  The  state  of  things 
growing  out  of  the  surroundings  at  the 
agencies  is  a  scandal  and  disgrace. 

There  is  now  in  the  treasurey  to  the 
credit  of  the  Indian  tribes  $33,315,955.09, 
drawing  interest  at  the  rate  of  4  and  5  per 
cent,  the  annnal  interests  amounting  to 
$1,646,485.96.  Besides  this,  several  of 
the  tribes  have  large  incomes  from  leasing 
and  other  sources.  It  is  a  safe  prediction 
that  as  long  as  these  funds  exist  they  will 
be  the  prey  of  designing  people. 

The  ultimate  disposition  of  the  Indian 
funds  is  a  subject  for  the  most  serious  con- 
sideration. In  some  cases  they  are  small 
and  in  other  very  large.  With  respect  to 
the  former,  they  can,  as  a  rule,  be  paid 
out  to  the  Indians  with  little,  if  any,  evil 


384 


IffE  IRR1GA1ION  AGE. 


consequences.  With  respect  to  the  latter, 
their  proper  disposition  is  more  difficult. 
It  is  admitted  that  great  wealth  is  a  source 
of  weakness  to  any  Indian  tribe  and  pro- 
ductive of  much  evil.  Two  remedies  have 
been  suggested. 

First — The  gradual  extension  of  these 
funds,  setting  aside  a  sufficient  sum  to 
maintain  the, reservation  schools  a  definite 
period  of  years — say  twenty-one — and  then 
•dividing  the  balance  per  capita  and  paying 
each  member  of  the  tribe  at  certain  ages 
their  share. 

Second — As  a  corollary  to  this,  division 
of  the  land  belonging  to  the  tribe  per 
capita.  The  remedy  proposed  would  al- 
most invariably  immediately  relegate  the 
Indians  to  proverty,  though  the  remote  re- 
sult might  be  for  them  to  work  to  save 
themselves  from  actual  want. 

The  general  pleasing  of  their  allotments 
by  the  Indians  to  white  men  is  denounced. 

There  were  250  Indian  schools  of  all 
kinds  conducted  by  the  Government,  and 
an  increase  of  1412  pupils  in  enrollment 
and  1142  in  average  attendance  shown 
over  the  previous  year.  About  8000  of 
the  34,000  eligible  school  children  are 
unprovided  for.  Compulsory  education  of 
the  Indian  children  is  strongly  indorsed 
and  Congress  is  urged  to  authorized  the 
Commissioner  to  place  every  one  of  school 
age  in  some  school,  the  selection  of  the 
school  to  be  left  largely  to  educated  Indian 
parents. 

The  report  controverts  the  commonly 
accepted  theory  that  by  constant  contact 
with  the  whites  the  extinction  of  the  In- 
dian is  only  a  matter  of  time.  It  says  it 
can  be  stated  with  a  great  degree  of  con- 
fidence that  the  Indian  population  of  the 
United  States  has  been  very  little  dimin- 
ished from  the  days  of  Columbus,  Cor- 
onada,  Raleigh,  Capt.  John  Smith  and 
other  early  explorers.  The  first  reliable 
Indian  census  was  in  1870,  and  certainly 
since  then  the  Indian  population  has  been 
nearly  stationary,  whatever  decrease  there 


is  being  attributable  to  Indians  becoming 
citizens. 

Reviewing  Indian  Territory  affairs,  the 
report  says  there  are  50.000  children  of 
white  parents  there  who  should  hare 
schools,  and  that  thousands  of  these  child- 
ren thus  deprived  of  education  are  growing 
up  in  vice  and  ignorance,  already  filling 
the  United  States  jails  at  Muscogee  and 
other  points  with  youthful  criminals.  The 
cost  of  education  will  not  be  excessive 
compared  with  results.  School  benefits 
also  should  be  extended  to  the  4250  Choc- 
taw  frcedmen.  Government  control  of  the 
schools  in  .the  Chickasaw  Nation  is  advo- 
cated. 


What's  A  Mule  Fit  For? 

The  question  is  so  often  asked  by  farm- 
ers who  have  never  used  mules  on  their 
farms,  preferring  horses,  that  we  shall  giv« 
a  few  of  the  merits  possessed  by  our  long- 
eared  friend. 

The  mule  is  an  easy  animal  to  raise. 

He  doesn't  eat  much  as  compared  with 
a  horse. 

An  energetic  mule  will  make  a  trip 
quicker  than  ahorse,  though  he  may  not  go 
fast — the  secret  of  his  speed  is  his  uniform 
gait,  steady  and  persistent. 

You  hardly  ever  see  a  sick  mule;  he 
seems  practically  immune  from  the  dis- 
eases which  attack  horses. 

A  mule  can  endure  more  hardship  than 
a  horse,  will  pull  more  in  proportion  to  his 
size,  and  will  "stay  with  it"  longer. 

A  mule  is  easier  "broken,"  or  trained  to 
work  than  a  horse,  and  is  more  reliable 
after  initiated. 

If  a  team  of  mules  runs  away  they  look 
out  for  themselves,  and  though  they  may 
make  some  close  turns  and  go  through  a 
needle's  eye,  so  to  speak,  they  usually 
come  out  unharmed. 

We  would  rather  plow  corn  with  a  team 
of  mules  than  with  horses;  they  break 
down  less  corn  and  turn  around  quicker. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


385 


Hot  weather  affects  the  mule  less  than 
the  horse. 

A  good,  honest  business  mule  is  worth, 
and  will  command,  a  good  price  any  day  in 
the  week. 

The  usefulness  of  a  mule  continues 
longer  than  that  of  a  horse. 

The  mule  is  not  handsome,  doesn't  make 
a  good  roadster,  isn't  stylish,  doesn't  "do 
himself  proud"  if  hitched  to  a  fancy  yellow 
wagon  or  cart,  but  what  he  lacks  in  ap- 
pearance he  makes  up  in  actual  usefulness 
on  the  farm.  —  Tennessee  Farmer. 


British  from  any  of  its  ports,  is  a  very  im" 
portant  one,  and  if  the  New  Orleans  suit 
results  in  settling  that,  it  will  go  on  record 
as  one  of  the  most  notable  judicial  proceed- 
ings in  our  history. 


The  Mule  and  the  War. 

According  to  the  terms  of  the  injunction 
suit  filed  by  the  Boer  representative  at 
New  Orleans,  the  success  of  the  British  in 
South  Africa  depends  entirely  upon  their 
getting  their  regular  supply  of  mules  from 
the  Louisiana  metropolis.  The  complaint 
says  that  "the  war  can  be- carried  on  by 
Great  Britain  only  through  the  renewal  of 
its  military  supplies  from  this  port  (New 
Orleans),  and  when  these  supplies  cease 
the  war  must  end." 

This  is  the  most  pewerful  tribute  to  the 
efficacy  of  the  American  mule  yet  recorded. 
Old  soldiers  of  the  civil  wa-r  are  full  of 
reminiscences  of  the  importance  of  the 
army  mule  in  that  struggle,  and  we  know 
that  he  was  a  great  factor  in  Cuba,  and  is 
so  now  in  the  Philippines.  But  no  one 
ever  before  asserted  that  the  ability  of  a 
great  empire  like  that  of  Great  Britain  to 
carry  on  war  depended  upon  the  limited 
supply  of  mules  that  could  be  obtained 
from  a  single  American  port. 

The  indispengability  of  the  mule  in  war 
operations  may  be  freely  admitted,  but 
New  Orleans  is  not  the  only  port  from 
which  this  sturdy,  long-eared  animal  can 
be  shipped.  It  may  be  "reckoned"  that 
so  long  as  Johnny  Bull  has  money  he  will 
get  a  supply  of  mules  somewhere. 

The  question  as  to  whether  the  United 
-States  violates  its  neutral  obligations  by 
^permitting  the  shipment  of  mules  for  the 


Mark  Twain's  Double. 

There  are  in  this  country  a  number  of 
clubs,  situated  in  various  cities,  whose 
mission  in  life  is  to  give  good  dinners  and 
do  amusing  stunts  after  they  are  consumed. 
The  parent  of  these  clubs  is  the  Clover 
Club  in  Philadelphia.  Then  there  is  the 
Gridiron  in  Washington,  the  Whitechapel 
in  Chicago,  the  Tavern  Club  in  Boston, 
and  a  number  of  others.  Yesterday  at  the 
Murray  Hill  hotel,  P.  R.  Dunne,  of  Bos- 
ton, told  of  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Tavern 
Club.  "Samuel  L.  Clemens  (Mark  Twain)," 
said  Mr.  Dunne,  "was  the  guest  of  honor. 
He  had  some  other  engagements  that  even- 
ing, and  so  he  arranged  with  the  club  to 
come  there  after  the  dinner  and  make  a 
speech.  No  one,  however  knew  this  save 
the  managers,  and,  as  the  event  proved, 
they  kept  the  information  successfully  to 
themselves.  When  the  dinner  came  off 
Twain  occupied  the  seat  of  honor  next  to 
the  host,  and  the  dinner  went  smoothly  on 
its  accustomed  course  from  oysters  to  cof- 
fee. Then  came  the  speaking,  and  Twain 
made  one  of  his  very  best  efforts  when  his 
turn  came.  He  had  just  finished  when  the 
door  opened,  and  to  the  uttera  stonishment 
of  most  preseut  there  entered  the  exact 
counterpart  of  the  last  speaker.  The  two 
men  were  identical  in  appearance,  and 
when  the  newcomer  spoke  it  was  noticed 
that  their  facial  expressions  were  the  same, 
as,  too,  were  the  intonations  of  the  voices. 
The  two  Dromios  could  not  have  been 
more  exactly  alike,  and  the  dumfounded 
members  stared  open-mouthed  from  one  to 
the  other,  all  at  sea  as  to  what  it  meant. 
The  president  of  the  club  relieved  the  sit- 
uation by  introducing  the  two  men.  'Mr. 
Samuel  L.  Clemens,'  said  he,  suavely,  re- 
ferring to  the  most  recent  arrival,  'permit 


386 


THE  IRR1GA210N  AGE. 


me  to  present  you  to  Mr.  Mark  Twain.' 
The  last  named  advanced  across  the  inter- 
vening space  and  grasped  the  real  'Mark 
Twain'  cordially  by  the  hand.  "Believe 
me,  Mr.  Clemens,  I  am  delighted  to  meet 
you  at  last,'  he  assured  him  earnestly. 
'Throughout  a  long  life  I  have  been  con- 
stantly taken — rather  mistaken — for  you. 
I  am  glad  to  meet  you  at  last  face  to  fac«. 
It  is  a  privilege  I  had  never  expected  to 
experience.  When  you  have  done  ill  in 
this  world  the  blame  has  always  rested  on 
my  shoulders  (which,  thank  God,  are 
broad  enough  to  carry  even  that  load.) 
When  I  have  done  well,  you  have  received 
the  credit.'  And  then  the  tumult  broke 
forth.  Of  course,  it  was  a  hoax.  The 
few  who  knew  that  Twain  would  be  late 
had  taken  advantage  of  that  fact,  and  had 
rung  in  a  substitute.  A  fellow  member 
had  been  so  cleverly  made  up  to  look  like 
Twain,  and  had  so  thoroughly  enacted  his 
part,  that  for  a  full  two  hours  he  had  fooled 
a  number  of  the  cleverest  men  in  Boston. 
Many  of  those  present  knew  Twain  well, 
and  one  or  two  were  intimate  friends. — 
New  York  Tribune. 


A  Juvenile   Opinion. 

Since  ma's  got  Christian  Science,  us  kids 
is  dead  in  luck — 

No   hot   old   mustard   plasters    upon    our 
chests  are  stuck; 

She  never  puts  no  ginger  upon  the  stove 
to  boil, 

Nor  doses  up  us  children  with  that  old  cas- 
tor oil; 

She  just  says:    "Look  here,  children,  no 
need  for  you  to  squall. 

You  think  your  stomach's  aching? 
There's  no  such  thing  at  all." 

Since    ma's     got  Christian   Science,    she 

doesn't  use  a  whip 
To  punish  us,  but  simply  takes  puckers  in 

her  lip, 
And  thinks  and  thinks  right  at  us,  until 

she  near  goes  blind, 


And  then  she  says  she's  whipped  us  by 

whipping  in  her  mind. 
That  is  the  absent  treatment,  but  any  one 

can  see 
That  it  don't  make  connections  with  such 

a  boy  as  me. 

But  pa — now  he  is  dif'rent.     When  he's  at 

home  he'll  say: 
"You  children  best  be  careful  not  to  be 

bad  today." 
And  you  bet  we  are  careful,  'cause  pa  he 

says  that  he 
Will  give  us  switchin'  science  kot  from  the 

willow  tree, 
And,    as  for   absent   treatment,    why   he 

says,  with  a  wink: 
"I'll  'tend  to  all  the  switchin' — ma   can 

stand  by  and  think." 
— Josh  Wink,  in  Baltimore  American. 


Susan  Van  Doozan. 

I'll  write,  for  I'm  witty,  a  popular  ditty, 

To  bring  to  me  shekels  and  fame, 
And  the  only  right  way  one  can  write  one 
today 

Is  to  give  it  some  Irish  girl's  name; 
There's    "Rosy     O'Grady,"     that     sweet 
"steady  lady," 

And  dear  "Annie  Rooney,"  and  such, 
But  mine  shall  be  nearly  original,  really, 

For  "Susan  Van  Doozan"  is  Dutch. 

"Oh,   Susan  Van  Doozan,  the  girl  of  my 

choos'n! 

You  stick  to  my  bosom  like  glue, 
When  this  you're  perus'n'  remember  I'm 

mus'n' 

Sweet  Susan  Van  Doozaa  on  you; 
So  don't  be  abus'n  my  offer,  and  bruis'n 

A  heart  that  is  willing  to  woo 
And  please  be  excus'nr  not  cold  and  re- 

fus'n', 
Oh,  Susan  Van  Doozan,  please  do!" 

Now,  through  it  I'll  scatter — a  quite  easy 

matter — 
The  lines  that  we  all  of  us  know, 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  387 

How  "the  neighbors  all  cry  as  she  passes  With  generous  slices  of  country  cured 

them  by,  pork. 

'There's  Susan,  the  pride  of  the  row!'"  Their  lips  they  would  smack  in  extrem* 

And  something  like  "daisy"  and  "setting  satisfaction, 

me  crazy''-  Unloose  the  top  button  that  served  on 

These  lines  the  dear  public  would  miss  —  their  jeans 

Then  chuck  a  "sweetheart"  in,  and  "never  To  give  them  more  room  when  they  got 

to  part"  in  the  right  action 

And  end  with  a  chorus  like  this:  Upon   the   loved   layout   of  bacon  and 


"Oh,   Susan  Van  Doozan!  before  I'd  be 

]os'n'  The  women  their  faded  sunbonnets  would 

One  glance  of  your  eyes  of  sky  blue,  *ie  on> 

I  vow  I'd  stop  us'n'  tobacco  and  booz'n'—  And  seek  for  the  treasure  in  lane  and 

That  word  is  not  nice,  it  is  true—  in  wood> 

I  wear   out  my   shoes'n',    I'm  losing  my  The    tender    y°ung    mustard,  the  sweet 

roos'n'—  dandelion, 

My  reason,  I  should  say,  dear  Sue—  And  other  Sreen  thinS8  that  thev  knew 

So  please  change  your  views'n',  become  my  e  Sood> 

own  Susan  From   out   the   great  pot   they  the  fruit 

Oh,  Susan  Van  Doozan,  please  do!"  of  their  labors 

—Joe  Lincoln,  in  L.  A.   W.  Bulletin.  Would  stack  for  the  feast  in  the  wait' 

_  ing  tureens, 

The  fragrance   borne  forth  telling  all  of 

BACON  AND  GREENS.  ^  neighbors 

The  sweet  songs  of  springtime  are  merri-  The  tale   of  the  dinner  of  bacon   and 

ly  ringing  greens. 

Out   on  the  soft  breezes  with  musical 

,,  New  Yorker  s  may  dine  on  hot  birds  and 
swell  : 

m,                                                        ,  cold  bottles, 
The  amateur  poets  are  everywhere  sing- 

The   Jerseyites   feast  on  the  succulent 


In  lines  that  sometimes  rhyme  remark  - 

,  ,         ,,  Ohicagoans    send    down    their   ravenous 

ably  well.  throttles 

They   sing  of   the  birds  that  inhabit  the 

,  Most  liberal  swallows  of  home-doctored 

bowers  > 

The  brooks  that  are  babbling  mid  fair  "  .  ' 

,  St.  Louis  may  feed  on  corn  pone  and  mo- 

rural  scenes, 

IftSSPS 

The  grass-covered  meadows,  the  trees  and 

The  Bostonese  revel  in  brown  bread  and 
the  flowers, 

But  never  a  warble  of  bacon  and  greens. 

But   none   of  these   foods   fit   for   angels 

O  ;  that  was  the  dish  that  our  forefathers  surpasses 

relished  The   old-fashioned    fillin'   of    bacon   and 

When  called  in  at  noonday  from  field  of  greens. 

their  work—  —  James  Barton  Adams. 

A  big  dish  of  greens  with  its  bosom  em- 

bellished 


*  WTH  OUR  EXCHAGES. 

5  WWWW  W  V*  W  VWl  W  WWW  WWW  WW  W  W  W^VWW  VWVQ^VV 


SATURDAY   EVENING   POST. 

Baron  Munchausen  was  the  first  travel- 
ing man,  and  my  drummer's  expense  ac- 
counts still  show  his  influence. 

Adam  invented  all  the  different  ways  in 
which  a  young  man  can  make  a  fool  of 
himself,  and  the  college  yell  at  the  end  of 
them  is  just  a  frill  that  doesn't  change 
essentials. 

It't  the  fellow  who  thinks  and  acts  for 
himself,  and  sells  short  when  prices  hit 
the  high  C  and  the  house  is  standing  on  its 
hind  legs  yelling  for  more,  that  sits  in  the 
directors'  meetings  when  he  gets  on  toward 
forty. 

Pay  day  is  always  a  month  off  for  the 
spendthrift,  and  he  is  never  able  to  real- 
ize more  than  sixty  cents  on  any  dollar 
that  comes  to  him.  But  a  dollar  is  worth 
one  hundred  and  six  cents  to  a  good  busi- 
ness man,  and  he  never  spends  the  dollar. 

If  you  gave  some  fellows  a  talent 
wrapped  in  a  napkin  to  start  with  in  busi- 
ness, they  would  swap  the  talent  for  a  gold 
brick  and  lose  the  napkin;  and  there  arc 
others  that  you  could  start  out  with  just  a 
napkin  who  would  set  up  with  it  in  the 
dry  goods  business  iu  a  small  way  and  then 
coax  the  other  fellow's  talent  into  it. 

I  alwrys  lay  it  down  as  a  safe  proposi- 
tion that  the  fellow  who  has  to  break  open 
the  baby's  bank  for  car-fare  toward  the 
last  of  the  week  isn't  going  to  be  any  Rus- 
sell Sage  when  it  comes  to  trading  with  the 
old  man's  money. — From  the  letters  of  a 
self-made  merchant  to  his  son,  now  appear- 
ing in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post, 
LADIES'  HOME  JOURNAL. 

