Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-12-20
PRACTICAL IRRIGATION.


AS requested. herewith give you the
items regarding my irrigation plant
Mr.. Norris Nourse put the '.bee in my
bonnet" He has for long time given
much thought to the subject. Then I
was so surprised and pleased with the,
results of little water on trees, as can
be seen under the care of Prof. NOurse
here in Ellsworth. l started in to try
and irrigate with pump of ordinary
size, conveying the water TO the garden
small garden but does not furnish
water enough for more than a very
small piece of ground-not enough to
play with. Then l thought if had
100 barrel tank could water all crea-
tion. | bought such tank but soon
found 106 barrels was not enough for
nv place. i was so in earnest to test
this question and ses whether Or not
we could in some way overcome the
terrible dry times of the past few years
way or give up trying.
The fact is, in general way, every
mans fortane is right under his hose.
but we are so apt to look too high and
too far and so overlook that which is
close at hand. So [, while [ had read
as have others about irrigation, yet it
seemed like a far off thing; it woald'dO
for California and other states, bat it
was matter of vast capital and not
within the means of an ordinary every
day Ellsworth county man One day
after reading in the Kansas Farmer an
account of a visit by party from Good
land, Sherman county, to Garden City,
Kansas. began to wish to see whether
the stories about irrigation in western
Kansas were fairy tales or not. Still [
hardly think l would have gone alone,
so began trying to get some one to go
along. MIR. Norris Nourse at once said
he would be one. | asked many per-
sons but Chas. Caldwell, county sur
veyor. and Wm. Flick were all who
would go.
The latter part OF October we made
our visit TO Garden City and found the
results of irrigation there far beyond
our anticipations. It seemed to me, as
we stood near the pond of Mr.. Hall and
saw the grand orchard of apple trees
loaded with large and perfect fruit on
what was naked prairie in 1885, that it
was vision of Paradise, and the future
of Kansas. with desert actually bios
soming as the rose, was perfectly plain
to the minds eye.
It seemed to me that this very dry
climate, our much abused winds, were
specially devised by Providence to COM
pei us Kansans to think more, and then
go ahead and demonstrate that the very
climatic conditions We have complained
of in the past are to be our chief sources
of profit and pleasure.
With the wind harnessed, the water
under the earth will rise to make the
fruits of the earth far more certain
than in the localities further east.
where rain is the only dependence of
the farmer; thus the evil we have com
planned of is to be, after all, our bless
ing.
l would rather be Mr.. Hall of Garden
City, than governor of Kansas, for he,
indeed, is public beuefactor. He and
others at that place have demonstrated
that no quarter section exists in Kansas
but upon it can, by means of wind and
water, from an acre up, be made a par
. adise.
In the building of my reservoir, I
have learned much which would avail
1ne in case I built another. I excavated
too deeply, for the surface soil does hold
water better than that deeper down.
but my pond is steadily getting better
in that respect. In building my pond,
particularly in making the sides, I am
under great obligations to Ben Sweet
for his judgement and knowledge of
grading. The sides, as they rose, were
packed firmly by the horses and scraper,
and, as Ben said, our excavation would
do for field eartbwork and mount
four guns. But Ben is an old soldier.
and sooner or later runs everything
back to the war.
The reservoir is 5Ox50 feet. top in