The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-08

] the cultivation of the soil. Wherever
we have tried the experiment in Utah,
we have found that where we go down
20 inches below the surface we have a
proper subsoil. and we take the water
in the fall and irrigate that land and
soak it thoroughly, not trusting to the
fall rains 20 flood that soil and satur
ate it. Irrigating it in that way We
find that when we have done this we
never had to irrigate in the spring TO
bring our crops to the surface. All OF
you are aware of the fact that fire.
quently the land is so dry in the spring
that in order to make the crop sprout
we'll in the ground 1t is necessary TO
irrigate: but where this system is fol-
lowed, it is perfectly certain that the
land is sufficiently moist to bring up
the crop. | have experimental with
wheat, and have never irrigated the
soil when I have SUBSIDIZED. In the
morning when | go out l see what an
pears 10 be dewdrops, moisture that
has come from beneath. and the land
is sufficiently irrigated to bring the
crop on until it shades the ground, and
then it rarely requires irrigation
Now, it NAV be unimDortant TO you,
and to many others who have not SOIL
that is suitable to such purposes or
that can be treated in this manner, Dut
to us it is an important point, and we
ilIiQ THAT we RAISE cups - 3d.
tleman who lives beside me and had
farm close to mine. raised 10 bushels
of wheat to the acre, plump measure,
by adopting this system, and L was
only a trifie behind with 90 bushels of
wheat to the acre, as fine as / have ever
seen in anv country. All because L
farm il, and own and cultivate it. in
stead of spending my time looking
after that portion of the water that
di ¬ belong to me-water that some
body else ought to have had on the
higher and drier land that surrounds
the valley.
There is another system on the low
lands in our valleys We see that
springs are breaking through the sur
fact and coming up, and they are en-
tirely useless to us. Springs OF water
where do thew come from? Go into
the mountains or rocks, or wherever
you are looking and you will find that
there is only perhaps about two-thirdS
of the snow that ever drains off from
the surface and comes down into the
valleys. What becomes of the remain
der? 1t percolates through the soil and
runs off that way and springs out to
make our marshes and places that are
of no account whatever. and hence that
much water is absolutely wasted. Go
into the draws that you see in the
mountains, the dry canyons-go into
these draws and canyons and go down
to bedrock and put in a dam, and you
will force those waters to the surface
In this way We will bring into culti-
walton the higher lands of Utah that
are now useless.
The irrigation system is in its infancy,
but will say this. that we are better
prepared, very much better prepared
to do practical work than we are to
discuss it before a cOngreSS-even the
y
very territories and states in the center
of the continent will he the very back
bone and sinew of our great country
in the developing and bringing out and
sustaining of the honest poor. We have
immigrated over 100000 since 1910, and
placed them in good homes and made
them sole owners of those homes; and
these valleys and this people and this
congress will be great factors IN 1ur-
nishing homes for the oppressed MIL
lions of our own land as well as those
of other lands.