The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-01
IRRIGATION.
vAsTTRACKs OF STERILE LAND
MADE FERTILE.
A Process Which Adds Untold
Wealth to This Conntry-lianu
Formerly Uhsalable NO"
Worth $500 an Acre.

A new industry is new gain for the
human race, whatever the cranks may
say 10 the contrary. If any one shonld
make the desert "bloom and blossom like
the rose" it is certainly true that one
rose in doing so to high occasion. We
are able in this country in such matters
! in all efforts to 60 mankind lone better"
all the time.
Here is an example, gathered, strange
to say, from report on irrigation VIII ca
the United States Senate has just caused
to be published. It is readable do IL
ment, because prepared by man who
knows how to write as we'll as how to
| gather the facts Agriculture by irriga-
ton is one of the oldest things in the
history of civilization. The beginnings
of such things are found, we know, In the
dry regions of the earth, which are also,
historically speaking. the most ancient.
The upper part of the Hindooston pc
nnsula the valleys and plains of China.
the plateau region of Central Asia. the
Arabian lands, the basin Of the Medter-
rancan, Northern Africa and the semi
tropical, the mesas and plateaus Of Mey-
| leo, entral and South America, on the
west side at least, are the original homes
of the irrigators. Uncounted centuries
have seen them raising crops under the
slow percolation of water laboriousy ap-
piled.
Naturally one would believe suah re-
gions had monopoly of the process. AS
a matter of ia t we are heating the Old
| World at this, even though there are ST II
about 600. 00O, 900 of the worlds inhab!-
tants to whom water for irrigation is ab-
so,utcly needed if they are to cultivate
land in order to raise their own food
Yet we have a large region to irr;gate
and are already making better time at it
than the others on this planet. From
1O2 degrees to 125 degrees of west longi-
tude. and from the British Dominions to
the lower valley of the Rio Grande in
Texas, there is an irregular shaped area
which, if regular in form, would measure
about one thousand mil"s square. 1t con-
tains more than one-half of our public
land domain, excluding Alaska, and is
about one-third Of the whole nat onal
territory. The rainfall in this region Is
from eighteen inches on the east to four
inches per annum on the southwest. 1t
rises in places to twenty-five inches, but
nowhere reaches tn? industrial necessity
of twenty eight inches per annum. About
80 per cent, perhaps more, is arabic, as
much more pastoral, and the remainder
is mountain and desert. Colorado, Utah,
New Mexico, Wyoming, Nevada, Ari-
zona. Montana, Idaho and California are
within its borders.
1t will be great surprise to most REQ
pie 10 learn some of the facts about their
irrigation enterprises. For example.
California had in 1880 less than 5000 0
acres cultivated by its aid. There is in
the southern part of that State over
1000, 900 acres now reclaimed by this
process. and once worth less than 81
now sells from $50 to $500 per acre.
Fruit lands under cultivation will read
lily sell at from $500 to $1,000 per
acre.
In the past ten years at least SEQ, ,o00,-
600 has been expended in that State in
preparing arid lands. by the construction
of irrigation works, for colony and indi-
vidual settlement. A quarter OF a mill
ion persons have been added to the pop
ulation since 1880, and Mt least $780,
600, 0O0 or more to the tavsble valuation.
But one of tie remarkable facts about it
is that economy in the agric ltural use
of water is being developed more highly
there than has heretofore been known.
Utah has developed under Mormon d.
rcction the best community service OF
water and farm land, and the prosperity
of the agricultural settlement of that Pc
| cular people is very great. There are
1900 farms in Utah, not to exceed 20
acres each, which are worth to-day. with
stocks and crops. at least 500 per acre.
Colorado has developped the best system
of legislative control over the water. 1t
seems to have solved the difficulties ev-
listing in California since 1864. Cannls
have been constructed in Colorado with
a water supply sufficient to irrigate at
the flowing rate of one cubic foot per Sec
ond TO each SIS acres for the season THAT
is, 10 solid inches of water, at least
2, 200, 900 acres of land that produces 30
bushels per acre of the very best wheat
in the world.
These are interesting facts, and there
are more of them to tell. Engineers as
sert that it is possible to so conserve the
water supplies from snow and rain,
| which are found in the lakes Of the
Rockies and the infreQuent rivers that
rise in and flow east and southwest from
them, as to obtain water enough to sup
ply the deficiency in rainfa for the
whole of what are called the Great
Plains. At cost of less than sco"e of
million dollars farming could be pnt be:
| yond doubt over an area which would
give 40, 100000 farms of 100 acres each.
The rainfall has decreased if any thing,
west of 1o5 degrees, but the earth's hu
midity has h:creased with settle" ent.
s alt axe is at least II feet Iii. her than
was the case forty year since. Graphic.