Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-08-02
IRRIGATION INQUIRY
The Department of Agriculture
Issues a Bulletin on In
vestigations.
WORK TO Be DONE BY MEAD
Investigations to Aid in Determining the
Quantity Of Water Required for An Acre
and to Plan for Work by Govern
mentin Redet ming Arid Lands.

The latest bulletin issued by the de-
partment Of agriculture contains a brief
review of the irrigation Investigations
which have recently been conducted by
the department. They were undertaken
by virtue of the act of congress direct
ing the secretary of agriculture ito in
vestigate and report upon the laws and
institutions relating to irrigation and
upon the use of irrigation waters, with
special suggestions of better methods
for the utilization of irrigation waters
in agriculture than those in common
USE" The bulletin says that the office
of experiment stations, to which the
work was assigned by the secretary,
has, after consultation with experiment
station officers and irrigation engineers
familiar with the conditions Of the irri-
gated region, undertaken to organize
investigation in the following general
lines: First, the collation. and publica-
ton of information regarding the laws
and institutions of the irrigated region
in their relation to agriculture, and,
second, the publication of available in
formation regarding the use of irriga-
ton waters in agriculture as shown by
actual experience of farmers and by ex-
detrimental Investigations. Elwood
Mead, formerly state engineer of Wyo-
ming, who has had a long and success
full experience as irrigation engineer
and administrator of irrigation laws,
md is familiar with the agricultural
| conditions of the arid regions, was
given immediate charge Of the work,
with headquarters first at Cheyenne
| and now at Denver.
In pursuance of the plan of work
adopted representatives of the depart
ment have made a study of the laws
and institutions of a portion of the arid
land region, and the results thus far
obtained have been published in two
previous bulletins. The first of these
discussed the laws which control the
diversion and use for irrigation of the
waters of the Missouri river and it's
tributaries. The second gave abstracts
of the laws for acquiring titles to va
ter in the same region, with the legal
forms in use. Both have heretofore
been reviewed in this correspondence.
The present bulletin says; THE farm
er from regions Of ample rainfall who
emigrates to the arid west has many
things to learn besides how to build lat
erals and how and when to spread the
water they carry over thirsty fields. The
knowledge and skill required to distrib-
ute the water is soon acquired, but the
working out of social and industrial in
situations which will place the rivers,
which govern the value of every farm
they fertilize, under some form of pub
tic control which will secure their just
distribution and prevent their becom-
ing the subject of speculation or cor
porate monopoly, is proving in the
western states, as it has in every irri-
gated land old enough to have a history,
to be the enduring and important prob
WIN ~ ~ 5oiNNt tAN hhS IA
IN which the reward of their industry
and the value Of their farms ultimately
lepend."
The present situation in the states in
cluded in the discussion is thus set
forth: For every acre Of irrigated land
there has to be a right to water. The
title to the latter is of as much impor-
tance as the deed to the land. 1t is
much harder to establish. These rights
| take more forms than the rivers they
control, and are acquired by as many
methods as there are states to frame
laws. In one respect they are alike,
No matter whether the user of water
| derives his title direct from the state,
buys it from a ditch company which
furnishes water for hire, or from the
holder of a speculative claim, it is a
source of more perplexity at the outset
md of more hours Of anxious thought
afterwards than all the other problems
If irrigation combined.
DCIduSC VI uAlSCI ldlllS VI w lo
these rights should be or difference OF
| opinion on that question, the irrigation
laws Of many states have been SO am
biguous and contradictory that the fin
tie intellect is not able to interpret Their
meaning. AS a result, there are laws
and court decisions to sustain about
| every view Of stream ownership OF
| which the mind of man can conceive,
and in some cases they are all found in
| the statutes and decisions Of a single
state. The growing volume of litigation,
| the uncertain and contradictory charac-
ter of many of the decisions, is making
it a heavy burden to irrigators and a
serious menace to progress. Unless II
can in some way be restricted it threat
ems to impair the value of investments
in bitches and the success of this form
of agriculture.
"No one subject is a source Of greater
perplexity to the beginner than the es.
Establishment Of a priority Of right in the
| stream he diverts, and nothing has
caused greater hardship or loss thar
failure through lack Of knowledge to
conform to existing laws. The explana.
+; ton of state systems are given in de.
tail, so that the bulletins constitute
manual of forms as we'll as a discussion
of principles.
"In pursuance of the second line OF
work determined upon, extensive inves'
legations on the duty Of water, as meas.
ured by the actual amounts Of water
used by successful farmers on differen'
soils in growing different crops are be-