Amador ledger., 1900-06-15
PORTO RICAN INVESTIGATION
Water Supply and Irrigation
Reported.
THE GOVERNMENT LOOKS INTO THE AFFAIR
The Methods Of Spaniards and Stor
age Reservoirs Are Being
Discussed.

Although the island OF Porto Rico
has 6 less area than the dimiuutive
eastern State of Connecticut, yet its
different Sc. A2ns are subject to as great
a variation >Iu rainfall as are the ex-
tremes of the United States, ranging
from practical aridity to very heavy
precipitation. AS much as 140 inches
of annual rainfall is reported in some
parts OF the island while at some places
on the south coast three years have
passed without rain. And it is on the
south coast that opportunity is offered
for irrigation; but the area available is
very small. Some of the methods in
use, however, are quite interesting.
"The soil on this land, ~ said Herbert
M. Wilson, the Engineer of the Geo.
logical Survey, who has recently visited
Porto Rico, lis in every case the best
kind for irrigation. 1t is fairly deep
and underlain by a porous limestone or
coral which affords good drainage and
probably insures safety from the
danger of producing alkali. Much of
it is already under cultivation.
The perennial flow of the streams of
this section is unusually abundant for a
land requiring irrigation. Moreover
the food discharges of these streams
occur at frequent intervals during the
year, but are especially we'll distributed
throughout the summer. -
"Are there any opportunities for the
storage of water?''
'These frequent floods afford an
abundant surplus for storage and the
shapes of the smaller parting valleys
and of the lower canyons through
which the rivers emerge from the
mountains may be found opportunities
for the construction of storage reser-
voirs at relatively small cost.
"The Spaniards, who in the past
have been the principal landowners,
are thoroughly familiar with the re-
quirements and processes of irrigation
as practiced in Spain. Quick to ap-
preciate the advantages of the artificial
application of water, they have already
constructed numerous bitches of mod
crate sizes, and much of the more val
liable sugar land is cultivated exclus-
lively by the aid of irrigation.
"Such work as noticed, " continued
Mr.. Wilson, corresponds in general
type to those seen in Mexico, but be-
cause of the greater influence Of Euro
pean ideas in this island, the con-
struction is of a more substantial
character, and more nearly approaches
that prevalent in Spain and Italy. The
diversion works are in every instance
of the crudest kind, simple wing dams
Of ROCK and beulders thrown cut into
the beds of the streams to direct q por-
tion of the waters into the heads of the
bitches, These are necessarily carried
away by each food, requiring to be
immediately replaced. On the other
hand, the headworks, falls, regulating
gates, and other dividers are construct
ed in the most substantial manner of
massive masonry.
"In strong contrast to this type of
construction are the minor distribu-
taries observed IN some of the cane
fields. These were built by owners
who had great grinding and boiling
machinery for the treatment of their
cane, and we're imbued to a certain ex-
tent with American methods. They
out-Americanized our Western irri-
gators. Their distributaries consist
of series of temporary trestles and
shallow wooden trpughs or cutters
made oflumber brought from America.
These tap the hillside bitches at such
points as seem desirable, and are rough
ly placed so as to carry the water to
such portions of the field as immedi-
ately require 1t. After irrigation in
such localities the trestles and troughs
are removed and utilized in irrigating
other portions of the same field This
practice is resorted to in order to reach
the numerous little detached rolling
hills ten to twenty feet in maximum
height, inte which the surface OF the
sugar lands ia broken. The other To-
calities, where practicable, these lands
are irrigated by direct diversion from
the main bitches of laterals dug in the
earth and ramifying to every portion
of the field to which gravity will con-
duct the water.'
What effect might Porto Rican
production or irrigation development
in the Island, Mr.. Wilson, have upon
the American market?"
"Oh, none whatever. The island is
small and while methods will be I'm.
proved, the total production cannot be
greatly increased. The increased
sugar production of the island would
would not be spot even on the Louisi-
ana crop, to say nothing of the i'm
mense consumption of this country.
Porto Rico's irrigation features are in.
teresting, but they cannot in any way
affect the United States.
GUY E. MITCHELL.
IRRIGATION SURVEYS.