Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-11-03
WATER STORAGE OF THE WEST.

t+b AAN' AAAS NANHg was RUnkDlMNA WANu a
subject Of great importance to this
country.
The census of 1890 includes among
arid regions, portions Of Arizona, New
Mexico, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming,
and the parts Of Oregon and Washing
ton east OF the Cascade range. II
gives the total area irrigated as 3,63l,-
3Sl acres, owned by 81, 1877 persons, or
an average of 81 acres to each owner.
The twv great lelds OF the system are
California, with 1901, ,233 acres owned
by 1882 persons, and Colorado, with
800, 635 acres owned by 0,579 persons.
1t will be seen thai fully half the irri-
gated 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 s83, ,3i2, 900 acres, SO that
less than one-halt of one percent is ir-
rigated. But this region really con-
tains some arabic land, and, in fact,
less than one-tenth of the portion now
actually farmed there is irrigated.
There is also a vast region that would
not pay the expense of irrigation,
whatever enthusiasts may say. The
average value of products of irrigated
lands is S14.s9 an acre, ranging from
1926 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 aver
age estimated value of the rights 500
an acre, The annual outlay for keep
ing up the bitches varies from ten
cents to more than s5 an acre, but the
average is put at SLOT. bitches less
than 1--WE feet wide have cost 1882 a
mile; those from five to ten feet,
which is a medium size, 81 ,62S; those
of ten feet and over, s5,6O3 a mile
including hcadworks and fumes. The
first cost of all the systems is put at
500, 1911 900, and their present estimat-
ed value at $94, 412,00O. The irrigated
areas have increased enormously in
value, and it will be seen how vast the
investment and its incremcnts are.
Irrigation no doubt furnishes guar
antee of crops which can be had in no
other way. In regions favored by
natural rainfall the toll and outlays Of
a season may be rendered 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
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 ankle
ty Of alternately Watching for rain and
fearing too mach rain, is what makes
farmers in the land OF irrigation con-
slider 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. A large
stream taken from the San Gabriel
river is carried in open bitches along
highways and. across orchards to the
highest corner of each lot. At stated
times the land owners are notified to
turn out with shovels to clean the sed-
iment from the bottom of the bitches,
so many hours for each acre of land
owned; and this work and a small as
sessment for the zanjero who attends
to the distribution of the water, are
the only cost. On the other hand, the
Riverside system, supplying 10000
acres, was bought by the land owners
six years ago for $4,000 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 twen-
ty- 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 circum-
stances. In any locality the cost OF
irrigation naturally depends on wheth-
the supply is at hand and easily secur-
ed, or whether costly arteslan wells,
tunnels, masonry arches, fumes, and
trestles must be built.
There is one important public prob
lem connected with irrigation. OF
the vacant public lands more than
nine-tenths are found in the regions
called arid, and a very large proper
tion of them cannot be cultivated
without irrigation. What shall be
done with the latter? The proper
answer seems to be this; Give the
lands Tint oro raollv nrfd N tho Ctafas