The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-10-26

there have been times when this had TO go on
day and night In Salt Lake City there Is
usually such abundance of water that 1t flows
down both sides of every street, lacing all the
squares with crystal borders, and this feature
IL was which 40 charmed the early emigrants
TO California and caused them to write those
glowing letters about the city's beauty. But
there have been seasons when all those bitches
were dry, as all the water was absorbed in the
gardens and orchards.
When Salt Lake City was the only settle
ment between the Missouri and California
its crystal streams and fruitful gardens made
il seem a paradise to those who had toiled
across 100 miles of arid plains and noun
tains; but now settlements are numerous al
most all the way, and Colorado has vastly
outdonc Utah in irrigation works. IL is es-
timatcd that by their present system 5000
600 acres In Colorado can be irrigated, but
not more than 500, 600 acres are yetrecaimed,
while canals IN course Of construction will
reach all the rest. The San Luis park canal
waters. or is capable Of watering, 4OO,oOO
acres; the State Land canal, 10000 arres,
the Citizens canal 100000 acres, and the Del
Norto and Saguache canal about lJO,oo0
acres; and three of these get their water from
the Rio Grande
In Colorado two irrigations In ordinary
seasons and three in dry are thought enough
for most crops but roots OF all kinds require
from three to ten times as much water as
things which grow above ground. Or course
experience has taught the Colorado farmer
many points which might he of no value else
where-such ms TO soak his land before plow-
ing or not, as the indications may direct; TO
seed at the proper time after soaking, and to
Judge when and how much water is needed
by the growing grain. 1t is claimed that
with their extensive system the cost does not
exceed So per acre, and is often as low rs
sixty cents per acre yearly, and that the crops
average twice as great as in country where
rain is relied on Forty bushels Of wheat, $40
of potatoes, fifty of oats, two tons OF wild
hay and four tons of alfalfa are spoken OF as
common, but the official figures of the state
shrink these figures somewhat for the total
average The hard wheat OF Colorado is
noted and Boulder -four already has world
wide reputation.
A ditch ten feet wide and two or three
leet deep land it has proved best to have
them wide and shallow costs an average OF
81 600 IA mile, and the frzt water companies
In Colorado realized "A per cent. on their in
vestment, supplying water to cultivators at
so much per duty" The investments in
that line soon increased, and many bitches in
Wyoming were constructed by Colorado cap
italists, but it is evidently only question OF
time when all main bitches will be owned by
the state II was not long, of course, till a
great many puzzling questions arose as to the
ownership of running water, and now the
courts and legislators are fast building up a
body of common law on the subject
When the governor Of Nebraska sent
message to the governor of Colorado protest
ing against the taking of any more water
out of the South Platte in Colorado, because
IL was driving un the Platte in Nebraska, IL