The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-19
THAT RIVER SUIT
Some Figures Showing the
Decrease of Crops.
FORTY-SIX PER CENT
Is the Falling Off in the Pro-
duCtion of Corn.

Today the irrigation convention of the
four counties, Reno, Sumner, Cowley and
! Sedgwick, meets in the court house. The
dispatches sent our from here last Sat
urday in regard to the matter has stirred
up much discussion and big representa-
ton is expected today. Judge Babb. in
communication to the Eagle, shows how
the tapping Of the river has damaged
the crops:
To the Editor of the Eagle.
The Colorado people are taking a very
lively interest in the proposed suit of
Kansas farmers to get their old time
Arkansas river flow back again. The
Denver News editor writes editorials on
that Kansas suit and the men who
take millions upon millions of gallons of
water from the river in Colorado for ir-
rigatiOn, already have attorneys to watch
every step In the movement.
This watchfuIness is not without good
reason and if investigated fully will pos
sess the Kansan with a like keen interest.
One farmer the Hon. Silas RutIege, has
kept a record on his corn raising Tor
corn weighed over the scales during that
time as gathered. He owns one of the
river farms in Sedgwick county. Note
how the figures run for the last twenty
three years. From 1915 to 1855 when the
river flow was full he gathered forty
eight bushels peracre on the average for
each of the ten years. From 1885 10 1890,
during five years when the river was
being severely tapped in Colorado, his
corn averaged thirty-seven bushels per
acre. From 1890 to 1898, for eight years,
with little water in the river he has gath
cred a little less than twenty-six bushels
per acre on the average. Here is an
absolute loss of twenty-five bushels per
acre in each of these later years on this
river bottom land. He used to raise big
crops rain or shine. Now he gets them
only when the summer rains are plentiful.
On 100 acres this would be loss of three
thousand five hundred and twenty bushels
each year, and at twenty cents per bushel
a loss of S704O0 per year to each quarter
section. 1t is estimated that there are
15G square miles of this river bottom land
along the thrty-six miles of river from
the southeast to the northwest part of
Sedgwick county. Throw of 50 square
miles of this land as not being capable of
cultivation and sub-irrigation 20 the eX-
tent of the land of Mr.. Rutlege, and we
have 10 square miles left or $50 quarter
sections. The loss on these $50 quarters
at $70400 each year makes a loss of $685.
5000 annually to Sedgwick county alone,
If all were put in corn. This is not ALL
If the atmosphere is charged as it fire.
quently is with humidity near to the rain
ing point, then some additional evapora-
ton of moisture from a full flowing river
frequently gives rain to upland farms.
Unless these and other facts are greatly
out of place as facts, the suit spoken of
by the Denver News as that Kansas
suit" is a matter of public concern TO
all the people in the counties and towns
in Kansas along the Arkansas river. The
loss to Sedgwlck county alone is possibly
over quarter of a million each year.
The farmers who have lived longest in
the valley along the river, and have
watched for many years the great dmin-
uation in the annual yield of their crops
give more facts than any other class of
of persons, to sustain the conclusions
above set forth, and of all persons are
most positive as to the great losses, accru-
ing to communities living along the river
Unless the tapping process stops, some
day the Colorado irrigators will use all
the water of this river. The Kansas
zephyr will then only have a line of sand
to play with where once flowed the waters
of the June rise. w. ]. BABB.