The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-19
Water Storage at the West.

The international lrr1RatlOn congress,
which was in session last week ut Los
Angeles. was concerned with subject OF
great importance to this country.
The census OF 1890 Includes among arid
regions portions OF Arizona, California,
Colorado. Idaho. Montana. Nevada, New
Mexico. Utah. Wyoming. and the parts Of
Oregon and Washington east Of the Cascade
range. 1t gives the total area irrigated as
1881. 1881 acres. owned by A,137 persons.
which Is an average OF 81 acres to each
owner. The two great fields OF the sys-
tenn are California, with l,004,23 acres
owned by IS. 1872 persons, and Colorado. with
800, 795 acres owned by 1869 persons. 1t
will be seen that fully half the irrigated
land was. at that date. In these two States.
and most Of the remainder was In the Rocky
Mountain region.
Some interesting statistics prepared for
the Los Angeles congress show that the
total land surface Of the region called arid
is 8s3.8l2OO0 acres. 80 that less than one
half OF one per cent. Is irrigated. But this
region really contains some arabic land,
and, in fact, less than one-tenth Of the
portion now actually farmed there Is
irrigated. There is also vast region
that would not pay the expense OF irri-
cation. whatever enthusiasts may say.
The average value Of products Of irrigated
lands Is $14.s9 an acre, ranging from 1928
in Wyoming to $40 in California. The
average first cost OF water rights. or of
bringing water to the land, Is said to be
1915 an acre. and the average estimated
value OF the rights s26 an acre. The
annual outlay for keeping up the bitches
varies from ten cents to more than SIS an
acre. but the average Is put at $1.07.
bitches less than five feet wide have cost
S4s1 a mile; those from five to ten feet.
which is medium size. ST 1928; those Of ten
feet and over. $5.603 a mile. including
headworks and fumes. The first cost of all
the systems is put at S29.611 900. and their
present estimated value at 1914. 412,000. The
irrigated areas have increased enormously
In value. and 1t will be seen how vast the
investment and its increments are.
Irrigation no doubt furnishes guarantee
Of crops which can be had in no other way.
In regions favored by natural rainfall the
toll and OUTLAWS of a season may be rem
dered useless by a drought. whereas in the
arid country the farmer turns on the water
from storage reservoirs. In some places.
also. more crops can be raised in a season.
and the products are more abundant than
without irrigation. That water storage and
distribution have reclaimed enormous areas
once considered hopeless deserts, Is plain:
but the peculiar advantage Of making the
crops sure and avoiding the anxiety Of al
ternately watching for rain and fearing too
much rain, is what makes farmers in the
land Of irrigation consider themselves
blessed above other husbandmen.
Systems Of irrigation differ greatly in
character and cost. One Of the simplest in
southern California Is at Ranchito. covering
the lands Of the little Los Nietos Valley.
the walnut belt OF Los Angeles county.
large stream taken from the San Gabriel
River Is carried in open bitches along high
ways and across orchards to the highest
corner of each lot. At stated times the
landowners are notified to turn out
with shoves to clean the sediment from
the bottom Of the bitches. SO many hours
for each acre Of land owned; and this
work and small assessment for the gan
Zero who attends to the distribution Of the
water. are the only COST On the other
hand. the Riverside system, supply ing TO-
900 acres. was bought by the landowners
six years ago for 100000. or $40 an acre.
The cost OF water for orchard use Is now
about five dollars an acre per annum, the
price being ten cents an inch flow for "a
hours. On twenty-acre orange grove OF
ten-year-old trees. about 100 inches will be
used at intervals Of forty days. four to six
times a year. according to circumstances.
In any locality the cost Of irrigation natur-
ally depends on whether the supply is at
hand and easily secured. or whether costly
artesian wells. tunnels. masonry arches,
fumes. and trestles must be built.
There Is one important public problem
connected with irrigation. or the vacant
public lands more than nine-tenths are
found In the regions called arid, and
very large proportion OF them cannot be
cultivated without irrigation. What shall
be done with the latterp The proper
answer seems to us to be this: Give the
lands that are really arid to the States and
Territories in which they are situated.
They are Of no use to the Federal Govern
ment. and OF no use to anybody without
systems OF reservoirs and bitches. 1t is not
the business OF the Federal Government to
reclaim lands for farming. The States and
Territories. however, can deal with the
supJecl' each WiInln ltS own limits. Inc
Government has already set apart certain
sites for dams and canals, and these should
be coded with the lands. General laws
could be provided to prevent States from
unduly diverting the water Of rivers so as
to iniure the supply OF other States.
II necessary, provisions could also be made
for preventing State from conveying to pri-
vate monopolies the rights to water supply
thus practically coded to 1t In trust. The
general Government would thus turn over
to the States and Territories. both the arid
lands and the means of irrigating them.
subject OF course to the control OF Congress
over navigable waters The cost. the labor.
and the profit of reclaiming the lands would
go to those most interested in them.
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