Dodge City times., 1889-07-04
s.ccesaf,,I i,-,cation.

Mr.. j. W. Gilbert 81 Dodge City Kan.
secretary and treasurer Of the hansas
waterworks and irrigation company Of
that place. was n Kansas City ycst ut Y
on business connected wiii his company.
which has pui into effect within tie past
year an cx,ensive system of irrigation
The company was organized Il year and a
half ago with capital stock Of >siiO.OJ0.
1t has built canal 90 miles long. tapping
the Arkansas river % miles west of Dodge
City. The lateral drains or bitches ag-
gregate about a50 miles. irrigating 5000
acres of rich land The system is 10 be
extended until $50, COO acres are artificial
ly irrigated.
Our work has so far progressed and
our plan has been in orperation long
enough said Mr.. Gilbert 10 The Times.
Ito demonstrate absolutely its success.
Our work and the experiments At Garden
City show that the whole Arksnsas valley
can be irrigated at little cost
And without draining the river
Certainly. There is an abundant
water supply and when the river is low
est the subsoil is such that an inexhaasti-
bic supply of water can be had at a depth
of eight or ten feet am glad 70 sse that
The Times has taken up the question cf
irrigating the valley and hope il viii
push ii. The plan outlined in Yolr pa
per last Sunday by Mr.. Gregory IS entire
ly feasible. We got our first canal in op
Grafton last fall. While 1he company is
capitalized at sS0o,G00, it cost about s.
900. 600 to get rything in running or
der. English capitalists furnished most
of the money, and our success has been
such that we can have all the capital We
want 70 extend the system.
How about the results
Wheat. oats and other products where
we got our canals in last fall are fully 30
per cent better in quality than ever bc-
fore, while the productive quality of tne
land has been increased at least 100 per
cent. We only put in the canals and the
farmers look out for the lateral trairs.
We charge 81 per square acre the year
round whether much or li;llc water 3 re-
quired Usually the only irrigation that
Is needed is in the fall. as in the spring
there is sufficient rain. But with the
canals the farmer is assured of water the
year through, and lie looks upon the
payment of 81 per acre as q good iusur-
ance investment # nothing else. The
cost is merely nominal when the benefits
which accrue are considered. At pes
en-; we get our water from the river di-
rect. Later we expect TO go down six or
eight feet below the river bed for our
supply There is no land speculation
scheme about the company in any way.
1t was gone into a speculation. those in
terested feeling sure of good returns on
the investment from the water rents.
They haye not been disappointed The
results so fax have been mos satisfac-
tory
What do You think of the plan Of 81
government appropriation for irrisa,.ng
the Valley
1T is an excellent idea, hut in our To-
cality no government aid is needed The
farmers are able 10 care for themselves.
The whole valley can no doubt be sue
cessfully irrigated. IT the moment I
can not give an estimate Of the extent of
country which would be benefited, but
back of the immense section Is an excel
lent grazing country. Here sufficient
water for stock could he obtained from
wells. In our canal We can supply water
ten months of the year and that means
everything to the farmers