Evidently  no  effort  has  been  spared  to 
make  The  Ladies'  Home  Journal  for  Aug- 


ust a  positive  boon  to  its  readers  during 
these  warm  midsummer  days.  Its  light, 
readable  articles,  bright  stories,  clever 
poems,  charming  music,  and  numerous 
beautiful  illustrations  afford  the  easiest 
and  pleasantest  kind  of  entertainment  for 
leisure  hours.  Enchanting  views  of  the 
lovely  scenery  in  the  Engadine  Valley  and 
among  the  Swiss  and  Italian  lakes,  as  well 
as  such  delightful  articles  as  "The  Singing 
Village  of  Germany"  and  ''What  Girl-Life 
in  Italy  Means,"  allure  the  thoughts  to 
foreign  lands,  while  there  are  timely  sug- 
gestions about  "the  Picnic  Basket, ""Keep- 
ing a  House  Cool  in  the  I)og-Days,"  and 
"Sea-Side  Toys  and  How  to  Make  Them." 
Other  thoroughly  interesting  contributions 
are  "The  First  White  Baby  Born  in  the 
Northwest."  "My  Boarding-School  for 
Girls,"  and  the  usual  serial  and  depart- 
ment articles.  By  the  Curtis  Publishing 
Company,  Philadelphia.  One  dollar  a 
year;  ten  cents  a  copy. 

SCRIBNER. 

For  September  contains  "The  Wrong 
House,"  by  Raffles;  "The  United  States 
Army,"  by  Gen.  Francis  V.  Greene;  "The 
Clock  in  the  Sky,"  by  Geo.  W.  Cable; 
"The  Voice  of  the  Sea,"  by  Thomas  Nel- 
son Page;  "A  Burro  Puncher,"  by  Walter 
A.  Wyckoff;  "The  Poor  in  Summer,"  by 
Robert  Alston  Stevenson. 


WANTED— Ladies  and  gentlemen  to  introduce 
the  "hottest"  seller  on  earth.  Dr.  White's  Elec- 
trical Comb,  patented  1899.  Agents  are  coining 
money.  Cures  all  forms  of  scalp  ailments,  head- 
aches, etc.,  yet  costs  the  same  as  an  ordinary 
comb  Send  50c  in  stamps  for  sample.  G.  N 
ROSE,  Gen.  Mgr.,  Decatur,  111. 

WANTED— Business  men  and  women  to  take  ex- 
clusive agency  for  a  State,  and  control  sub- 
agents  handling  Dr.  White's  Electric  Comb. 
$3,000  per  month  compensation.  Fact.  Call  and 
I'll  prove  it,  G.  N.  ROSE,  Gen.  Mgr.,  Decaturjll 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


VOL  xv . 


CHICAGO,  SEPTEMBER,  1901.  NO    12 


The  Draught  The  experience  of  the  present 
an  Eye  Opener  year  because  of  the  drought 
will  be  liable  to  change  the  views  of  some 
of  our  congressmen  in  regard  to  irrigation. 
Missouri  farmers  are  losers  this  year  by 
$100,000,000,  Kansas  as  much  more,  Neb- 
raska nearly  as  much,  while  Arkansas  and 
Iowa  are  heavy  losers.  They  are  pointing 
to  the  great  results  of  irrigation  in  Colo- 
rado and  other  states,  and  &rc  now  willing 
to  concede  the  benefits  of  irrigation. 


Plenty  of 
Water. 


Prof.  Newell  says  that  the 
water  power  in  the  Yuba  river 
is  picked  up  by  electricity  and  made  to 
light  even  the  city  of  Stockton,  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  away.  But  on  the 
way,  where  the  wire  crosses  the  valleys', 
the  farmers  run  pumps  by  it  to  irrigate 
their  lands.  Now,  while  it  would  be  most 
difficult  to  turn  many  Eastern  rivers  into 
canals  through  which  to  irrigate  the  soil, 
it  would  be  comparatively  easy  for  the 
farmers  to  join  and  obtain  power  enough 
from  many  of  the  streams  to  run  pumps  to 
irrigate  vast  areas  of  land,  and  in  that  way 
we  expect  the  first  efforts  toward  exten- 
sive irrigation  will  be  made  in  that  region. 
That  will  interfere  with  no  riparian 
rights;  it  will  foul  no  streams,  and  when 
the  irrigation  season  is  over,  the  power 
can  thresh  the  wheat,  bale  the  hay,  saw 
the  wood,  light  the  house  and  stables,  and 
farming  will  be  exalted. 

In  the  same  way  we  suspect  that  mighty 
areas  of  desert  in  the  arid  belt  will  be 
brought  under  cultivation,  for,  as  a  rule, 
there  is  plenty  of  water  below  the  surface 


of  our  desert  lands.  The  Snake  river  can 
supply  power  to  run  a  million  pumps,  and 
there  is  water  power  enough  in  Utah  to 
turn  a  world.  The  next  twenty  years  will 
make  a  transformation  in  this  West,  and 
this  year's  sorrowful  experience  ought  to 
quicken  the  minds  of  Eastern  people  to 
cause  them  to  try  never  to  be  quite  as 
badly  left  again  as  they  have  been  this 
year. 

Reclaiming  the  A  recent  dispatch  from 
ZuyderZee.  The  Hague  indicates  the 

enterprise  of  the  Hollanders  in  the  mat- 
ter of  land  reclamation.  The  government, 
it  is  stated,  has  introduced  a  bill  in  parlia- 
ment for  the  reclaiming  of  113,666  acres 
from  the  Zuyder  Zee,  at  an  estimated  cost 
of  95,000,000  florins.  The  scheme  will 
add  2,000,000  florins,  or  about  $800.000, 
to  the  budget  annually  for  the  next  fifty 
years. 

The  Nile  The  erection  of  the  Nile  dam 
Dam.  by  the  British  Government 

will  form  a  lake  with  a  capacity  of  over  a 
billion  tons  of  water.  When  the  sluice 
gates  are  open,  while  the  Nile  is  at  high 
water,  something  like  five  million  tons  of 
water  will  rush  through  every  hour. 

Irrigation  Irrigation  is  rapidly  coming  to 
in  Canada.  t^e  front  in  t^e  rcgion  Of  ijgilt 

rainfall  in  Western  Canada.  Some  660,- 
000  acres  of  land  were  reclaimed  during 
the  past  year,  and  canals  were  constructed 
to  the  length  of  525  miles. 

The  Prospects  Great  will  be  the  glory  of  the 
of  irrigation.  west  when  she  shall  have  at- 
tained to  her  full  stature  through  the  re- 


390 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


clamation  of  her  arid  domain.  It  is  now 
very  generally  conceded  that  a  national 
irrigation  policy  is  the  only  means  by 
which  such  a  result  can  be  effected.  The 
growth  of  this  movement  throughout  the 
country  has  been  a  phenomenal  one  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years. 

The  national  movement  is  now  of  such 
magnitude  that  it  is  gaining  strength  of 
its  own  impetus.  We  failed  to  get  our 
appropriations  from  the  recent  Congress, 
but  that  is  not  as  much  our  fault  as  it  is 
due  to  insufficient  time  afforded  by  the 
short  session  of  Congress.  Notwithstand- 
ing, we  have  taken  a  long  step  forward 
and  I  am  confident  that  at  the  next  ses- 
sion there  will  be  enacted  a  great  part  of 
the  legislation  we  require. 

The  best  evidence  of  this  feeling  is  that 
only  two  years  ago  Congress  laughed  at 
the  idea  of  a  national  irrigation  law,  but 
during  the  last  session  it  was  con- 
ceded to  be  a  mere  question  of  time.  I 
have  talked  with  many  Congressmen  who 
will  not  say  they  are  in  favor  of  the  move- 
ment, and  with  many  who  are  openly  op- 
posed to  it  as  it  stangs  now.  and  they  have 
told  me  flatly  that  if  we  would  seek  direct 
legislation  and  appropriation  instead  of 
pursuing  the  course  of  tacking  our  meas- 
ures on  the  general  appropriation  bill  in 
the  form  of  amendments,  they  would 
stand  with  us.  They  one  and  all  admit 
that  it  is  a  question  of  a  short  time  when 
an  irrigation  act  will  be  put  through.  The 
bills  favorable  to  us,  which  were  returned 
from  committee  this  winter,  came  before 
the  House  two  (lays  before  adjournment 
and  consequently  too  late. 

My  own  conclusion  and  judgment  is  that 
our  absolute  success  is  merely  a  matter  of 
organization.  If  well  organized  now  I  am 
convinced  that  our  policy  will  be  fully  in- 
augurated at  the  next  session.  If  we  are 
apathetic  we  may  lose  all  we  have  gained. 
Qur  strongest  opponents  are  eastern  agri- 
culturists, who  believe  erroneously  that 
western  development  will  result  in  dis- 


astrous competition,  and  an  even  stronger 
class  that  believes  the  Government  domain 
•hould  be  ceded  to  the  States  and  the 
States  forced  to  stand  the  expense  of  re- 
clamation— something  few  States,  if  any, 
could  afford  to  do. 

Untiring  work   and  effort  must  be  the 
keynote  of  the  work. 

Increased  Interest  It  is  surprising  to  note  the 
in  irrigation.  interest  the  metropolitan 
papers  take  in  irrigation  in  the  West  and 
the  conservation  of  the  flood  waters  which 
run  unchecked  to  the  sea.  This  should 
lead  to  an  education  of  the  people  in  cor- 
rect lines,  and  result  in  beneficiaf  and 
needed  legislation.  That  it  is  more  and 
more  the  subject  of  editorial  comment  in 
the  city  journals  is  a  cause  of  congratula- 
tion. The  time  should  not  be  far  distant 
when  every  irrigation  possibility  will  be 
utilized  to  the  utmost  capacity.  An  anci- 
ent civilization  has  recorded  in  our  South- 
west its  belief  in  irrigation,  and  if  any  one 
doubts  its  value  let  him  read  the  lesson 
taught  by  the  ruins  of  great  cities  and 
mighty  peoples,  once  living  where  now  a 
desert  reigns  supreme.  Until  we  equal 
the  record  of  the  past,  an  education  is 
needed  in  irrigation  matters. 


Chinese 
Canals. 


In  the  great  Empire  of  China, 
notwithstanding  the  vast  anti- 
quity of  her  alphabet  and  records,  the 
distribution  of  water  by  canals  dates  back 
into  the  fabulous  period.  Forty  centuries 
of  recorded  history  do  not  describe  the 
methods  first  in  use  which  even  then  were 
old.  Chinese  irrigation  of  to-day,  though 
entailing  enormous  labor,  yields  three  full 
crops  a  year  and  the  soil  asks  for  no  inter- 
val of  rest. 

A  thousand  years  before  the  birth  of 
Christ,  the  Chinese  record  has  it,  the 
Wou-Weng  caused  to  be  constructed  hy- 
draulic machines  of  simple  design  and 
working,  which  were  successfully  used  for 
filling  storage  reservoirs,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence, agriculture  flourished.  Some  800 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


391 


years  later,  or  about  250  B.  C.,  the  great 
Teheng-Ko  canal  was  constructed  to  di- 
vert the  waters  of  the  King  River,  by 
which  fully  a  million  acres  of  arid  land 
were  made  highly  productive.  This,  Chi- 
nese history  states,  so  increased  the  wealth 
and  enriched  the  monarch  that  he  was  en- 
abled to  transform  his  Kingdom  into  an 
Empire. 

The  Wealth  "In  the  new  West,"  said 
Mr.  Wantland  in  his  address 
at  the  Transmississippi  Congress  at  Crip- 
ple Creek,  "the  main  lines  of  railway  are 
already  provided.  The  pioneer  lines  were 
not  constructed  because  the  products  of 
the  country  they  crossed  justified  the  ex- 
penditure. There  were  profits  in  the  days 
when  the  first  trans-continental  road  was 
built.  This  was  done  when  the  great  pos- 
sibilities of  the  West  were  only  talked  of 
by  dreamers;  now,  'All  wise  men  agree 
that  beyond  the  Mississippi  lies  the  great 
wealth  of  the  days  to  come,'  and  the 
prophets  of  today  tell  us  that  the  great 
trade  to  be  developed  in  the  lands  beyond 
the  Pacific  will  call  for  all  the  grain  which 
can  be  raised  in  the  irrigated  valleys  of 
the  Pacific  Coast  states. 

"In  a  report  to  the  56th  Congress  on 
the  Free  Homes  Bill,  the  Committee  on 
Public  Lands  said: 

'  '  No  legislative  enactment  ever  placed 
upon  the  statute  books  of  the  nation  has 
been  more  lauded  than  the  free  home- 
stead law  of  the  United  States.  Under  its 
beneficent  provisions  the  hardy  sons  of 
New  England,  the  thrifty  young  men  of 
the  middle  and  western  states,  and  the 
sturdy  immigrants  of  the  Old  World 
poured  into  the  fertile,  unoccupied  regions 
of  the  West,  and  by  the  labor  of  their 
hands  they  transformed  the  forests  into 
fruitful  farms  and  changed  the  almost 
limitless  plains  of  prairie  grass  into  billowy 
fields  of  waving  grain.  Cities  and  towns 
sprang  up  in  this  territory  as  if  by  magic, 
churches  and  schoolhouses  are  found  at 
every  crossroads,  and  no  more  valuable 


and  loyal  citizens  can  be  found  in  all  the 
commonwealth  than  the  original  home- 
steaders and  their  descendants.  It  was  a 
poor  man's  law;  poor  men  availed  them- 
selves of  its  advantages,  but  the  fabulous 
wealth  they  have  created  for  themselves 
and  the  nation  is  beyond  computation.' 

'The  arguments  in  favor  of  paying  a  few 
millions  of  dollars  to  Indians  in  order  that 
additional  lands  in  reservations  could  be 
thrown  open  to  homestead  entry  free  apply 
with  double  force  in  favor  of  appropria- 
tions by  congress  to  assist  in  the  reclama- 
tion of  arid  lands  farther  away  from  the 
great  centers  of  population  in  order  that 
home-builders  may  be  given  an  opportunity 
to  make  a  living  in  the  mountain  and 
Pacific  Coast  states,  where  irrigation  is 
necessary. 

"If  it  is  good  policy  to  buy  off  Indians 
and  open  the  12,000  homestead  tracts  in 
Oklahoma,  for  which  100,000  struggled, 
the  business  men  of  the  West  may  con- 
sistently urged  that  it  is  right  to  put  water 
upon  40,000,000  acres  of  arid  lands,  upon 
which  a  million  families  can  raise  grain 
and  fruit  on  forty  acre  farms.  But  unless 
the  merchants  and  manufacturers  and 
heavy  taxpayers  of  the  West  realize  that 
it  is  their  burden,  and  get  behind  the  ef- 
forts of  the  National  Irrigation  and  other 
associations  working  for  improved  condi- 
tions, many  of  us  will  be  a  long  time  dead 
probably  before  the  western  members  of 
congress  will  get  together  and  secure  the 
necessary  strength  to  push  through  con- 
gress the  needed  legislation. 

"Trade  follows  the  flag,  but  it  also  fol- 
lows the  irrigation  reservoir  and  the  ditch, 
if  they  carry  water  at  the  right  time. 

"If  organization  can  be  substituted  for 
talk;  surveys  for  theories,  reservoir  build- 
ing for  resolutions,  and  the  homelesa 
from  other  states  be  brought  into  our  val- 
leys and  given  a  chance  to  build  up  homes 
under  favorable  conditions,  then  we  may 
justly  claim  it  to  be  true  that  'The  West 
is  the  most  American  part  of  America. '  ' 


392 


1HE  IRR1GA1ION  AGE. 


Mining  It  will  n°t  be  contended  by 

Development.  thoge  who    put    forward   the 

claim  that  the  reclamation  of  the  West 
through  irrigation  will  work  to  the  detri- 
ment'of  the  eastern  farmer;  that  it  would 
benefit  the  farmers  of  New  England,  New 
York  or  Pennsylvania,  if  every  human 
habitation  west  of  the  Alleghenies  were 
blotted  out  of  existence,  and  every  farm  in 
that  great  region  made  desolate  in  order  to 
remove  competition. 

Those  who  have  studied  the  resources 
and  possibilities  of  the  West  realize  fully 
that  agriculture,  as  it  will  be  worked  out 
on  the  irrigated  lands,  is  but  an  incident 
of  the  gigantic  production  of  which  the 
West  is  capable,  and  the  possibilities  of 
which  are  today  really  so  little  known. 
The  mineral  resources  of  the  arid  region 
are  so  vast,  including  the  great  produc- 
tion of  oil,  which  is  now  beginning  to  be 
developed,  that  agriculture  will  be  more  a 
stimulus  to  mining  development  than  any- 


thing else .  In  the  arid  West,  where  liv- 
ing and  transportation  as  a  rule  are  expen- 
sive, only  the  comparatively  high  grade 
ores  can  be  profitably  worked.  The  tre- 
mendous mining  resources  of  the  country 
can  never  be  fully  developed  without 
cheap  food  and  cheap  transportation,  and 
these  the  West  will  never  have  until  it 
has  irrigation.  Nothing  could  possibly 
benefit  the  East  more  than  the  develop- 
ment of  the  wealth  of  the  Western  mines. 

The  evolution  of  the  wind- 
mill, from  the  huge  clumsy 
machine  of  the  fourteenth  century,  or 
from  even  the  windmill  of  fifty  years  ago. 
to  the  present  improved,  light,  rapid 
running  but  powerful  form  of  today,  has 
been  as  remarkable  as  any  feature  of  irri- 
gation development,  and  the  American 
windmill  of  the  present  is  no  unimportant 
accessory  to  the  great  irrigation  systems 
which  are  being  year  by  year  projected 
and  completed  throughout  the  West. 


Windmill 
Evolution. 


IRRIGATION  IN    INDIA  AND 
AMERICA. 

BY.  E.-H.  PARGITER,  OP  THE  IRRIGATION  BRANCH,  PUBLIC  WORKS 
DEPARTMENT,  PANJAB.  INDIA. 

(Continued  from  last  month.) 

But  after  the  cessation  of  the  scanty  rains  in  the  mountains,  in  a 
year  of  drought,  the  rivers  soon  fall  very  low,  and  become  quite  in- 
sufficient to  supply  the  demand  for  water  from  them.  The  supply 
that  each  canal  obtains  has  to  be  very  carefully  distributed,  and 
economically  used,  so  as  to  allow  of  as  large  an  area  as  possible,  be- 
ing irrigated.  This  is  now  done  by  running  each  distributary  or 
branch,  full,  for  a  few  days  at  a  time;  all  getting  thus  a  supply  in  ro- 
tation. This,  fortunately,  can  easily  be  done  during  the  cold  weather 
months — as  a  rotation  period  of  one  month  can  be  given,  it  not  being 
necessary  to  water  the  crops  then  grown,  oftener  than  once  a  month. 
During  the  hot  weather  months  it  is  necessary  to  allow  water  to  be 
given  every  fifteen  days  at  most;  but  then  the  supply  is  ample,  and 
can  be  given,  usually,  whenever  wanted,  without  having  to  carry  out 
any  system  of  working  the  different  branches  in  rotation  in  order  to 
economize  the  supply. 

