Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-07-20
Agriculture by Irrigation.

Something like two million acres oi land have recently been ed eemed and made fit for agriculture in Wyoming territory by means of ordinary irriga- ton ditches, and official reports esti- mate that not less than four million acres more can be redeemed in the same way. It is also shown that not less than 6,0O0,000 acres in addition can be restored by extraordinary means-that is, by system of storage. This would give Wyoming about twelve million acres that might be de- voted to agriculture, aside from the much larger body of grazing land. Oi the 55,000,000 acres of land in that territory, 25 100000 are grazing and 15,000,000 are classified as agricul- tural. But there are also supposed to be not less than 100000 acres oi coal lands, so that after all there is not large proportion of worthless land in that territory.
 The appropriation made by con- gress at it's last session of $25O,000 to defray the cost preliminary surveys for storage reservoirs has stimulated great deal of inquiry and search for suitable places to impound water. It is stated on good authority that Wy oming has water enough going to waste to irrigate every foot of agricul- tural land in that territory. It is doubtful if the government will adopt the plan of constructing on it's own account vast system of storage reser- voirs. What 1t can best do is to fur nish official surveys and make known to what extent large tracts of land can be cheaply irrigated. The water flow ing over government lands can also be dedicated to a system of general irrigation before private riparian ol appropriation rights have been at. tached.
 The recent objections made to any system of irrigation on large scale are, that if water is impounded it will prevent the natural seepage and irri gatiou of large tracts of land which are now benefited in this way. The chief benefit of all such tracts is the natural rainfall. Where this is re stricted the water coursing down rivers and running to waste can do very lit tie toward making barren tracts fer tile. The last objection raised is that impounding of water on a large scale involves a system of earthen embank ments, and that the Johnstown dis aster demonstrates that earthen dams are dangerous to life and property But some of the foremost engineers O the country have recently declared that earthen embankments are tht safest if properly constructed. Ina the dam at Johnstown did not give way because of any natural weakness but because no adequate provision haC been made for carrying off the surplus water. The embankment was GU down by the attrition of water where there should have been no overflow and not pushed out of place by tn, pressure of water. Had the wate been carried off by sufficient water wiers, there would have been no dis -;-tar.- The judgment of engineers i not against the lmpound1ng or ware by earthen embankments, because these they affirm, can be made safe b, proper construction.
 To what extent the system of irri gation by storage will be carried on il this country is still problematical. I looks as If experiments were about to b' initiated on a large scale through sucl encouragement as the federal govern inent will give. The most interestin, fact now is that every year in tn country between the Rocky noun tains and the Pacific large areas o arid land are made fit for agricultur' through private enterprise. It is no all accomplished by the impoundin! of water. Wherever water can b reached within a reasonable distance from the surface by artesian wells il the valleys that method will be adopt ed. Living streams have been mad to flow in the deserts. Wherever wa ter can be brought to the surface, O can be laid onto aid lands by i'm pounding mountain streams, ther agriculture will flourish. When ; hundred acres are made to have greater productive value by means o irrigation than thousand acres coult have without it, room is made for
 vastly greater population than coul' subsist by agriculture where the nat ural rainfall gave no assurance o crops.-S. F. Bulletin.
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