The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1894-11-30
TIE 1RFIaAr1oN CONVENTION.

have been at Hutchinson during
Friday and Saturday of last week and
seen the crowd assembled in the Audi
torium listening to the many noted
speakers on the subject of irrigation.
These men came hot only from Kansas
but from all of the surrounding states,
and most of the addresses were
interesting and instructive. The two
speakers who attracted the most atten-
tiOn were Geo. Q. Cannon, of Utah,
and Ex-Governor Prince, OF New Mex
leo. Cannon made one point on soils
that interests many of us here. In
referring to alkali soils he said that in
Colorado where the alkali was excess
sive, they found that by growing one
crop of sugar beets they could bring
the soil into proper condition for
1aising almost anything.
Gov. Prince was on the program to
speak on ''Irrigation in the Very Arid
Region.' lie SAID that we were con-
tinuaily confronted with the arid, semi
arid, and very arid, and that he knew
klOthing of them. but that he was
familiar with ''semi-sunshine, the sun
shine, and the very sunshine regions,
and that New Mexico was the ssyery
sunshine region In speaking of the
irrigated regions he objected to saying
''but we have to irrlgate," as if that
was drawback, for he considered it
All advantage to be able to water ones
crops when they needed it. ard a dis
advantage to have nature pour water
all over them when they did not need
it, and that in his opinion the land
where rain was scarce, but irrigation
plenty, was much to be preferred to
land where rains were more abundant.
II. V. Hinckley, of Topeka, Kas.,
discussed as follows:
THE DUTY OF KANSAS TO HERSELF.
''lf Il boy has wood to saw, which is
his best policy, to petition his father
to saw it for him. or to get down to
business and saw it himself? Kansas
has valuable undeveloped resources,
and she Can continue to memOrialize
congress to the end of time, but unless
she takes some steps to develop these
resources herself she will receive but
little aid from the government.
81 shall not touch upon the duty OF
Kansas to her unfortunate frontier
settlers, TO her rising generations, OF
10 the Union, but simply her duty tC
herself as an everyday business tran.
saction. Win it pay to investigate and
encourage irrigation? If so the duty
is plain. California appointed state
engineer with an appropriation of one
hundred thousand dollars for the sur
veys and Investigations of two years
AS the result one million aces o.
desert land are now worth one hundred
and fifty million dollars. a value O.
fifteen hundred dollars for each dolla
invested.
1.-The great mineral state of Colorado
took similar action, and nine hundred
thousand acres of barren land becam,
worth sixty million dollars, and lie
annual agricultural production will
only ten years of irrigation develop
ment has for years exceeded that o
her gold, silver, lead, IRON and Goa
combined. So in the arid states thre
and Il half million acres of the deser
have become worth three hundre,
million dollars.
1.-The first duty of Kansas then is t,
inauguratc a scientific, but practical
Investigation as to the possibilities an
best methods of utilizing the waite
supply, and this first duty includes til
other duties which shall name. TIL
f! figures which l have give are base
upon average values. There are thou
sands of acres in California that al
worth ten times the average becaus
they are more inteliigently handled Il
to crops, irrigation, etc. The sam
rule holds good in Colorado, Kansas o
anywhere else.
There are some points rs to crop
and the use of water that are learne
only by years of experience Vine
this experience has been gained an
the limit of the water supply is appr,
ciated, irrigated land values material
increase. So, for example, while til
average value of Southern Californi
lands under irrigation is only cI
hundred and fifty dollars per acr,
there are plenty of orchards that al
paying from one thousand dollars a
acre upwards annual profit, and tliel
are plenty of potatOe lands in Colorad
that pay five hundred dollars an acI
annually. Just SO in Kansas, one ma
gets fifty times as much income p,
irrigated acre per annum as anothe
The second duty of the state is to te
each irrigator the experience of all IL
others, so that all may profit thereb
There are in California thousands