The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-14
TEN ACRES ENOUGH.
Irrigation Board Will Try to Show
That It Is.
BOARD MEETS AND ORGANIZES.
Wells Are to BE sunk Costing 500
Apiece, Each of Which 1t is said
Will 1rrIgate Ten Acres on Which a
EIan May Prosper and Grow RIch.

Apiece, Each of Which 1t is said
Will 1rrIgate Ten Acres on Which a
HIan Nay Prosper and Grow Rich.
The organization of the new state
board of irrigation has been completed.
All of the afternoon and evening of yes
terday were spent by the board in
breezy conversation regarding the pro-
visions of the bill, the publication of the
members of the boards pictures in the
Kansas Farmer and incidentally irriga-
ton.
At the organization Judge D. NJ. Frost
of Garden City, was made president of
the board; Judge W. B. Sutton of Rus
sell was made secretary, and NJ. B. Tomb
lin is just a member. The advisory
members are Prof. Haworth of the state
university at Lawrence, and George T.
Fairchild of the agricultural college at
Manhattan. Mr.. Fairchild was not pres
ent yesterday.
In an opinion delivered before the
board, Attorney General Dawes declared
| that the advisory members of the board
were not entitled to vote
The irrigation bill gives the board
$4,000 with which to place twenty wells
and pumping stations in different parts
west of the 98th meridian which runs
near the eastern edge of Ellsworth
county.
After a discussion the territory was
divided into three divisions, the northern
one to consist of the upper two tiers of
| counties, the middle one of the next two
tiers including Rice county, and the
southern one all the territory remaining.
Judge Frost has charge of the southern
i Ii.
stations therein. Mr.. Tomblin has the
Judge Sutton of two in the central
These are to start with, and the re-
ports of each will be read at the meeting
| of the board that will be held next week.
The remaining thirteen stations will be
| located as fast as practicable thereafter.
The rest of the afternoon was devoted
to discussion of the bill section by Sec
| ton.
The board unanimously agreed to post
| pone action temporarily on the work in
| dictated in sections seven and eight
These sections talk about artesian
| wells, geological surveys, etc. and are
| among the for-the- present-inpossibIe pro-
visions of the bill that Judge Sutton
says, If carried out to the letter. would
cost the state half million dollars.
The board is simply one to experiment
| IN the subject, and will terminate in two
years, unless the legislature wills other
| wise. Each member of the board is to
receive $1,000 year and transportation
| expenses.
"There are great many people who
do not at all understand the irrigation
| problem" said Judge Sutton today: slots
of them have vague idea CLEANED from
| goodness only knows where, that the
state is going to put in twenty wells and
pumps and irrigate all of western Kan
! sas.
1.-THE we'll will be a six-inch hole that
we estimate will go down 100 or $50 feet.
and will cost altogether in the neighbor-
hood of $400
"Each well will irrigate ten acres only
and require to take care of and cultiyate
the area so irrigated, two men.
"That doesn't sound very profitable.
does it?
'Supposing a man has 100 acres of
land in western Kansas now that is los
ing him money Let him take $500 and
irrigate ten acres of it and he is indie
pendent for life. That ten acres is sure
land and will support him and his fami-