The Holly chieftain., 1898-09-23
CUNDAY SCHOOL EvKRsnfSUNDAY ~
~ 1000 A. H.. n the sch heass-
I.G. HAaia. Supe.
raowERs COUNTY 81 croRY.
WHERE cAsrALou tis k,so.
District In coloradb Devoted 70
This aasISD.

| OiosSsCt m V0sOva& VSOS00 %
This Msi9n.
From the Lamar Register.
We clip the following from the Lin
coin (Nebraska) State Journal. written
by Albert Watkins. who Is receiver Of
the First National Hank, Of Alma,
Nebraska, and the First Naticnsl Bank
OF Ponca in same state. He vas at ono
time editor of the Sioux City Tribune,
and later Of q daily paner Il Lincoln.
The most important and Ssmarkabls
irrigation system in the United statea
is that Of the Great Plains Water Com
pany. situated in the valley pi the up-
per Arkansas. A brief description Of
this great work will NO denbs be valua-
BILE to those interested in irrigation in
Nebraska and also Of general public
interest. u,
The Arkansas river breaks aw6y from
the mountains ] q Hneblo. Colo. and
therefro1 ploNs ID, ! southeasterly
course acsoss the ulsins. The water OF
this river y nd for irrigation along
the valley for distance OF about $50
miles from . point not far below Pueblo.
This uses mp the river and it's channel is
a bed Of dry sand for al indefinitely
long distance east Of the limit Of the
irrigated district.
But the notable feature of the plant
in question il the system Of great reser-
yoiry. the most extensive Of its kind in
the country. Lamar. the capital of
Prowers county. is located on the Ar
kansas, 116 miles east Of Pueblo. From
twelve to fifteen miles north of lamar
five large basins have been utilized for
reservoirs: These basins are we'll with
in the uplands Of the plains and literally
overlook the river valley. Whether
out of charitable vindication of the
saving that "IL's an i'll wind that blows
nobody good" or because there is NO
explanation of the existence of these
basins as plausible, local tradition Gays
they have been scooped out by the
wind. Experimental knowledge Of the
power of this agency leads Nebraskan
to accept the wind theory offhand.
The total available area of the reser-
yoirs is $4,000 acres-upwards Of twenty
square miles. Their beds are gradual
incline frora circumference to center
and they carry in their deeper parts
sixty to eighty feet Of water. Their
total capacity is 10000 acre feet, that
is. water sufficient to coyer that number
Of acres to the depth Of one foot. The
great canal Or ditch which feeds these
reservoirs is eighty miles long. sixty
feet wide at the bottom. eighty feet
vide at tho surface, carries six and
half feet Of water with volume of 1000
cubic feet per second. 1t will fiji the
reservoirs in from forty to fifty days.
The Amity il another great ditch which
is part Of theN reservoir system. It's
total length of main bitches exceeds ITO
miles. There are minor bitches in the
district not connected with the system
in question The reservoirs are replen-
ished constantly with all the surplus
water Of the river not used in actual
irrigation. It Is furnished in the main
from May 20 to September i.
The main bitches run across the north
end Of Prowers county from west to
east; distance of thirty six miles, The
system will irrigate $4,000 acres of
arabic land in the county nam ed. $1,000
of which are under cultivation and al
half Of this acreage is given up to aifal-
fa. Ityields six tons fer acre gross
each year. There are 10000 aczes uA-
der this system outside of Prowers coun-
". While alfalfa is at present the great
product Of this section Of the Arkansas
valley, vt farmers now realise that in
their bustncss as in others there is mo
roysl road TO riches. that the, hays 5seo
growing too nach OF this one article !
and they are pashing corn ahead 10 al
to keep the cattie from the raoges whioh
are now ssnt east and feed shsn At
home. thus using up ~ alanfh ~ wen
- the corn. TIE stnsst dtvsssitv II ]