, 1901-12-24
WHEATLAND SYSTEM
MR.. CAREY ON IRRIGATION AND
RECLAMATION OF ARID
LANDS.
Embraces Natural Water
Ways, More Than Seventy Miles
of Main Canals Hundreds of Miles
Of Laterals and Distributing
Ditches, Dams and HEADACHES,
Tunnels, Fumes and Syphons-
Possibilities Of the System.

Tunnels, Fumes and syphons-
Possibilities of the System.
Read at the recent Industrial con
v%ention in this city and received with
marked enthusiasm, was the follow
ing excellent paper by ex-Urited States
Senator J. NJ. Carey:
MI. Carey, being introduced, said:
Mr.. President. When Mr.. Cou
tant requested me to appear at the
Wyoming Industrial convention and
speak on The Wheatland System
and It's Results he gave me notice
that | should contine my remarks with,
in fifteen minutes. Many years ago
went to church, do not smile, | have
been since,) and in the pew in which
was seated | found a prayer book
and on the fy-leaf was inscribed the
words, Bishop Berkeley once said a
sermon should not exceed 10 minutes
in length, with a strong leaning to
wards mercy" Lest some greater ex-
haustor of time should be present.
will not comment on the good judg-
rhent of the learned Bishop. 1t is evil
dent, however, that Mr.. Coutant goes
to church and has wisdom.
To speak of the "Wheatland Sys-
TEN" | shall be compelled to speak
generally of irrigation and the reclaim
alton of arid lands.
To bring the irrigation works of the
Wyoming Development company,
which is the Wheatland system to the
present high condition of perfection
has consumed a number of years, and
has raised financial questions of great
Importance to its promoters. yet their
confidence has induced them to stand
firmly behind the enterprise. They
have not doubted that the high object
sought in the undertaking would ulti-
mately be fully realized.
The Work Done.
No one can comprehend the work
that is being lone in the Wheatland
country, or what has been accomplish
ed since the commencement of the
great system unless lie has some
knowledge of the science of irrigation
gained by actual experience and should
| give several weeks of time to investi-
CATION on the ground. To cover and
study the system n would have to
travel hundreds Of miles. To describe
the Wheatland system would be a de-
| SCTlDJIOu u dlLlOo ally 6lSoI htiSatioh
plant.
The system embraces natural water
ways, more than seventy miles of main
canals, hundreds of miles of laterals
and distributing bitches, dams and
headgates, tunnels, fumes and sy-
phons, and several reservoirs, n of
which is among the largest yet con-
structed in the United States. The
reservoirs already completed will car
ry more than one hundred and sixty
thousand acre feet of water or approx
mately a body of water fifteen miles
square and one foot deep. The larg-
est of these reservoirs carries an aver
age depth of eighteen feet of water
and to travel around the high water
line one would nave to go nearly forty
miles.
Possibilities of the System.
With the advantage of the storage
fully 1850 0 acres of land will be per-
petually reclaimed and brought into
bearing. To do so much, the duty of
water will have to be learned, but the
| advance in this regard will
ly keen pace with the settlement of
the lands under the irrigation system.
The object to be Attained.
The object of the system is to en-
able those so inclined, through the IT.
rigation and reclamation of arid lands
and intense farming to develop good
farms, and to reach as high a position
as agriculturists as is possible In any
part of the United States. In brief to
afford an opportunity to make homes
| and build up a great farming COM
munity, not of tenants, but of land
owners, who shall absolutely own the
! land and water and pay royalty to no
one
Before the Wyoming Development
| company commenced the work not one
| acre of land could be successfully u
tivated on the Wheatland plateau and
not one %inhabitant could be there
found. Now beautiful farms may be
seen dotted here and there on the fiat.
There are now thousands of acres I'M
| der cultivation. There are now eight
or nine school houses, good farm
houses and granaries. Great crops of
wheat, oats. potatoes and alfalfa hay
are being raised, while all other farm
products of this latitude have been
cultivated with success and beyond the
experimental stage. Where only a few
hundred head of live stock could, a few
years ago, be wintered, now many
thousands may be successfully fed.
There will in all probability be three
times as many, acres farmed next year
as in any previous year.
The Town Of WheatIand.
Wheatland Is in the center of the
colony, and Is well built. 1t has SUBJ
stantial homes and store houses well
| filed with merchandise. 1t has good
| churches and well conducted schools.
1t has a brick library building with a
good collection of books. The town IS
| connected with the surrounding coun-
try by a rural mail delivery and wit,
the outside world by railroad, tele-
graph and telephone systems.
The town has the largest flour mill
in the state. This mill in n year
from the products of the Wheatland
farms, has manufactured and distrib-
uted 5000 barrels of as fine flour as
can be produced in any one of the flour
producing states, and has shipped
many cars of ground feed.
And, best of all, are the people who
are founding the new community. They
are intelligent and truly American and,
perhaps, in no community in the coun-
try has there been less crime or vio-
lation of the laws of the state or OF the
code Of good morals The Wheatland
colony has been no burden to the coun-
ty in which 1t is situated.
The town bids fair in a few years
to rank with the first towns and cities
of the state.
The Future Of the Colony.
ur6or tbe IRRIGATION system there Is