Having  already  mentioned  the  canals  supplied  by  the  Rivers 
Ganges  and  Jumna,  there  remain  in  upper  India  those  supplied  by  the 
five  rivers  of  the  Panjab,  viz. :  the  Indus  and  its  tributaries.  Each  of 
these  rivers  now  has,  or  will  in  course  of  time  have  a  large  perennial 
canal  taking  out  on  its  left  or  south  bank,  near  where  it  commences  its 
long  course  through  the  great  plains;  with  a  permanent  weir  across 
the  whole  width,  able  to  dam  up  the  whole  cold  weather  discharge,  if 
necessary,  and  turn  it  into  the  canals.  Lower  down  the  courses  of 
these  rivers  in  the  very  arid  tracts  of  country  in  the  South  West  Pan- 
jab,  and  in  the  province  of  Sindh,  there  are  numerous  small  canals  on 
both  banks,  called  inundation  canals,  as  they  are  chiefly  designed  to  flow 
only  during  the  hot  vreather  months  when  the  rivers  are  in  flood.  In 
Sindh  some  of  these  are  large  and  important  canals,  and  have  a  fair 
supply  during  the  cold  weather  months  also,  so  they  are  really  per- 
ennial, not  inundation  canals,  though  usually  classed  as  inundation 
canals,  because  their  system  of  working  more  nearly  resembles  that  of 
the  latter,  than  that  of  the  former. 

Of  the  large  perennial  canals  alluded  to,  three  are  completed  and 
irrigating  large  tracts  of  country;  the  Bari  Doab  Canal  from  the  River 
Ravi  was  first  commenced,  soon  after  the  annexation  of  the  Panjab, 


394  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

and  has  been  working  for  more  than  thirty  years,  though  some  of  its 
branches  were  not  ready  till  much  later;  then  the  Sirhind  Canal  from 
the  River  Satlej  was  taken  in  hand,  and  has  been  working  for  seven- 
teen years;  and  next  the  Chanab  Uanal  from  the  River  Chanab,  just 
completed,  though  some  branches  have  been  working  for  several 
years-  The  next  canal  to  be  opened  will  be  the  Jhelam  Canal,  from 
the  River  Jhelam.  This  has  been  lately  commenced,  about  three 
years  ago,  and  is  expected  to  take  five  or  six  years  in  construction 
from  its  commencement,  before  it  will  be  sufficiently  ready  to  be 
opened  for  irrigation. 

The  circumstances  and  designs  of  the  first  named  of  the  above 
canals,  are  very  similar,  and  show  the  site  on  a  river  that  engineers  in 
India  30  years  ago  considered  it  necessary  to  select  for  the  head  works 
of  a  large  perennial  canal.  This  site  is  the  point  where  the  river 
leaves  the  lowest  mountain  ranges,  and  enters  the  great  plain  of 
North  India.  Here  the  river  bed  is  permanent,  and  narrower  than  in 
its  course  further  down  through  the  great  alluvial  plains  in  which,  as 
the  river  when  in  flood  erodes  its  banks  to  a  large  extent,  a  very  wide 
bed  has  been  cut  in  the  course  of  centuries.  The  wier  or  dam  across 
the  river  at  the  site  selected,  would  be  shorter  than  further  down, 
while  there  is  always  an  abundance  of  good  building  stone  in  the 
mountains  close  by,  and  the  river  bed  is  full  of  boulders  of  all  sizes, 
admirably  adapted  for  paving  and  flooring,  and  pitching  (or  riprapp- 
ing)  the  sides  of  works  and  channels. 

The  disadvantage  of  such  a  site  for  the  head  of  a  canal,  are, 
firstly,  that  for  the  first  few  miles  of  its  course  the  canal  is  in  very 
deep  digging,  and  the  cost  of  the  large  quantity  of  earthwork  in  ex- 
cavation is  considerable;  and  secondly,  that  the  canal  has  to  cross 
several  hill  torrent  and  drainage  channels  that  fall  into  the  river. 
The  crossings  are  very  troublesome  and  expensive  to  construct;  and 
the  subsequent  training  of  the  torrent  channels  leading  to  and  from 
the  crossings,  needs  constant  attention  and  frequently  a  heavy  ex- 
penditure on  spurs  and  riprapping.  These  channels  are  usually  dry, 
except  immediately  after  heavy  rain,  when  they  are  filled  with  a  rush- 
ing, raging  flood  of  water,  the  drainage  from  the  lowest  range  of  hills 
to  the  river.  This  water  is  heavily  laden  with  sand  and  sediment, 
and  cannot  be  taken  into  the  canal  for  fear  of  choking  it  up  with  the 
sediment  that  would  then  be  deposited.  Also  the  amount  of  water 
brought  down  would  often  be  much  in  excess  of  the  capacity  of  the 
canal.  Hence  each  drainage  channel  of  any  considerable  size  must  be 
provided  with  a  syphon  crossing,  to  pass  it  under  the  bed  of  the  canal; 
or  with  a  super-passage,  to  pass  it  above,  wherever  the  canal  is  in 
such  deep  digging  that  the  bed  of  the  torrent  is  well  above  the  full 
supply  level  in  the  canal.  The  foundations  of  these  syphons  and 


THE  1RRIGA  Tl  ON  A  GE.  395 

super- passages  are  necessarily  very  deep,  and  are  always  much  below 
the  subsoil  water  or  spring  level.  Consequently,  pumping  to  a  very 
great  extent,  and  sometimes  for  a  long  time,  has  to  be  carried  out 
both  before  and  during  the  construction  of  the  foundations;  entailing 
heavy  expenditure. 

Thus  to  counterbalance  the  smaller  cost  of  the  head  and  river 
works,  there  is  the  greater  cost  of  the  main  canal  channel,  the  long 
time  occupied  in  its  construction,  and  the  heavy  annual  maintenance 
charges,  besides  the  great  inconvenience,  or  even  danger,  that  would 
ensue  on  the  failure  or  destruction  of  any  syphon  or  super-passage, 
or  the  breaking  into  the  canal  of  any  torrent.  Consequently,  for  the 
later  designed  large  canals,  such  as  the  Chanab  and  Jhelam  Canals, 
the  sites  for  the  head  works  have  been  selected  much  lower  down  the 
courses  of  the  rivers,  where  there  are  no  hill  torrents  to  be  crossed, 
and  where,  as  the  river  bed  is  not  very  deep  below  the  ordinary 
ground  level  of  the  land  bordering  it,  the  depth  of  excavation  is  not 
excessive,  and  there  are  no  special  difficulties  to  be  overcome  in  the 
construction  of  the  main  canal.  Though  the  length  of  the  weir  across 
the  river  is  great,  nearly  a  mile  in  the  case  of  these  two  canals,  and 
long  lengths  of  strong  earthen  embankments  are  required,  with  much 
stone  or  brushwood  pitching  (or  riprapping)  on  their  slopes,  wherever 
they  have  to  meet  the  force  of  the  stream,  yet  on  the  whole  there  are 
no  special  difficulties  of  construction  or  maintenance.  Earthwork 
also  in  India  is  done  very  cheaply  and  rapidly;  and  thus,  this  system 
is  found  to  be  more  satisfactory  and  to  give  less  trouble,  than  the 
former  one  of  keeping  hill  torrents  under  control,  conducting  the 
waters  across  the  canal,  and  seeing  them  safely  off  the  premises  and 
on  their  way  into  the  river. 

Both  the  Sirhind  and  Bari  Doab  Canals  are  now  valuable  proper- 
ties and  sound  investments,  bringing  in  to  the  government  a  hand- 
some net  revenue,  after  paying  all  expenses  of  working,  maintenance, 
and  annual  interest  on  the  capital  cost  of  their  construction.  As  they 
commence  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  they  first  traverse  for  some  60  to 
80  miles,  the  belt  of  country  in  which  in  most  years  of  average  rain- 
fall, no  irrigation  is  necessary,  though  here  some  irrigation  is  done 
by  cultivators  who  grow  the  more  valuable  crops  which  require  many 
or  frequent  waterings.  The  demand  for  water  is  comparatively  small 
in  ordinary  years  in  these  upper  reaches  of  the  canal;  but  should  the 
rainfall  be  deficit,  or  too  long  delayed,  the  demand  suddenly  becomes 
great:  and  as  it  can  be  supplied,  the  area  irrigated,  and  the  revenue 
derived  from  the  water  rates  assessed,  are  largely  increased.  The 
revenue  of  the  canal  in  this  tract  may  thus  vary  very  considerably 
from  year  to  year.  South  of  this  belt  where  cultivation  is  precarious 
or  impossible  without  irrigation,  the  demand  is  always  great,  but  may 


396  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 

be  relieved  for  a  few  days  or  even  weeks  occasionally  by  a  good  gen- 
eral fall  of  rain.  In  these  middle  and  lower  reaches  of  the  canal,  the 
cultivators  know  they  cannot  depend  on  getting  enough  rain  on  which 
to  sow  and  mature  a  crop;  therefore  they  readily  take  canal  water 
early  each  season  before  the  rainy  season  commences,  and  are  pre- 
pared.to  pay  the  full  water  rates  for  it  whatever  help  in  the  way  of 
rain  may  follow.  But  in  the  upper  reaches,  those  who  intend  grow- 
ing ordinary  grain  and  fodder  crops  during  the  hot  weather  months, 
will  wait  for  the  rains  to  begin  in  the  later  half  of  June,  or  early  in 
July;  and  if  they  obtain  good  rain  by  then,  they  commence  plough- 
ing and  sowing,  knowing  that  if  the  rains  continue  normal  until  well 
on  in  September,  their  crops  will  be  matured  and  are  safe,  without 
any  assistance  in  the  way  of  canal  irrigation  being  required.  But  if 
the  rains  do  not  commence  in  good  time,  as  usual,  and  a  drought  en- 
sues, they  cannot  wait  very  long,  or  the  sowing  season  will  pass 
away;  but  by  the  middle  of  July  must  take  canal  water  if  they  are  to 
.grow  as  good  crops,  and  to  as  great  an  extent  as  they  need.  Again  it 
sometimes  happens  that  good  rains  commence  early,  and  the  cultiva- 
tors plough  and  sow  rejoicing;  but  after  a  time,  the  rains  fail  and 
a  long  drought  ensues  during  July  and  August.-  The  crops  begin  to 
droop  and  dry  up;  and  to  save  them  their  owners  are  forced  to  have 
recourse  to  canal  water,  for  which  they  are  glad  and  willing  enough 
to  pay  the  water  rates,  where  they  are  unable  to  give  irrigation  from 
wells  by  life. 

In  the  tract  of  country  traversed  by  each  of  these  two  canals,  the 
upper  portion  was  thickly  populated  and  largely  cultivated  before  the 
construction  of  the  canal;  the  middle  portion  was  moderately  popu- 
lated and  cultivated,  with  much  waste  land  interspersed;  while  the 
lower  portion  was  mostly  uncultivated  waste  land  with  a  very  sparse 
population.  When  the  canal  was  completed,  and  irrigation  com- 
menced, the  existing  population  could  easily  obtain  all  the  water  it 
needed,  and  irrigation  in  the  upper  reaches  was  freely  allowed,  or 
even  encouraged,  in  order  to  dispose  of  the  water  available.  But  by 
degrees  cultivation  increased  in  the  middle  and  lower  reaches,  by  the 
existing  population  gradually  increasing  and  extending  the  area  it 
could  manage  to  plough  and  sow;  and  by  the  advent;  of  newcomers 
who  bought  land,  or  were  given  grants  of  land  by  the  government  as 
rewards  for  past  good  service.  The  government  has,  by  this  means 
been  able  to  pension  and  reward,  at  a  small  cost  to  itself,  great  num- 
bers of  soldiers  and  civilians,  who  thus  have  become  useful  and  profit- 
able members  of  society  instead  of  being  non-productive  on  money 
pensions  alone.  With  the  demand  for  canal  water  thus  largely  in- 
creased in  the  middle  and  lower  reaches,  the  supply  available  in  the 
rivers  for  both  these  canals  during  the  cold  weather  is  very  much  be- 


1HE  IRRIGATION  AGE.  397 

low  the  demand;  and  it  has  become  necessary  to  refuse  irrigation 
largely  during  the  cold  weather  in  the  upper  reaches.  This  is  not 
such  a  great  hardship  to  the  people  as  it  might  at  first  sight  appear; 
for  in  consequence  of  the  canals  having  been  in  flow,  and  irrigation 
practiced  for  so  many  years,  the  subsoil  water  spring  level  has  risen 
considerably,  and  is  near  the  ground  surface.  Irrigation  from  wells 
is  therefore  easy  and  profitable;  there  are  many  wells  in  this  tract  of 
country  which  have  fallen  into  disuse,  since  canal  water  was  obtain- 
able, and  these  can  be  readily  brought  into  use  again,  while  new  ones 
can  also  be  constructed  at  a  small  cost.  Again  the  cessation  of  irri- 
gation for  half  the  year  will  check  the  too  rapid  rise  of  the  spring 
level  toward  the  ground  surface,  while  the  general  use  of  lift  irriga- 
tion from  wells  will  even  lower  the  spring  level  again  to  some  extent; 
so  that  the  soil  will  be  saved  from  becoming  'saturated,  and  be  kept 
wholesome,  fit  for  use,  and  inhabitable. 

The  tract  of  country,  to  irrigate  which  the  Chanab  Canal  was  con- 
structed, was  almost  entirely  barren  waste  and  uninhabited  jungle; 
this  jungle  consisting  of  certain  plants,  shrubs  and  low  trees,  which 
grow  with  very  little  rain  to  nourish  them.  It  had  not  been  claimed 
by  anyone  at  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  the  Panjab  after  annexa- 
tion, and  therefore  all  the  proprietary  rights  to  it  fell  to  the  govern- 
ment. The  rainfall  is  too  scanty  and  uncertain  to  allow  of  cultivation 
and  the  only  inhabitants  were  owners  of  herds  of  camels,  cattle  and 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  which  managed  to  find  a  sustenance  on  the 
grasses  that  grew  after  rain,  and  on  the  jungle  growth.  Camels  and 
goats  can  subsist  entirely  on  the  leaves  of  shrubs  and  trees.  The 
subsoil  water  was  at  far  too  great  a  depth  below  the  ground  surface  to 
a  low  of  irrigation  by  lift  from  wells.  Hence  the  land  was  new  land,, 
virgin  soil,  uncultivated  for  centuries;  and  before  the  advent  of  canal 
water,  was  practically  valueless.  But  directly  irrigation  was  practic- 
able, by  canal  water  being  made  available,  its  value  at  once  rose  to 
about  $15  per  acre,  in  the  open  market. 

There  being  little  or  no  population  on  the  land  to  utilize  the 
canal  water,  government  had.  concurrently  with  the  construction  of 
the  canal,  to  colonize  and  to  bring  settlers  on  to  the  land;  so  that  as 
soon  as  the  canal  should  be  open  for  irrigation  there  might  be  irriga- 
tors  to  make  use  of  the  water.  Accordingly  settlers  were  invited  to 
come  from  other  districts,  which,  having  been  inhabited  and  cultivated 
fully  for  generations,  had  been  congested  and  needed  an  outlet  for 
their  surplus  population. 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  new  colonists;  they  came 
freely;  the  colonization  officer,  specially  appointed  to  allot  land  to 
them,  had  rather  to  exercise  discrimination,  and  select  the  most  suit 


398  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE,. 

able;  those  acquainted  with  agriculture,  and  ready  to  work  themselves 
as  farmers,  being  taken  on  at  once. 

This  system  of  constructing  a  new  canal  in  waste  land,  and  colo- 
nizing the  land  by  new  settlers  has  already  been  tried  on  a  smaller 
scale,  and  had  answered  very  successfully  in  the  Panjab,  in  two  other 
places  where  inundation  canals  were  constructed.  The  people  having 
seen  or  heard  of  these,  were  quite  willing  to  come  where  there  was  a 
perennial  canal,  and  felt  assured  that  their  future  prospects  as  colo- 
nist would  be  quite  safe.  When  the  construction  of  these  two  canals 
was  determined  on,  it  was  quite  a  new  experiment  in  colonization  in 
North  India  and  no  certainty  was  felt  that  sufficient  colonists  of  the 
right  stamp  could  be  induced  to  come  without  great  attractions,  and 
valuable  considerations  being  held  out.  Among  the  conditions  there- 
fore, put  forward,  was  the  promise,  that  every  colonist  would  be  al- 
lowed to  purchase  outright  the  full  proprietary  rights  in  his  land  for 
a  very  low  value,  about  $2.00  per  acre,  if  he  should  prove  himself 
able  within  a  few  years,  to  bring  it  all  under  cultivation.  It  was  not 
long  however,  before  the  government  found  that  in  so  doing  it  was 
virtually  giving  away  for  next  to  nothing  much  valuable  property. 
The  land  became  worth  several  times  that  value,  and  purchasers  were 
willing  to  pay  the  full  value.  .  The  government  therefore,  naturally, 
reasonably  and  wisely  determined  in  future  cases  to  retain  the  pro- 
prietary rights  in  its  own  hands,  or  to  sell  land  only  at  its  full  value 
as  land  with  assured  irrigation  rights  and  facilities, 

There  were  other  strong  reasons  why  the  government  should  keep 
the  ownership  of  the  land  in  its  own  hands  rather  than  sell  it.  When 
any  lots  of  land  were  sold  or  leased  to  men  who  were  not  themselves 
real  colonists,  wishing  to  settle  on  and  farm  the  land,  such  men 
brought  in  tenants  from  outside  and  rented  the  land  to  these  to  culti- 
vate. Now  the  prospects  of  tenants  on  this  rich  virgin  soil,  with  an 
abundant  and  assured  supply  of  water  for  flow  or  gravity  irrigation 
were  far  better  and  safer  than  those  of  tenants  in  neighboring  places, 
where  cultivation  had  to  be  carried  on  chiefly  by  lifting  water  from 
wells  by  bullock  power;  or  where  there  was  a  less  certain  means  of  ir- 
rigation from  the  old  inundation  canals  to  obtain  which  irrigation 
also  much  time  and  labor  had  to  be  spent  on  annual  silt  clearances  in 
the  canals  and  distributaries.  Consequently  these  places  were  largely 
deserted  by  their  tenants  for  the  new  colony  lands;  and  the  owners  of 
the  former  loudly  complained  of  being  ruined  by  their  tenants  being 
attracted  elsewhere,  and  their  land  being  thus  abandoned  and  thrown 
out  of  cultivation.  Government  also  lost  the  land  revenue  assessed 
on  these  lands  as  cultivated  land.  It  became  therefore  necessary  to 
see  that  the  colonization  of  new  land  did  not  tend  to  throw  other  land 
out  of  cultivation.  If  the  new  land  was  sold  or  leased  to  capitalists, 


'LEE  IRRIGA 1  TON  A  GE.  399 

or  owners  of  land  elsewhere,  such  had  as  a  rule,  no  scruples  or  con- 
science whatever  as  regards  attracting  tenants  from  other  estates 
which  needed  them,  but  would  unhesitatingly  take  any  they  could 
get,  regardless  of  their  thus  ruining  other  landowners  With  them  it 
was  naturally  as  might  be  expected  a  case  of  every  one  for  himself; 
but  governmeat,  as  the  custodian  of  the  interests  and  well  being  of 
all,  as  well  as  of  its  revenues,  as  naturally  found  it  necessary  to  take 
precautions  when  allotting  land,  and  to  make  sure  that  its  new  colo- 
nists and  tenants  were  really  obtained  from  the  congested  districts 
from  which  emigration  was  desirable.  The  civil  colonzation  officers, 
therefore  had  plenty  to  do;  while  the  engineers  were  at  work  con- 
structing the  canal,  with  its  branches,  distributaries,  village  water- 
courses, and  all  the  numerous  works  on  these,  he  was  at  work  investi- 
gating the  means  and  circumstances  of  applicants  for  land,  and  allott- 
ing to  each  only  as  much  as  he  was  likely  to  be  able  to  make  full 
use  of. 

