The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-04-19

lakes. The largest is forty miles in circum-
ferencc-a river is turned from its channel to
supply it. One canal is 900 miles in length
irrigat es 200 900 acres, and cost for it's con-
structiOn $l5 900 900. Notwithstanding these
mighty works for the storage and use of sur
face water, by far the most imp Ortant method
of irrigation in India is by wells, and thew
are very numerous in every locality. total
of 30,0O0,000 acres is under irrigation, IL, OCO-
600 of which is by small systems of wells,
5000 600 by the better class of more extensive
and modern works, and the balance by canals
1t is also important to note that the soil ofhese
much irrigated countries, on which are grown
enormous crops, is naturally moor and
sandy. and that while the annual rain
fall in Egypt is slight, the average in India IS
over thirty inches. In the latter country
crops can be and are growing from the natural
rain fall b ut it is claimed that irrigation in.
creases the average production 20 per cent.
In France, Holland, Germany, Spain and
Italy the fact is about the same regarding the
ability to grow most crops without irrigation,
but the average increase over land not arti-
fic tally watered is estima ted at % per cent for
all crops.
Southern Europe is full of water plants
especially in those sections wherein fruits are
extensively grown. Some Of these plants are
very extensive, and have cost immense sums
of money, but the great ms jority of them are
small individual holdings for private use
The source of supply of water is streams ,lakes
and wells, the same as in this country, and in
like proportions. Irrigation in Southern
Europe is much more common than in Amer.
lea. Some have estimated the area as high a
Onethird of the emit cultivated acreage It
certainly is becom ng more and more general,
and where the greatest prosperity is in farm
ing and gardening districts. maybe found the
greatest number of water plants.
Irrigation in the United States is in its in.
fancy. Intensive farming has not been gen.
orally practiced.
Tue advance on this line the past few years
has been marked. The annual increase in the
area artifcially watered is about zoo 600 acres.
In 1891 there were in ronnd numbers II, 900, :
0C0 acres under ditch. 1t is now estimated
that the present area in the United States
under irrigation, for all purposes, and under
all systems, is from 900 900 to25 900 900 acres
In Utah 5000 acres al e irrigated from flowing
wells alone, and III California 10000 acres.
There are more than 5000 artesian and bored
wells in California in use at the present time
for irrigation purposes. Double that number
may be found along the plains and foothills
e st of the Rocky Mountain chain. Of these
nearly q fifth require pumping 70 bring the
water to the surface. Aside from this there
are millions of acres along the slopes of these
mountains irrigated by divelting the water
of streams through bitches. One of these ditchC
in Colorado is estimated to water los, 900 acres.
At the present momen 100000 acres of arid
land east of the Tooth meridian, considered as
almost worthless in 1880, are cultivated by IL
irrigation, and its value has increased from
100 to 800 percent.
1t is unnecessary to multiply instances show
ing the magnitude of irrigation in this coun-
try. Everywhere The acreage is being in
creased and in no section has al tificial water
ing proved failure There are many in
stances of individual failure, owing to bad
Judgment, i'm p1 Optr methods or local causes.
farming and fruit growing has universally
been commensurate with the means employed
TO control the waters of the earth Twenty
years ago the San Joaquin Valley in California
was desert waste given over to the jack rab-
bit, the horned toad and the brUad-hOrned
steer, whose subsistence required from fifteen
to twenty-five acres per head. Very little
wheat or other grain could be raised. In 1874
a first colony of five hundred poor settlers
located around what is now Fresno City. Now
sixteen hundred vineyards comprising an area
of so 900 acres make it the largest center of
raisn.grape culture in the world. Twenty
Thousand acres are in orchards, mostly semi
trnp:caI fIT1 ia Three hun0rod Thousand