The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-06
AN IRRIGATION IDEA.
Major PowelPs Plan for Reclaim
ing Arid Lands.
HOW THEY MANAGE 1T INKANSAS.
What an Agricultural Experiment Station has
Demonstrated Concerning the Cultivation
Of arid Lands-HOuse and Senate.

NEW YORK, Dec. 5.-Major Powell, chief
of the federal commission to report upon
the best method of irrigation for the arid
lands of the country, read paper upon the
subject before the chamber of commerce
this afternoon. He began with the state
ment that about half of the lands of the
United States, exclusive of Alaska, are
arid. These lands, he said, so far as they
can be brought under cultivation by irri-
cation, are the best lands in the country
because the crops are certain, not being
subject to the chances of extreme wet and
extreme dry seasons as in the case of lands
dependent upon rain. OF / ZOO, 900, 600 acres
of arid land in the United States, about six
millions are now under cultivation by irri-
gation and about one hundred and twenty
millions altogether can be rendered arabic
by that method. Major Powell estimates
that the construction Of reservoirs, canals
and other works necessary will cost at the
rate of SO per acre. Assuming that 100,-
900, 900 acres are to be redeemed in this
way, the cost will aggregate 81 ZOO, 900, 900.
For the proper carrying out Of the work
a change in the land laws is necessary.
Where irrigation is unnecessary land is
cultivated by private initiation, each farmer
being able to raise his crop in entire indie
pendence Of his neighbors. In arid coun-
tries cooperation for the distribution of
water from its source is essential In
humid countries the tendency is toward
small holdings, while in arid countries it is
toward large holdings. Many large and
small streams run through the arid belt,
but the amount of water obtainable is not
large enough to irrigate ali of the arid
lands which they traverse and the ques-
ton arises.
The forests at the headwaters Of these
rivers serve as catch basins and must be
preserved Provision also must be made
for controlling and protecting the large
body of pasture lands not suitable for cul-
tivation. In addition to these there are
great tracts of mineral lands which should
be held by the government until mineral
has been discovered when they should be
parcelled out in quantities only large
enough for economical working.
When storage reservoirs and irrigating
canals are completed, vast water powers
will have been created suitable for manu-
featuring purposes. These will exist at
points on the canals higher up than those
at which the waters are to be taken for
irrigation. 1.-THE government" Major
Powell says, should not allowed to furnish
any money for the completion of this great
system of works. For the preservation
of forests and the parcelling out of water
a great many thousand men will be neces-
sary and to put the matter in the hands of
the government would be to build up a
bureaucracy and army of offlcialism.
The only thing the government should
do is this: Furnish wise laws to
control the operations for this work
in hand; the people would naturally
combine by photographic basins, that is
in the territory covered by single stream
and its tributaries within single water
shed. Courts should be established to ad-
Indicate upon all questions arising from
this condition of affairs, though the gov
eminent itself should apportion the water
among the different states in such dis
tricts what portion of them are entitled
to use the watern
saMajor Powell holds they should be used
at the points where they will do the most
good. This point" he says, sis where
the stream turns from the rushing crystal
mountain torrent to the low land stream
which mingles with the soil of the land
from which it flows. If taken about that
point it would be where the chilly atmos-
phere of the high altitude would make it
less useful in the productiod of crops. If
taken below that point, the water would be
too much evaporaJed and wasted on the
way. Thus taking the Arkansas river as
an example, water enough to irrigate
1,000,0 900 acres in Colorado would be re
duced to only enough to irrigate one or
two hundred thousand across the line in
Kansas. The same rule" Major Powell
says, applies to the waters in the upper
Missouri, Colorado, Rio Grande del Norte
and Columbia rivers" He estimates the
aggregate value of the water of all these
rivers at 5.000,000,000
Major Powell suggests that money for
carrying out these great schemes might be
raised by the issuance of community bonds
or other similar methods