When  the  Chanab  Canal  was  ready  for  opening,  government  of- 
fered for  sale  by  auction,  a  good  many  thousand  acres  of  land,  in  es- 
tates of  varying  size.  There  was  good  competition  for  these  among 
the  leading  capitalists  and  large  landowners  of  the  Panjab,  and  the 
average  price  per  acre  realized  was  about  $15.  Though  government 
intended  to  keep  the  ownership  of  most  of  the  land  in  its  hands,  yet 
it  sold  these  estates,  situated  in  different  parts  of  the  tract  of  country 
to  be  irrigated,  under  the  impression  that  wealthy  and  influential 
purchasers  would  make  trustworthy  and  good  landlords,  would  im- 
prove their  land  to  the  best  advantage,  would  treat  their  tenants  well, 
and  altogether  would  be  model  landlords,  and  that  their  estates  would 
be  model  ones  and  patterns  for  all  the  smaller  owners  and  tenants  to 
form  their  own  by;  that  the  great  mass  of  the  colonists  would  be 
benefitted  by  having  a  good  and  well  cared  for  estate  near  them  to 
imitate;  and  that  these  model  landlords  would  be  leading  and  repre- 
sentative men  for  the  whole  Canal  Colony.  But  the  result  proved 
far  otherwise  than  was  expected.  These  landlords',  as  a  rule,  cared 
little  or  nothing  for  the  display  of  any  public  spirit,  or  disinterested- 
ness, but  cared  much  for  getting  quickly  all  the  profit  they  could, 
Their  estates  were  rack  rented,  crops  were  grown  as  fast  as  possible, 
with  the  result  of  speedily  impoverishing  the  soil;  and  very  soon  in - 
stead  of  being  models  of  how  to  do  it,  they  became  rather  object  les- 
sons or  how  not  to  do  it.  The  landlords  pi ef erred,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected, to  live  on  their  old  established  estates,  or  in  their  city  homes, 
where  they  had  every  comfort  and  convenience  about  them,  rather 
than  set  up  a  new  residence  in  a  fresh  country,  where  they  could  not 
readily  obtain  many  of  the  luxuries  they  were  accustomed  to,  and 
would  have  to  live  among  strangers.  The  government  therefore  pre- 


400  THE  IERIGA1ION  AGE 

f erred  to  be  itself  the  model  landlord,  and  give  its  tenants  valuable 
occupancy  rights  on  their  estates  at  a  fair  rent  if  they  proved  them- 
selves good  tenants. 

(Continued  next  month.) 


THE  ISLE  OF  MEMORY. 

BY  J.  A.  EDGERTON. 

From  out  the  overarch  of  gray 

I  see  a  golden  clime; 
And  there  the  silver  ripples  play, 
And  there  the  blue  waves  chime; 
Where  you  and  I  together, 
In  sweet  and  stormy  weather, 
Floated  for  a  little  way 

Adown  the  Stream  of  Time. 

There  is  a  glory  lost  to  view, 

A  loveliness  withdrawn; 
The  skies  have  never  seemed  so  blue, 
So  beauteous  the  dawn, 
As  in  the  happy  old  time, 
As  in  the  glad  and  gold  time, 
When  life  was  new  and  hearts  were  true — 
The  days  that  now  are  gone. 

Since  you  have  gone  away,  my  sweet, 

The  world  has  been  so  gray; 
My  life  has  never  seemed  complete, 
As  in  that  early  day. 

There  is  a  measure  scant,  dear, 
From  the  soul's  hidden  want,  dear 
A  yearning  nothing  else  will  meet, 
Since  you  have  gone  away. 

I've  sought  to  find  in  other  eyes 

A  surcease  for  my  pain — 
In  other  scenes  and  other  skies, 
But  I  have  sought  in  vain; 
For  whatso'er  I  do,  love, 
My  heart  returns  to  you,  love. 
The  sad  and  sweet  old  memories 
Come  back  to  me  again. 

The  years  have  been  so  long,  dear  heart, 

I  thought  I  might  forget; 
But  the  night  silences  impart 
To  me  the  old  regret. 

Old  dreams  come  o'er  me  thronging, 
The  old  and  nameless  longing. 
The  spirits  of  the  dead  past  start 
To  life  around  me  yet. 


VALUE  OF  IRRIGATED  LAND. 


PROF.  ELWOOD  MEAD  TESTIFIES  ABOUT  IT  BE- 
FORE THE   UNITED  STATES   INDUSTRIAL 
COMMISSION. 

The  following  is  the  testimony  of  Prof.  Elwood  Mead,  irrigation 
expert  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  before  the  United  States 
Industrial  commission,  as  to  the  value  of  irrigated  land. 

"  The  value  of  irrigated  land  is  governed  by  nearness  to  markets, 
by  the  climate  which  governs  the  kinds  of  production,  and  the  dis- 
tance and  cost  of  railway  transportation  to  the  great  markets  of  the 
world.  In  southern  California  and  around  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  where  you 
can  raise  citrus  fruits  and  other  high  priced  products,  irrigated  land 
reaches  a  value  as  great  as  is  found  anywhere  in  this  country,  or  per- 
haps in  the  world;  there  lands  having  no  improvements  except  the 
orange  orchards,  have  sold  as  high  as  $1800  an  acre  and  perhaps 
higher — but  I  have  seen  lands  that  sold  for  that  price  in  southern 
California — and  water  has  a  corresponding  value.  Water  rentals 
reach  to  figures  that  would  be  impossible  elsewhere  in  those  sections. 
I  know  of  instances  where  water  rents  for  $45  an  inch  a  year,  and 
where- the  rights  to  it  reach  as  high  as  $1000  an  inch.  Now,  when  you 
come  to  the  northern  part  of  that  arid  region,  the  portion  that  com- 
petes with  the  agricultural  districts  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains, 
there  you  get  into  cheaper  water  supplies  and  cheaper  lands. 

"Throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  arid  region  it  will  always  be 
largely  devoted  to  the  growing  of  live  stock  and  to  gardens  to  supply 
the  mines  and  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  centers  of  the  re- 
gion. After  you  have  satisfied  your  local  market  then  you  have  not 
anything  but  the  furnishing  of  the  winter  supply  for  live  stock  as  a 
basis  for  any  large  development.  The  greatest  industry  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  the  arid  region  is  live  stock,  and  that  today  is 
largely  based  on  the  use  of  the  remaining  public  lands  and  the  private 
lands  that  have  passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the  government  or  the  rail- 
roads as  a  grazing  ground.  Formerly  it  was  the  practice  to  turn 
cattle  and  sheep  loose  on  those  grazing  lands  and  let  them  go  from 
youth  to  old  age  without  ever  having  any  care  or  shelter — simply 
turning  them  loose  winter  and  summer.  They  earn  their  subsistence 
off  the  open  range.  But  that  is  now  giving  away  to  the  practice  of 
feeding  in  winter.  That  is  not  voluntary;  it  has  been  forced. 

"The  over-pastuting  of  the  public  and  private  grazing  lauds  has 
made  it  impossible  to  depend  on  them  for  the  winter's  food  supply^ 


402  THE  IRRIGATION  AGE.     - 

and  you  have  to  provide  for  it;  and  therefore  you  have  to  depend  on 
the  irrigated  lands,  and  those  lands  to  be  available  have  to  be  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  range  country  because  when  the  storms  come 
in  the  winter  you  cannot  supply  stock  50  or  100  miles  from  a  railroad, 
even  if  you  had  an  unlimited  supply  of  feed  at  the  railroad.  It  is  im- 
possible to  transport  it;  you  must  store  it  where  it  is  needed,  and  the 
needs  of  the  livestock  business  have  been  one  of  the  greatest  incen- 
tives to  irrigation  and  furnish  one  of  the  best  markets  for  crops  grown, 
principally  native  hay  and  alfafa.  Those  are  the  two  leading  general 
crops.  I  do  not  think  corn  can  ever  become  a  general  crop  under  irri- 
tion.  It  is  grown  in  restricted  areas  as  a  part  of  the  system  of  rota- 
tion, in  places  as  a  cultivated  crop;  but  there  is  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  arid  land  where  it  is  too  cold  nights.  That  is  a  characteristic 
of  the  arid  region  that  it  is  too  cold  nights  to  make  it  a  corn-growing 
region.  Besides,  alfafa  is  a  better  stock  food,  and  you  could  not  grow 
corn  at  a  profit  if  you  had  to  ship  it  out. 

"Now  the  same  thing  is  true  of  wheat.     Unless  there  shall  be  a 
market  in  the  East  so  that  you  can  get  it  to  the  ocean  without  exces- 
sive railroad  charges,  there   will   never  be  any  large  development  of 
the  wheat  growing   industry   in   the  irrigated   regions.     You  cannot 
grow  it  and  ship  it  out.     The  great  bulk  of  the  wheat  grown  now  is 
consumed  at  home,  and  in  a  good  many  of  the  arid  states  they  do  not 
raise  enough  to  supply   their   home   demand,  do  not  begin   to   raise 
enough.     Montana,  Wyoming  and  Idaho  are  all  importers  of  flour. 
They  are  considerable  importers  of  oats.     They  have  not  reached  the 
point  where  they  supply  the  home  demands,  and  this  is  true  of  nearly 
all  those  states,  that  the  development  of  mining  the  precious  and  use- 
ful metals  and  the  growth  of  the  home   demand   for  the   local  food 
supply  is  going  on  now  faster  than  the  extension  of  irrigation.     Fur- 
thermore when  we  have  done  all  we  can,  there  will  not  be  10  per  cent 
of  the  territory  west  of  the  100th  meridian,  uatil  you  get  over  into  the 
rainy  districts  on  the  Pacific   coast,  that  can  ever  be  brought  under 
cultivation.     Either  there  is  not  the  water  or  it  is  not  available;  you 
cannot  make  use  of  only  a  small  fraction  of  the  Columbia.      It  is  ques- 
tionable whether   we   can  ever  utilize   all   of   the   Colorado,  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  we  can  make  a  complete  utilization  of  the  Missouri. 

'  'The  system  that  ought  to  be  adopted  is  to  attach,  if  possible, 
the  grazing  to  the  irrigated  lands;  give  a  man  who  has  160  acres  of  ir- 
rigated land  a  preference,  a  perfect  right  to  lease  a  certain  area — and 
not  a  very  large  area — of  the  contiguous  pasturage  so  as  to  have  the 
pasture  lands  divided  up  as  irrigable  lands  are  into  small  holdings.  I 
would  not  permit  anybody  to  lease  more  than  four  sections.  Now, 
that  is  not  a  popular  doctrine  in  the  West  today.  That  is  not  popular 
with  the  men  who  use  it  because  they  keep  much  larger  areas.  It 


THE  1RRIGA1ION  AGE.  403 

•would  require  a  readjustment  of  the  range  stock  business  as  it  exists 
at  the  present  time.  But  I  do  not  believe  it  would  greatly  promote 
the  creation  of  homes;  it  would  add  immensely  to  the  security  and 
value  of  the  irrigated  farms,  because  you  get  50  or  100  miles  away 
from  a  railroad  or  very  large  town,  mining  towns,  and  ability  to  use 
the  range  in  connection  with  your  irrigated  land  is  just  about  as  nec- 
essary as  a  water  supply  to  make  it  profitable.  You  can  not  grow 
hay  50  miles  from  a  railroad  and  haul  it  to  market;  it  does  not  pay. 
As  it  is  now,  the  men  who  do  thai,,  sell  their  oats  and  hay  to  the  range 
stockman,  but  it  would  be  a  better  plan  if  they  could  each  one  of  them 
have  a  little  interest  in  the  grazing  lands  for  their  own  stock  and  feed 
their  own  products  to  their  own  stock. 

"To  show  how  legislation  without  any  expenditure  of  funds  can 
promote  both  the  development  of  a  country  and  its  propensity  after  it 
is  settled,  we  have  an  illustration  of  that  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Carey  land  law.  The  Carey  act  gave  to  each  state  the  right  to  con- 
trol one  million  acres  of  land  if  they  would  accept  the  conditions  of 
the  grant;  and  five  states  accepted  it.  The  reason  for  this  was  to 
overcome  a  difficulty  in  the  existing  land  laws.  You  can  take  a, 
country  like  along  these  canals  there  that  is  subject  to  the  operation 
of  the  public  land  laws,  and  you  began  to  survey  a  ditch,  and  before 
the  survey  ended  there  was  a  .filing  on  that  land.  The  minute  that 
you  begin  to  set  your  stakes  out  there  it  becomes  manifest  that  a 
laige  portion  of  public  land  is  going  to  have  a  canal,  that  uhere  is  go- 
ing to  be  an  expenditure  of  several  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  build 
that  canal,  and  the  expenditure  of  that  money  adds  to  the  value  of 
every  acre  of  that  land.  The  very  minute  that  it  is  seen  that  it  is  go- 
ing to  be  irrigated  under  the  homestead  law,  now  men  will  rush  in 
who  never  have  been  farmers,  who  do  not  expect  to  be  farmers  and 
who  simply  seek  to  share  in  the  unearned  increment.  They  file  on 
that  land,  and  when  the  canal  has  been  completed  the  land  is  all  filed 
on,  and  it  is  very  largely  filed  on  by  people  who  have  no  other  object 
but  to  be  bought  off.  They  are  perfectly  willing  to  sell  out  for  a  con- 
sideration, or  they  will  hold  on  in  the  hope  of  selling,  but  the  result  is 
that  the  lands  are  kept  out  of  the  hands  of  men  who  would  settle  on 
them.  It  is  directly  a  tax  on  the  inan  who  does  come  in  to  occupy 
them.  He  has  to  pay  more  for  them,  or  the  canal  company  has  an  en- 
terprise on  its  hands  with  no  revenue  coming  from  it  because  the 
lands  are  held  by  noncultivators.  Now  that  is  the  objection  to  the 
homestead  law  and  its  operation  in  the  arid  region.  It  does  not  re- 
quire, in  addition  to  living,  cultivation;  if  it  did,  the  homestead  law 
would  be  an  ideal  law.  Now,  two  of  the  states,  in  accepting  this 
grant,  framed  what  I  believed  to  be  the  true  land  law  of  the  arid 
resrion. 


404  THE  TRRIGA  TION  A  GE. 

"There  is  going  to  come  a  time,  and  that  time  is  here  now,  if  de 
velopment  is  necessary,  when  there  will  have  to  be  an  expenditure  of 
public  funds  in  order  to  secure  certain  kinds  of  development.  There 
are  rivers  like  the  Missouri  that  I  do  not  believe  it  will  ever  pay 
within  our  lifetime  to  take  the  water  out  of  those  streams  because  it 
will  cost  so  much  that  the  land  will  not  pay  for  it.  Irrigated  land  and 
the  value  of  irrigation  improvements  is  measured  by  the  value  of  lands 
in  the  Mississippi  valley  or  the  value  of  irrigated  lands  under  cheaper 
works,  and  you  can  go  only  just  so  far  with  private  enterprise.  Now 
there  are  prospects  there  that  have  been  serving  some  time  that  it 
would  pay  as  a  public  work  perhaps  to  do  it,  because  in  bringing 
land  that  is  now  worthless  into  a  condition  of  productivity,  you  create 
homes,  you  create  taxable  values  that  the  public  gets  the  benefit  from 
that  the  private  investor  does  not  share  in,  and  there  is  the  argument 
in  favor  of  state  or  national  aid  to  certain  classes  of  important  works. 
And  there  are  certain  kinds  of  works  that  never  will  be  built  by  pri- 
vate enterprise  until  they  get  that  aid.  But  there  are  a  great  many 
works  that,  if  there  would  be  better  laws,  would  be  built  by  private 
investors  without  loss.  You  wculd  by  better  legislation  very  greatly 
promote  development  without  any  appropriations  of  money. 

''The  first  canals  were  taken  out  of  the  sluggish  streams  that 
flow  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  but  when  the  importance  of  the  value  of 
the  rice  product  becomes  established,  and  lands  rose  in  value  from  $5 
to  $50  and  $100  an  acre  it  became  manifest  that  those  streams  would 
not  supply  the  need  of  water;  and  they  began  looking  about  for  other 
sources  of  supply.  They  found  one  by  putting  down  wells,  so  that 
the  pumping  stations  to  supply  water  from  the  rivers  are  being  sup- 
plemented now  largely  by  wells.  Hundreds  of  wells  are  going  down 
throughout  that  portion  of  Louisiana  and  this  year  a  study  is  being 
made  to  determine  the  source  of  that  water  supply.  If  it  is  simply 
that  the  subsoil  is  filled  with  water  and  it  can  be  pumped  out,  it  will 
soon  be  exhausted;  but  there  is  a  belief  that  it  is  being  reinforced 
from  the  Mississippi.  There  was  a  conjecture  at  the  time  I  was  there, 
but  a  study  is  being  made  to  ascertain  if  it  be  true.  If  it  be  true, 
there  will  be  a  capacity  for  indefinite  extension  by  wells  of  water. 

"The  success  of  rice  growing  there  after  the  long  period  in  which 
we  had  been  continually  shrinking  in  our  rice  production,  has  led  to 
increased  interest  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  For  years  the  rice 
growing  there,  if  not  unprofitable,  has  not  been  sufficiently  profitable 
since  the  war  to  lead  to  any  extension.  In  fact  there  was  a  constant 
decline.  Old  canals  in  use  long  before  the  war  were  going  out  of 
operation;  but  that  is  now  being  extended  and  the  question  now  is 
whether  they  can  adopt  the  Louisiana  methods. 

"Rice  cultivation  in   the  Carolinas  is  largely   after  the  methods 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE  405 

prevailing  before  the  war.  The  crop  is  harvested  by  hand— cut  with 
the  sickle  and  bound  by  hand.  The  reason  it  is  so  much  more  suc- 
cessful in  Louisiana  is  the  application  of  modern  machinery.  The 
crops  there  are  cut  with  a  self-binder.  There  have  been  economics 
brought  into  the  field  labor,  and  the  methods  of  applying  and  dis- 
tributing water  are  patterned  after  the  West  rather  than  after  the 
Carolinas.  There  is  an  economy  in  the  distribution  of  water,  and 
there  is  another  very  marked  economy  in  the  harvesting  of  the  crop. 
An  industry  that  was  not  before  remunerative  has  been  made  exceed- 
ingly profitable. 

