Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-03-24
IRRIGATION.
had Management Heret0fOre-HOw we
May Improve I'm the eFuture-Plenty
OF Water fer Irrigation.

MAY Improve I'm the Future-Plenty
OF %a:e. fer Irrigation.
From the California Christian Advocate
Will you please permit me to make
few statements through the columns
of your paper in reference to the
question of water, which is at present
attracting so much attention, and
which is of vital Importance to the
growth and prosperity Of this city and
country. When I came here, twenty
five wears ago, there were but very
few acres of land irrigated below Sew
enth street, East of Main street, and
not an acre anywhere West of Main
street; yet many of our old citizens
thought we had as much land under
cultivation as could be watered from
the Los Angeles river. But we have
gradually extended our bitches till we
have ten acres under cultivation for
every one we had then, and yet there
are volumes of water running to
waste through the neglect or misman-
agement of the City Fathers. From
my own personal experience in irri-
l.
this city and county, as well as stran-
gers who are perfectly enraptured with
our country, that we have an abund-
ance of water, if properly utilized, to
irrigate all the lands from the
FOOTHILLS TO THE OCEAN.
We have at present nine bitches,
affording what is called two heads of
water each. Now, one of those heads
of water will irrigate or flood twenty
five acres in twelve hours, if the land
is in proper condition and the water
we'll managed. Using this water day
and night, we could irrigate so acres
with each head; and having 18 heads,
we WUuIu Ue du1o a~-:-s tho 0d hon rs
to irrigate 900 acres, or 2,700 acres in
one month. This quantity of water
can be doubled by fiuming q few miles
and proper management, 50 that in the
same time, Zone month) we can irri-
gate 400 acres.
And this is not the extent of our re-
sources, for at comparatively small
cost we can build reservoirs or dams
that can be filled from the river in the
Winter season when the water is rum
ming to waste. Thus we could double
the quantity of water again, and be
able to irrigate one hundred thousand
eight hundred acres of land, or an
area nine miles wide to the sea. But
it is claimed that this would run the
city in debt, and it is thought best
not to incur expense for the city by
our wise guardians, lest, forsooth,
they should incur the displeasure of
the people and thus lose their posi-
tiOns. Let us examine this matter,
and see
Under the present water system
there are nine bitches, afording eigh-
teen heads of water, that are sold at
an average of three dollars per day
and night for each head of water,
which makes $54 per day, or $l,620
per month, or $9,725 for six months.
Reasoning from analogy, itwould pay
interest on $500 at one and one-half
per cent. per month to double the
quantity of water; and to quadruple
it would pay to make an investment
of one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars by the sale of water alone.
Besides this, it would increase or
raise the value of one hundred thous-
and acres of land from $25 to 5000,
and give homes to fifty thousand fam
lilies, increase the value of the land
already irrigated, and give rise to a
system of reservoirs that could be
filled from the San Gabriel and Santa
Ana rivers. Thus, in few years, we
could furnish homes in the finest eli
mate in the world for
ALMOST TWO MILLION PEOPLE,
AS every acre, if properly cultivated,
is capable of supporting family of
five persons. / am we'll aware that
these statements will be considered
absurd by the most of the people
everywhere, but / know what 1 am
asserting, as l have been a tiller of
the soil from my boyhood IN
Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas and
California. And when | look back
to the time / worked, for twelve and
one-half cents per day and plowed the
ground five times for fifteen bushels of
corn to the acre, am fully prepared
to make the above statements, and ar
rive at my conclusions in this wise: In
the Eastern States there are thousands
of acres Of land where one man cannot
cultivate more than 25 acres and get
more than Is bushels TO the acre, which
would be 375 bushels, and yet he must
make living for his family; while
here he can raise crop of corn, 100
bushels to the acre, and on the same
land at the same time FIVE tons of
pumpkins, then $50 to 800 bushels of
potatoes, and get them off in time to
raise crop of cabbages, at least ten
to twelve tons-and all this can be done
in twelve months on land that can be
irrigated.
BUT THIS is NOT THE BEST USE
That can be made of our lands. They
should be planted in tropical and semi
tropical fruits, to be shipped to the
other parts of the world and exchanged
for other products. Let us turn, then,
for a moment to the semi-tropical
fruits, to see If a man can support a
family on one acre of land. In the first
place we will plant an acre in English
walnuts, say thirty trees; those trees,
when they arrive at maturity, will