San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-25

be supplied at reasonable prices to
those who were not members of
the company. The company could
bore a dozen wells or more, in a
suitable location, so as to concen-
trate the outflow of water from
them, into one canal and then con.
struct reservoirs along this canal
for the storage of the water, until
it should be needed for irrigation.
Lateral canals and bitches could
be dug from the reservoirs for diff
fusing the water over the area Of
land to be irrigated. Each county
would do better to own and possess
its own system OF irrigation.
The rivers in Southwest Texas do
not possess, in summer, sufficient
water for irrigating purposes. 1t
would cost an immense outlay of
money to build dams across the
rivers, so as to make use of the
freshet water in the winter and
early spring, and then, such water
would, necessarily, have to be col
lected and preserved in reservoirs,
against the irrigating season. The
water for irrigating the lands in
Southwest Texas must be derived
from artesian wells, at least, to
very great extent. The state might
use the convicts in digging irriga-
ton canals and bitches and in con-
structing reservoirs for the storage
of water, in the different counties.
Now, is it practicable to derive a
considerable quantity of water from
artesian wells. Let us suppose
that a dozen artesian wells have
each an outflow Of 100000 gal
Ions in twenty-four hours, this
would amount to 100000 of gal
Ions per day and 540,OOO,0OO per
month, and 6,4SO,OOO.OO0 per year.
This would irrigate a pretty con-
siderable area of land and
quadruple the usual crops
grown on the land subject to
slight rainfall at long intervals,
and augment the crops an hun
dred-fold on lands not subject to
rainfall in the cropping season.
Twenty-four wells with daily out
flow of 36,0O0,00O gallons, or an an-
nual outflow of 12,96O,OOO,OO0 Of
gallons, ought to suffice to irri-
gate a considerable area, which is
subject to occasional rainfall, as
is the case with the majority of
the counties in Southwest Texas.
Southwest Texas is peculiarly
adapted to fruit and grape culture,
and with irrigation, it would be
shingled over with orchards vine
yards and vegetable farms, every
one of which would prove mine
of wealth to their owners. With
irrigation, the land would
produce on an average,
one hundred bushels of
corn to the acre. With cotton sell
ing at cents a pound, it would be
folly to augment the crop, a md
the disparity already existing be-
tween the supply Of cotton an d
the demand for it. We are already
suffering from the depression Of
price occasioned by an over
production Of cotton and
common sense and sound judgment
dictate curtailment Of the acre
age of cotton, and the substitution
Of some more profitable crop
Grapes, fruits, vegetables and mel
ons, with irrigation in south and
west Texas, would prove very prof
liable crops. Thd railroads furnish
speedy transportation to Eevery
nook and corner of the Union anC
gives us access to every state fol
the sale Of fruits, grapes, vegetable!
and melons. There need be no ap
prehension Of overstocking thu
market.
Let the citizens of each count,
: organize joint stock companies, 'anC