The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-05-17
IRRITATING LANDS.
DESCRIPTION OF THE Biz DITCk,E,
OUT IN COLORADO.

Tapping the River or Creek-FIoo@lhG
the Crops in a Dry SeasOn-SurprisinE
Results-PrOfits.
The great system of irrigating lands in
dry sections for crops is as yet in its in
fancy but wherever tried it has done
we'll and irrigatng bitches have yielded 81
large return to the investors in them.
Most OF the largest bitches are in Col
oradO, where 3,000,0 900 acres of land are
subject to irrigation. OF this vast body
less than 800 600 acres have been ir-
rigated, leaving $500 900 to be wa
tered yet The canals in course of
construction will water about ], 100000
of the z. 800, COO acres. This is enormous
when we consider that the whole
system of irrigation has grown up almost
within the past five years. The San Louis
Park canal, watering 400, 600 acres; State
Land canal, 140 900 acres; Citizens canal,
40, 900 acres, and Del NOrte and Suguache
canal, 100, 900 acres, may be mentioned as
among the most successful Colorado
bitches These three c1nals cover 100, 900
acres of government land, 200, 900 acres of
patented land, and $50. 900 acres of state
land. They will furnish homes for be-
tween 5000 and 4 600 farmers The water
for the canals is taken from the Rio
Grande river near the town of Del NOrte.
The largest canal is 800 feet wide at its
twelve feet. It's depth varies from two to
six feet. 1t has when full a capacity for
watering 400, 600 acres Of land.
CONSTRUCTING CANAL.
How do they make irrigating can; ls2
Easy enough and quite rapidly Firsl IS
the construction of the main canal The
water is taken from a r;r.-r or creek, the
supply being regulated by a head gate.
The canal may be ten, twenty or fifty feet
Il
cOrding to the volume of water desired.
Generally the canals are wide and shallow
like a creek Indeed, they are merely
artificial creeks, and when grass grown
and planted with trees along their banks
are hard to tell from the natural streams.
y favorable place for tapping the river or
creek having been found, the canal is
carried forward to the high grounds. 1t
is generally given about half the fall of
the river or creek, so it soon reaches ali
elevation far above the natural stream
and has the lands between it and the
stream below it's waters. At intervals as
needed, small canals are taken out and
carried to the farms. Each lateral has d
head gate and measure for the water The
llterals are built so as TO cover the greatest
number of farms. At certain distances
subaterals are taken out from the main
Iaterals, and these suDlaterals too have
head gates and water measures. The sub
lateralS are used by individual farmers
If before blowing time there has been rain
enough to soften the ground the farmer
does not resort to his ditch, but, if the
season is dry, he opens his headgate and
saturates the ground. The seeding is
then done Ten acres is about the allow
unce Of land that can be irrigated in one
day per man. Unless water is very plenti
full farmers are limited TO eighty acres each
20 be irrigated in one season, but this does
not include grass lands
After the crops come up they are irri-
gated or simply flooded The, quantity of
water put Oh is about equal to what would
fall in three days steady rain. When the
crop is half grown it is irrigated again.
Two irrigations are considered enough for
a crop in season, unless the weather is
very hot and dry, and then three irriga-
tions may be put on It will thus be seen
that every farmer kolds in his own hands
the means of making a crop when he has
irrigating bitches.
EXPENSE OF IRRIGATION.
Root crops can always be kept moist,
and require five or ten times as much
water as cereals. The expense of irriga-
ton, when compared with the benefits
derived is very slight. Irrigation about
doubles crops, and the cost of the water is
never over So per acre, and often as low
as sixty cents per acre, per annum. Forty
and fifty bushels of wheat per acre are
often raised under irrigation. Potatoes
frequently grow to five pounds, and yield
$50 to 500 bushels per acre. Other root
crops yield equally well, and barley will
yield forty bushels per acre and oats often
fifty and sixty bushels. [ have seen sew
enty-seven bushels of oats cut on an acre
of irrigated land, and myself measured
500 bushels of wheat cut from ten acre
field in Colorado, near Boulder Wild
-I,or, tod
tons per acre, and alfalfa four to six tons.
All kinds of berries, such as Strawberries,
raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries,
currants and such fruits, grow prolific
ally under rigation, and yield nearly Il
double crop. From $500 to $500 is often
taken from an acre for small fruits.
Ditching machines have been made for
digging irrgating canals, but never saw
one that worked satisfactorily. The best
Clitching machine is Irishman and Il
wheelbarrow or plow and scraper. A
ditch ten feet wide arr two or three feet
deep can ordinarily be made at cost of
$1,000 per mile. The income from the
water in such ditch IN q good locality is
about "a per cent. per Gnnum on the cost
Of making. So it VIII be seen ditching is
profitable. The Little companies first
formed in Colorado had great difficulty in
placing their stock, but they throve amaz-
ingly and soon men OF capital began to
look into the matter The Colorado Loan
and Trust company was formed by Mr..
T. G. Henry for the purpose of irrigating
lands, and soon large bitches were under
way. This company now controls many
bitches and irrigates nearly 900, 900 acres
of land. There are many other cOmpa-
MES, and believe all are making money
Gen. James S. Brisbin in New York
Tribune.