Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-02
THE GAZETTE: FORT WORTH. TEXAS SUNDAY. NOVEMBER Q
80 900 acres ready for artificial water


| so 900 acres ready for artificial water
| supply and for cultivation.
so far the thing stands rather in the
| position of an experiment than otherwise
| owing to the shoriuess of the time since
it was set on foot, but every test yet
made has given the fullest satisfaction.
Ii is too new for fruit trees to have come
into bearing under it, but few old fruit
trees that happened 10 fall within the
system have suddenly changed from
comparative bsrreness to very marvels
! of productveness. Fruit growing, there
is every good reason for believing, will
! be one of the huge features of the sys-
| TEN. People are arranging TO plant
| large orchards and vineyards. One vine
| yard of more than hundre dacres set 10
! the mission grape will meterIalize this
! coming winter.
All kinds of truck and vegetables are
! giving immense crops throughout the
season. 1t is quite generally supposed
| that the hot weather of summ IL
| against vegetables the year round, but
! this Pecos irrigation system has fully es-
! tablished the fact that any such notion
! is wholly without fouudation-the hotter
/ and dryer the weather the better grew
! the vegetables under artificial watering.
/ Mr.. Ford says II looks as II the Pecos
| valley, under irrigation, would soon be
! qualified to supply all the rest of the
world with garden truck, and he threw
in sly hint to the effect that Fort
| Worth would rot much longer find her
! self living under the necessity of sending
away TO California and Kansas for her
needed supplies in this line. We hope
so, and we further hope that seeing what
n do will
| the eyes of our own people TO their home
interests sufficiently to bring about the
| establishment OF similar systems here.
We have in abundance everything needed
for ''running the machine.''
Among the vegetables that Texas has
heretofore considered herself incapable
of raising is the ouion from seed. Under
irrigation this crop has turned out a most
extraordinary success in the Pecos re-
gion. rivaling If not actually surprising
the far famed Bermudas il poin: of both
yield and quality.
A few general crops have been raised
on the Pecos under irrigation, such rs
corn. cotton, wheat, barley, rye and
alfalfa. The yield in { "ase has been
comparatively immense Alfalfa is cut
six times in the same season, and the
yield has uniformly been ton and u
half of cured hay TO the acre at each
cutting-niue tons TO the acre as the
season s crop. This hay is of such SUI
perlor quality that it has readily sold on
the market ut SIS per ton-Sl35 TO the
acre, with no outlay to speak of after
the seeding beyond that involved in the
cutting and baliug. OF course the reader
understands that when an acre Is set TO
alfalfa the crop is there TO stay, no re-
newni being called for.
Irrigation about Pecos City is managed
on au extremely liberal plan, the main
object held in view being to settle up the
region and run ii rapidly into high state
of prosperity. The company having
charge of the arrangement brings the
lands under the system AMI then sells
them at reasonable figures, guaranteeing
perpetual water right. A small sum
extra Is charged for the water right to be
paid III easy installnents-so soon as paid
up there will be no further outlay yond
. light tax 10 raise funds for keeping the
canals in order.
The irrigation system of which Mr..
Ford told US lies at present on only one
side of the Pecos. The lands on the
other side are equally Us well adapted TO
irrigation, and hence the company will
at once proceed to place them under the
system by numing water across the
stream from the main canal. The lands
under the system, or to be soon placed
under it, are OF much the same general
character as the Grand Prairie lunds
ABOUT Fort Worth.
Is the near future to see such great irri-
cation systems taking shape in the Fort
Worth Waco artesian area? There is
nothing whatever against it other than
the absence of will and move. We
have the lands-as good lands rs the sun
ever shone upon-and we can easily Sc
cure the needed water by boring for it.
or course large areas OF land might be
irrigated from such streams as the
Trinity, but the water would need TO be
lifted by steam power. While we think
the thing might be proftanly done in
this way artesian wells wouli doubtless
offer n cheaper means OF securing the /
water supply, and we are quite sure /
artesinn water would answer the pur- /
pose equally as we'll.