The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-02-08

~N|N SNsAh h'eHSh fN'A Nh llD
result Is that when the iarmurs dwelling
along tho lower part Of tho river mos,
mood water for their crops tho Rio
Grande Is little more than II memory.
Mexico, 1t IL said. IL making some
strong representations 10 our govern.
mont on tho subject.
A RIVER OF vALuK.
There will DO no difficulty OF tina.
nature Ia this section. Tho Colorado
river, II, It hurrlcs along at tho ratio O
four milos an hour, Just beneath my
windows. Is IA wide ~ tho Ohio 4. thu
suspension bridge, and In ut present
eighteen feet doep. 1t drnins, wholly
or partially, 1.-Two stntas and territories,
mud has the happy faculty Of carrying
its greatest depth OF wRtor At the season
OF the year when water Is most needed
for irrigation purposes. That Is to aay,
owing 10 tho melting Of tho mountain
SHOWS, 1t IL highest in early summer.
But that 10 not tho only merit, from m
irrigation standpoint, which this great
river possesses. Standing on tho bridge
Of tho Southern Pacific railroad, which
spans the Colorado at this point, and
watching tho turbulent flood eddy
around tho piers, IL Impressed with
the idea that there Is o earth than
water going by. Tho muddy Missouri"
in Its palmiest days was never rs muddy
n river rs the Colorado. Think OF s per
cent OF sediment in n body OF water
Tho Nile. tho great irrigating agent OF
tho a%ncients, whereon tho Egyptians
cast their bread, which, aftor the lapse
of some days, came back bu.tersd. pos.
sssted no such iertllizing qualities as
the Colorado According to tho report
OF tho agricultural experiment station
OF the territory, located here, this water,
turned upon land, has II ierti!iEing value
per loot Of from s. II TO IS 81 an acre,
the value varying with tho stages OF tho
river.
And what kind OF land is available for
such ierttlization2 1t Is OF two kinds
the bottom lands. along tho banks oil
the river, and the mesas, or uplands.
lying further back and somewhat high.
er; both the deposit OF the river sed.-
ment for endless genor atoms, n dark,
sandy loain; the valley soil, perhaps.
naturally more fertile; tho mesa soil
more porous; both capable OF produc.
Ing, and producing now, such crops and
in such numbers rs an eastern farmer
never dreaIut OF. Twenty feet deep |
have seen these soils A. places where
the arroyos, or dry water courses, had
made IN opening. There 10 no occasion
for rotation OF crop. here, no sub-soil
cultivation, no single season OF sowing
and harvest, simply turn on the water
ut stated intervals aud, in the perpetual
sunshine, one crop succeeds another az
fast as tEoy can grow. Rain, in the as.
timasion oil these farmers. is a draw.
back. 1t only iuterieres with outdoor
work. ,
MODERN GAEpcS or EDEN.
What grows under these conditions?
1t would be easier TO enumera,e wha.
does not grow. Every fruit, vegetable
and grain that thrives under temperate
or semi-tropical conditions is here in
luxusiancs. Oranges, lemons. lines,
l.s, dates. peaches, pears. apricots,
pomegranates, prunes, grapes, all OF
which can be placed on tho market
from a month TO six weeks ahead oil
those from any other section, as the IA.
nous coast fruit country is beginning
to realize to its cost; aud all OF which
are IN bearing order one season earlier
after setting u than in either south.
western California or Florida. From
my " observation | should say that
this would some day DO prc-emineutly
the lemon and lime growing center Of
the world. | cut from 4 tree Il few days
ago II single lemon that weighed 81
onnccs. The branches Of that tree were
proppel up with torked siicks.,o hell
su1tain their loads OF frui: and the lem.
ON cut OF was no. apparently superior
10 many others surrounding it. have
seen n lemon here that weighed Il
ounces. That was, Of course, u mon
strositv. and its flavor was probably not
by any means equal to that OF the ordi,
nary run Of the Irrit, which Is claimed
to be un surpasI ed. The skin, after the
sweating process Ia complete, is
about rs thick ~ a playing card. The
smaller fruits and berries might DO said
to grow al lijitim; one crop succeeds
another just NJ quickly as time will al.
low: None OF them couli properly be
SAID 10 nave q season, III the sense tina:
me word IS used In tho north. They
mature at any Inc OF the year. The
same applies to grain aud grasses. A
farmer who does not got six crops OF
nay oil ms land every year thinks there
Is something wrong; and !; must be re.
nembe7ed that with these people ener-
~ Is att large discount and work OF
nny Kline 10 a very serious burden. They
have yet to learn all that sayors OF asri.
cultural enterprise.
WHAT IRRIGATION HAS ACCOMPLISHED