New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-08-05
IRRIGAT ION.
tronoge.

Ii there is single farmer in America unconvinced
after seeing the effects of the drouth Of this summer that
irrigation has become of the necessities Of agriculture
mistaken in the commonnse oAteite- Il farmers
II all the fields in cultivation that are susceptible Of irri
CATION had been watered this yerr II those places where
the droath has been the Increase Of crops
would have paid one-fourth Of tie cOs;, more
Charles A. Peabody, at Columbia, Ca, has succeeded
by irrigation in producing strawberries upon the
vines six months in the year.
BY irrigation, and by that alone, the people Of
Mexico sustained and generally their plans are OF the
rudest kind Here we depend entirely upon "a ms and
dews and when they fail there is one universal howl at
the terrible effects of the drouth. The county Of
Jefferson has lost half the usual crops by douih three
years in succession The county of Chau,auque has been
burnt up a distressing degree for Some
of the northern counties of Ohio have several tines
within few years been obliged to sell OIL their stock
account of drouth and scarcely year psees that do
not hear Of much suffering arising from this eSuse in a.
dozen different localities.
The cause Of drouth as generally given by scientific
writers is denudng the country of forests and ell concur
in the opinion that il will grow and long
as we continue the work of destruction Of the earhs
natural shade 1t does not follow that the wore, effects
will fall upon the land last cleared il may fall hundred
miles Distant it is the general change of the atmospheric
influences always following the clearing up Of coun-
try.
Now we put the question to the farmers OF this country
with all these facts and effects before your eyes s it not
time for you to begin think of irgstiontO begin to
devise means by which alone you hopeto get
fair return for your labor upon the soil
No country on earth, perhaps, isvOrably
situated for irrigation the northern portion Of the United
States Notwithstanding the generally billy surface there
are thousands of springs and s that only need to be LED
by natural descents into artificial channels; and where
they do not exist such a windmill noticed The other
day be made TO pump up water from lower eveit TO
reservoir the HILL TO be let down when required for
the of growing crops Our country is not e the ard
deserts Of Mexico, where travellers sometimes ninety
miles upon a much Travelled road without water. Here
have everywhere within reach only for stock
bat for irrigation. The dre section Of the country we
know Of is in Kentucky, upon the limestone formation,
and there water for stock il preserved in artificial ponds
and might be for purposes of irrigation or ii sener
al water system devised the streams OF the country
could be made to supply by their power the
yoirs upon the billtOps. There is question in mind
about the advantages of irrigation the only question Is.
will itpay In opinion it viii pay better than any
other expenditure that be made by for the benefit
Of agricultu We call the attention OF the realer to
facts connected with irrigation in Italy.
In Lombardy irrigation has been in vogue fox seven
hundred years and may be observed in the spread Of
particular manufactures where planted, 50 OF irrga-
ton it has continued spread all the land capable
of being brought under the system Whole helds have
been graded down and ill up the uneven sur
face of city plot bring the land under the power OF
the canals and bitches. The title of all running streams -
the Lombardo Yentan kingdom has been reserved In
the government to prevent any individual monop-
oily Of this necessity in all agricultural pursuits 10 that
country.
The right the water OF sreaus for purposes OF
irrigation is let out to individuals under certain restre
tons and the interest OF the several parties likely be
affected is adjusted by highly educated cass ofhydrsahc
engineers Of whom il allow ed 10 assume the dates
practice the profession unless he is regular ga!us Of
the University fTurin. There il Government corps Of
engineer and those who practice the profession private
account
II requires the hghest degree Of skill 20 construct
the nteminable system If canals in Lombardy and %
gauge all their capacity not TO waste gallon oil
water and yet give each tract OF Land the exact supp>
stipulated for.
Canals are often formed by landed proprieo-s without
any immediate prospect OF benefit they look TO .h'
Ultimate advantages AMI they by that saw
their land from deterioration without getting back IN
first cost, they consider the outlay profitable one.
By the OF water the capacity Of the land 20 any AZ
1creo ed number u cattle almos inconco.ys0.e Il
c.'ira.cd lat n :dc lie IT, ilded between q, lod
snG Pave, lie az O. wL,h sbou. twenty r''' &C.
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