The Topeka state journal., 1897-03-15
Irrigation in Kansas Must Now
Stand Alone.
Any Further Aid Has Been
Withheld By the State.
BOARD
Was Expensive Considering
Practical Results
But the People Gained Much
Valuable Information.

tufe was to put an end to the state irri-
cation board, from which so much was
hoped and expected when it was Gre
ated two years ago. The board was
the outcome Of a demand from the
western part OF the state for a practical
test of the underf1ow of which so much
mas been said. The legislature appro-
pr1ated $4,000 for the two years work
and expected to add as much more for
the two years succeeding but when the
report of the board came before the
people there was not so much to show
Tor the money as was anticipated. The
task before the board was of the hard
est, and it went to work in a very
sensible manner to accomplish its pur-
pose. The western third of the state
is now so thoroughly understood that
there can be no doubt as to it's possibil-
tiles, and the stations that have been
started at the states expense are of
practical benefit to the settlers in many
ways. The work of the board may be
considered to be the end of such ex-
periments, and will be an authority for
the future on the subject. It is a very
new thing, irrigation in this prairie
state. The board found that only "a
plants had been in operation up to 1889
After that date they increased rapidly
until 1898, when LOG plants were start
ed. In the following year $50 began,
and the next year $50 Then the number
fell to 100, making a total for the state
of 1885 plants, irrigating 11S23 acres
III IneS6 plants over SUU USED the wind
that is forever restlessly drifting over
the plains as the motive power to pump
water to the parched lands. The farm
erS found that there was only one way
in which they could get to the water
cheaply, and that was by Harvesting
the breezeS. The state in its work did
not have to do this, but in many sta
tions used the more expensive engines
and made the supply more uniform.
The work done at the stations was only
in the nature of showing how the water
might be raised to the surface, and did
not include the raising of crops. The
plants were located in Hamilton, Gray
Grant, Sherman, Logan, Lane, Haskell,
| Rawlins, Rocks, Ford, Seward, Hodge
man and Wallace counties, the parts
of the state where there was need of
| some way out of the difficulty in which
the settlers found themselves. 1t was
| that way out or none. 1t meant that
| the irrigation experiments should be
| the salvation of the western third of
the state. The plants cost about 81, 500
each, and are property of the state.
What it will do with them nobody
knows. The object for which they
were purchased is ended, and there is
sure to be a great loss on the invest
ment.
LOCAL RAINFALL STORED
The local rainfall in the western part
of the state was the subject of good
deal of study. The plains are for the
most part dry, but there is not always
a drouth. The rains of the uplands are
OF the most lofT1nc character, ana the
water falls in sheets. Twice last sum-
mer the little town of Syracuse was
flooded by the sheet water flowing off
the hills in it's journey to the Arkansas
river The town is within fifteen miles
of the Colorado state line, and is on the
high prairies. The water was so high
that it ran two feet deep in the streets.
This shows what is going to waste in
the western part of the state. Nine
inches of rainfall in a single week is not
unusual but when it has fallen the
prairie is as dry in a short time as be-
fore. It all goes to turn the water
wheels of the factories down near the
mouth of the Arkansas and Kaw- The
settlers have not been enterprising
enough to save this great fall and place
it in the reservoirs that could have
made the semi-arid region less barren.
perhaps. This is one of the ways that
there has been to help in the irrigation
cause in the past few years. and at
little expense, too. The settlers who
are left in the western counties see the
necessities to which they are subject,
and are making the supreme effort of
their lives to bring about the salvation
of the interests in which they are so
deeply concerned. In addition to the
ponds and occasional windmills that
are keeping the water for them they
have another invention that is doing
them a great deal of good. 1t is the
Jumbo mill. with it's homemade hide
BUSINESS, but withal serviceable and
cheap concern. The mill itself is built
of boards, with the large Sails IUI1-
ming lengthwise the axle instead OF at
right angles, as did those of the olden
times At the base and surrounding
the we'll and axle is erected a ught
board fence reaching up half way on
the big wheel. This, of course, hides
the lower part of the mill from the
wind but leaves the upper part ex-
posed. The upper part, receiving the
full force of the breeze, is turned and
the pump is put in motion. 1t is, of
course impossible to turn the mill to
catch the changing winds, but II Is
very safe to set it north and south, for
these are the winds that blow more
than nine-tenths of the time on the
plain. The pump has all the effect
iveness of the high priced mills ana
does equally as good work
1t is the opinion of many OF the pest
informed men on the plains that the
salvation of the west is to come from
the small irrigation plants The great
er institutions, owing to their expense
and the lack of personally interested
management, are proving ahythlng put
profitable. Several of them are in the
hands of receivers and there is con-
slant fight as to which ShaH get the
water flowing down from the noun
tains The Colorado bitches are taking
the larger part of the supply. and in
some seasons, as last, there Is frequent
ly not enough to give them all they
need On the other hand, the small
pIants are practically without any dan
ger of a lack of supply. In connection
with the irrigation board and in con-
junction with the general government
there was taken a survey OF the west
ern part of the state, showing the
depth of the underfiow and the dip of
the surface. 1t was found that in few
parts of the plains where farming is to
be carried on is there water at deeper
level than so feet. Some wells on the
plains are, to be sure, $50 feet, but they
are the exception. With a reasonable
depth the settler can raise enough wa
fl7Ear