New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1901-09-29

desert in the United States, and not second TO
the great African desert in the distances be-
/ tween sources of water supply Many a person
. has persisted here of thirst since the Spanish
conquistadores made its existence known to the
world and such deaths have continued at inter-
walls of a few months up TO the time of the de-
yelopment of the irrigation system.
The popular conception of a desert is wide
eNpanse Of light, drifting sand. That is er-
roneous. There may be drifts of sand and
! there are here, in places, banks of sand off the
edge of the desert. But the main floor, hundreds
. of thousands OF acres in extent. is not of sand.
but Of a sedimentary deposit made 10y the
great Colorado River-the dust and shavings as
it We're. produced by the carving out Of the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The soil j.
compact, and teams driven over its unbroken
surface trot along at ease. Yet it is easily
worked, and chemists who have analyz-d it
declare that it even exceeds in fertility the
OF the delta of the Nile, while the water Of the
river carries greater fertiIizing properties than
does the water Of the Nile An illustration of
the productive power of the soil is the growth
of sorghum, planted in June which is being
harvested in September, the stalks being nine
and ten feet high and the yield running six tons
to the acre. The earliest melons grown in the
/ United States this year planted in Febru-
airy at Indio a few miles from Imperial this
being the first year of extensive cultivation of
land there. The growers realized from 500 To
$500 acre for their crops.
While this delta is known the earliest pro-
ducer of fruits and vegetables in the United
States. and a natural home of the date am
raiSin the majority of farms Will find other
utilities because Of the limitations of the mar
kets and the immensely Of the tract The great
est industry Will be the raising and fatteninS
OF cattle. For this reason alfalfa, sorghum and
9TH aF cd will ba he lpt
products. The cattle industry has been waning
Of late years because Of the entertainments on
the ranges of the West by settlers, and in con-
sequence the price of beef has steadily adj
yanced. until cattle raising under favorable con-
dtious is of the most profitable industries
in the country This condition has led 70 the
creation Of a branch industry. that of maintain
ing cattle fatteuing grounds Cattle are brought
from the ranges. often poor and scrawny. and
placed on alfalfa grounds to be fattened This
is a profitable method of marketing the farmers
crop while the cattleman is benefited in getting
a higher price a pound Tor his stock
one cannot comprehend easily what "a vast
tract of land this is The eight hundred thou
sand acres To bee irrigated 10y the Imperial COM
pauy alone is of oval form, ninety miles in
greatest length II borders the Indio e'un-
try On tn northwest. and is only separated trou
IN. Arizona land being Irrigated 10y tn" Colo
RADIO River. IuglutIuC all these lands, ih~I" -
ID stretch Of country about one hundred and nifty
miles in length from the southeast in Arizona
and Mexico 70 the northwest where d APP
prouches close 10 the present cultivated porti u
~ Southern California, the whole incIudin- more
than million acres.
No such gigantic irrigation work has ever bee
fore been attempted in the United States. and IL
seems not inappropriate that the capital If this
new empire. which is sprInsius up ON the delta,
should be known as Imperial city. Il is true
that it has NOT assumed large proportions Yet.
but something of its prospects may be seen Il. M
the vast tract surrounding it. much IF which
must be placed under cultivation in the next
four years 10 perfect the titles which are being
acquired from the government. The Develop
raeut OF this land is giviuS the city of ImIeriai
a rate Of progress which few towns have as-
quired so early in their existence. While "a
year ago there was not a habitaton within
many miles of this spot. not a drop Of water
but that which had been hauled for miles. there
is now a community Of several hundred people
a hotel a newspaper church, a school and
other evidences If civilization.
While long under consideration. the e.u-um-
nation of this project awaited the action If
George Chatey. civil engineer. and member If
the Institute Of Mechanical Engineers of Lau-
don. now of Los Angeles. He was we'll equipped
for the task. He had developed some large irr--
CATION projects in Southern California and La-
,.I.lr