"The  southern  territory  is  also  likely  to  develop  irrigation  in  the 
growing  of  forage  crops.  Alfalfa  grows  in  the  south.  It  will  not 
grow  in  the  middle  east;  it  freezes  out  in  the  winter  and  does  not  seem 
to  thrive,  but  it  will  grow  and  live  through  and  become  a  perennial  in 
Louisiana.  There  seems  to  be  quite  a  field  for  the  use  of  irrigation  in 
the  growth  of  alfalfa  and  other  forage  crops  in  the  South  wherever 
you  can  get  water  at  sufficient  cost. 

"Now  the  same  questions  arise  in  the  East,  where  development 
has  gone  far  enough,  that  have  arisen  in  the  West.  In  the  South  the 
question  has  arisen  between  the  different  canals  as  to  who  has  the 
better  right  if  they  pump  out  more  than  they  will  supply.  They  will 
in  time  have  to  establish  some  system  of  priorities  there.  They  wiU 
have  to  determine  how  they  are  going  to  operate  under  the  doctrine 
of  riparian  rights.  That  is  an  unsettled  question  there  as  yet.  On 
one  of  the  streams  last  year  so  much  water  was  pumped  out  that  the 
river  changed  its  direction  and  ran  up  stream  for  a  distance  of  fifty 
miles.  The  current  changed  and  ran  back,  and  salt  water  came  in 
from  the  Gulf  and  ruined  the  pumps  farthest  down  the  stream.  Those 
are  matters  that  will  require  adjustment.  If  there  should  be  in  the 
East  any  considerable  demand  on  the  streams,  the  right  to  take  water 
from  eastern  streams  will  be  called  in  question,  so  that  the  economic 
and  legal  phases  of  this  question  have  already  ceased  to  be  sectional . 

"There  is  a  very  large  district,  reaching  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
to  the  Canadian  border,  where  this  question  needs  to  be  studied.  It 
embraces  western  Texas  western  Kansas,  western  Nebraska  and  the 
western  Dakotas  These  states  were  first  settled  up  in  the  humid 
part.  They  were  settled  up  and  became  states  or  settlements  quite 
sufficiently  important  in  the  western  arid  or  semi  arid  part  to  render 
irrigation  problems  important.  They  are  in  some  respects  among  the 
best  parts  of  the  arid  region,  because  ditches  can  be  built  at  small 
cost.  It  is  a  country  well  adapted  to  the  distribution  of  water,  and  it 
only  requires  a  comparatively  small  amount  of  water  to  supplement 
the  rainfall.  As  you  go  farther  west,  if  you  have  only  ten  inches  of 
ainfall  and  an  increased  evaporation,  you  must  supply  more  moisture 


406  THE  IRRIGATION  AGL. 

by  irrigation  than  where  you  have  twenty  inches  of  rainfall  and  less 
evaporation;  so  a  given  amount  of  water  will  irrigate  more  acres  there 
than  farther  west. 

"In  that  region  we  have  two  questions.  In  the  Dakctas  it  is  very 
expensive  to  bring  water  from  the  Missouri  river,  and  in  Nebraska  we 
have  the  uncertainty  at  the  present  time  regarding  the  state  law— as 
to  whether  you  could  proceed  under  it.  Nebraska  is  comparatively 
well  supplied  with  water.  The  North  Platte  is  a  stream  that  cannot 
be  utilized  to  any  great  extent  in  the  West.  The  Loupe  is  a  good 
stream,  and  they  have  in  these  two  rivers  an  opportunity  for  a  very 
large  development.  As  you  go  south  of  that  the  difficulty  in  Kansas 
is  the  question  as  to  the  extent  of  the  underflow,  and  whether  it  is 
practicable  to  get  some  means  of  pumping  it  up. 

"Again  the  regulation  of  streams  that  rise  in  a  country  to  the 
West.  When  you  go  south  into  Texas  you  have  still  a  different  ques- 
tion In  southern  Texas  there  is  a  considerable  territory  that  can  be 
irrigated  from  springs  and  wells,  and  this  applies  all  the  way  through 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico. 

"A  great  many  streams  are  torrential  in  character,  carrying  an 
immense  flow  in  character,  carry  ing  an  immense  flow  of  water  and  then 
running  down  to  nothing.  You  must  store  these  streams  in  order  to 
make  much  use  of  their  waters,  and  the  problem  of  storage  is  a  com- 
plicated one.  It  involves  the  question  of  the  sediment  in  these  south- 
ern streams,  the  salt.  It  is  an  important  question  to  build  a  reservoir 
in  the  channel  of  a  river,  and  when  you  have  a  large  investment  in 
houses  and  people  settled  there,  to  have  your  reservoir  fill  up  and  you 
have  to  move  out.  It  is  simply  a  waste  of  money  and  a  waste  of 
energy.  That  is  a  question  the  Department  of  Agriculture  is  study- 
ing, and  arraugments  have  been  made  with  the  Agricultural  college 
of  Texas  to  gather  samples  from  these  streams  ana  see  what  would  be 
the  probable  result  of  letting  the  mud  they  carry  deposit  on  the  soil." 


BY    "OLD    IRRIGATION,"    IN    THE    REFLECTOR, 

ABILENE,   KAN. 

Again  in  the  cycle  of  time,  the  people  of  central  Kansas  find 
themselves  face  to  face  with  conditions  of  aridity,  hot  winds  and  crop 
shortage,  that  recall  vividly  the  disastrous  seasons  of  1860,  1874  and 
subsequent  years,  and  emphasize  now  as  then  the  necessity  of  artifi- 
cial aid  in  the  distribution  of  moisture,  if  we  would  have  reliable  and 
satisfactory  results  from  crop  returns. 

In  memory  of  the  unmerciful  joshings  meted  out  to  the  advocates 
of  irrigation  in  recent  seasons  of  favorable  conditions  and  excessive 
rainfall  that  threatened  to  develop  a  species  of  web-footed  bipeds  we 
trust  that  our  friends  will  not  be  severely  critical  if  we  take  advan- 
tage of  the  present  atmospheric  status  to  score  a  few  innings  by  way 
of  reprisal  and  to  even  things  up  generally. 

The  spasmodic,  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory  efforts  at  irrigation 
during  periods  of  drouth  in  the  last  decade  and  the  prompt  abandon- 
ment of  such  effort  on  the  first  indications  of  rainfall,  is  proof  conclu- 
sive that  the  people  of  central  Kansas  have  no  relish  lor  a  persistent 
and  systematic  movement  along  those  lines,  such  as  is  practiced  in 
the  more  arid  regions  of  the  west,  where  irrigation  is  an  absolute 
necessity  and  where  conditions  make  it  a  case  of  "Root  hog  or  die." 

We  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  our  people  would  rather  trust 
their  crops  to  the  lottery  of  atmospheric  change,  accept  what  they 
,  can  get  and  be  satisfied,  or  develop  into  a  knocker  with  this  evident 
reluctance  to  adopt  a  system  of  intense  farming.  It  is  manifest  that 
if  we  are  to  have  increased  humidity  in  central  Kansas  it  must  be 
brought  about  by  some  other  method  than  that  of  individual  effort 
through  the  medium  of  pump  or  diverted  stream,  presumably  by  a 
change  and  betterment  in  climatic  conditions.  Can  such  a  change  be 
accomplished  and  how?  We  answer  unhesitating,  yes,  by  the  conser- 
vation of  storm  waters  through  a  system  of  artificial  lakes,  storage 
reservoirs,  catch  basins,  dams  and  ponds,  as  outlined  by  Elwood 
Mead,  Major  Powell,  officials  of  the  coast  and  geodetic  survey  and 
other  eminent  civil  engineers,  advocates  for  the  reclamation  of  the 
arid  west. 

When  the  general  government  shall  take  the  matter  of  reclama- 
tion well  in  hand  (as  it  will  in  the  near  future)  complete  the  system  of 
segregation  so  auspiciously  begun,  and  construct  the  necessary  res- 
ervoirs throughout  the  vast  area  bounded  by  Old  Mexico,  Oregon  and 


408  1HEIRRIGA  TION  A  GL . 

the  sixth  principal  meridian,  it  will  yield  a  superficial  area  of  surface 
water  exceeding  that  of  the  entire  chain  of  northern  lakes  combined; 
with  such  an  expanse  of  area  for  evaporation,  precipitation  and  in- 
creased rainfall  is  inevitable, 

It  is  computed  that  in  this  vast  territory  there  are  more  than 
100,000,000  acres  of  barren  arid  land  that  can  be  transformed  into 
ideal  farms  and  ideal  homes  for  more  than  50,000,000  people.  Public 
sentiment  is  rapidly  crystalizing  into  the  belief  that  it  is  wise  states- 
manship for  the  entire  nation,  and  the  duty  of  the  general  govern- 
ment to  reclaim  this  arid  land  as  rapidly  as  possible.  And  now  that 
we  have  a  senator  who  has  the  ability  to  present  and  the  nerve  to  de- 
mand of  congress  a  recognition  of  western  rights;  a  senator  who  will 
stand  shoulder  to  shoulder,  "cheek  by  jowl"  with  the  Carters  of  the 
U.  S.  senate,  to  arrest  and  divert  to  a  better  use  the  extravagant  and 
wasteful  appropriations  for  the  protection  of  the  lower  Mississippi 
plantations  under  the  guise  of  "river  and  harbor  improvements,"  we 
may  hope  for  a  speedy  fruition  of  this  wisely  conceived  design  for  de- 
velopment. "  Tis  a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished." 

While  we  sincerely  believe  that  it  is  possible  under  the  reclama- 
tion to  increase  the  guage  of  rainfall  and  minimize  the  hazard  of  farm- 
ing in  central  Kansas,  we  abate  no  jot  or  title  of  our  declaration  that 
it  is  economy  and  to  the  best  interest  of  every  farmer  to  have  a  plant 
of  sufficient  capacity  to  irrigate  his  orchard  and  truck  patch,  and  as 
much  more  as  possible.  Let  us  irrigate. 


THE  DIVERSIFIED  FARM. 


In  diversified  farming  by  irrigation  lies  tne  salvation  of  agriculture 


BIG  HORSE  CONTRACT. 

One  of  the  busiest  places  in  all  Texas 
at  this  time  is  Polk  Bros.' stockyards  at 
Forth  Worth,  where  the  British  govern- 
ment is  receiving  the  purchases  of  horses 
and  mules  made  for  the  army  in  Africa. 
The  present  contract  is  for  2.100  head  of 
horses,  and  on  Saturday  last  over  900  of 
this  number  had  either  been  accepted  and 
shipped,  or  were  in  the  pens  waiting  in- 
spection. The  agents  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment are  at  present  inspecting  and  re- 
ceiving 300  animals  a  week,  the  amount 
paid  out  being  from  $12,500  to  $14,000  on 
each  of  the  two  pay  days.  This  money 
finds  its  way  to  a  number  of  counties  iu 
Texas,  and  some  of  it  goes  to  people  out- 
side of  the  state.  At  the  present  rate  of 
progress,  it  will  take  four  or  five  weeks  to 
complete  the  contract. 

The  Polk  yards  now  have  quarantine 
pens,  and  all  arrangements  have  been  com- 
pleted for  handling  cattle  north  of  the 
line.  All  the  Jersey  cattle,  save  one  have 
been  sold,  and  the  lone  Jersey  has  been 
put  in  a  stall  so  that  no  possible  contact 
with  cattle  coming  in  can  occur.  It  is 
understood  that  the  inspectors  who  have 
been  operating  at  the  Union  stockyards 
will  also  look  after  the  Polk  yards. 

Arrangements  have  been  made  at  the 
yards  for  a  sale  pavilion,  and  the  intention 
is  to  have  thoroughbred  cattle,  horses 
and  mules  sold  there  at  specified  times, 
but  for  the  present  Mr.  Polk  and  all 
hands  are  kept  busy  looking  after  the 
Tiorses  for  King  E'dward  VII. 

FARMING  CHEAPENED 
Between   1855   and  1894   the  improve- 
onent  in  agricultural   implements  and  ma- 


chinery was  such  that  the  time  of  human 
labor  required  to  produce  a  bushel  of  corn 
on  the  average  declined  from  35|  cents  to 
10i  cents.  The  greatest  advance  was 
made  in  the  shelling  of  the  corn,  formerly 
done  by  hand.  In  this  case  the  machine 
operated  by  steam  shelled  a  bushel  of  corn 
a  minute,  while  in  the  old  way  the  labor 
of  one  man  was  required  for  100  minutes 
to  do  the  same  work.  The  amount  of 
human  labor  now  required  to  produce  a 
bushel  of  wheat  from  beginning  to  end  is 
only  ten  minutes,  while  in  1830  the  time 
was  three  hours  and  three  minutes.  Dur- 
ing the  interval  the  cost  of  labor  required 
to  produce  those  results  declined  from 
17£  cents  to  3J  cents. 

In  1830  a  heavy,  clumsy  plough  was 
used,  the  seed  was  sown  by  hand,  and  was 
harrowed  into  the  ground  by  drawing 
bushes  over  it;  the  grain  was  cut  with 
sickles,  hauled  to  a  barn,  and  threshed 
with  flails;  the  winnowing  was  done  with 
a  sheet  attached  to  rods,  on  which  the 
grain  was  placed  with  a  shovel,  and  then 
tossed  up  and  down  by  two  men  until  the 
wind  had  blown  out  the  chaff  In  the 
year  1894  the  ground  was  ploughed  and 
pulverized  by  a  disk  plough,  the  seed  was 
sown  with  a  mechanical  seeder  drawn  by 
horses,  the  reaping,  threshing  and  sacking 
of  the  wheat  was  done  by  a  combined 
reaper  and  thresher  drawn  by  horses,  and 
then  the  wheat  was  ready  to  haul  to  the 
grainary. 

In  the  case  of  the  corn  crop  the  money 
measure  of  the  saving  of  human  labor  re- 
quired to  produce  it  in  1899  as  compared 
with  its  production  in  the  old-time  man- 
ner was  $523,276, 642;  wheat,  $79,194,767; 


410 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


oats,  $52,866,200,  rye,  $1,408,950;  barley, 
$7,323,480;  white  potatoes,  $7,356,820; 
hay,  $10,034,868.  Total,  $681  471,827. 
And  yet  the  improved  machines  by  which 
this  has  been  accomplished  have  come 
into  use  only  to  a  limited  extent.  They 
are  mainly  adapted  only  to  use  in  farming 
on  a  large  scale  under  the  most  favorable 
circumstances. 

Comparing  retail  prices — the  prices  paid 
by  the  farmers  for  machines  and  imple- 
ments— it  is  shown  from  tables  of  com- 
parison that  in  the  case  of  one  manufac- 
ture, surreys  selling  for  $225  in  1880  sold 
for  $85  in  1900;  top  buggies  with  a  price 
of  $90  in  1860  and  $60  in  1880,  sold  for 
$43  in  1900.  The  corn  drills  of  1880  sold 
for  $12;  those  of  1890  for  $8.  Harrows 
declined  from  $15  in  1880  to  $10  in  1890; 
plain  float  spring-tooth  harrows  from  $20 
to  $10:  disk  harrows  from  $27  to  $18. 
Six-foot  twine  binder  harvesters  were  sold 
in  1880  for  $325  and  in  1890  for  $120,  and 
the  "combined"  harvester  was  sold  for 
$150  in  1880  as  against  $65  in  1900.  The 
price  of  mowers  in  one  establishment  de- 
clined from  $100  in  1860  to  $40  in  1900; 
in  another  from  $160  to  $40,  and  in  still 
another  from  $120  to  i$45.  —  Leslies 
Weekly. 


RICE  CULTURE  AND   PROFITS. 

Oswald  Wilson,  special  field  agent  of 
the  division  of  statistics,  department  of 
agriculture,  read  the  following  paper  on 
''Rice  Culture  and  Profits"  before  the 
Cotton  Growers'  Association  at  the  Farm- 
ers' Congress. 

Rice  is  the  greatest  cereal  product  in 
the  world,  considered  from  a  commercial 
standpoint,  and  as  an  article  of  food. 

We  can  only  realize  its  magnitude  and^ 
importance  when  considered  in  compari- 
son with  other  cereals.  Wheat  is  a  great 
cereal  and  the  so-called  staff  of  life.  It 
has  a  wide  range  of  production,  being 
grown  in  nearly  every  country  on  the 
globe.  The  total  production  of  wheat  in 


the  world  for  1899  reached   the  stupendu 
ous   amount   of    $2,723,407,000    bushels,, 
which   would    make    6,500.000    carloads, 
with   a   market   value   of  $1.399,100,000. 
But  this  does  not  come  up  to  rice. 

Corn  is  a  great  crop  and  in  1899  the 
world  produced  2,634,109,000  bushel?, 
valued  at  $833,400,00. 

These  are  two  great  staple  cereals,  but 
their  combined  production  will  not  come 
up  to  rice.  We  must  find  another. 

Take  oats.  The  world's  production  in 
1899  reached  3,212,689,000  bushels.  This 
immense  pile  of  oats  had  a  market  value 
of  $708,170,000. 

Here  we  have  the  three  great  staple 
grain  crops  of  the  world,  with  an  aggre- 
gate production  of  over  eight  and  a  half 
billions  of  bushels  and  a  market  value  of 
nearly  $2,940,670,000.  But  this  does  not 
equal  rice. 

Just  a  moment  think  of  the  immense 
number  of  people  engaged  in  the  produc- 
tion of  all  the  wheat,  corn  and  oats  in  the 
world,  time  employed,  acres  of  land  tilled 
and  machinery  used.  Add  to  this  the 
people  employed  in  marketing  the  grain, 
on  railroads,  in  mills,  and  laborers  to 
handle  it,  and  we  have  a  greater  army 
than  the  combined  soldiers  of  the  world. 

Rice,  with  its  74,074,369,193  pounds, 
valued  at  $2,962.974,781  is  greater  by 
more  than  $20,000,000.  Again,  rice  is  the 
principal  article  of  diet  of  800,000,000 
people,  or  more  than  54  per  cent  of  the 
entire  population  of  the  world,  while  the 
other  cereals  combined  only  supply  46 
per  cent.  Which  is  the  greater  cereal? 

Coming  nearer  home,  we  find  that  rice 
has  been  produced  iu  the  United  States 
for  nearly  three  centuries,  but  only  of  late 
years  has  it  reached  much  development. 

During  the  past  ten  years  20,000  per- 
sons from  the  north  aed  west  have  been 
attracted  by  the  demonstration  of  the  fact 
that  irrigation  in  conjunction  with  meth- 
ods successfully  applied  years  ago  in 
wheat  growing  in  the  prairie  states,  would. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


411 


make  rice-growing  equally  successful.  The 
result  is  the  existence  of  a  practically  new 
industry  in  Louisiana  and  Texas,  with  a 
capital  of  $5,000,000  invested  in  100 
canals,  1500  miles  in  extent,  and  now 
capable,  under  present  water  conditions, 
of  flooding  900,000  acres,  and  increasing 
each  year. 

