Helena weekly herald., 1889-05-30
THE PROBLEM OF IRRIGA.
TON


over to this country to learn somethin
about out system of irrigation, in order to
apply it to the improvement of some desert
tracts near the Persian borders. But thu
fact must be confessed that we know very
little about the business. To dam up q
stream and make reservoir is lesson the
beaver has taught for ages. To builo
canals and bitches to carry the reservoired
water to distant points and make meadows
in the midst of arid waste, and fruitful
fields of sandy plains, is an art that was as
we'll known and better practiced by pre-
historic nations centuries ago, as is evil
denced by remains of reservoirs and icanals
in regions that have been waste ever since
recorded history has existed to bear testi-
mony. The regions of Asia could have
furnished better examples of works OF
this kind than America, and 80 could
Africa. Regions once populous and fruit
full, are now uninhabitable deserts.
When great monarchs used the labor OF
their subjects and the resources of their
empire to construct great works of internal
improvement, instead Of squandering them
in var and in destroying the wealth of
other countries, then these great works
were accomplished.
1t is only question of men and money.
The money spent in Europe in the last half
century in war and preparations afor war
and the labor of the men kept drilling in
military evolutions would have sufficed to
redeem to fruitfulness every great
desert in the world. If France and
Italy and Spain would send their armies
to conquer the desert of Sahara,
they would soon double the
area and resources of their countries, hurt
no one and help every ybody. Those would
be cong uests more glorious than any won
in arms. The money and strength so
spent would not be lost. Even ma
tional debts created for such purposes
would pay themselves. Every dollar thus
expea aded wisely would create five more.
Suppose all the nations of the world would
go to work with just the men and means
they now keep employed in arms. How
long would it be till every spot of desert
would be made fruitful?
Only one source of water supply IS
known to US that was not as we'll known
thousands of years ago. We have learned
how to bore artesian wells, and bring to
the surface hidden springs from deep down
in the bowels of the earth. 1t is not avail
able everywhere, and compared with the
supply obtained, is very expensive.
The great supply is to be obtained by
reservoirs constructed at, the head Of all
our valleys to store the surplus that at
some seasons always runs to waste. In
our country there should be hundreds of
thousands of these reservoirs. They would
save the waste and destruction of floods;
they would supply vast amounts of power,
and they would be protection against
drouth. Even where crops mature fairly
well from the natural supply of rains and
dews, it is demonstrated that production is
greatly increased by irrigation at critical
times.
The plains of Northern Italy, where
there is good, natural supply of rain, are
now cut up and covered over with a net
work of irrigating canals and bitches, and
the production has been increased ten fold
The salts and sediment carried down by
the streams are the best kinds of fertili-
zers. This sediment, too, which fills up our
harbors and chokes the mouths of all our
rivers, doing harm and no good, should be
spread over our fields and converted into
grain, fruit and live stock.
We believe the time is coming when as
much capital will be invested in works of
irrigation and drainage as in rail-
roads and with more profitable and better
distributed increment of wealth.
Our National Government has begun
this work in tentative manner. 1t can
do much by pioneering the way and show
ing how the work is to be done and what
results may be expected, but the great
work in deteal will have to be done by ir-
rigation districts, incorporated for this pur-
pose with revenues to pay interest on capi-
tai invested and maintain the works in
good and safe condition, with a margin for
constaut extension and improvement.
Sometime we shall have department of
irrigation to our government and we shall
have sch OILS and Universities devoted ex-
clusively to this study and work.
Water is the vital blood of the soil and
its circulation must be provided for.