The Globe-republican., 1895-04-26
The Peregrinator.

l'm uOO much Oh IOOl IUI TIE ulI0I80Cc
of the vast amount Of information with
which find myself charged after a few
days inspection of and reflection upon the
manifest destiny of western Kansas I'm
der the influence If irrigation. l do not
use the term irrigation as being, in the
least, related to "schemes," corpora =.
tions. government aids" or statutory
functions" mean irrigation under the
power of Every Nan His Own lrrigator."
In plain terms, without so many capital
letters ''iadividual irrigation" In the
serpentine meandering 'sscratch" which
defaces and disgraces the fair face of the
fairest land under the sRn, known az .'the
ditch" lie buried the decaying remains
of sundry irrigatory hopes and desires.
which rotting carcass has so enriched this
field Of experience that from it, under a
trained observation will spring, with rank
luxuliance, new culture of the new Gar
den of Eden. These former experiments
have developed one fact as to the charac-
ter of our soil that stands out against any
contradiction. like the great pyramids
against the burning sands of Egypt; that
is, that it is of as great fertility as the an
uaally renewed valley Of the Nile. The
honorable and astute secretary of our
State Board of Agriculture has given us
the very obvious and patent reason, viz
That it has never been debilitated and
drained Of its natural chemical richness
by deluging rains and storms which lix-
iviate the soils of other lands and carry
off into ever flowing streams their repro
ductive potency. Thus our soil "never
wears ont"
Wherever 60 l hear nothing talked
OF among all classes but ''irrigation,"
''surface irrigation" s,b-irrigation,"
''wells.'' ''pumps,'' ''windmills,"
tanks" reservoirs ''storage dams,"
and the rest, with generality of senti-
ment and an agreement of generalities
which show that the people are fully aliye
to its Importance and united in its de-
velopment.
1t is breaking out in spots that are al
ready GASES in this corner of the G. A. ID.
Let me mention few of them. j. d.
Allen, of BellefOnt, few years ago
planted an orchard of the kinds of fruit
trees that are adapted to this region (and
very few are nOt), in draw, then with a
few hours labor threw dam across it.
This is individual irrigation, in what
may be called its most primitive form.
The result verifies the idea. His trees are
all, without exception, vigorous in
growth, healthy in appearance and
blanketed with bloom, while others not
so situated and cared for are dead, ap-
parently dying or stunted in growth.
and as if making a last effort to carry out
the reproductive instinct. show here and
there blossom. The evident success in
the first instance is all due to storage
water from our occasional rains. This is
the ''within reach of alp plan.
During my short ride visited the farm,
sheep ranch, alfalfa field, grove, orchard.
garden and all-around Kansas home of
Hon. d. G.. Curtis, which is seven miles
north Of Speareville. Mr.. Curtis has a
tubular we'll LIS feet deep, with two
Inch pipe through which IA force pump
sends the water to forty barrel tank OH
IN eight foot tower near ut hand. Tie
direction of the water is controlled by
valves and cocks OH a standard, all the
working parts of which are situated in
stone walled circular depression about
Xix feet in depth as security against frost.
One cock directs the water to the tank.
another to the house and another to the
BARN. The power is wind, working ten
'oot wheel. These cocks, however, are
seldom used except the one opening into
he tank. which is in constant nse, and all
he other points of demand are supplied
~ pipes from the tank except the garden
me yard which are supplied through a
rose.
The shrubbery and fruit trees near the
lOuse all show the beautiful. vivid green |
# health made more emphatic by pink
md white buds of prOfuse promise. Last
ear the yield Of garden vegetables was
,ood and all are making good growth
low. Mrs. Curtis, (good sensible lady
With Martha Washington cast of cOunte-
lance). showed a little plot of strawber-
les about as large as table cloth from
which she picked every morning last
during their season. scripture
'allon Of the delicious berries. She d.
ected attention to the best and most for
ible illustration of the adaptability and
enefts of sub-irrigation to be found any
vhere. A row of pear trees has at one
nd giant among pigmies. all planted ut
he same time. The giant, moreover, is
wfully swelled up with pride or some
hing rs his robust health which shows in
lis smooth handsome skin, his gorgeous
= glossy leaves and wild CLEAN Of con.