Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-09-18


Its latent requirements also. God taught
men to prepare the earth and SOW seed by
setting them the example in the annually
inundated valleys of the lower Nile and other
rivers. From this to damming back water
and thus keeping it for application to the
soil when thirsty, ls but a step; yet Man
was long in taking that step. At present,
the great plain Of l. ,lnbtrdy or upper Ital Y,
s!oping from the Alps to the Po, and crossed
by the Adige, Mineio, and many smaller
tributaries, affJris the bcs; subsistIng exam
pie OF comprehensive, successful irrigation
| though Utah follows at some distance, and
] Colorado is treading rather timidly in Utah :
! footsteps. That Irrigation is desirable in
itself, no one doubts the practical question
to be answered is Will it pay ," On
this point, proffer some suggestions based
| on extensive observations ami some little ex-
perience
! Follow any Of the streams that start near
| the crest Of the Green Mountiins down to the
Connecticut on the one hand or to Lake
ChamPlain OF the Uoosac on the other, and
you viii note many places where water might
be taken out, by the help OF cheap dam
and ditch, and conducted along a hillside OF
across a swale or valley SO as TO be gradually
ct off In rIlls or petty rivulets to moIsten
land iertilize the slope between it and the
stream whence it taken. Very little OF it
'fOtiA itdGA Ludb uCSLludLlous d5 the THIRSTY
earth would drink It up by the way. estI-
mate that OF the total area Of tins State,
100000 acres Immediately, 600, 900 ultI-
mately, might thus be irrigated at an aver
age cost OF $50 per acre and with an average
increase of their annual produce by at least
- per acre, or an interest on the Investm nC
OF p per cent There are doubtless gold
mines IN Utah OF Colorado, as there possibly
may be diamond mInes in Arizona, that would
pay better interest than this, but | should
prefer not TO designate them. In fact | do not
know another enterprise which seems to me
% certain to yield a large profit az that OF
IrrIgatlng the hIllsides and Intervales Of this
same Vermont.
Almost anyone who has on his farm even
the tlniest streamlet with a considerable fall
IN it, may experiment in irrigation on a
small scale, as / have done, and satisfy him-
self that 1t pays, before proceeding further.
You DO not need an engineer il you hadone,
he could not make the water run up hill here
a. II VIII run down hill al your solicitation a.
readily az though you were the best engineer
on earth. lfyou try 20 make it run up hill,
Il viii prove obstinate respect nature and
her laws and You Will hnd Ler "a tru-tv
servant and friend. Your own observation
viii soon tell you where you can most easily
dam your steam 50 as To save considerable
body oi water In spring and rainy weather.
IN order 20 have it ready for application
when needed, and bow You can lead it of
So as to IrrGate the largest area at q moi,r-
ate cost Begin by irrigitIng two or three
acres, and you Will soon be satisfied that You
can afF,rj r., r., ,,-o,r4 .+ilI ,,.,,-c ,,r+iIeu
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