The herald., 1893-07-14
TIMELY ACTION BY THE STATE DE-
PARTMENT.

cation in our local columns from secre-
tary of state for the United States, the
Hon. Walter @. Gresham, addressed to
the chamber of commerce, and relating
to the irrigation congress-, which will
assemble in this city, on October 10th.
The state department has taken a very
intelligent and timely action as to this
subject by informally inviting the CO.
operation OF all countries that have irri-
CATION systems. Mr.. Gresham also states
that an official from the interior depart
ment will be present at the sessions of
the congress to give such information az
may be desired. Under the arid land
act there has undoubtedly been collected
great mass of highly valuable statistics
by that department which will be spe-
cially available in the deliberations OF
the coming congress.
This body cannot fail to be a most
instructive and influential gathering of
persons of note, and the action of the
state department gives it an interna-
tional significance. This action Of Sec
retary Gresham is in line with the
enlightened policy of the United States
adopted many years ago. The meteoro-
logical and soil characteristics of many
and extensive portions of this country,
now characterized as arid lands, early
called the attention of our more enter
prising statesmen to the fact that,
whensa the first flush of immigra-
tion and settlement should be over
as to those portions of the country that
rejoiced in a normal rainfall, it would
devolye upon the government to reclaim
immense sections, apparently not avail
able for agriculture, through an intelli-
gent system of irrigation. Well in
structed people have, of course, been
aware that, from the earliest ages,
regions OF prolific production have been
made to yield bountiful crops either
from availing OF the natural overfows Of
rivers, as in the valley of the Nile. or
from the storage of winter rains, and
the intelligent application of these
catchments to the filling of canals and
other conduits to lands in many cases
ineonceivably rich, but absolutely value
less without the artificial application of
water.
Many years ago the United States
! sent a commission, of which General
Alexander, OF the engineer corps OF the
United States army, was member, to
investigate the irrigation systems of the
world. This official body visited Spain,
Italy, the south OF France, the Mediter-
ranean coast of Africa, India and China.
We regret that we have not their report
at hand, but we can recall its general
tenor. 1t would be good idea, by the
way, for the chamber of commerce to
have this document hunted up. 1t con-
tains much valuable matter that could
be made available in the discus sions OF
the coming congress.
One general feature of the report we
remember very we'll. In investigating
the irrigation system of Spain it was
found that in certain districts lands that
had perfect irrigating facilities, or what
we would call in California good water
right, sold for as high as $1,000 an acre.
Arid lands in the same neighborhood,
which were without this right. only
brought SIS an acre. 1t seemed to us
incredible that there could be such a
vast disparity in the value of lands 80
closely adjoining, but the official figures
were convincing. In fact, when it is borne
in mind that in the subtropical por-
tions OF the United States, irrigated lands
can be made to bear from three to eight
crops year, there il scarcely any rea-
sonable limit to their value. In South
ern California, particularly in Los I'M
eeles and San Bernardino counties, irri-
gated lands have frequently been known
to yield eight crops of alfalfa, rich
Chilian clover, year. Within twelve
month some of these specially favored
tracts have yielded fourteen tons to the
acre. In some of our irrigated lands,
towards the Vernon district, in the city
proper, three crops of potatoes and one
OF peas have been raised in year.
What is the value of such lands? We
confess that we do not know. 1t is very
hard to approximate even an estimate.
OF course, the extraordinary yield de-
pends largely on climate. But in any
climate irrigation replaces capricious
yield by a bountiful and assured crop.
1t puts certainty in the place of uncer-