The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-25
THE PROGRESS OF IRRIG ALTON In
KANSAS.
I ". GREGORY.

wv. GREGORY.
The development of irrigation in Kansa:
has grown from the use Of water from al
abandoned mil!-race. the appendage Of Z
mill that was never built, which was
projected to grind crop of grain that wa.
lever grown.
The year 1878 was one of those excep
tionally favorable years which periodically
smile upon western Kansas, aud wave Of
Immigration filled with people the country
about where Garden City now stands, and
they seeded thousands of acres to wheat
that fall. Lands & Hollnger. an enter
prislng firm at Sterling, who had started a
branch store at Garden City, began prep
,,rations to erect mill at the latter place
TO grind the expected wheat crop. The
succeeding year proved TO be one of those
popularity said TO contain thirteen months
OF dry weather Not an acre OF the wheat
sown ever was harvested-prObably not
per cent of the seed ever gerniinated-
aud the people disappeared as rapidly MS
they had come the preceding year. The
mill project was abandoned, OF course. but
part OF the race had been made an;:
Squire Worrell, an experienced lrrigator,
VINO had resided for some years in CalifOr-
MIA and Colorado, and whose land lay
|
from 1t to irrigate few acres. The crops
| he produced were a revelation and an in-
| spiration to the few people remaining in
the country, who Immediately became en-
thusiastic irrigators. James r. and Will
lam ID. Fulton, the founders of Garden
City. aided by W. H. Armentrout, Levi
Wilkinson, John A. Stevens. w. r. Hop
| kIns, j. ". Weeks and others, immediately
enlarged the mill-race into an irrigation
canal aud other canals were projected aud
| built in rapid succession.
| Settlers Were sttracted, capital became
| interested and the fsme of irrigation in
western. Kansas was spread abroad. Pro-
lessor Hay has found that as matter of
fact, small irrigation canal had been
| made and used Oy a farmer in the valley
| of the Smoky, in Wallace county, prior to
the beginning at Garden City, and l am
| under the impression that it is still in use
But it did not produce such results as to
| attract attention or excite emulation The
Worrell farm at Garden City, on the other
hand became famous. 1t was for years
the example to which prospective irrigat-
| Ors In southwestern Kansas ana south
eastern Colorado were cited. the Mecca for
| seekers OF Information relative to this new
| feature of agricultural industry Aud |
| may add that no seeker after Information
| ever went away from the Worrell farm I'M
| supplied, unless the proprietor was alb
sent.
But born and nurtured as it was, with
failure and disappointment AS wet nurses.
| irrigation has grown mp thus far, still at
tended more or less intimately by the same
| unpleasant companions and developments
and results have continually fallen short
OF calculation and expectation, and those
| who have labored and hoped for the trium-
phant coronation of western Kansas with
the starry diaden of success, have been
compelled still to look largely to the fu-
ture
Progress has been retarded by the mis-.
calculations of the enthusiastic, aud by the
| unfulflled predictions of the over san
guine; by the backwardness of genuine
capital and the fOrwardness of the alleged
capitalist, whose true resources proved to
be composed more of brass than of gold;
by the mistakes OF inexperience; by the
obstructive attitude. oftentimes, of dry
weather" irrigators, who are always
exceedingly enthusiastic for irri-
CATION OF dry years, but are deceived by
The occasional recurrence Of a season Of
sufficient rainfall and thereafter. until the
next dry period, seek to belittie irrigation
rs UNNECESSARY" and not to be mentioned
lest it should ''hurt the country" by the
lack Of little wholesome and necessary
national le- islation, III which politicians
simulate an interest before election, but
which, as legislators, they fail TO secure;
by impatient haste and lack of thorough
ness on the part of many of the people
most concerned. by hesitation and lack
of push and enterprise on the part of more,
aud. to certain extent, by the machina-
tions Of people whose interests are mimi
Cal to our own.
The chief cause of slow DEVELOPMENT
has been the fact that nearly all our people
have been entirely new to the business of
irrigation, and tits An unfortunate fact
that experiences teaches slow school, MS
d.
knowledge just how aud where to take
hold, and what to depend upon and how
to discern and develop the resources with
in reach, there has been q great deal of
waiting for somebody else to do some
thing, much waiting for something to
turn up.
Despite all obstacles and difficulties.
however, Kansas has made substantial
growth in irrigation Development. A
thousand miles of canals, main and large
lateral, have been built. costing. with their
dams and other accessories, over million
dollars; and many individuals, here aud
there, have small works Of one character
or another, which have served an excel
lent purpose, each In its way, and which,
in the aggregate, represent considerable
investment and constitute a most hopeful
source OF future benefit. Our stock of
experimental knowledge of irriga-
ton processes, requirements and
results, which amounted to next TO
nothing ten years ago, has grown to very
considerable proportions and there are now
many men scattered throughout western
Kansas, whose experience and counsel in
this regard will afford to others, hence
forth, the facilities for starting rightly
and avoiding costly mistakes, which
would have been of so much value to them
If available at the first. lu the practice
of irrigation and in the development of
This great interest, so much depends upon
doing the right thing promptly at the
right time and also upon not doing wrong
things, that Kansas has, as q matter of
fact, made far more material progress,
by this requirement Of experience, than
can be realized by any but those who have
been in the struggle.
Material progress has been made by
reason of, from the first, the fact that fall
lacious ideas and ill-based theories have
been tested and their lack of value proven.
There is oftentmes distinct gain in find
ing out betimeS that a thing Is useless.
There have also been many experiments
and investigations made relative to the
existence, availability and extent of the
saltwater supplies which Constitute so
great IA factor In the problem OF the future
of western Kansas. Some OF these expert
meDts have cost large sums OF money and
the facts demonstrated are, in the aggre-
gate, OF great value.
Not only have canal systems been built
up. money invested, demonstrations maize
and experience acquired. but a large num-
Der of substantial, permanent homes have
been made upon lands that would have
been OF little or no use or value without
irrigation; homes which have proven, even
during this most trying year. 10 be wei.
and safely founded MS those in much Older
and supposedly more prosperous regions
Furthermore il has been demonstrated
that there will be far more aud more
r,rofi ah s.drv faymip0''