New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-03-26
U-H.fT / KNOX, or FIRNING.
~ HORACE GREELEY.
XIII
ALL.
TIE POSSIBILITIES OF IRRIGATION.

TIE POSSIBILITIES OF IRRIGATION
! have given an account of my poor little expert
mcnt in Irrigation because it il one which almost
every farmer can initiate and improve upon how
ever narrow his domain and slender his fortune
presume there are Half Million homescads in the
United States wLicAhave natural facilities for lrr-
CATION at least equal TO mine: many Of them far
greater. Along either slope Of the Alcghcnies,
throughout district at least thousand miles
long by three hundred wide nearly every farm
might be at least partially irrigated by means OF a
dam costing from twenty-five TO one hundred dol
lars so might at least hall the farms in New England
and our own State. On the praires the plans must
be different and the expense probably greater, but
the results obtained would bouneouSly reward the
outlay. i shall not see the day but there are
those now living who rin see it, when Artesian
wells will be dug at points where many
acres may he flowed from gentle swell i'll the midst
of a vast plain at the head of fertile valley cX-
prcssy, at least mainly, that its waters may be
led across that plain, adown that valley, in
irriqating streams and bitches until they have been
wholly drank up by the soil ] have seen single
wells in California that might be made to irrigate
sufficiently hundreds Of acres, by the aid OF .
reservoir into which their waters could be dis
charged when the soil did not require them, and
there retained until the thirsty earth demanded them
An old ana successful FARMER Ill NY
ailirms that Water is the cheapest and best fer
tilizer ever applied TO the soil If this under
stood TO mean that no other is needed or can be
proftaLly applied it would be erroneous Still, |
think it clearly true that the annual product Of most
farms can be increased and the danger of failure
ayertcd more cheaply by the sSillfu application of
water than by that OF any other fertilizer whatever.
Plaster lGyp,um possibly excepted.
took run through Virginia last Summer not far
from the lst of August That State was then suffer-
ing intensely from drOuth, as she continued to do
for some weeks thereafter. am quite sure that
saw on her thirsty plains and hlllsdes not less than
three hundred thousand acres planted with Indian
Corn whereof the average product could not exceed
ten bushels per acre. while most of II would fan far
below that WELD and there were thousands of
that would not produce one sound ear! livery one
deplored the failure correctly atIibuting it to the
prevailing dronth. And yet passed hundreds if not
thousands of places where a very moderate outlay
would have suficed to dam stream or broohlet SSu'
ing from between twospurS of the Blue Ridge or the
Allcghenies, so that refreshing current OF tie
copions and fertizing floods OF Winter and Spring.
warmed bv the fcryid suns OF June and July, could
have been led over broad fields lying below, so ~ to
yanuuish drouh and insure generous hafyest5.
NAY: | feel confident that | could in many places
have constructed rude works in week, alter tiat
drouth began TO be felt that would have saved and
made the Corn on at least portion OF the planted
acres through which the now shrunken brooks
danced and laughed idly down 10 the larger streams
in the wider and equally thirsty valleys. OF course
know that this would have been imperfect iirisa-
tion-a mere stOpgap-that the cold spring-water of
n parcLed Summer cannot fcrtze as the hill-wash
of Winter and Spring. if thrifty garEcrcd and
warmed through and through for Sultry weeks would
\ ltat .IrI
even then have secured partial crops by such irrIga
ton as was still possible had they even at the eleV-
cuth hour done their best 10 retrieve the errors Of
the past.
For the present would only counsel every farmer
10 give his land o careful scrutiny with view To II
riaatiou in tho future. No one is obliged 10 90 any
faster than his means will justify; and yet 1t may DO
wen to have a clear comprehension oi AL that may
ultimately he done TO profit. even though much 81
il must long remain uninterrupted. Ia many cases,
u stream may bc damned for the power which 1t VIII
afford for two or three months OF each year. II III
shall appcar that Tins use is qnc consistent with its
employment ,n irrigation. when the former alone
would NOT justify tie requisite outlay II Is by thus
KIM, one expense subsciye two quite Independent
Lut moi inconsistent purposes that success attained
in other pursuits. and so IL may bc III farming
A.,cf each farmer mnst study hts own resources
win intent to mako the most Of them. If manage
allie stream cro,scs or issues from his land. he must
measure its fall thereon, study tie ayol the l1nd
and determine whether he can 81 cannot at 'oor-
able cost. make that stream available IA te Irrig'-
lion of ~ least q portion Of his growing crops Nh,h
ll,rv s! need water aud the skies decline To supply
81. un MANY t!inl, on most, farms situated among
A,ll. or upon the slopes of mountains something
lay be do.a ia t.is way-doAe 90 once ana
uilh immediate profit. But tA.' 10 Io"''