The herald., 1893-05-03
THE DBvELoPmsNr OF IRRIGATION.

The question OF supplying the Ga.
huenga foothills with water for irrige-
tion has been very Ga nesty discussed
for years past We all know how val
liable land along that warm bolt is for
the production OF early fruits and vege-
tables, and how profitable the cultiva-
tion has been to those who were so for
tunate as to own Il small holding in that
prolific region. But, unfortunately, a
dry winter lie disastrous to the Cahuenga
cultivators. II, however, good supply
Of water could always be assured them
at sufficiently high elevation, not only
the lands now cultivated would be made
certain for profitable returns every sea-
con, but large area OF raw land could
also be brought into successful cultiva-
ton. No one doubts that it would be a
very profitable speculation to furnish
such supply, and the Oahusnga land
holders themselves could afford to spend
great deal OF money in order to secure
the water required.
Hydraulic experts who have looked
carefully into this matter are of opinion
that canal could be taken from the
Tejunga and carried over to the weet
side of the Cahuenga range with very
promising results. An ample supply OF
water, it is said by these experts, can be
had in the Tejunga to subaervt all the
purposes of irrigating the Cahuenga
lands, and it could be kept at sufficient
elevation to bring into cultivation thou
sands OF acres that are now wild. Not
only this, but they cay that the supply
to be had from the Tejuuga would be
sufficient to carry great body of water
on down towards Santa Monica, afford
ing perennial irrigation to the product
i've lands of the lower plains, and
alec supplying water works for the
Soldiers Home and for Santa Monica
ITSELF
A scheme Of this Importance would
require a very large capital in order to
carry it out successfully; but the in
come would be commemorate with the
outlay. The question of water supply
for the Soldiers home is becoming one
of very serious concern. There are now
about eight hundred inmates OF that
institution, and the water supply is al
ready limited. The number of inmates
will doubtless increase to two thousand
and over, and the managers admit that
unless the water supply is materially
augmented they will be confronted with
very serious difficulty. From all we
can learn on the subject the most prom.
iaing source OF supply is from canal
that would have its hesdworks in
Teiunga cafion.
We are all very much changed in our
notions on the subject Of the capacity of
this country to supply water for all the
needs of irrigation. Twenty years ago
no artificial development of water had
been made in this section, and the gem
eral idea was that it would be folly to
attempt to cultivate land outside OF the
valleys watered by our streams or on
which natural cienegas arose. But the
last ten or twelve years have marked O
great revolution on this subject. Some
OF cur finest and most profitable orchards
and plantations are to be found upon
lande that were formerly considered
vsluelees for any purpose but that o
herding sheep and grazing cattle 1t is
but little more than a score of years age
when Governor Pico entered an ener.
getic protest against the settlers on the
Santa Gertmdee rancho drawing water
into irrigating bitches from the San
Gabriel and New rivers. At that time
the old governor seriously claimed that
all the water of New river was requisite
to irrigste his 1900 acres of farm on the
Rsnchito To say that the water of that
river now irrigates 100000 acres thai
were then given over to cattle would bs
to place it st low figure.
Under the old system of waste, by
flooding the lands that were to be cult
waited, not only CREST deal of harm war
done to the coil itself, but an apparent
scarcity of water was created, which KEEP
lands, that might have been made val
liable to cultivation, unvexed by the
plow. With the better knowledge az t
the economical use of water for irrga
ton, came the development of water il
the highlands by artificial means. Thil
was followed by the storage in reservoir
of the winter rains and the construction
of canals to carry them to the fertile
lands that had never before produced {
crop.
We are now entering upon another err
Of development and distribution. Th,
great value of water in the enhancement
of the value of land, renders it prsctica
BILE to go into large expenditures O
money TO carry it over great distance
and to overcome elevations by an appli
cation OF the scientific principles of by
draullc engineering. 1t appears to us
much less difficult task now to bring tn