After  securing  a  location  possessing  the 
soil  and  economical  lay  of  the  land  requis- 
ite to  an  economical  irrigation,  it  will  re- 
quire approximately  $10  per  acre  to  equip 
an  irrigating  plant  and  prepare  the  fields 
for  seeding.  As  local  conditions  and  re- 
quirements differ,  an  accurate  estimate 
cannot  be  given  that  will  govern  all  locali- 
ties, but  the  prospective  farmer  can  figure 
on  this  amount. 

The  cost  of  producing  a  crop  of  rice  is 
approximately  the  same  as  a  crop  of 
wheat  with  the  cost  of  irrigation  added, 
which  is  one-fifth  of  the  crop.  This  is 
the  price  charged  by  canal  companies  for 
the  use  of  water. 

The  average  value  per  acre  of  rice  is 
$30.  less  the  water  rental  of  $6,  leaving 
$24  to  the  grower. 

A  moment's  comparison  with  the  great 
cereal  crop  of  the  United  States  will  show 
how  fortunate  the  rice  grower  is.  The 
average  value  per  acre  in  1900  was:  Corn 
$9.02,  wheat  $7.61,  oats  $7.63.  Then  an 
acre  of  rice  paid  the  farmer  as  much  as 
three  acres  over  each  of  corn,  wheat  and 
oats. 

Next  to  the  production,  milling  the  rice 
is  very  profitable,  and  is  a  subject  of  suf- 
ficient importance  for  an  extended  dis- 
cussion. 

Learing  out  the  value  of  the  plant,  the 
capital  invested  and  operating  expenses, 
we  can  give  the  gross  profits  of  milling. 

In  milling  100,000  bags  of  rice  of  an  av- 
erage weight  of  183  pounds,  for  which  the 
farmer  received  $3.35  per  barrel,  making 
a  total  of  $325,000;  would  give,  merchant- 
able rice  10,273,000  pounds,  valued  at 
$335  per  100  pounds,  $395,520;  brewers' 


rice,  875,000  pounds,  $15.400;  polish, 
$5,300;  bran  $90.22;  gross  value  of  milled 
product  $425,242;  gross  profit  $90.242. 

To  those  interested  it  will  be  easy  to 
ascertain  the  net  profits  in  milling. 

Rice  is  the  m^st  profit  ible  commodity 
handled  by  the  railroads.  It  pays  about 
four  times  as  much  as  cotton  in  revenue. 
The  most  vital  question  to  the  human  race 
is  that  of  food.  Next  to  having  food  is 
that  of  its  cost.  The  cost  of  food  applies 
not  alone  in  dollars  and  cents.  In  other 
words,  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that 
we  obtain  the  greatest  amount  of  the  life- 
sustaining  energy  from  our  food  with  the 
least  tax  upon  our  systems. 

There  is  no  one  article  that  will  supply 
all  the  demands  of  our  body.  There  is  no 
complete  food  in  any  one  article.  We  re- 
quire a  variety.  At  the  same  time  the 
laws  of  life  demand  this  variety  at  the 
least  expense  of  vital  energy  and  in  this 
rice  excels  all  other  articles  of  food.  It 
contains  more  nutriment  than  beefsteak 
and  potatoes  with  a  less  tax  on  the  human 
system  for  digestion.  Its  commercial  price 
places  it  in  the  reach  of  any  one.  It  is  no 
new  food.  The  very  fact  that  56  per  cent 
of  the  population  of  the  globe  use  it  make 
its  reputation  secure. 

We  believe  that  die  production  of  rice 
in  the  United  States  is  in  its  infancy. 
With  the  exception  of  Mexico,  our  crop  is 
a  mere  bagatelle  of  the  world's  production. 

We  believe  that  rice  will  be  grown  all 
over  the  southern  states  wherever  man  can 
control  irrigation. 

We  have  the  soil,  the  climate  and,  bat- 
ter than  any  Oriental  country,  we  have 
American  skill  and  labor.  Today  the  rice 
farmer  of  Louisiana  and  Texas  is  cuiti- 
vating  100  acres  to  the  Oriental's  one  acre 

Will  there  be  overproduction?  We  think 
not.  The  Oriental  countries  show  but  a 
slight  increase  in  the  past  five  years,  not 
as  great  as  the  population  has  grown. 

Again,  we  are  opening  up  an  immense 
territory  of  rice  eaters  in  our  island  pos- 


412 


1  HE  IRR1 GA2ION  AGE. 


sessions.     The  United  States  will  become 
a  great  consumer  of  rice. 


FRUITS  ON  THE  FARM. 

Following  is  a  paper  by  E.  W.  Kirk  pat- 
rick,  of  McKinney,  read  before  the  Cot- 
ton Growers'  Association  at  the  Texas 
Farmers'  Congress: 

No  farm  is  complete  until  it  is  well  sup- 
plied with  all  fruit  growing  trees  and 
plants  that  are  adapted  to  its  soil. 

The  occupants  of  a  farm  cannot  enjoy, 
in  all  its  completeness,  the  pleasures  of 
home  life  without  fruits.  Every  soil 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  grain  or  grass  will 
produce  fruit.  No  class  of  productions 
require  less  care  than  fruits,  and  none  give 
better  returns  in  wealth,  happiness  and 
good  cheer. 

The  orchard  and  the  vineyard  are  more 
than  the  art  and  poetry  of  the  farm;  they 
give  rich  returns  in  substantial  wealth  and 
add  attractions  which  lend  additional  mar- 
ket value. 

The  ease  .with  which  rare  seeds  and 
plants  can  be  grown  in  waste  places  along 
the  fences,  the  roads,  the  streams,  barns 
and  pastures  and  the  immense  beauty  and 
value  they  would  add  to  every  farm  should 
induce  every  farmer  to  plant  most  liberal 
quantities. 

In  addition  to  the  material  or  money 
values  attaching  to  ''fruits  of  the  farm," 
many  other  charming  qualities  exist  in  the 
aesthetic,  moral  and  sentimental  sides  of 
the  orchard  of  home.  When  children 
have  opportunity  to  follow  the  growth  of 
trees  and  plants,  and  bee  Dine  familiar  with 
the  development  of  bud,  flower,  and  fruit, 
and  enjoy  the  sweet  pleasures  of  nature's 
rarest  art  galleries,  music-halls  and  cafes, 
they  build  recollections  of  their  sacred 
home  which  anchor  them  against  the  temp- 
tations so  ofttimes  fatal  to  passionate 
youth. 

Who  can  measure  the  wealth  added  to 
home  by  a  plentiful  supply  of  fruits,  flow- 
ers and  shade,  the  help  and  strength  lent 


to  a  wearied  wife  and  mother  by  these  so- 
journing angels. 

The  trees  lend  their  strength  and  grace 
to  the  arms  and  hearts  of  boys  and  touch 
our  girls  with  dimpled  roses.  These  con- 
stant and  permanent  sentinels  guard  our 
servant  animals  against  both  frigid  blasts 
of  winter  and  burning  heat  of  summer. 
They  invite  the  sweetest  warblers  to  sing 
the  song  of  universal  welcome. 

When  a  farmer  feels  the  enchantment  of 
fruits  on  the  farm  it  leads  him  on  to 
flowers  on  the  farm  and  fowls  on  the  farm, 
and  bees  and  fish  and  fountains,  and  walks 
and  lawns,  and  all  these  bring  joy  to  the 
household  and  honor  and  fame  to  the 
farmer. 

Every  farmer  should  plant  a  few  trees 
of  best  known  varieties,  and  by  having 
bees  to  aid  in  cross-fertilizing  the  flowers, 
the  seeds  will  produce  many  new  and  val- 
uable varieties  for  any  person  who  will 
plant  and  cultivate  them.  This  is  one  of 
the  many  charming  reasons  why  we  should 
have  fruit  on  the  farm. 

There  are  more  than  ten  million  acres  of 
fruit  lands  in  Texas  which  could  give  a 
profit  of  $100  per  acre  per  annum,  thus 
adding  a  billion  dollars  to  current  income 
each  year,  and  this  is  another  reason  why 
we  should  have  fruit  on  the  farm. 

When  a  man  asks  one  of  God's  angels  to 
be  his  wife  and  neglects  to  have  fruit  and 
flowers  at  the  home,  it  is  cause  for  action 
in  divorce,  and  is  a  warning  to  those  who 
have  no  fruit  on  the  farm. 


AGRICULTURAL  INDEPENDENCE. 

Secretary  Wilson  said  to  the  Washing- 
ton correspondent  of  the  New  York  &un  a 
few  days  ago: 

"There  is  no  doubt  that  this  country, 
within  a  few  months,  will  be  in  a  position 
to  ignore  every  other  nation  on  the  globe 
in  the  matter  of  food  products.  We  will 
produce  within  our  own  domain  every- 
thing that  goes  upon  our  table  and  upon- 
our  back*.  We  will  then  be,  commercially 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


413 


and  industrially,  almost  independent  of 
the  other  nations  of  the  world.  Hence 
any  trade  combination  which  may  be  ef- 
fected against  us  will  count  for  nothing. 
Whenever  we  get  ready  we  can  come  pretty 
near  starving  any  other  nation.  Therefore 
an  effective  combination  against  us  will  be 
an  impossibility. 

"The  principal  product  purchased  is 
sugar,  which  comprises  nearly  one-fourth 
of  the  total  of  products  imported.  The 
department  in  the  past  has  been  making 
experiments  to  ascertain  in  just  what  sec- 
tions of  the  country  sugar  can  be  raised  to 
such  an  advantage  as  to  obviate  the  neces- 
sity of  going  to  foreign  markets  to  com- 
plete our  supply.  We  want  to  raise  beets, 
as  therein  lies  the  principal  source  of  the 
sugar  product.  Within  the  United  States 
there  will  be  over  forty  beet-sugar  factor- 
ies in  operation  by  next  fall.  They  will 
be  situated  in  almost  every  state  along  the 
northern  border  from  New  York  to  Cali- 
fornia. I  believe  that  within  a  few  years 
we  will  produce  all  the  sugar  we  require, 
and  we  will  then  be  in  a  position  to  ignore 
the  foreign  product.  Our  experiments 
have  shown  that  the  sugar  produced  from 
our  quality  of  beet  is  much  richer  than 


that  manufactured  in  foreign  countries. 
Our  product,  therefore,  will  be  much  more 
desirable.  When  this  result  shall  be  at- 
tained the  sugar  trust  will,  in  my  opinion, 
vanish  for  the  reason  that  the  trust  refines 
imported  brown  sugar,  while  all  the  Amer- 
ican factories  will  finish  the  product  and 
placo  it  ;n  entire  readiness  for  sale  on  the 
markets. 

"We  are  now  succeeding  admirably  in 
the  production  of  tea  in  the  United  States, 
it  is  only  a  question  of  a  short  time  when 
we  will  be  able  to  raise  all  the  tea  de- 
manded for  use  in  this  country.  Our  new 
possessions  will  aid  greatly  in  the  produc- 
tion of  some  of  these  tropical  products." 

The  New  York  Times  says: 

"It  was  the  opinion  of  George  Washing- 
ton that  the  farmer  who  grew  what  he  and 
his  required  was  the  happiest  and  most 
independent  man  on  earth.  It  is  good, 
too,  for  this  nation  to  be  independent  of 
all  sources  save  its  own  for  the  actual 
necessities  of  its  life  and  activities.  Its 
political  independence  is  helped  and  as- 
sured by  the  possession  of  lands  so  dis- 
tributed among  the  climates  that  ships 
may  find  in  it  own  ports  the  various  car- 
goes that  supply  its  wants." 


PULSE  OF   IRRIGATION. 


IRRIGATING  SMALL  TRACTS. 

In  several  valleys  of  Montana  the  own- 
ers of  small  tracts  of  land  are  putting  in 
windmills  and  small  gasoliue  engines. 
This  is  noticeable  in  the  Jefferson  valley. 
At  Whitehall  several  residents  of  the 
town  are  driving  wells  and  erecting  wind- 
mills, and  one  citizen  has  installed  a  small 
gasoline  engine  for  pumping  water  on  his 
lawn.  With  the  increase  of  the  culti- 
vated area  and  the  settlement  of  the  state 
the  era  of  wells  and  pumping  devices  for 
irrigation  purposes  will  increase.  For  a 
small  tract  the  windmill  has  been  found 
satisfactory  and  during  the  next  twelve 
months  it  is  a  safe  prediction  that  500  to 
750  windmills  will  be  installed  in  Mon- 
tana towns  and  on  farms. 

On  the  larger  places  where  it  is  neces- 
sary to  lift  more  water  than  the  capacity 
of  a  windmill,  gasoline  engines  will  be  in- 
stalled, and  in  that  way  water  will  be 
assured. 

In  many  places  where  running  water  is 
not  available  for  all,  good  wells  abound 
and  abundant  water  can  be  had  with  no 
greater  lift  than  20  to  30  feet. — Montana 
Stockman  and  Farmer. 


WINTER  IRRIGATION. 
Prof.  A.  J.  McClatchie,  who  is  so  well 
and  favorably  remembered  by  the  fruit 
and  dairy  men  of  Southern  California,  has 
just  issued  a  very  valuable  bulk-tin  re- 
garding winter  irrigation.  This  gives  the 
result  of  very  important  experiments  per- 
formed by  Prof.  McClatchie.  He  finds 
that  deciduous  trees,  especially  the  peach, 
which  were  very  thoroughly  irrigated  in 
winter,  grew  better  and  gave  more  fruit 
than  those  not  irrigated  but  which  re- 


ceived the  usual  summer  irrigation.  This 
was  in  the  Salt  River  valley,  where  they 
have  almost  no  rains.  Often  water  can 
be  had  cheaply  and  in  abundance  in  win- 
ter whereas  it  is  scarce  and  expensive  in 
summer.  This  makes  these  experiments 
very  suggestive  and  may  well  lead  to  indi- 
vidual experimentation  on  the  part  of  the 
most  of  our  deciduous  orchardists.  We 
know  that  in  seasons  of  copious  rainfalls 
our  deciduous  trees  often  do  well  with  no 
summer  irrigation.  Why.  then,  should 
we  not  fairly  soak  the  ground  in  winters 
of  light  rainfall,  if  water  can  be  had  at 
little  or  no  expense?  This  is  certainly  a 
matter  of  no  slight  importance.  I  would 
advise  all  interested  »to  send  for  the  bul- 
letin. Address  Experiment  Station,  Tus- 
con,  Arizona. —  Col.  Cultivator. 


WATER    AND    CANE    IRRIGATION    IN 
QUEENSLAND. 

The  following  important  letter  from  Dr. 
Maxwell  on  the  subterranean  water  supply 
of  the  Bundaberg  district  is  furnished  by 
the  Department  of  Agriculture: 

Bundaberg,  March  5th.  1901. 

Sir — I  have  the  honor  to  make  a  further 
brief  notice  of  the  water  and  irrigation 
questions,  of  which  I  have  spoken  on  cer- 
tain previous  occasions.  At  this  time 
some  remarks  will  be  confined  to  investi- 
gations that  have  been  made  during  the 
past  two  months  at  the  Woongara  division 
of  the  district  of  Bundaberg.  As  stated 
by  me  some  three  months  ago,  the  indica- 
tions were  that  underground  water  should 
be  found  beneath  the  coastal  lands,  and 
near  the  sea,  at  very  shallow  depths. 

The  location  where  the  present  investi- 
gations are  being  pursued  is  upon  the 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


415' 


Qunaba  estate,  owned  by  the  Queensland 
National  Bank.  With  others,  this  loca- 
tion offered  good  conditions  for  putting 
the  matter  of  underground  water  to  the 
test.  Moreover,  one  of  the  many  small' 
shallow  wells  found  in  the  district  "was 
already  on  the  place,  having  been  sunk  by 
the  previous  owner,  Mr.  Barton.  This 
old  well,  by  use  of  a  steam  pump,  was 
yielding  some  4,000  gallons  of  water  per 
hour.  Upon  deepening  the  source  by 
means  of  larger  bores,  the  output  was  in- 
creased to  33,000  gallons  per  hour.  It 
was  found  advisable  (for  reasons  to  be  ex- 
plained at  a  later  time  when  reporting 
more  fully  upon  the  question)  to  sink  a 
new  shaft,  and  to  drive  bores  of  larger 
dimensions  down  to  the  water-bearing 
stratum.  This  new  shaft,  located  about 
100  yards  from  the  smaller  old  one,  has 
been  a  great  success  in  itself;  while  also 
indicating  the  area  of  distribution  of  the 
water-carrying  stratum.  When  the  clayey 
stratum  was  pierced  by  the  bores,  which 
entered  the  gravel  water  stratum,  the 
water  rushed  up  with  astounding  force, 
rising  some  14  feet  above  its  confined 
level.  A  pump  was  put  down  and  worked 
by  a  Fowler  ploughing  engine,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  pump  in  the  older  well  was 
kept  running  at  its  maximum  duty.  The 
united  services  of  the  two  pumps  gave  a 
total  of  70,000  gallons  per  hour,  or  an  out- 
put of  1,680,000  gallons  per  twenty- four 
hours,  and  without  any  effect  upon  the 
supply  or  upon  the  quality,  which  was 
carefully  controlled  by  the  laboratory. 

It  may  thus  be  said  that  the  question  of 
underground  water  has  been  settled  by 
systematic  tests.  The  depth  at  which  the 
water  is,  and  will  be,  found  is  determined 
by  the  depths  of  the  strata  or  deposits 
overlying  the  water  bearing  stratum,  which 
are  various.  In  the  present  example,  the 
water  is  found,  and  rises  to  within  28  feet 
of  the  land  surface.  Concerning  the  sup- 
ply, the  indication  3  appear  ample  for  a 
volume  covering  the  needs  for  irrigation  of 


the  Qunaba  estate.  The  indications,  how- 
ever, are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  give  prom- 
ise of  a  supply  for  much  more  extended 
uses  in  the  Woongarra  district. 

The  cost  of  the  investigations,  so  far,  is 
very  small,  being  only  one  tenth  of  the 
amount  set  apart  for  the  purpose  by  the 
owners  of  the  estate.  This  is  a  most  mat- 
erial point.  It  is  due,  however,  in  large 
part,  to  the  interest  and  careful  working 
of  the  estate  manager,  Mr.  J.  Cran,  and 
to  his  capable  engineer. 

Acknowledgement  is  due  to  the  owners 
of  the  Quanaba  estate  for  providing  the 
facilities  and  funds  for  these  tests  to  be 
made,  the  result  of  which  may  be  very  far- 
reaching  in  the  Bundaberg  and  other  dis- 
tricts. We  are  also  specially  indebted  to 
the  manager  of  the  Queensland  National 
Bank's  concerns,  at  Bundaberg  (Mr.  Eas- 
tick),  for  having  the  tests  pushed  so  rap- 
idly; as  it  was  expressly  important  that 
the  whole  matter  should  be  settled  if  pos- 
sible before  any  great  and  continuous  fall 
of  rain.  As  it  is,  the  results  have  been 
attained  after  a  period  of  drought  almost 
hitherto  unknown. 

