El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-20

down the river during the last seVe
DAYS of the measurements. This in
crease in the flow OF water was due to
rainfall on the water shed above Of no
over two inches, as about two iUche
were record I'd by the state rain gauge
a. Wichita Fails.
'sEsti N ating To a 30, 900 acre feet il
a run-off due TO raiufali of two inche :
then we have for the annual rainfall
of twenty-e ght inches about 900, oct
acre feet as the amount of water thai
could, on an average, annually BE- stOr
ed at that point.
1--WE will cut this amount in two, tC
compensate for loss by evaporation
inf tration, etc and then we have
sufficient water to cover 100000 acres
| of land to dep of one foot | thinlz
] it is safe 10 say 100000 acres can be
irrigated. providing the main canals
and laterdls are sufficiently large to
supply and distribute the water re-
CURED
after the country has been irrigat-
ed few years the people will learn
how to irrigate and use the water
more economically than they, will at
first, and this estimate can be mater
iably increased and possibly doubi ed.
How does the Wichita valley en-
terDrise com pare with those of SINH ar
magnitude in the arid country, in the
Rocky mOun!a regions, as regards
cost etc?
For the purpose of comparing the
cost of irrigation works, it is ne cessary
to use the cost of a cubic foot per sec
ond and the carrying capacity of the
canal. and the COS per acre OF the land
served or covered by the canal project
Up to this time the cost per acre for
the land actually irrigated in the
Rocky mountaia country is much
greater than for the land covered, for
the reason that not all the lands under
the canals are cultivated The cost of
covering lands there by means of irri-
eating canals ranges from So to SIS per
acre: proba bly, the average cost of irri-
CATION works in Colorado is not far
from So per acre for the land actually
irrigated.
''In the absence of a final survey of
the Wichita enterprise, it is only pos
Sible to make an approximate estimate
of the cost per acre, but | think it will
not exceed $40 per acre, and may
not be much over one-half that
"Tne most serious ques ton l am
called upon to consider in connection
with this enterprise is that of making
a storage reservoir in the channel of
river. The Wichita like most of the
rivers in this part of Texas, carries
with its flood waters large quantities OF
fine alluvial silt, large portion of
which viii be deposited in the reser-
voir, and will, from the very first, be-
gin to somewhat decrease its holding
capacity. Just how long it will take
this silt to actually reduce the holding
capacity to any serious extent is a
problem that can not now be solved,
as no measurements or experiments
have ever b5en made that an aware
Of
LAS rule, it is not desirable to To-
cate 5 forage reservoirs in the main
channel of sand and silt-carrging
streams if it can be avoided, bat tn
of the country mbracing
the valleys OF such rivers as the Red
and its tt. butaries does not permit do
ing otherwise.
''rhe projectors of many of the
largest and most expensive reservoirs
in Spain, France ard Italy, seem to
have nos considered that any serious
results will occur that can not be rem
edi=d or overcom a, FOR in tn Sc coun-
tries they haYc had ample time to test
the question.
Il have no fears that the silt ques-
ton in connection with the Wichita |
enterprise will be such that an effic ent |
remedy will not be found to econom-
iCally dispose of it by the time that it |
seriously encroaches upon the holding |
capa lily of the reservoir.
We find the sd ne c0mpen5a ting |
law in connection with this silt |
question that we find in many other |
things which, in themselves are d nui- |
5ance, but are ultimately valuable.
"Taere are millions in the value of |
Of this silt as a fertil ger AS rich and |
title as is the soil of this county, it |
will in time give out. There is no |
question about this. In me the same |
be aeiciary results will De seen here as
Is now ana has been experienced for |
thousands of years in Egypt by the red |
silt of the Nile, which the red silt OF |
the Texas rivers very closely resem
bles. We have plenty of proof as to
the value of silt as fertilizer. In old |
Grande, just over the boundary line |
Oetwr en Texas and Mexico, the peo-
pie have been farming the same land |!
Every year since about the year 1890. |
with the exception of two or three |
years du. ing the war between Mexico |
and the United States, and have never |
used any artificial fertilizer, and the |
land is as rich and productive as at |
first. They do not even resort to the |
rotation of crops to keep up their
land. | have seen good stand of |
W n at down there on land | was told |
had been constantly in wheat for 200 |
years.
DO you think irrigation will permit |
Us to grow greater variety Of crops |
than We can successfully grow without |
Il think the; is 10 question about |
that. l believe the sanGy alluvial soil |
Of Your valleys and table lands will, |
by the aid of irrigation, prove To be as
good for alfalfa as any in the United |
States, but [ dou bt if you can grow it |
in this region without ir- |
Ri alton. With your long seasons, four |
ana possibly five cuttings, of two tons |
per acre, ought to be taken off OF the |
ground each year, BIS des furnis hing
good pasturage throughout the fall |
and winter season.
Il think | can safely say as much for |
your soil and climate as a successful |
sugar beet producing country, and |
there is no doubt but that by irriga-
ton you can greatly increase the yield |
of cotton on the same land each season. |
tIRV the Sl1rppsSfJ1 Use of |