The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-08
MORE ABOUT IRRIGATION.

Col. II. Tweeddale, civil and hydraulic
engineer, in his report contained in the
seventh biennial report of the Kansas
! State Board of Agriculture, says in ref
erence to irrigating land which IS sup
piled with abundance Of water below the
surface to be irrigated:
The adoption and intelligent carrying
out of the above proposed plan TO pump
! the water and distribute it through
! pipes furnishes the solution. The spe-
cial merits of the plan over that of sup
ply from bitches, as usually conducted,
is the absolute certainty of supply, both
as regards time and quantity, without
regard to deficiency of SHOWS in the
mountains, injury to dams or bitches, or
interference from parties having prior
rights"
Robert Hay, chief geologist of the
| United States artesian and underfiow
investigation, speaking of western Kan
sas substantially agrees with Col. Tweed
| dale, as they both say there is enough
! subterranean water i'll Kansas, west of
Tooth meridian, to successfully and
profitably cultivate the land. Mr.. Hay
uses this language: LET it be under
stood that man and his family can not
farm 100 acres under irrigation; and also
let it be understood that if he can irri-
gate five acres he can live, and if he can
irrigate twenty acres he can grow
rich" Speaking again of the eX-
treme western part Of the state
he says: 1.-The rains and SHOWS
Of the plains region, which
are not evaporated, find their way by
slow percolation to the gravel below,
and are stored in its porous beds. 1t Is
for man to have the grit to raise them
and use them on the land.
The rainfall of western Kansas is 40 to
90 per cent greater than that of the
foothills region, and it is this rainfall
that supplies the subterranean reservoirs
of the west. Properly used, this sub
terranean supply Will make this region
become the home of numerous and
prosperous people. So be it.
From the foregoing it will be seen that
the very best authorities on the subject
agree that irrigation on the plan of rails
ing the water stored or flowing beneath
the surface by means of pumps driven
by wind preferred) is both practical and
profitable in western Kansas, and they
both include the higher or prairie lands,
where the water has to be raised as
much as eighty feet. How much more
feasible would it be in our Arkansas
valley, where the water would only have
to be raised from six to twenty feet
AS we said in former article, for the
great staple crops irrigation is not needed
here, nor for $50 miles west of here, for
that matter; but because in this valley
irrigation would be so inexpensive and |
the product multiplied, and wholly
escape even a partial failure through |
lack of rain, that it is recommended. /
1t is also because the greatest profit the |
individual producer ever makes is when !
his crop is full and his neIghbors' only |
partial or a total failure, that it is recon- |
mended. Under irrigation many things |
that now only yield spasmodically would !
never fail; so irrigation would result in
practically adding considerably to the |
number of our products.
Just think of it; under irrigation 200 .
miles west of here the most competent /
authority says a family can live on five
acres, and grow rich on twenty acres.
Compute how many tracts of twenty .
acres there are in the valley proper OF /
the Great Arkansas from Pueblo, Colo,
to the west line of the state of Arkansas. /
that by five, the average num-
Der of individuals in a family, and how
many millions Of people would not only
be able to live but, according to Hay.
grow rich? How long will it be before
the enterprising people of this section Of
the great valley will take up this matter
and enter upon the great destiny a kind
providence contriypd for Us?