The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-20
WILL HELP ALL SECTIONS
LETTER TO VICE PRESIDENT OF
NATIONAL CONGRESS.
The Agricultural Department May
Undertake Irrigation Investiga-
tons For the Benefit of Every
Farmer and Wage-earner In the
United States.

Washington, d. c., Jan. %, 1899.
5. B. Young, Esq, First Vice Presi-
dent National Irrigation Congress,
Salt Lake City, Titan:
Dear Sir: The irrigation congress
has never exerted very much influence
in the past in actually accomplishing
what it has favored in its resolutions.
L think one reason for this has been
that we were not we'll organized. If we
could all work so as to combine the
influence Of those states which are rep
resented on the national committee, I
think we could accomplish a great deal.
L was appointed by the chairman of
our national executive committee as q
member of the congressional commit
tee, and being in the east, have come
here to try and get something done to
help the cause. Those who are inter
ested here have all agreed that in this
session we will work for three appro-
priations, viz:
Il. In the agricultural appropriation
bill, $4,000 for irrigation Investigations
by the department of agriculture.
2. In the sundry civil bill, 900 for
surveys for reservoir sites by the
United States geological survey
%. In the river and harbor bill,
$4,000 to build the Cloud Peak reservoir
in Wyoming, as surveyed by Colonel
II. NJ. Chittenden
we hope by concentrating on these
three direct propositions to get support
enough to carry them. Will you not
aid by getting the senator's and con-
gresham from your state actively in
terested to work for these appropria-
tons? They would inaugurate a pol
icy which would be the beginning for a
new period of development and pros
perity throughout the whole arid, re-
gion. Every commercial organization
ought to take hold of the matter. What
ever is done must be done Immediately.
You could also aid if you could get
any of the papers in your state inter
ested so they will give us their editor
ial support. L enclose an article which
think it would do good to have pub
lished in as many papers as possible.
Hoping to hear from you favOrably,
l remain, yours very truly.
GEORGE H. MAXWELL"
The article in question, which goes
fully into the question of irrigation
legislation and the benefits that will
accrue if the right measures are passed,
is as follows:
The recommendation of the secretary
of agriculture in his last annual report
that an appropriation of $4,000 should
be made for an investigation into the
of such vital Importance to so many
thousands of farmers has attracted a
much wider attention to the subject of
irrigation than it has ever received in
the past as an agricultural problem.
The last irrigation congress held at
Cheyenne, WyO., in September, 1898.
passed a strong resolution urging an
appropriation for this work by the de-
partment of agriculture and showing
its vast Importance. George II. Max
we'll of California, a leading member of
the Irrigation congress. who has taken
an active interest in irrigation develop
ment for a number of years. and who
is recognized as an authority on all
matters pertaining to that subject, ar
rived in Washington a: few days ago
and represents the Irrigation congress
by appointment from the chairman of
the national executive committee of
that body, I. d. O'Donnell of Billings.
Mont
In an interview Mr. Maxwell said:
One great difficulty that has always
been met with in getting the attention
of congress to this great subject of
irrigation is the mistaken impression
which has prevailed with so many in
the past that irrigation is of interest
only TO the west. On the contrary, it
is of the most vital and far-reaching
Importance to every farmer in the east. /
The experiments which have been
carried on by Professor King of the
of Wisconsin, and Professor I
Voorhees, of New Jersey. and by DR.
Clarke Gapen, now of Madison, Wis,
when he was superintendent of the :
Illinois hospital for the insane at /
Ills, have demonstrated /
what phenomenal results may be OBJ /
tanned by what DR.. Capen calls SUD /
elemental irrigation in humid
America'-that is, by giving the cult I
vator o. the soil control of the great I
est fertilizer known, which is water
properly applied in proper quantities I
and at proper stages of the growth |
IF the plant
"The results Of Professor Kings eX- !
Deriments were published as a farmers /
bulletin by the agricultural depart |
ment, and could be obtained without /
charge by application to the secretary /
If agriculture. DR.. Gapen read at the /
Phoenix Irrigation congress in Decem- /
Der, 1897, a paper describing his eX-
oeriments and showing the marvellous 7
results which he had obtained. I sup /
pose a copy of DR.. Gapen's article could 4
be obtained by writing to him for il /
1t Madison, Wis.
NEW JERSEY EXPERIMENTS.
"a careful investigation by Professor /
E. +. Voorhees,, director of the agri- /
cultural experiment stations of New |
Jersey. showed that at least a quarter /
IF million acres of land in that state /
night readily be irrigated and expert /
nentS in growing crops under 1rriSa- /
ion in q number of places in that state
showed that this was profitable prac-
ice. This work was reported in the
annual reports of the New Jersey ex-
stations for 1896 and 1897, and
II bulletin sc of the Office of experiment
stations of the United States depart
nent of agriculture
Every farmer in the whole country
10 matter whether he now irrlgateS or
lot, should get and read those pamph-
cts They are intensely interesting
md valuable, because they show that
here are millions in it, for the east
I'm farmer if he would study the posi-
Utilities of irrigation, especially those
Who are farming near the great east
I'm centers of population. and have
eady nearby market for diversified
PRODUCTS from intensive farming.
THE increased population of these
astern farms under these methods of |
Intensive culture with supplemental
irrigation would not only enormously
Increase the value of the farms and
benefit their owners. but
would open up new opportunities of
Employment for the surplus labor of
he cities without the necessity OF
migration to distant localities.
IRRIGATION AND EDUCATION.
THE fact is, and it is only a
uestion of time when the people
f the whole country viii see it,
hat in intensive culture with irri-
alton and in agricultural edu-
IL /