The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1893-11-17
More Water for the Plans.


EDITOR GLOBE
The attempt at irrigation in Kansas,
so far has not proved satisfactory, except
in very limited areas. The artesian well
theory, will evidently prove inadequate
to the case. The expense must prove
enormous. Even if the government
should be to the expense, which is hardly
probabely, it will sea heavy offset to the
benefits derived. Suppose the underflow
of water should be sufficient. the lifting
power required to bring it to the surface
in sufficient quantities for irrigation of
An ordinary farm either by wind or
steam machinery, would require more
capital than farmers can afford. For
corporate capital to control SO important
factor to agriculture would be most
unfortunate, except to the corporation.
Agriculture Is now the servant of COR
porate capital and greed to almost a
ruinous extent. But the policy now
being outlined by irrigation conventions,
if applied. will only provide another to
the already too numerous revenues de-
rived from the product of the soil! One
fact is certain, all these ''helps" to the
farmers, put tax. or tariff, on agricul-
ture to the full extent it will bear with
out absolute ruin, so that in the end these
aids eat up all the gain they create, leav-
ing the tiller of the soil little, if any
better off when the balance is struck.
The storing of water in reservoirs for
irrigation might do for fruit, raising veg.
tables and farming on a very small scale,
but no man can afford the expense to
lift water by wind or steam in sufficient
quantities to irrigate properly one hun
dred acres or more.
Now l think it is possible by general
cooperation of the citizens in country and
town to utilize the provisions of nature
so the desired end can be realized, if not
fully. yet in degree quite satisfactory.
Let every farmer make in a suitable
place he may select dam so that the
reservoir thus formed will hold five acres
OF water when full, to every quarter Sec
ton. Two such bodies would be all the
better. Let smaller bodies of water be
provided for in towns and kept full by
windmills if necessary Locate the ponds
so that they will catch and hold the sur
plus water, which during the rainfalls
runs off to the larger streams and thus
out of the country. Had the govern
ment provided water claim, of ten
acres, instead of ''tree claim it would
have resulted in securing the desired end
a hundred to one as it is. and at far less
expense. Nature would have supplied
the water. Now by a little mathematical
we can see the vast body of
water, though distributed all over the
state, can be stored up, retained from
rainfalls. for evaporation and subirriga-
ton. Assuming five acres of water stored
On every l6O throughout the state, there
would be in Ford county 20 acres on each
section, 72O in each township and for the
county 3O.times 720 acres, or q 900 acres.
Now suppose Kansas to contain one
hundred counties averaging the size of
Ford, there would be stored up in the |
'tate 2, 160 acres. If Nebraska the two
Dakotas, Oklahoma western. Texas.
Oregon New Mexico aud eastern COL
'rado, would persue the same plan, it
would give the grand total of about Is |
million acres beside the volume in the
living streams.
Such All artificial provision would
argely supply the absence of these large
bodies of water, which modify the dry
less in interior of continents.
In future article we will consider the
Utility of such provisions.
c. E. HARBOUR, Jr.
.