The  results  of  irrigation  of  cane  so  far 
condueted  by  Messrs.  Gibson  and  Howes, 
at  Bingera,  have  led  them  to  determine 
upon  a  vastly  greater  scale  of  irrigation, 
and  an  order  has  been  placed  by  them  for 
a  pump  to  lift  10,000,000  gallons  of  water 
for  daily  distribution.  Such  courage  and 
enterprise  are  very  invigorating,  and  of 
great  good  to  the  country. 

I  hope  to  be  able  to  speak  later  of  irri- 
gation possibilities  in  certain  localities  of 
the  Isis.  Very  different  modes  will  have 
to  be  followed  in  the  several  districts  with 
their  dissimilar  conditions. 

At  Bingera,  the  water  is  lifted  directly 
from  the  river;  in  the  Woongara  it  must 
be  raised  from  underground;  while  in  the 
Isis  the  impounding  of  storm  water  ap- 
pears to  offer  the  surest  and  cheapest 
source  of  supply. — I  have,  etc.,  Walter 
Maxwell,  Director  Sugar  Experiment  Sta- 
tion. —  Queenslander. 


416 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


THE  DAY  WE  IRRIGATE  AND  WHAT 
IT  HAS  BROUGHT  TO  THE 

AMERICAN  PEOPLE. 
About  126  years  ago  the  people  of  this 
country  numbered  only  a  few  millions  and 
were  colonists  of  Great  Britain.  Today 
we  are  fast  nearing  the  hundred  million 
mark  and  are  the  proud  and  happy  sub- 
jects of  the  Standard  Oil  company  and  the 
Sugar  Trust.  To  say  that  our  progress  in 
many  ways  has  been  phenomenal  is  stat- 
ing the  case  tamely  indeed.  There  is  no 
parallel  in  history  for  what  we  have  done 
and  are  doing.  The  nearest  thing  to  a 
parallel  I  can  think  of  at  the  moment  was 
the  matter  of  the  Romans  who,  having 
conquered  the  world,  gave  the  wealth  of 
the  empire  to  Nero  to  enable  him  to  get 
on  an  extended  imperial  whiz — whieh  he 
did.  With  "life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit 
of  the  Filipinos"  as  our  motto  there  is  no 
telling  what  we  will  do  in  another  hundred 
years  Just  as  apt  as  not  in  2001  we  will 
have  swallowed  up  China  and  have  the 
laundry  business  and  wooden  idol  industry 
of  the  world  well  in  hand,  or  China  will 
have  swallowed  us  and  some  pig-tailed 
emperor  will  have  built  a  lot  of  speckled 
awnings  around  the  Washington  monu- 
ment to  make  an  ornamental  pagoda  and 
be  using  the  capitol  building  as  a  joss 
house.  Of  course  there  is  no  immediate 
danger  of  this,  but  it  might  happen.  Civ- 
ilizations are  peculiar.  They  go  up  hill 
slowly  in  an  ox-eart,  but  go  down  on  a 
toboggan  "ker-zip"  and  stick  half  up  in 
the  mud.  Had  some  one  told  Augustus 
Caesar  that  some  day  a  hirsute  barbarian 
would  ride  victorious  into  Imperial  Rome, 
fodder  his  horses  in  the  temples  of  the 
gods  and  chop  up  the  statuary  with  a  meat 
axe,  the  prophesy  would  have  appeared 
very  funny  to  him.  His  successors,  how- 
ever, failed  to  see  the  fun.  The  barbar- 
ian got  between  them  and  the  joke.  The 
way  the  American  people  have  been  whiz- 
zing along  and  getting  their  wealth  all  up 
in  a  wad  in  New  York  has  probably  made 


th3  shade  of  the  Caesars  smile  to  think 
how  easily  a  great  leader  with  a  million 
men  might  hog.  the  whole  thing.  But  let 
that  go.  We  are  talking  now  of  our  na- 
tional growth.  We  have  during  the  past 
hundred  years  done  what  all  the  world  in 
all  the  known  past  had  never  dreamed  of. 
We  have  yoked  up  the  two  mysterious 
elemental  giants,  steam  and  electricity, 
and  swept  across  the  world  in  a  chariot  of 
glittering  progress.  We  have  learned  how 
to  build  railroads,  and  water  stocks,  and 
capitalize  wind  and  syndicate  a  hole  in 
the  ground;  We  have  harnessed  Niagara, 
civilized  the  Indians  (that  is  the  dead 
ones),  whipped  Mexico,  admitted  Texas, 
organized  Tammany  hall  and  reduced 
politics  to  one  narrow  channel  with  a  bar- 
rel at  one  end  and  a  blow-hard  at  the 
other.  We  have  had  a  war  of  our  own, 
have  licked  Spain  with  one  hand  tied  be- 
hind us,  have  subdued  Guam  island  and 
planted  our  imperial  eagles  on  the  adobe 
palace  of  Honolulu.  We  have  struck  oil 
in  every  newspaper  in  the  United  States, 
found  golden  California,  demonetized  sil- 
ver in  Colorado  and  produced  the  populist 
party  and  the  Omaha  platform.  We  have 
learned  to  play  baseball  and  football  and 
faro  and  craps  and  progressive  euchre,  and 
to  gamble  in  stocks  and  make  oleomargar- 
ine and  moonshine  whisky  and  to  dodge 
taxes  and  carry  sixshooters  and  to  wear 
bicycle  suits  and  br'ght  red  belly-bands; 
and  in  many  ways  have  we  accumulated 
the  ornamental  regalia  of  a  higher  civiliza- 
tion. We  have  elevated  the  stage  from 
Shakespearian  coarseness  to  refined  vaude- 
ville and  midway  productions  of  current 
theatricals;  have  banished  polygamy  from 
Utah  and  paesented  Porto  Rico  with  a 
beautiful  new  tariff,  having  many  frills 
and  ruffles  and  warranted  not  to  rip,  ravel 
or  tear-  We  have  produced  more  colonels, 
published  more  books  and  printed  more 
newspapers  than  any  country  in  the  world. 
We  can  pour  a  great  man's  speech  into  a 
funnel  and  grind  it  out  of  a  brass  horn 


THE  IRRIGA2ION  AGE. 


417 


hundreds  of  years  afterward-  We  can 
telegraph  a  criminal's  picture  thousands 
of  miles  so  distinctly  that  the  police  offi- 
cials can  tell  what  kind  of  hair  oil  he  uses. 
We  have  annihilated  tim«  and  distance, 
made  billionaires,  built  vast  cities,  fertil- 
ized deserts,  subdued  forests,  fenced  the 
plains  and  have  made  the  buffalo,  the 


wild  Indian  and  the  naked  truth  hard  to 
find.  We  have  learned  how  to  make  but- 
ter out  of  beef  suet,  olive  oil  out  of  cotton 
seed,  silk  out  of  cotton,  fur  out  of  sheep's 
wool  and  social  and  political  leaders  out  of 
men  who  get  rich — in  any  way,  just  so 
they  get  rich  and  don't  get  caught. — Aus- 
tin, Tex. ,  Semi-  Weekly  Statesman. 


HAIN'T  NO  BETTER  THAN 

When  I  hear  a   feller  talking,  as  I  hearn 

the  other  day, 
Finding  fault  about  the  Bible  in  a  mighty 

pompous  way. 
Tellin'  all  about  the  burdens  his  religion 

used  to  be, 
Then  I  wonder  war  he  better  than  a  feller 

ort  tew  be? 

Tellin'  how  he  went  a  tremblin'  and  a  fear- 
in'  all  the  way, 

Tellin'  fear  uf  fire  an'  torment  was  the  rea- 
son made  'im  pray, 

When  he  didn't  love  his  Maker,  and  he 
loved  his  sin,  ye  see; 

Then  for  sure,  he  warn't  no  better  than  a 
feller  ort  to  be. 


A  FELLER  ORT  TEW  BE. 

Ef  be  didn't  love  his  Maker  and  he  loved. 

hisself  the  most, 
Shure  he  hadn't  no  religion  to  begin  with 

fer  to  boast, 
For  he   made   hisself  his   idol — like   the 

hethen — do  you  see? 
An'  we  know  sich  hain't  no  better  than  a 

fellor  ought  to  be. 

Ef  he  hadn't  in  his  bein'  any  revrcnce  for 
the  One 

Who  can  care  for  all  creation,  from  a  Mi- 
crobe to  a»  sun, 

Ef  he  didn't  mind  a  takin'  that  great  name 
in  vain,  ye  see, 

Sich  a  feller  warn't  no  better  than  a  feller 
ort  tew  be.  — L.  C.  H. 


ODDS  AND  ENDS. 


DOOM  OF   THE  GREATEST  GAMBL- 
ING CITY  ON  EARTH. 

Shrewd  and  thrifty  and  sporty  King 
Leopold  of  Belgium  has  seen  somewhat 
the  same  sort  of  handwriting  on  the  wall 
that  Belshazzar  saw.  He  personally  may 
not  have  been  weighed  in  the  balance  and 
found  wanting,  but  the  great  gambling 
tables  in  Belgium  have  been,  and  a  frac- 
tion of  every  franc  bet  thereon — in  Ostend 
at  least — ultimately  found  its  roundabout 
way  into  the  King's  deep  pockets. 

Belgium  has  come  to  the  conclusion, 
artir  long  and  rather  bitter  experience, 
that  gamling  tables  pay  no  one  except  the 
proprietor.  Hence,  the  passage  of  a 
stringent  law  that  is  of  more  public  inter- 
est .than  has  generally  been  supposed,  for 
it  means  that  the  greatest  gambling  hell  of 
our  generation  has  come  to  the  end  of  its 
rope,  and  that  one  of  the  most  prosperoua 
cities  in  Europe  is  in  danger  of  collapse. 

One  usually  thinks  first  of  Monte  Carlo 
in  connection  with  continental  gambling, 
but  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  beautiful 
Riviera  resort  has  been,  for  the  last  few 
years,  only  an  amateur  beside  Ostend  and 
Spa.  It  was  mostly  a  show  place  where 
the  passing  tourist  risked  from  five  to  a 
hundred  dollars  for  the  fun  of  the  thing, 
or  where  an  occasional  millionaire  droppe  1 
a  few  thousand  dollars  and  forgot  to  men- 
tion it,  or  won  an  equal  sum  and  was 
heralded  as  the  man  who  never  could  lose. 
Ostend  was  different.  The  gamblers 
made  more  of  a  business  of  it  there,  and 
last  season  the  total  sums  changing  hands 
over  the  green  cloth  at  Ostend  aud  Spa 
were  perhaps  double  the  amounts  distrib- 
uted by  the  Monte  Carlo  croupiers.  Like- 
wise the  average  amount  of  the  bets  at 


average. 

In  the  last  season,  only  three  months 
long,  the  tables  at  Ostend  alone  made  a 
net  profit  of  $1,400,000,  after  turning  over 
to  the  municipality  a  third  of  a  million  in 
taxes.  On  top  of  that  each  club  found  it 
profitable  to  pay  out  of  its  own  pocket  $16 
of  each  initiate's  fee  of  $20.  Ostend  was 
the  real  gambling  center  of  the  world. 

The  story  of  gambling  in  Ostend  is  sig- 
nificant, and  every  American  municipality 
could  study  it  to  its  own  benefit.  A  few 
years  ago  any  one  could  leave  London  at 
night  and  be  busy  losing  his  sovereigns 
the  next  morning  on  almost  any  corner  of 
Ostend,  at  any  kind  of  a  game  of  chance, 
without  the  slightest  let  or  hindrance. 
Ostend  and  Spa  did  not  object  to  that  at 
all,  but  when  the  rich  men's  sons  at  home 
began  to  squander  their  patrimony  at  the 
local  tables,  when  Belgium  society  women 
lost  their  own  and  their  children's  for- 
tunes, when  suicides  and  forgeries  grow- 
ing out  of  losses  at  gaming  became  startl- 
ingly  frequent,  parliament  rose  in  its  vir- 
tue and  passed  a  law  closing  all  the  small 
dens,  and  permitting  only  strangers  to 
lose  their  money  in  the  big  clubs. 

Thereafter,  no  resident  of  Ostend  might 
gamble  in  any  Ostend  clubs.  He  had  to 
go  to  Spa  or  Namur  for  his  sport  and  be 
enrolled  as  a  stranger.  Any  visitor  to  Os- 
tend who  wanted  to  try  his  luck  had  to  go 
through  the  formality  of  joining  a  club.  If, 
however,  he  happened  to  be  a  guest  at  one 
of  the  leading  hotels  controlled  by  the 
"Compagnie  des  Grands  Hotels,"  in  which 
King  Leopold  is  heavily  interested,  his 
application  could  be  rushed  through  in  a 
night,  and  could  be  seated  at  rouge  et  no]r 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


419 


without  loss  of  time,  at  a  luxurious  "pri- 
vate" club  under  the  watchful  eye  of  the 
police,  and  the  parental  care  of  the  govern- 
ment inspectors.  If  he  lost  his  fortune 
and  wanted  to  take  his  own  life,  the  mat- 
ter could  be  arranged  without  making  un- 
due noise. 

Tens  of  thousands  of  dollars  changed 
hands  every  hour  in  the  season,  and  Os- 
tend  and  Spa  and  the  lesser  Belgium  towns 
to  which  the  same  privileges  were  ex- 
tended flourished  and  waxed  fat.  The 
losses  of  the  gamesters  made  Ostend  in 
particular  one  of  the  most  progressive  of 
cities  outside  of  Buddapest.  King  Leo- 
pold's hotels  were  crowded,  and  famous 
men  and  gorgeously  appareled  women — 
countessess,  demi-mondaines  and  nouveaux 
riches  alike — stood  in  line  waiting  for 
seats  at  the  gaming  clubs.  The  luxury 
and  extravagance  of  Osteud  last  season 
outstripped  that  of  any  city  of  its  size  in 
the  world. 

But  in  the  shadows  behind  all  this 
feverish  gayety  and  reckless  display  the 
records  of  crime  and  despair  grew  larger 
and  blacker  until  public  opinion  became 
aroused  despite  the  wealth  that  the  for- 
eigners were  losing  and  that  Belgium  was 
winning.  Ostend,  Spa,  Dinant,  Chimay, 
Namur  and  the  other  towns  that  had 
rushed  in  to  get  some  of  the  plunder  stood 
aghast  when  a  bill  was  brought  into  the 
legislature  a  few  weeks  ago  suppressing  all 
gambling.  With  some  modifications  it 
was  passed,  in  spite  of  the  fierce  opposi- 
tion and  powerful  lobbies  of  the  interested 
parties. 

As  the  law  now  stands,  all  games  of 
chance  in  public  places  for  stakes  are  for- 
bidden, except  when  the  stakes  do  not  ex- 
ceed the  value  of  the  refreshments  taken 
by  the  players.  Social  and  private  clubs 
are  not  considered  as  public  places,  and 
their  legitimate  members  may  gamble  as 
much  as  they  like,  but  the  stranger  who 
tries  to  get  a  temporary  membership  for 
he  purpose  of  gambling  will  hereafter  find 


himself  confronted  by  dues  and  initiation 
fees  that  will  keep  him  out. 

While  the  bill  was  up  for  consideration 
Ostend  wept  and  wailed  that  she  would  be 
ruined,  and  that  heavy  government  inter- 
ests would  go  down  with  her  in  the  gen- 
eral smash.  The  doleful  statement  was 
not  seriously  denied,  either.  Yet  the 
amendment  to  exclude  Ostend  and  Spa 
from  the  general  provisions  of  the  bill  was 
defeated  by  a  vote  of  97  to  16,  although  it 
is  generally  understood  that  King  Leopold 
supported  the  amendment  with  all  the 
power  he  could  muster.  Now  these  cities 
are  trying  to  get  the  disaster  postponed  for 
five  years.  Ostend  has  a  magnificent 
beach,  and  its  Casino  or  Kursal  has  many 
attractions  aside  from  gaming  tables.  It 
is  the  favorite  resort  of  the  gay  old  King, 
and  its  hotels  are  some  of  the  best  in 
Europe.  But  its  natural  attractions  are 
not  equal  to  those  of  Blankenburgh,  its 
rival  and  neighbor,  or  to  those  of  Spa,  the 
oldest  watering  place  in  Europe,  with  a 
record  running  back  into  the  thirteen  hun- 
dreds. Without  the  gaming  tables  to  give 
it  life  next  summer  the  chances  are  it  will 
plunge  abruptly  from  the  top  wave  of 
prosperity  to  the  depths  of  ruin,  unless 
some  way  can  be  found  to  initiate  stran- 
gers temporarily  into  the  local  clubs  with- 
out payment  of  prohibitory  fees.  The  fact 
that  hotel  values  have  not  collapsed  indi- 
cates a  sly  expectation  that  some  way  will 
be  found  to  dodge  the  law. 

But  public  opinion  at  large  in  quiet, 
staid,  orderly  Belgium  has  turned  against 
the  gaming  table,  and  even  if  Ostend  man- 
ages to  "save  its  face,"  as  the  Chinese  say, 
its  day  as  the  successful  rival  of  Monte 
Carlo  and  the  world's  most  glittering 
gambling  joint  has  apparently  passed  for- 
ever 

Whereat  Neighbor  France  smiles  con- 
tentedly. France  never  could  see  much 
harm  in  gambling,  and  has  had  few  scru- 
ples about  it  in  any  form,  from  national 
lotteries  down  to  licenses  for  green- covered 


420 


THE  IRR1QAI10N  AGE. 


tables    in     the     back     rooms    of    corner 
grogeries. 

One  result,  therefore,  of  the  great  re- 
formation in  Belgium  will  be  a  boom  at 
Dieppe,  for  that  is  the  public  gambling 
place  nearest  to  London,  and  directly  in 
the  path  of  the  money-laden  American 
tourists  who  swarm  between  London  and 
Paris  each  season.  Unless  the  picturesque 
French  town  is  too  greedy  it  is  likely  to 
become  one  of  the  most  famous  resorts  in 
Europe  before  long,  and  its  ''petits 
chevaux'1  will  bring  in  more  money  than 
the  town  authorities  will  know  how  to 
manage. 

At  present  those  ;' petits  chevaux'' 
make  monkeys  of  the  folk  who  hazard 
their  francs  on  them,  for  the  chances 
against  the  bettor  are  12J  per .  cent, 
whereas  in  the  games  at  Monte  Carlo  the 
margin  in  favor  of  the  bank  is  only  lj  per 
cent  or  in  many  cases  1  per  cent.  I  have 
watched  the  players  at  the  Dieppe  Casino 
with  close  attention  on  several  occasions, 
and  would  risk  a  guess  that  not  one  person 
in  ten  leaves  the  place  a  winner.  The 
piles  of  coin  in  the  croupier's  boxes  grow 
as  steadily  as  in  the  cashier's  till  of  a 
great  dry  goods  store  and  change  color 
from  the  white  of  silver  to  the  yellow  of 
gold  as  regularly  as  if  the  transformation 
were  effected  by  machinery. 

