The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-10
aIRRIGArIoN OUR SAVIOUR"
It VIII degenerate Kansas Says An
other Hortieulturist.

After Mayor Charles Fellows deliver
ed his hearty welcome to the fruit
growers at their meeting last evening,
A. Chandler of Argentine led the even
ing with a paper on "A Practical Fruit
Farm
Possibly 100 were present among them
many ladies, residents of Topeka, and
Bailey's orchestra played.
Mr. Chambers paper was largely the
story of his experience in raising fruit
at his home at Argentine. He began
ten years ago and after several failures
now has a good fruit farm. In it he
said; Ninety per cent of the fruit
trees catalOgued by the dealers is
worthless from a commercial stand
point Many people wreck their bust
ness by unsuitable selections and Will
blame the nursery man and the much
abused fruit tree agent. Nine out of
ten times the fault is our own. We
have not our business wen in hand -
DR.. Bohrer of Chase. Rice county
talked Informally on irrigation.
When 1 went into Rice county" he
said, 1t was regarded as impossible to
raise celery there. 1 tried the plan Of
irrigation and now am able to raise
the very best celery that goes into the
market there and it is fresher than the
shipped. And L raise plenty of it. /
use only half inch pump at that.
1 have had great success with pOta-
toes, too. Before planting [ run in wa
ter and don't touch them again till
they are we'll uD I have raised as
many as peck to a hill
Il tell You irrigation is to be our saw
Tor, IN western Kansas in particuIar
1t is going to save and redeem US, for
western Kansas is very thinly settled
now People unable to raise crops and
unable to put in irrigating machinery
have moved out. But irrigation when
we get around to it, and it viii be soon
too, is going to fill the country up again.
In ten years there VIII be families on
every quarter section, I believe and at
least on every section. Irrigation is our
only salvation
George N. Munger of Eureka also
talked on irriga ton.
lit is probable he said "tbat irri-
cation IS as much misunderstood as
any other thing by the American peo-
pie who don't know all about it.
In the absence of moisture both
growth and decay cease. 1t is then
moisture that we want, to convey the
necessary food from the ground to the
tree.
Irrigation means higher cultivation
and the production of nearly every
thing we use, at home.
Kansas has an abundance of water
for present purposes. We don't need to
lrrigate all Of Kansas till we have
many times the population we now
nave. 1 viii make this statement:
Kansas thoroughly irrigated VIII sup
port many times the people she has al
ready / am almost afraid to say how
many times but viii place it at all the
people in the United States
one Of my predecessors in a speech
today said. Give your apDle tree as
much water as you do your steer /
would say, give your apple tree as
much water as you do whole herd Of
steers.
Just at present. we must admit. ir-
rIgation in Kansas has black eve
It's on account of the financial condi-
ton People are discouraged and don't
care to raise grain and fruit and vege-
tables that they can't sell at a good
figure"
VIM II. Barnes of Topeka. who is
,f
his report at the meeting last night 1t
was a strong argument for the ad-
Vancement of horticulture.
horticulture in kansas saws Mr.
Barnes. is too little thought of 1t is
regarded as a small industry. when. as
matter of fact. it is one of our very
largest. Ii each family in the state
Of Kansas consumes but cents worth
of fruit each day in the year. of kan
sas raising. the total viii amount to
a value larger than all the wheat oats
rye, barley, buckwheat Hungarian.
castor beans, flax hemp broom corn
miliet, milO-maize and Jerusalem corn
put together raised in the state in the
year of 1895.
California fruits are known the
world over because she makes fruit her
leading industry. Kansas can do the
same. We raise more peaches now.
and better ones, than California does,
and the same can be true of many
other fruits.
Horticulture needs a boom in kan
sas There should be a prize for new
ard good ideas in fruit raising a tax
rebate for the planting of shade trees,
etc.
There is one thing I want to speak
of, and that is the matter of our re-
port 1t was cut down by the print
ing committee to 100 pages for two
years. she reports issued from Iowa,
Illinois. Minnesota. Michigan and Mis-
souri, contain 900 annually.
During the year I have Travelled for
the society over 1000 miles. have or
ganized new societies at Garnett, Esk-
ridge, OskaloCsa4 Howard, Marion Troy.