Arizona republican., 1900-11-07

 tion with the stockmen of this depleted country alone. judging from the state ments made to me by observers of its history for the past few years. I judge from 75 to 90 per cent. Moreover. I be- lieve that it can be proved that this de- struction is Incalled for and unneces- sary. In support of this opinion there may be pointed out in southern Ari- zona the results of a few stockmen whose intelligent administration of their ranges prove it to be true. Par ticularly have I observed the upper Sulphur Spring valley as operated in by Colonel H. C. Hooker. This gentle mans ranges extend from the Pinaleno to the Galiuro mountains, embracing many square miles of the open range, upon which he has operated contfnu- ously since 1872. In the bottom of the valley he has fenced in the shallow water course. instead of allowing the cattle to tramp it out and prepare it for guhying. In suitable locations he has constructed embGnkments for inn pounding flood water. which has later been drawn off for the irrigation of fields of Kaffir corn, Egyptian corn, Johnson grass, and sorghum. The wa ter soaked bottoms of the emptied res ervoirs in turn produce abundant crops of grass and forage corns. Further up on the sides of the valley, where the format tion of the country permits. he has diverted the mountain streams by means of earth entertainments, and spread the water out over the broad slopes, thus creating large areas Of luxuriant grasses where formerly the growth was much more sparse. In this way five thousand acres, or mora, 1f his ranges have been improved. The school lands of this locality. also, which he has been able to lease. have been fenced and are in his way pro- tected from over stocking. The result has been that the upper Sulphur Spring valley, under this wise admini<tra tlOn still remains probably the most beau tiful and profitable stock range in the southwest Unfortunately. however. Colonel Hooker's methods are the very rare exception, and we must look to some other means for the preservation of our semi-arid ranges than the thoughtful foresight of the average stockman
 But. to apply these observations 10 our own uses. the operations of the stockman upon the range watersheds of the Gila and Salt rivers intimately concern the welfare of tha irrigation farmer along their banks. As previ- ously stated. the bunch grasses cf the lower swales at one time so obstructed the flow of water that the rainfall d., surface of the ground to the main water courses. while a large portion. sinking into the ground, Joined the underflow and found it's way down yet more slowly. The result was d con- stant and not excessively muddy flow of water, whose fluctuations were not extreme. l well remember olr riding | on horseback through such q Hood in the lower Sulphur Spring valley. where the original surface of the country had not been destroyed and which was yet abundantly clothed with bunch grasses and brush. It had been raining a few hours before on the western flank of the Chiricahua mountains. The water came noiselessly down the great slope until, before I realized 1t, my horse was over his fetlocks in a shallow shee- of water several miles broad. gently mak- ing its way to lower levels.
 Of similar import is the statement of old residents of Tucson that the water 1 from heavy storms at Callbasls in | the Santa Cruz valley, rarely found its way to Tucson excepting through the underflow, while now. in the more de- nuded condition of the watershed. a heavy storm in the upper valley causes a tearing torrent to appear below. The evil effects of rapid run-off oI water of this mature are two-fold iu cnara C. ter: In the first place, a .Iuick rt..ih of water soon carries off the whole of the rainfall and leaves the water courses dry, so that the irrigation farmei. is overwhelmed one week with a rush of water and threatened next with pres 1 pective drought. In this way it is either surfeit or starvation with him most of the time. Again. a washed and gullied country contributes enor- nous quantities of silt to its drainage water. This not only incOnveniences the farmer, filling his ditches and em- tbarrassing him in handling his water, but becomes a complicating factor in ] connection with the great storage res 1 ervoir propositions which have in re- cent years been discussed hopefully as a possible solution, of the irregular supply of irrigation waters caused by the overstocking and maladministra- tion of the watersheds.
 l believe. for the reasons that have been discussed, that the time has evil dently now come to study earnestly the means by which the existing state of things may be improved. The increas- ing urgency of the very question de- mands that intelligent remedial action
 be taken, the very first matter to be considered in logical order being the | administration of the watersheds, not alone those watersheds which are GOV cred by forests and which are amen able to reservation and administra-
 tion under legal provisions now made
 for -his purpose. but also the range
 country, even more important to tht
 irrigation interests of the southwest
 but as yet untouched by administrative
 action.