In  all  probability  Dieppe  will  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  situation  and  widen  her  net 
with  rouge  et  noir  and  baccaret,  but  at 
present  the  nine  little  horses  suffice  to 
drain  her  visitors  of  their  pocket  money. 
They  run  in  concentric  circles  on  a  board 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  and  the  six-inch 
iron  steed  that  stops  nearest  to  the  line 
after  making  half  a  dozen  circuits  is  the 
winner.  Stretching  out  from  the  minia- 
ture racetrack  are  the  long,  green-clothed 
tables,  with  sections  corresponding  to  the 
number  of  the  horses,  and  other  sections 
for  combination  bets.  You  place  your 
franc  on  No.  8,  the  track-master  turns  his 
crank  and  proclaims,  "Les  jeux  sont 


faites!"  in  tones  that  sound  like  the  last 
despairing  wail  of  a  swimmer  whose 
strength  is  gone.  A  moment  of  breathless 
silence  while  the  little  horses  tear  around 
in  their  circles,  then  the  track  master's 
despondent  sing-song,  '' Numero  huit." 
There  is  an  instant  crash  of  the  croupier's 
rakes  and  the  sound  of  the  clinking  of 
silver,  as  if  hundreds  of  money  bags  were 
being  shaken  madly,  and  there  on  the 
green  cloth  before  you  is  your  franc,  with 
six  others  added  unto  it.  That  looks  like 
good  business,  and  not  until  later  in  the 
evening  does  it  appear  that  even  if  one 
sticks  to  the  lowest  limit  and  bets  only  a 
franc  at  a  time  the  sport  costs  on  the  aver- 
age 20  cents  for  each  five  minutes,  which 
proves  expensive  in  time. 

Dieppe's  casino  is  a  handsome,  roomy 
building,  that  stretches  along  one  of  the 
finest  bits  of  beach  on  the  Normandy 
coast.  Back  of  it  are  the  summer  homes 
of  many  of  the  French  aristocracy,  and 
shining  white  in  the  hot  sun  and  against 
the  blue  sky  is  a  row  of  hotels  that  charge 
fierce  prices  in  the  short,  gay  season,  and 
are  moderate  enough  just  before  or  just 
after.  A  few  miles  back  is  the  magnifi- 
cent ruin  of  Argues,  perched  high  on  a 
table  land,  whence  narrow  windows  in  the 
great  fortress  or  from  the  top  of  its  thick, 
mossy  covered  walls  you  can  look  for  miles 
up  and  down  the  fertile  valley  far  below. 
Bathing  in  the  morning,  a  siesta  in  the 
afternoon  and  gambling  or  loafing  at  the 
Casino  in  the  evening  are  about  all  that 
one  can  do,  or  that  one  wants  to  do,  in 
the  hot  days  when  Dieppe  is  at  its  gayest. 

Further  up  the  coast  is  noisier  and  less 
aristocratic  Boulogne,  and  here,  too,  is  a 
casino  and  the  "  petits  chevaux  "  and  bets 
for  any  sum  you  like,  whereas  at  Dieppe 
the  limit  is  5  francs.  Boulogne,  too,  has 
an  eye  on  Ostend  and  is  hoping  eagerly 
for  the  downfall  of  the  Belgian  Vanity 
Fair.  CURTIS  BROWN. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


421 


AT   THIRTY-FIVE. 
At  the  age   of  35   a   woman  is  usually 
either  a   philosopher   or   a   fool.     Fool  or 
philosopher,    according    to   the    way   she 
views  the  past  and  faces  the  future. 

At  35 — neither  young  nor  old — her  po- 
sition corresponds  somewhat  to  that  of  the 
lanky,  growing  girl,  who  is  too  old  to  play 
childish  games  but  too  young  to  do  up  her 
hair  and  put  on  long  gowns.  It  is  the 
awkward  transition  period.  The  woman 
of  35  has  come  to  the  parting  of  the  ways. 
Having  reached  the  outskirts  of  youth, 
she  has  not  yet  crossed  the  border  into 
middle  age. 

Now,  verily  youth  is  a  beautiful  thing, 
and  no  woman  parts  with  it  willingly.  Yet, 
willy  nilly.  part  with  it  she  must  at  35. 
The  fool  is  she  who  struggles  and  fights 
against  the  inevitable.  The  philosopher 
she  who  looks  the  situation  squarely  in 
the  face  and  accepts  it — if  not  cheerfully, 
at  least  with  an  imitation  of  cheerfulness 
that  passes  muster  for  the  genuine  article. 
She  looks  into  her  mirror,  sees  the  mature 
figure,  the  double  chin,  perhaps,  and  says 
to  herself: 

'The  arrangement  of  my  hair  is  too 
girlish;  makes  me  riduculous.  It's  time 
for  me  to  give  up  baby-ribbon  effects." 

We  all  know  the  woman  on  the  wrong 
side  of  30  who  refuses  to  admit  her  age, 
who  regards  herself  and  wishes  others  to 
regard  her  as  something  between  dear  20 
and  delightful  25.  Her  mirror  might 
shout  "35  "  every  time  she  gazed  into  it, 
yet  she  would  go  on  making  the  toilet  of 
20.  Having  ears,  she  refuses  to  hear. 
Having  eyes,  she  sees — yes.  she  sees  the 
lines  and  crows'  feet,  but  puts  them  to 
rout,  so  far  as  she  is  able,  with  massage, 
cold  creams  and  complexion  brushes. 
Those  which  will  not  be  smoothed  away  by 
such  means  she  conceals  under  powder, 
rouge  and  one  of  those  flimsy  veils  which 
make  the  plain  woman  pretty  and  the 
pretty  woman  a  vision  of  loveliness. 

In    war   paint   and    feathers   she   looks 


young — quite  young  to  the  casual  observer. 
But  this  woman  is  a  cheat,  a  fraud,  and 
her  youthful  appearance  a  delusion.  Al- 
though she  elects  herself  a  member  of 
youth,  she  cannot,  without  making  her  ef- 
forts nil,  "go  in"  for  tennis,  golf,"  rowing, 
bathing,  and  all  those  forms  of  outdoor 
sports  which  make  Miss  Twenty  fascinat- 
ing in  spite  of  disheveled  tresses.  Those 
same  sports  make  Miss  Thirty-five  a  fright. 
Poor  fool!  She  can't  be  young,  and  she 
won't  be  old,  so — after  the  fashion  of  the 
donkey  who  starved  to  death  between  two 
haystacks — she  has  neither  the  pleasure  of 
the  one  nor  the  other. 

The  fool — being  a  fool — cannot  under- 
stand that  the  philosopher  has  pleasures, 
and  that  they  are  broader,  deeper,  better, 
and  more  satisfying  than  those  which 
should  appeal  only  to  honest  but  frivolous 
young  womanhood. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  the  phil- 
osopher has  brains,  and  these  she  uses 
with  profit  to  herself  and  others.  Merely 
by  turning  her  thoughts  to  other  things 
than  those  connected  with  personal  adorn- 
ment, her  mind  and  character  broaden. 
She  becomes  less  selfish  —  noble.  She 
thinks  and  reasons  more.  Books  that 
were  once  read  carelessly  take  on  a  deeper 
meaning.  The  beauties  in  nature  and  art 
she  feels  and  enjoys  as  never  before. 
Sorrow  and  suffering  of  all  kinds  awaken 
her  sympathy  and  pity.  She  condemns  less 
readily,  and  forgives  more  quickly  than  in 
the  days  when  impulse— good-natured  or 
otherwise  —  alone  governed  her  actions. 
She  finds  friends — true,  staunch  friends — 
in  both  sexes,  and  in  all  sorts  and  condi- 
tions of  men,  women  and  children. 

Our  philosopher  has  not  yet  forgotten 
the  joys  and  woes  of  childhood.  She  still 
feels  an  interest  in  gay  and  effervescent 
youth.  She  glances  backward  at  the  past. 
Ah,  how  quickly  the  years  have  fluwn! 
Then  toward  the  future.  And  the  glance, 
reveals  old  age  in  a  new  light,  and  makes 
her  tender  and  pitiful  to  the  physical  in- 


422 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


firmities  which  so  often  come  with  declin- 
ing years.  She  is  still  at  the  zeneth  of  life. 
But  the  sunrise  was  so  short  a  time  ago, 
and  the  sunset  will  be  equally  as  quick  in 
coming.  Though  the  ene  was  beautiful, 
the  other  may  be  glorious.  Of  all  her 
friends  this  philosopher  appreciates  most 
those  who  are  wiser  and  older  than  herself, 
for  she  finds  them  the  most  unselfish,  the 
most  helpful  of  any. 

Should  this  woman  be  pitied?  Not  at 
all.  The  very  cream  of  life  is  hers. 

So  be  wise  all  ye  women  of  35.  Give 
up  trying  to  cheat  the  years.  At  best  it 
is  a  nerve-disturbing,  soul-destroying, 
heart-breaking  business.  Give  it  up.  You 
will  lose  little  and  gain  much,  for  you  will 
exchange  brass  for  pure  gold.  Stand  aside 
for  younger  sportsmen — or  women,  rather. 
Take  yourself  out  of  the  field  while  you 
may  do  so  with  dignity.  Why  wait  to  be 
thrust  forth  amid  jeers  and  laughter? — 
Los  Angles  Sunday  Times. 


HE  MET  HIS  MATCH. 

"Never  cross  question  an  Irishman  from 
the  old  sod,"  advises  one  of  the  foremost 
railroad  attorneys,  of  the  age.  "Even  if 
he  dues  not  think  of  an  answer  he  will 
stumble  into  some  bull  that  will  demoral- 
ize the  court  and  jury,  and  whenever  a 
witness  tickles  a  jury  his  testimony  gains 
vastly  in  its  influence. 

"Ve>,  I'm  speaking  from  experience. 
The  only  witness  who  ever  made  me  throw 
up  my  hands  and  leave  the  courtroom  was 
a  green  Irishman.  A  section  hand  had 
been  killed  by  an  express  train  and  his 
widow  was  suing  for  damages.  I  had  a 
goon  case  but  made  the  mistake  of  trying 
to  i  M  i  In-  main  witness  inside  out. 

"In  hi?  quaint  way  he  had  given  a 
gra,  me  .l.-x-Hptiori  of  the  fatality,  oc- 
casi  n.idv  -hedding  tears  and  calling  on 
tin-  xrimi.s  "quotes  the  Detroit  F.ce  Press. 
'Aiming  ••!  her  things  he  swore  positively 
t*h"  '  •"•  I'icomotive  whistle  was  not 
souml'd  until  after  the  whole  train  had 


passed  over  his  departed  friend.     Then  I 
thought  I  had  him. 

'  'See  here,  McGinnis,'  said  I,  'you  ad- 
mit that  the  whistle  blew?' 
"  'Yis,  sor;  it  blewed,  sor.' 
'  'Now,  if  that  whistle  sounded  in  time 
to  give  Michael  warning,  the  fact  would  be 
in  favor  of  the  company,  wouldn't  it?" 

'Yis,  sor;  and  Mike  would  be  tistifyin' 
here  this  day.'    The  jury  giggled. 

'  'Never  mind  that.  You  were  Mike's 
friend,  and  you  would  like  to  help  his 
widow  out;  but  just  tell  me  now  what 
earthly  purpose  there  could  be  for  the  en- 
gineer to  blow  that  whistle  after  Mike  had 
been  struck.' 

"  'I  preshume  thot  the  whistle  wore  for 
the  nixt  mon  on  the  thrack,  sor.' 

"I  left  and  the  widow  got  all  she  asked. n 


LATEST  TROUSERS  RECIPE. 

"A  year  or  two  ago, "said  a  young  man 
to  a  friend,  "I  spent  a  few  weeks  at  south 
coast  watering  places.  One  day  I  saw  a 
machine  which  bore  the  inscription  'Drop 
a  penny  in  the  slot  and  learn  how  to  make 
your  trousers  last.'  As  I  hadn't  a  great 
deal  of  money  I  thought  an  investment  of 
a  penny  to  show  me  how  to  save  the  pur- 
chase of  a  pair  of  trousers  would  be  small 
capital  put  to  good  use,  so  I  dropped  the 
required  cuin  in  and  a  card  appeared. 
What  do  you  suppose  it  recommended  to 
make  my  trousers  last?" 

"Don't  wear  'em,  I  suppose." 

"No." 

"What  did  it  say?" 

''Make  your  coat  and  waistcoat  first." 


SAND. 
I   observed   a   locomotive    in  the  railroad 

yard  one  day 
It  was  waiting    in    the  roundhouse  where 

the  locomotives  stay; 
It   was   panting   for   the   journey,  it  was 

coaled  and  fully  manned, 
And  it  had  a   box    the  fireman  was  filling 

full  of  sand. 


THE  IRRIGATION  AGE. 


423 


It  appears  that  locomotives  cannot  always 

get  a  grip 
•On  the  slender  iron  pavement  'cause  their 

wheels  are  apt  to  slip; 
And  when  they  reach  a  slippery  spot  their 

tactics  they  command 
And   to   get    a  grip  upon    the   rail   they 

sprinkle  it  with  sand. 

It's  about  this  way  with  travel  along  life's 

slippery  track, 
If  your   load    is   rather  heavy   and  you're 

always  sliding  back; 
So,  if  a  modern  locomotive  you  completely 

understand, 
You'll  supply  yourself  at  starting  with  a 

good  supply  of  sand. 

If  your  track  is  steep  and  hilly,  and  you 
have  a  heavy  grade, 

And  if  those  who've  gone  before  you  have 
the  rails  quite  slippery  made. 

If  you  ever  reach  the  summit  of  the  upper 
table-land, 

You'll  find  you'll  have  to  do  it  with  a  lib- 
eral use  of  sand. 

You  can  get  to  any  station  that's,  on  life's 
schedule  seen, 

If  there's  fire  beneath  the  boiler  of  ambi- 
tion's strong  machine. 

And  you'll  reach  a  place  called  Flushtown 
at  a  rate  of  speed  that's  grand 

If  for  all  the  slippery  places  you've  a  good 
supply  of  sand.  — Sel. 


THE  OLD  FAMILIAR  FACES. 

Oh,  those  old  familiar  faces,  how  they 
linger  in  the  mind, 

How  the  recollection  of  them  'round  our 
mem'ry  is  entwined. 

There's  a  man  in  Keene,  New  Hampshire, 
who  was  going  to  die  for  sure, 

Till  he  swallowed  sixteen  bottles  of  Dead 
Shot  Consumption  Cure; 

Down  in  Linden,  Alabama,  lives  that  well- 
know  blacksmith's  wife. 

Who,  by  means  of  Filler's  Pellets,  found 
the  pathway  back  to  life. 


Both  their  faces  linger  with  us,  and  re- 
fuse to  go  away, 

For  in  many  advertisements  we  can  see 
them  every  day. 

Up  in   Tuttle,  Colorado,  dwells  a  famous 

miner  who 
Lost  two  legs   in    one  explosion.     Jones's 

Life  Saver  pulled  him  through. 
And  in  Manly  Junction.  Iowa,  two  section 

hands  reside, 
Who,  by  using  Johnson's  Tonic,  keep  this 

side  the  Great  Divide. 
In  the   town  of  Burton,  Texas,  is   a  man 

who  the  M.  D.'s 

Said  would  die  in  twenty  minutes.     Ran- 
som's Oil  cured  his  disease. 
We  can    see   them   all   before   us,  though 

they  live  so  far  away, 
For  their  portraits  all  are  printed  in  the 

papers  every  day. 

And  the  babies!     Ah!   the  babies,  sitting 

on  their  mothers'  knee?, 
While  the   man  who    takes    the    picture 

smiles    and     says,    "  Look   pleasant, 

please!" 
How  the  pudgy  little  features  are  engraved 

upon  our  hearts, 
Though  the  little  ones  that  own  them  live 

in  very  distant  parts. 
What   a    wilderness   of    babies    we   have 

lately  come  to  know, 
Who've  been  saved  by  foods  aud  mushes, 

clear  from  Maine-to  Mexico. 
We  have   never  heard    their   wailing   nor 

their  prattle  and  their  play, 
But  we  know  them,  for  we've  seen  them 

in  the  papers  every  day. 

— Portland  Oregoman. 


HIS  FERVENT  HOPE. 

Mrs.     Sleepyize — "Henry,     the     alarm 
clock  just  went  off." 

Mr.    Sleepyize  —  "Thank    goodness;    I 
hope   th'    thing  '11    never   come   back. "- 
Columbus  (0.)  State  Journal. 


THE  IRRIGA1ION  AGE. 


SOME  RESOLUTIONS. 

I've  made  some  resolutions,  not  so  many — 

just  a  few, 
For  I  have  a  certain  habits  I've  decided 

to  eschew, 
I've  made  a  memorandum  of  some  things 

I  shouldn't  do, 
And    marked   the  path  of  rectitude  I'll 

struggle  to  pursue. 

*          -x-          *          *          *          * 

I  have  resolved   to  smoke  no  more — I'll 
give  tobacco  up; 

I'll  cease  to  look  with  longing  eyes  upon 
the  tippler's  cup; 

I'll  even  shut  my  toddy,  as  a  kind  of  en- 
t'ring  wedge, 

And  in  a  year,  perhaps,  I'll  be  prepai-ed  to 
sign  the  pledge. 

I  seldom  swear,  but  I've  resolved,  hence- 
forth, to  use  no  word 

That  may  not,  by  the  most  refined,  with- 
out offense  be  heard. 

I  never  play  a  game  of  chance,  because  I 
have  no  skill. 

But  for  the  sake  of  conscience   I've  re 
solved  I  never  will. 

I'll  be  more  economical  about  the  way  I 
dine, 

And  I've  resolved  to  worship  less  at  pleas- 
ure's gilded  shrine. 


I'll  go  to  church  on  Sundays,  once  again 
I'll  learn  to  pi  ay. 

And  I've  a  list  of  creditors  that  I've  re- 
solved to  pay. 

If  these  few    resolutions    I  can    keep,   a 
snug  amount 

I'll  have  in  hand  next  year,  wherewith  to 
start  a  bank  account. 

And  I've  resolved,  if  I   should   live   this 
model  upright  life, 

To  take  unto  myself  a  sweet  and  charm- 
ing little  wife. 

But  there   may  come   temptations  that  I 
cannot  well  resist, 

So  one  more  resolution  must  be  added  to 
the  list; 

Therefore    it    is    hereby    resolved    that, 
should  I  chance  to  fall 

And  break  one  resolution.  I'll  resolve  to 

break  them  all. 
— Lawrence  Porcher  Hext    in  Leslie's 

Weekly. 

WANTED— Ladies  and  gentlemen  to  introduce 
the  "hottest"  seller  on  eaith.  Dr.  White's  Elec- 
trical Comb,  patented  1899.  Agents  are  coining 
money.  Cures  all  forms  of  scalp  ailments,  head- 
aches, etc.,  yet  costs  the  same  as  an  ordinary 
comb  Send  50c  in  stamps  for  sample.  G.  N 
ROSE,  Gen.  Mgr.,  Decatur,  ill. 

WANTED— Business  men  and  women  to  take  ex- 
clusive agency  for    a  State,  and  control  sub- 
agents  handling    Dr.    White's   Electric    Comb. 
$3,000  per  month  compensation.    Fact.    Call  and 
I'll  prove  it,    G.  N.  ROSE,  Gen.  Mgr  ,  Decatur.Ill