Las Vegas free press. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1891-1???, 1892-06-17
ARIZONA IRRIGATION.

Arizona. 1t obtains its water sup.
ply from the Salt river and great
number of creeks are tributary to
this stream. The entire drainage
area is snow fed. In the Salt river
valley the main canals are 800 miles
long. They vary in bottom width
from Is to SO feet. They are from
3 to feet inches deep. There are
nearly 5000 miles of laterals. There
are no reservoirs in the valley of the
Arizona canal. 1t is 945 feet long
and raises the water feet. The area
under ditch is 100000 acres. The
amount now cultivated is $4,000
acres. The first cost of water is $40
an acre. That is royalty. Then the
annual water RENAL is 81 an acre.
To clear the land costs So an acre.
The probable annual cost to the own
ers of bitches for annual maintenance
and repairs is COO to roc per acre.
Wheat, barley, alfalfa, sorghum,
sugar cane, apricots, peaches, pears,
prunes, figs, grapes, nectarines, Or
anges and lemons, and all staple veg
etables are grown all the year
through. The raisin vineyards
yielded last year from seven to ten
tons of grapes to the acre on vines
three years old from the cuttings.
The barley crop last year averaged
1000 pounds to the acre, much of it
being volunteer crop, coming up
from the previous crop without any
seeding. Alfalfa on the poorer
meadows averaged four tons to the
acre, and none of it sold for less
than $3.50 a ton. The fruit crop in
bearing orchards averaged 500 an
acre. A vineyard sold recently for
5000 an acre. A good farmer real
ICES $25 an acre for his barley crop,
$35 to $40 an acre for his alfalfa,
$l5 for his wheat.
The Cinnamon get from $500 to
5000 worth of vegetables from a sim
gle acre of ground in year. The
works now constructed in the Salt
and ella valleys cost upward of
$4,000, 900, and they will bring under
irrigation 100000 acres. 1t is an
encouraging fact that as the land
comes under cultivation from year to
year smaller amount of water suf-
fees. The surplus is not needed.
Old land leaves water that can be
used for new land. The general
value of land previously worth
nothing becomes worth 1926 when the
water system reaches it. Cleared,
ditched and cultivated, the land is
held at $40 an acre. Before the end
of this year of 1892 there will be
10000 acres of fruit growing in the
Salt River and CHA valleys. There
were planted last year 1000 acres of
fruit. The water supplied for irri-
CATION is not only moisture. 1t is
counted an unequaled chemical FER
tillzer.
In other parts of Arizona impor-
tant irrigation works have been con-
structed, and more are under way.
The Florence canal covers from
10000 to 10000 acres. A canal is
now being located from a reservoir at
the mouth of Camp creek, where 1t
enters the Verde, fifty miles north
west of Phoenix. 1t will skirt the
Mcdowell mountains, covering a
valley of 100000 acres. A storage
reservoir is proposed to distribute
the waters of Cave creek; similar
project is reported in process of con-
struction on the Aqua Fria. There
a dam 100 feet long is being built
across the canon. BY it water will
be directed across the Southern Pa
cific at ella Bend for the irrigation
of 100000 acres. The Walnut dam
on the Hassaquapa is to be rebuilt.
There are several canals proposed
along the Gila. The activity about
Yuma is remarkable. That section
promises TO grow in prominence for
its semi-tropical productions. One
interesting enterprise is preparing to
irrigate with water pumped from
the Colorado.