The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-09
LIKE A ROSE
Blossoms the Desert, Now I'm
der Irrigation.
How an Arid and Barren Re-
giOn Is Transformed.
SHORT GRASS BOOM.
W. e. Curtis Pleased With AL
falfa and Honey.
Some History of Garden City
and Buffalo Jones.

Continuing his letters from the west
to the Chicago Record from Holley,
Col, w. f. Curtis says:
The land upon which the Salvation
army colony is placed was bought from
the Great Plains Water company, the
largest irrigation enterprise in the
United States, which is owned by the
estate of the late Henry B. Hyde, pres
idsnt of the Equitable Life insurance
company; John f. Searle, ex-secretary
of the sugar trust; Gen. Louis F1tZger-
aid, president of the Mercantile Trust
company of New York, and MarcelluS
Hartley of the firm of Hartley & era
ham, manufacturers of firearms, New
York Their lands are located on the
banks of the Arkansas river, just west
of the Kansas boundary line near Bents
Fort, where the Hudson Bay Tradlng
company had a trading station carry
in the century. The land was originally
a ranch owned by an EngIlSh syndicate,
which at one time had 10000 head OF
cattle on the range, but 1alled ana Iost
81 SOC, 900. A considerable part of the
tract was afterward occupied by what
are known as dry farmers, who at
tempted to cultivate the land with the
natural rainfall and gave it up in 1856
81. In the latter year an lrrlgatlon
scheme was projected which has been
developed until now it collects the water
from a drainage area of r. 200 square
miles and keeps it stored for use as
needed in five great reservoirs with
capacity of 1926, 02,948 cubic feet or
water This supply is distributed by
seven canals 315 miles long over an area
of 10000 acres. The longest canai IS
116 miles and the shortest is eight miles
in length. 80
The company has sold about 10000
acres of land of which $4,000 acres IS
now under cultivation, planted to wheat,
alfalfa fruit trees and garden truck
The land sells for an average OF $50 an
acre on ten years time at per cent
interest. This includes a perpetual
right to use thirteen inches of water
per acre each year, but there is an an
nual assessment of 80 cents an acre 1of
maintenance. The only irrigation sys-
tenn in the world that surpasses this in
extent is found in India.
w. M. Wiley, general manager Of the
company, declares that storage reser-
voirs are absolutely necessary for sue
cessful irrigation. The same opinion
has frequently been expressed by the
ablest experts in the world. Mr.. Wiley
says water is becoming so scarce out
here in the dry season that ordinary r.
rigation is almost as unreliable as the
rainfall, and the only way of making
sure of a supply for the summer months
is to catch the spring floods as they
come down from the mountains ana
hold them in reservoirs rms makes
the crops on irrigated farms absolutely
certain and the profits are as regular
as the dividends of a national bank
Last year the greater part of the Gull
tiVated area in this valley was deNoted
to raising alfalfa and kaffir corn for fat
tening cattle, but more than 700 cars
of cantaloupes were shipped to the
eastern markets, besides 100 cars of Gel
cry and large quantity of caul1ftoWer,
cabbage, onions and other garden
truck
The highest degree of success in ir-
rigated agriculture has been reached at
Rocky Ford, Col, and Garden City,
valley. Fashions in farming have
changed. Experience has demonstrated
that there is more profit in ten acres
of what they call intensified farming,
in proportion to the capital and labor
invested, than in any other line of agri-
culture. Ten acres of irrigated land is
all that one man with one team can
take care of successfully, and he can
not only make a living from it, but
| can safely depend upon profit of sew
eral hundred dollars annually with the
application of the same amount OF in
dustry and anxiety that is expended
upon the average farm of $50 or 200
acres in the east.
OF course the personal equation enters
| into the problem much here as 1t does
anywhere. Some are born to fail. no mat
are certain to succeed no matter what OBJ
stacles they encounter; but by the appli-
trv the cultivation of ten acres of irri-
gated land with one team and without as
to produce from 500 to $500 an acre. The
most profitable crops are berries, fruits
| tomatoes. beans, potatoes, onions. cucum-
berS and other vegetables. Tor winch an
| Immediate market is found in the mining
towns and the cities both east and west.
Canning and pickle factories are being
absorb half the crop.
been encourag ed by the Santa Fe railroad
company, whose industrial commissioner,
James A. Davis. spends a considerable
part of his time furnishing information
| TO the farmers and finding markets for
| their products. The melons grown in the
| Arkansas valley are pronounced by cpl
cures to be the best in the world. al
-
| ticalfy unknown. Through the efforts of
! the Santa Fe company they are now
! served regularly to the guests of the
clubs and the great hotels Of Chicago. St
Louis, New York. Philadelphia, Boston
and other eastern cities. In 1896 thirty
cars of melons were shipped east from
| this section. In 1898 S12 cars We're not
sufficient to supply the demand. Ry the
same means other choice vegetables from
| the intensified farms of the Arkansas
valley are finding their way to the retail
| markets of the eastern cities.
Another very profitable enterprise is fat