Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-10-26
IRRIGATION FOR BARTON COUNTY.
EDITOR DEMOCRAT:

4
selves into an association for the pur-
pose of artificial moisture. and why
not begin this fall and v inter and have
the system in running order by next
summer. Suppose the wheat fields and
corn fields of this county could have
been moistened little at proper times
| during the past season, would not the
result have been different? If our
corn fields had panned out better we
would be much better off, and the
difference would more than construct
our water works. Barton county has
| more than enough water to moisten it
during the dTyest season, but il is in
the lower stories, and not far down at
that We have enough motive pow
e-s in tie winds to lift every drop of
it providing it was harnessed to proper
mills: We can pump this water up
from the ground into canals and
bitches, and have it distributed all
over the county The greatest deposit
OF water is in the south part of the
county. There is strip OF territory
about s miles wide, and the whole
length OF the county ,lS0 milesl which is
uiderlald with enough water 10 cover
one half OF the entire county with
aud "A half feet of water Then there is
d vast deposit OF wafer under the dry
and Wet W ainut creek Valleys. Then
tne Bioud creek valley ami Cow creek
and Deception creek valleys are under
LAID Win Walter; III tact almost the
whole county Is uBderlaId with a vast
! siieeJ uf waller, that Is YeT5 similar 10
lake. Tins waiter Was Dol placed there
| tOT nothing, We cannot DRINK IL ali, nor
csflI IL De entirely used IN any Way, but
Ne can use very much OF IL Dy lifting it
lnIO canals and Watering our parched
fields, and gardens, as Lnty 10 else
A" here L SAN aJ Garden City that they
ale using The unueT1i0w water To- a
great extent. L saw men Lear that
Town Nho had ten acres under irriga-
uon 10y one Mid mill hitcned 10 4 or 5
pumps, or 4 or pipes joined into one
cylinutr, and operated 10y one wheel.
The are making money raising alfalfa.
Alfalfa Is king, a greater king than
wheat, after you get Il started ii is per-
petual, and does not Eeed replanting, it
would do well upon any upiands by
Irrigation. aud ia fact needs irTigatItn
To start il the hTst year.
Barton county is practically level. L
don't think there is great difference
in the elevation OF the north paIt over
theArkansas valley. So it is possible
TO construct large system of pumping
stations in the south part OF the county,
and have complete system of canals
and bitches. located according to the
most approved engineering, and dis
| tribute the water over this county. OF
course it would ne necessary 10 con-
tract locks in many places, and pump
the water from the lower levels into
| the upper levels and SO on until the
, highest divides were reached, and that
the water SOuld be run into smaller
bitches TO its destination. The ex-
perience of irrigators has shown that it
| takes one cubic foot of water per sec
ond to cirrigatc 56 acres during the
growing season, that is ia the arid
region, but with US it would not take
near so much. We as people are able
to get move on ourselves, and con-
struct these canals and bitches before
next SEASON, We can press into service
ali our township graders, and road
scrapers, and theIe are plenty IF horses
dong nOIhIDg that might draw The
ploms and dItching machines. The
works Uf course sbOuid lie surveyed by
competent Irrigation engineers, aud
every dItcu aEu Canal si8Uuld b located
where IL could distribute tie water 10
the best advantage There should be
no hap hazard wOIk, anu where IL be-
comes necessary 10 elevate water from
one level 10 a higher one, the best
pIlLcIples OF D4uTauIIc engineering
Should be used 1he pumps and wind
/ nliiS Houia Ue the paII OF tie system
tuaL Would need sOme money; Inc rest
OF Tie system would De Calais and
ditcIies, WHICH iaOOF would construct
Certainly tneTe are thousand FARM
cas- In this county who can organize
! themselves into an Irrigation company,
and Proceed uU construct a system OF
walerm orks that Will enable Us in q
great measure 10 raise crops without
rainfall, and even IL the rain should
come We Will be abie 10 stand Of the
drought hen Ii comes. In peace we
I should prepare for war, il said And
even though tie Seasons following for
few yeers should be rainy We should
get ready for the inevitable that hangs
over this country. and tight the arid
climate until We subdue it, and render
this country into the state ii was
| intended by nature. l.. BALDWIN.
DOES Dick Bosse expect 10 get DEM
ocratic votes to give him another two