The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-11-30
IRRIGATION.
Meeting Of the Irrigation Convention n
Observation-Disclosures Disguised.

Meeting Of the Irrigation Convention n
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Discussed.
HUTCHINSON, Kan, Nov. PA two
days session Of the Kansas Irrigation
association opened in this city Friday.
There are several big guns" here FROM
all parts of Kansas. G. q. Cannon.
president of the Mormon church Of
Utah, was elected chairman. He
will speak on the history of Utah
as affected by irrigation. Short
papers were read by practical irrigator:s
from several western Kansas counties
Secretary Coburn, of the Kansas
state board of agriculture gave his
views on irrigation as follows:
Most OF our people are past the point Of need
Ing to be told that irrigation is good thing, or
even largely essential. What they want to
learn now is the ways and means; instead OF
glittering generalities they need to be told
where there is water; its depth below the sur
face: the cost and capacity Of wells, and the
machinery for its most certain, economical and
rapid lifting; carefully calculated plans for
storage reservoirs, the times and methods of
the water most judicious application. These
and kindred problems which confront the Kan
saS farmer have never pressed for solution
as during the last two years. Speaking for
Kansas agriculture in its larger sense for Kan
sas as whole, without in the remotest degree
disparaging the importance Of irrigation, er
the need of giving it that large measure Of con-
sideration that we are in duty bound to give IL,
L am convinced there is another kindred mat
ter pressing, of equal. il not paramount con-
sequence, although the utterance of such
conviction may be little short Of
the rankest heresy in the Kansas state
irrigation convention. Please do no: infer
from this that am not as much and enthuSl-
astically IN favor of irrigation any man from
anywhere. The point make is that the mass
OF our people who live outside OF this marvel
Gus Arkansas valley and beyond reach Of its
wonderful underflow should give better ap-
probation to the rainfall; to harvesting the
wealth of water SO copiouSly, beneticiently
sent them without money and without cost,
and seeking (and finding, If permitted TO do soy
that Incompatible reservoir, the ample bosom
OF mother earth, where it is always within
root reach, without wells, without pumping.
without bitches: where every hour of TIE night
and day its life-giving moisture Is in It's perfect
way ready to help endow with such wealth
OF flower and fruit, Of grass and golden grain as
the people of few countries are ever given to
see. This must be attained by deeper more
thorough looSening, breaking up Of the impervi-
Gus, compacted Sub-Soil that 1t may absorb
and retain the rainfall rather than reject it,
and as is now the case, compelling it to find it's
way to the rivers and the sea, in floods that
nearly every year do millions Of damage to our
fellOw-citiZenS in other states. Acting on this
are to encourage, there can be, there is no
doubt about the wonderful future of Kan
SaS agriculture. This is part of our
great problem that can be solved
| by Individual effort. The records of
| the past ten years show that the average an
| nual rainfall in Kingman county has been
p inches: in Ford and Trego counties about 10
inches; even in kearny, Greeley and Wallace
| counties about Is inches; in Decatur, Osborne
and Cloud counties about 81 inches, and in
Manhattan more than 90 inches. Observers Of
| such matters tell us that even these smaller
quantities of water while not all that would be
desirable will, if judiyiously conserved and
| utilized, well-nigh give us q crop every year
| and in most years yields that are prodigious
The sort Of irrigation problems that confront
| US are in the main radically different from
those in any other like territory Whenever
any large proportion of our state is artificially
| watered it must be from wells instead OF
streams, and most Of the help, most needed, is
| along that line. In honor congress should, at
| least, help US to locate and determine the
water supply; but we cannot wait on congress;
we must be up and doing for ourselves; we will
| have, too, to rely chiefly on individual enter
| prise. am deeply imbued with the idea that
| the way for to irrigate is to irrgate-and to
subsoil. Kansas salvation in this direction
must be worked out by Kansas effort. The
| lawmakers must rise with US to the Importance
Of this movement and take il by the hand. BY
| judicious enactmentS and proper financial sup
port the state should within the next ninety
days judiciously provide for line OF progress
| sive work in the way of surveys, experimental
| ton, observation, superintendent and advisory
aid thus doing at very small cost per capita
| part of the work that the individual cannot
afford to do. The people in two-thirds of Kan
sas will be grievously disappointed if this is