New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-05
TINE FOR IRR 10 AIION.

Seldom has any such assemblage been more
timely than the Irrigation Convention WHICH
met at Denver on Monday There Is before me
whole. country an impressive obJect-lessoh, III
curating the need Of the very thing ms con
yention IS trying to promote BON East anu
West have this year suffered. and largely stiii
are suffering from an Intense ana long-coht'h
ned dro,lth In Kansas corn has Wllteu ana
withered in the fields. and In New-lork ana
New England parchcd and shrivclled fr'llt Is
draining from the trees In showers. Inc SUM
Of the losses sustained through lack OF rain has
not been rcckoncd. and may never be fully reck
oncd But TO say that II amounts TO many mil
ions of dollars Is well within the bounds OF
soberness and truth. A more effective text couu
NOT be chosen by this convention for It's deiDera-
tons.
All tbc III effects Of the drOuth could not nave
been avcrted II is true by irrigation. 1t Is also
True that the object IF this convention Is TO pro-
mote the artificial watering not merely OF lana
now arabic and occupied. but also. ana even
more particularly Of the vast arid wastes mat
as vet offer no reward for agriculture ana give
no SUPPORT to human life The principle OF
irrigation Is the same, however, In all cases.
whether I'm Nrw-York or Arizona. 1t Is to pro-
vide what Nature either temporarily or pcrnh'
nently fails to provide Il constant AMI suncleht
sunply Of moisture 10 the soil In some places
this must be done through all the growing sea-
son every wear. In others ii Is called for only
NJ unusual times. such as the present summer
Rut the necessity is scarcely less in the latter
than in the former; and it is a necessity thnt
opparcntly with each new generation more
frequently and more strcnuousy recurs. 1he
H., iuhubiilut
worse drouhs than any in these later days
But II seems to be- an established fact that with
the destruction OF forests and other changes III
cident to Increasing density of population. the
wafer s,lpply is in these Eastern and Middle
States becoming less regular and trustworthy.
Drouihs and floods alternate Al times the
rivers are almost dry, and II other times th"y
overflow their banks And both extremes are
rulnOus.
These evils are we confidently believe, large
Is 10 be- corrected by irrigation, conjoincd with
re-planting and INSTRUMENTATION; ana ms
belief Is founded not on theory alone, but on
actual achievements. Vast areas in the West
once sterile as the Sahara are to-day rich and
fruitful. because Of The water which. gushing
from artcsian wells or brought through canals
and fumes from distant rivers. trickl"s in thou
sands of tiny. ARTIFICIAL channels all over III"
land Other vast areas. wind-sW"pt ana s'iii-
scorchc,l have been made beautiful and salubri-
Gus by The planting of trees Nor ar" similar
examples lacking here, where rain does fail. ana
where trees naturally grow. Farmers mere or
some Of them. have learned the lesson. ana have
provided themselves with the means or watering
their land whenever there X need OF H. Ih'y
may seldom need To do II; but when they do
need IL. ~ the Texan cavalier remarked. they
need II mighty bad. The result Is that IN sea
son Ike. the present their farms are literal GASES
in desert Of dryneSs and dust. II Is high Time
all learned this lesson The loss suffered by the
average farmer In this one season amounts 10
ns much rs the cost would be- Of eIuipplng his
farm with appliances sufficient TO make MN
practically independent Of the weather.