The Topeka state journal., 1897-08-09
KANSAS NEWS.
Irrigation in Finney County is
Extensive.
The System Now Embraces 15O
Miles of bitches.
BIG FIRE AT MORAN.
More Than a Business Block
Destroyed Last Night.
Girl Fatally Shot at a Sunday
School Picnic.
BIG FIRE AT MORAN.

Garden City, Aug. 9.-Ffnney is one
of the counties of southwestern Kansas
whose agricultural life arteries are
freely and vigorously pulsing with the
currents of irrigating canal and later
The county has about $50 miles of
irrigating systems, all fed from the
Arkansas river, and 10O 600 acres of
land under ditch, of which over 80 600
are under actual cultivation. $4,000 be
ing in alfalfa, the great king of all
forage and fattening plants.
From Mr.. ]. H. Edwards, county ir-
TigatiOn superintendent, it was learned
that the June flow of water through
out the irrigation systems of the county
was the smOOtheSt ever known, bring
ing bOuntiful harvest.
Alfalfa and corn are the chief mead
ow and field crops, the former adding
heavy seed shipping values 10 feeding
General fruit culture is on rapid in
crease,the county proving finely adapt
ed to the growing Of apples, peaches,
pears, pIuTnS, apr1cOtS, grapes, etc
Fruit shipments. specially plums. are
now in progress to various eastern
points.
The county has about so, 600 head of
cattle and will make large sales this
year of feeders. The buyer can here
find almost any class of cattle he de-
sires for the final fattening pen and
rack
These feeders will be in fine selling
condition. being prepared therefor by
liberal ratiOns of alfalfa and cane. In
this connection it is pertinent to note
that the Santa Fe railroad has largely
improved and added TO Garden City
shipping pens.
Touching the extension of county ir-
rigatiOn. there are two available sour
ceS from which the water supply could
be largely increased: first. the utiliza-
ton of the abundant underfiow of the
Arkansas river; and. second. the for
nation of storage reservoirs for the
saving of water from the winter and
spring currents of the same river. The
first of these plans has long been
known as feasible; while of the prac-
tica bility and value of the second
noteworthy instance and example is
now being given in the work of the
Great Plains Storage and Water COM
Kansas state line. the result of which
is to be the storing from the Arkansas
river of water for the annual irrigation
of 10000 acres of land. or more land
than is now under actual irrigation in
Finney county.
Either the underf1ow source OF the
spring and winter river surface flow
supply is absolutely independent and
of the present Arkansas river waters,
as the underfiow is strictly individual
and particular only unto itself: while
the winter and spring river currents
now represent. from an irrigation stand
point. an annual waste of water.
1t is very probable indeed. that one.
or both. of these great and now pracu-
callV dormant irrigation sources will
as public sentiment is rapidly crystaliz-
ing to the most earnest realization that
irrigation and the fullest measure of
county prosperity mean one and the
To the Finney county resident. bust
ness professional or Iaboring man alike
irrigation has become something to
be accomplished instead of talked
about