Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-10-23
winter rrrigation.

winter Irrigation.
OF course we cannot say whether we will
have wet or dry winter, or whether the
rains will fall early or late in The season, and
therefore whether the lands viii need artih-
cial irrigation or not; but history of the
past has shown Us thai the average rainfall
in nearly all the cultivated portions of the
State is too small to insure good crops of even
the small grains. Our last winter was an
exceptional one, and as result We have had
an exceptional crop of all the cereals. Our
| rains last winter were not mere than the
average, but they came late in the season.
and therefore the soil retained the moisture
and utilized it to greater extent than usual
in completing the growth and periseting the
crops. We have never failed in having good
crops after q wet winter, and we have never
had good crops after dry winter; but we
have always had The best crops after wet
season that has come late rather than early.
Now all these facts prove 60 Us that we have
it in our power 60 produce good crops wher-
ever our Ialds can be flooded and well soaked
down during tie rainy season. We have
thus far referred only TO the small grain
crops, but the history of the past goes to
prove to US also shat with 4 wet season well
tirned we can always depend OF good crops OF
corn, potatoes, and other summer crops, even
on our open wheat lands as well as of the
small grains. We do not need the summer
rains even for vegetables, if we can be assured
of plenty of moisture in the soil as late as
April or May Now with all these truths as
to production before Us, the next inquiry is
whether we can supply artifcially, if we are
not sure of it naturally, the water necessary
to wet our lands down well every winter or
spring. Let such farmer put this question
to himself individually with reference to his
own location or the situation of his lands.
Ii he finds that he has not small stream
handy. or a dry slough which runs full of
water in the winter, from which he can divert
enough to food his lands, and thus render
them certain to yield him abundant crops
every year, is there not such slough on the
lands OF his next or next neighbor, from
which, by the joint efforts of a few neighbors.
all their lands can be flooded. II such slough
or creek be not accessible to small locality,
then let the inquiry be pushed further, and
let it be ascertained if the waters of some
river cannot be diverted from their channel
and carried over a larger section of country
by the joint efforts of the farmers occupying
that larger section. The great inland basins
of the Sacramento and San joaquin rivers are
peculiarly situated in reference to water.
While neither of the. have a sufficiency of
rainfall to insure good crops of even small
grains on their lands situated above the high
water in the rivers opposite these lands, all
the lands on their immediate banks, and
averaging from three to four miles back, are
subject to overflow each winter and spring,
and thus their value and usefulness is very
much impaired. Thus all our lands suffer,
some from want of water and some from too
much water. II we had any means OF keep
ing this water from flooding The lands near
the rivers in high water. and at the same
time conveying it TO and over the back
lands, the whole country would be great
ly benefited. In fact, with such control of
the waters that run down through these great
inland valleys in their rivers, the whole Sec
ton would be rendered the most pros
ductiye and the richest country in the world
Such control and use Of these waters would
at once aud for ever settle the two great
questions of continued fertility and continued
produc. ion. The waters that pass down
through these rivers are freighted with the
surface wash Of all the surrounding NOUN
taius, and contain fertilizing substances
sufficient to enrich the soil of the valleys in
definitely under system Of continued crop
ping. That they contain the finer particles
of soil from the mines will be no objection to
them, but ON the contrary viii be of
great benefit for irugating purposes. The
fine sediment of the mining debris is itself
among the best fertilizers that can be spread
over our lands, and, mixed with the sur
face washinsg, will insure constant crops
to all lands covered by them. All we want is
to equalize our waters over the whole surface
of the valeys-to turn it away from the i'm
mediate river bottoms and spread it over the
higher benches The time we have too much
of it on the low lands is just the time it will
do the most good on the higher lands Then
while our Debris Commission are endesvor
ing to confne the waters within the channels,
would it not be better to consider how best
portion OF them could be spread over the
country that needs them? We want irriga-
ton, but we want it III the winter and early
spring. just when we have a surplus of water.
A plenty of it at this time viii do for the
whole season.