New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-12
THE NEED OF IRRIGATION.
SOME PERTINENT SUGGESTIONS IN hh'
GARD TO ARID LANDS IN THE WEST

Judge j. s. Emery In Inc Arena -, -
Over one fourth Of the United states Is aa,u s
ing land and from past experiences and PsSns pros
poets must always remain such' n nl ~ rho
United States Geoog cal Survey. In several 80,
he made while holding that position sola y Ts
about one-haf OF ali our possessions sh dsppend
Alaska was too dry support This
ing upon agriculture in other words ne r,y arid"
mar na b 81 a. VS. some say At any rate. the fact
that nearly one half Of the United States Is nor sun
ssn5y sr Ma1o r0 Pdwss Is no,
Now. is 1t not passing strange o ina the exist
ence of this great economic fact or proVldes 10 AZ
management or disposal Of ms n vss' states Senate
Committee on Irrigation has just printed ms us,o-
Although the Natlona G3yernme en- ,rSeabe land
ever administered under one polly, IL mas mas ~ ,te
failed recognize its fun bs bSst a rosts or
greatest measure of prosperity in Its occupancy anu
Is it true that we to-day after close to lty years
Of occupation have only overrun In loose ana ram
bling sort OF way me ara Sna Of the Tremendous
ossibes and deveopment nov forcing ing
mersc and unInviting areas? Is this newer West a
finished product OF our civilization TO pe arc.p,c 1871
as il is? And this simply because ts sranty naIural
rainfall and It's everlasting mountan-suppy OF SHOWS
have been unuzed and suffered to run 10 .,e shd
air. ar TO be carried o" line EXAMINATIONS w -, arid
To the student of the economic aspects OF ,d ara re-,
America after these many years OF advance aiiu ie
treat by the agricultural army of the frontier our
present condition seams to be one OF arIesIeu ~
opment In ;al States included In ths area pop
aton has decreased steadily several years past
The advancing Of immigration mas dashed up
imperceptibly It may be, but none the less surely
Kansas ard Nebraska have witnessed this thing dn.
ofen rewarded the tilers OF their rich soils Kansas
has 100000 bushels Of corn now in her neids ana
the same may be said OF other Great Plains States,
bu this Is not the case often enough to huiid ~.
S Shsn fsd od Ras and
fathers In the humid states are spd
1p in all snSad IS today
more or less observable. Indeed the metropoii,ah
issues that have in a of late marked several
Of the subard States as resulting from the lafk OF
storm centres. the starting points OF new parties
REPORT OF A SENATE COMMITTEE.
The special committee of the United States Senate
Irrigation and Reclamation or Ard LANDS con-
five years ago and after very thorougA go.ns ~
OF the entire field Of The rrlga ion question: rms
acres of land may be orough under cultivation IN me
arid legion by irritation and mat by the va er IL.
cent Of the whole arid region may be reclaimed The
committee further states that in any gwen period
20 five times as much land cultivated by rainfall
In the same report the late Director of the Geo
los 900 900 acres Of land can ultima, ely irrigated
by the of stream waters alone; and M. Powell
that. in addition to the l0OOcoOGO acres recaimabe
by stream or running waters now In sight. consid-
ton nv the use OF storm waters. Underground
waters form another source of supply. and when
ascertained by irrigation survey. such as the
general Government has already commenced. this
supply may go far in adding water sufficient TO
estimates OF the committee The chief field OF this
supply will be the Great Plains region and the ar
made and wells sunk by the State Of Kansas to
ascertain what this subterranean supply Is in that
Of that state The results thus far obtained are
indicative OF an almost inexhaustible supply The
= cd n
ington Government demonstrating to the settlers
on the Great Plains the practicability of bringing
pose Of Irrigation, and 1t s safe TO say that the
America are vet TO cut no inconsderable figure
in determining the total area that Is ultimately 70
be reclaimed
GOVERNMENT CONTR IL ADVOCATED.
This report Of the Senate Committee recommend
ed that the Government make an irrigation survey
providing for the ascerialning OF the water soulces
and supplies and for the location OF the reservoir
the main canals and the bitches needed for a
proper distribution OF the waters. Three members
ha m and Mr. Jones filed a report in which they In
dcate that the duty of the Government Is to go
the entire arid region into natural irrigation as
trcts In such a manner that each one shali nave
dependent upon such area. Such survey is neces-
sary in order TO locate the sites OF head WORKS
controlled. to plan the irrigation works In the in
ierest OF the farmers and to estimate their cost
The control OF such districts Is tnen DJ
law both State and National to be given over into
the hands OF the jewellers therein. The cost o;
such survey IL put at 10000 with seven years
time I'm which to make It, The report has lain dor
mant for six years and no bill has been passed to
carry into effect its recommends tons In the mean
time some work by the Geological Survey people
by way OF locating reservoir sites and indicating
canal lines has been done under the provisions or
the acts OF October 2, 1885, and of March 2. 1889
Some one hundred and fifty reservoir sites. IN a
10 the public. Want Of funds has prevented the
Geological Survey from doing more than it has al
ready accomplished
GENERAL INTEREST IN IRRIGATION.
Intelligent irrigation ideas are getting hearing
all over the country. The general lnteres, mani
Tested in the photographic survey now being prose-
cuted shows this and with the lifting OF the clouds
Of Industrial depression that have been hanging
us all the people are very naturally disposed 10
take stock and what have got In the way Of
opportunities get into lines OF business that will
rest on solid foundations. Men from the over
crowded cities want to get out, and after the
perience they have had during the last few years
they willing to go to farming Indeed the call is
earn a living for myself and family? Large classes
are looking out of the congested cities OF the At
lantic States and asking not so much, Where
can go and make money? as. Where can go and
eat? The only open region now left for these earn
est home-seekers 10 go to is ara America. our
public domain of good agriculture land long since
disa ppca red from National map. Fifteen years
ago our Public Lands Commission reported that the
bic portion OF our public domain was nearly eX-
haUsted.
At the NTH National Irrigation Congress. held
Phoenix Arz in December last the more funda-
r,on,ai and Ip,nortant nroblems of irrigation were
discussed. In the forefront of such questions. |
may name state ownership or water and the Gov
In every other enlightened country have placed
under one control these TWO Joint elements OF pro-
this thing intelligent. substantial progress
be made In the reclamation Of that half OF our pos
sessions which to-day is but thinly settled and in
differently developed.