The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-28


for the fact that the glories Of anti
guilty sprang from the heart of the
desert. The fact itself is, OF course,
beyond dispute. Egypt. Asia Minor
and Syria, with Palestine. the land
flowing with milk and honey Persia,
Arabia and the classic lands of north
ern India, as we'll as the countries OF
the Carthaginians and the MOors. were
arid regions. So also were the homes
of the Incas in South America. and the
AZtecs and Toltecs of Mexico. and our
own southwest. For aught we know
to the contrary, these departed ma
tions may have been perfect types of
the cooperative commonwealth and
the knack Of governing them for the
equal benefit of all may be the most
precious of the lost arts.
1.-The accepted explanation Of the
choice of the arid land by the ancient
races is that they sought security
against savage enemies, both animal
and human, which infested the forest.
The theory is purely sentimental and
quite inconsistent with the slight but
conclusive evidences of their superior
intelligence and courage which sur
vive. The reasonable explanation OF
the mystery of ancient civilization IS
that the arid lands were chosen be-
cause they were infinitely better than
the humid lands, and because they pre-
scented conditions much better suited
to the Industrial policy of the people
and the age.
After quoting from Professor Hilgard
showing how soils are formed from
rocks by the physical and chemical
agencies commonly known as wealth
ering," which includes both their pull
verization and chemical decomposition
by atmospheric action. Mr.. Smythe
saws:
1.-The valuable ingredients of the soil
which are soluble have been washed
out of the land in humid regions, like
the eastern states, by the rains OF cen
turtles. On the other hands these ele-
ments have been accommodating in the
arid soil of the west during the same
centuries. They lie there now like an
inexhaustible bank account on which
the plant life of the future may draw
at will without danger of protest The
process which created this rich SOIL
goes on repeating itself-recreating the
soil season after season. The same IS
true, of course in the arid and semi
arid regions of Egypt. India and China
and all other localities that enjoy the
blessings of aridity."
According to Mr.. Smythe analyses
have demonstrated that the arid region
ian, when compared with. the humid
regions east of the Mississippi river,
contain on an average three times as
much potash, six times as much mag
nesia and fourteen times as much lime
even more lime than is in the soil OF
the fertile blue grass region OF Ken
lucky. But" says Mr.. Smythe, after
dwelling upon the richness of arid SOILS,
I'VE have yet to mention the chlet
blessing of aridity. This is the Iact
that it compels the use of irrigation.
And irrigation is a miracle! irrigation
is the foundation of truly scientific ag-
riculture Tilling the soil by depend
ence upon rainfall is, by comparison,
like the stagecoach to the railroad, ike
the talloW dip to the electric light. The
perfect conditions for agriculture Wild
be a place where il never Tained, but
where a system of irrigation furnished
a never-failing water supply when
could be adjusted to the varying needs
of different plants. 1t is d1fhcult Tor
those who have been in the habit or
thinking of irrigation as poor subsU-
tute for rain to grasp the truth that
precisely the reverse is the case. Rain
is the poor dependence of those who
cannot obtain the advantages OF irrl-
cation. The western farmer who has
learned to irTigate thinks it would be
quite as logical for him to leave the
watering of his potato patch TO the
caprice of the clouds as for the house
wife to defer her Washday until She
could catch rain water in her tubs.
The Mormons were the first Anglo
Saxons to build an irrigating canal in
this country, and Irrigation was an
established method in California and
Colorado some time after, but II was
not until 1873 that the utility OF 1rri-
cation on the plains was revealed It
was in 1878 and by accident that the
revelation came. In Finney county,
near the western end Of Kansas, 1000
acres of land was planted in wheat. To
grind the wheat that was to
come a grist mill was planned
But il only got as far as the build
ing Of the mill race. The drought and
the hot winds came and not an acre OF
wheat was harvested. Among the set
tiers who did not leave was a man VINO
had seen something of irrigation III
California and Colorado. His land was
near the mill race, and he got the priv
ilege OF using the water The next sea-
son his farm was marvel. People
came from far and near to see 1t. An
irrigation boom started. There was an
epoch of canal building in the Arkan-
sas River valley. An English company
invested more than S1.00O,O 600 IN one
farm plant. But there was one fatal
drawback. The Kansas people did not
control the source of the water supply.
The Arkansas rises in the mountains
of Colorado. The Colorado people also
were irrigating. They needed the water
of the Arkansas in their business. and
they took it. There was no law regu-
lating the water of interstate streams,
and the Kansas people were left high
and dry. They lost a good deal OF
money, but they found out that irriga-
ton would make their arid plains
heavy with harvestS. In addition TO
that they gave Bill Nye chance to
make a funny remark. He said that
some western rivers were mile wide
and an inch thick; they have large
circulation, but very little influence"
But the Kansas people were not
beaten yet If they could not depend
upon their water supply they could on
their supply of wind. So they dug
holes in the bed OF, the Arkansas and
/ came TO the undeTfloW, and this they
| set wind mills to- work pumping into
| great reservoirs Then they went to ir-
! rigating again and defied the Colorado
water barOns. The supply OF sub-sur-
| face water in Kansas is not sufficient,
as some enthusiasts think. to reach
/ every acre of land in the state, upland
as we'll as lOwland. but Frederick
/ Haynes Newell, photographer of the
/ United States geological survey, says
| that it is one of the most important
natural advantages of the state, and
that "by a thorough employment of it
/ with the best methods, much of the va
/ cant land of the state will be utilized
for agriculture. and the remainder car
become source of revenue, indirectly
| at least.
In the seventeen western states and
territories there are 100000 acres Of
fertile lands under completed irriga-
tion systems. There are millions more
under half finished works, and still
other vast tracts as yet untouched. III
the crowded eastern cities and states