Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1891-08-14

Hotel is located.
Inquire of Fred Gardner. local agent
Santa Fe Route.
We have received four letters from east
ern ubscribers the past week, requesting
Information regarding the progress of ir.
rigation, crops ETC., in western Kansas,
We have each week made scattering
mention Of these matters. Among other
things one inquirer says:
1--WE are very much interested in west
ern Kansas and in particular in Ford
county. W wish to hear more about tho
irrigation ia your part of Kansas. Peo-
pie in the east lost much confidence in
western Kansas, but If the irrigating IS a
success. people will get confidence again.
Please give us all the information YOU
can in your paper about the irrigating ca
nails made by the Gilbert Brothers
We may rs well begin at the first and
tell our eastern subscribers, that many of
the failures in western Kansas in he past
have been caused as much by a want of
knowledge of what to SOW as bv the I'm
favorable climatic conditions Farmers
put IN too mach corn and 20 it may be laid
more blame iian anything else. 1t can
not be succ ssfally grown here every sea-
son-we ar speaking now without re-
gard to irr..: .lion-for the reason that it
begins mat .::"g in the dryes. par; of the
year. Theg, axe seasons as in the pres
ent one VII N It yields enormously. This
year, fields producing sixty bushels and
over are not uncommon. But it has been
demonstrated that wheat can be relied on
in all seasons, and that while irrigation
increases the yield, it can he grown with
big profit! without this means, if it is
properly Pat in. The one great draw
back that prevents Il larger vi-''
farming. Its Az una:spu,cd fact that p if
gram Was put in as poorly in the east as
IL Is here, the yield there would NOT no
nearly as large as it is here, But despitc
this fact, whfa; growing still remains a
Success IN Ford county. Many mort
cages were paid off last year through
wheat growing. But the loss ON corn
look por;ina of the profits. Mille,, Ka. |
hr corn, cane, milo maize and that class
OF feed can be raised without fail every
year One of the grandest crops raised.
however. and the one most sure and the
most profitable is alfalfa, This wonder
iui plan: syfs,s to attain the highest state
Oh developement here and as high as five
crops may be cut from II each year. 1t
In the bottom lands. but it IS
an open question regarding how it will |
DO on the a.'!ands without irrigation.
Land on wi. oh alfalfa is STANDING com.
mands from $40 tc sc per acre and the
dsy iS moi far distant when it will bring
500. Regarding irrigation, the outlook |
is exceedingly bright. Immediately at
ter the grea.. Eureka Canal was complet-
80, II soon became evident that the Ar
kansas river, as source Of supply, was
uncertain and that when water was most
needed, it could not be obtained. The
canals in Colorado and further west used
up the supply. But latterly, it was dis
overed that vast sheet of water under
lies the whole of this western country
and that the supply is inexhaustlble. 1t
flows so slowly that the movement is i'm
perceptible, FROM the northwest to the |
southeast. This has been tapped by the |
famous South Side Canal which has its ]
source some nine miles west Of this city
aud extends east, being twenty-five miles
in length. 1t was started solely as an ex-
pertinent to test this underflow. and has
proved successful beyond the most san
guine expectations. Hence it will be seen
that there is no possible obstacle to sue
cessful irrigation. The stockholders of
the big Eureka Canal-ninety miles long
and already referred to above-are now
tapping the underfow, 80 that that ditch
too will be furnished with an inexnausti-
bic supply of water. The most skillful
engineers as well as specialists on this
particular subject are unanimous in the
opinion that success In irrigating has been
attained. The state has not been want
ing in interest in this matter and the last
Legislature passed q law allowing the
of what are called irrigation
districts. 1t allows these districts, when
to vote bonds on all the lands
therein which are irrigable, M
to . cerain amount. the proceeds to be |
used in constructing q canal. As result
Of this law, two surveys have been made
for canals in this county and more will
follow. 1t i only matter of time until |
western Kansas will be threaded with
bitches and it win then be the most pro-
ductive country in the world. Land
which may now be obtained ct $3.50, g |
aRd 81 per acre will double, treble and
quadruPle in value.