The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-28
will be need

placed on the statement
that irrigation is by no means necessity
in every section OF the State. This is not
understood in the East.
Secretary E. W. Maslin of the State
Board OF Trade says of this subject: in
the San Joaquin Valley and some parts of
Southern California irrigation is an abso-
lutte necessity, but in the central counties
it is not, except for citrus fruits. The
major part of the fruit shipped from Cali
fornia is raised without irrigation. Guilt
walton which conserves the moisture takes
the place of irrigation. 1t all depends on
the amount of the rainfall and the power
of the soil to retain the moisture. There ID
no doubt that irrigation increases the'yield.
Irrigation is not prime factor in all Cali
fcrnia; it is only necessary in certain Sec
tiOns where the rainfall is deficient. In
California S13. 600, 600 has been spent on
irriga ton works and right of way. Ac-
cordng to the census there are Is. 732 irri-
gators. irrigating 1,004, 233 acres"
B. NJ. LelOng says: Elm the Sacramento
/ alley irrigation is not so extensively re-
sorted to as it is in the San Joaquin Val
ley. but in the counties on the western
slope of the Sierras it is obtaining strong
| foOthod and increasing with the increase
of the area in orchard. West of the Coast
Range and north of San Francisco irriga-
tion is not required, nor is it resUrted to in
the mountain counties, climatic conditions
rendering irrigation unnecessary. The
necessity for irrigation in certain sections
constitutes an advantage enjoyed by the
California farmer over his Eastern BROTH
eS. He has no fear Of drought. When
his crops show signs of requiring moisture
he does not look at the clouds and depend
upon nature. but has the life-giving cur
rent at his command and supplies it to
h is crops as it was required. No Califnr-
MAN who depends upon irrigation for his
crops would exchange with the Eastern
farmer, who has to rely upon the uncer-
tainties of The weather for his"
The importance of irrigation in the
"aIid region" is shown by the attention
which is being raid to il and the vast
areas of new land being put under ditch
last year. In 1886 the reclaimed area was
reported at 100000 acres. in 1890 this
had Increased to 10, 10, LOG, in 1891 it had
swelled to 1883. 107. and with the compile
ton of the works now under construction
this will be increased to $4,000, 900 acres
which can be irrigated and made of use to
the horticulturist.
The passage of the Wright irrigation act
on March 7, 1887. providing for the forma-
ton of irrigation districts and the bonding
of real estate therein for the purpose of ac-
curing water rights and building water
works, gave a great impetus to this work.
and a number of districts have been organ-
lied under it, the list taking in the follows
ing:
San ernardino-AlIessandro Citrus Belt,
East Riverside. Grapeland, Rialto
San Diego-Elsinore, Escondldo, Fabrook.
Murieita, Ferris, Spring Valley, Pleasant
Valley.
Los Angeles-Big Rock Creek. Monrovia,
} Orange Belt. Palmland Vineland, Dehesia
Orange-Anaheim.
Colusa-O rland South sidel Central, Kraft,
Colusa
! Tuare-Tulare.
kern-PoSo.
Kern and Tulare-Kern and Tulare
FreSnO-Madera.
fresno and Tulare-Alta, Sunset, Selma.
Stanislaus-Modesto.
Stanislaus and Merced-Turlook.
YGba-Brown's Valley.
These districts embrace an acreage of
2,106, 775. upon which 81, 1877, goo has been
voted in bonds The law has been in
operation sufficiently long to prove its
benef
! Originally the supply of water was de-
rived from running streams that were
diverted with ease from their natural
channels. In the southern portion of the
State streams that could be handled in this
way were not numerous. nor did many
carry great volume of water This fact
led to experiments in the search for arte-
sian wells. There are several thousand
wells of this character now in the State.
One well in Kern County is said to yield
} from 100000 to 2,50O.O0 gallons daily. In
Cor &c hn onck
3 markable artesian belt in the State, con-
tanning several hundred wells.
r In some sections, according to George
] f. Weeks, another method of obtaining
| water for irrigation is that of tunneing
3 into the hills or mountains where spring
] denotes the presence of an imprisoned
t body of water. Some streams of consider
! able size have been developed by this
: method Many of the streams of Califor-
: mia, in the summer season when the water
/ is needed for irrigation, sink through the
bed of sand and come along on the bed
a rock Some of thesa streams have been
successfully raised to the surface and
S diverted upon irrigable lands by building
a dam, with its base resting upon the bed
. rock and extending upward to the surface,
e thereby forcing the water to rise to the ton
s of the channel and to flow into bitches
t prepared for its reception. Pumping with
i windmills and steampumps is also resorted
!, 10 upon limited scale.
. But the most important and successful
system in the reclamation of vast tracts in
Il the past, and likely to prove the salvation
i; of other large areas in the future, is that
$ of impounding tho rains of the winter sea-
+ son in reservoirs, formed in most instances
;. by building dams across the outlets of
u natural depressions or gorges in the noun
;, tains. whence the water is diverted as ne
!. cessity requires upon the fertile valley
e lands miles below. Ten years ago the first
/ work was done ON the immense store dam
g which holds the water of the Bear Valley