The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-25
A REPORT ON IRRIGATION.
The Agricultural Department to
Publish Statement.

Results Of InvcstiEnfions Made in
California and other Western
States ny Governments Experts.
Diversified Farming an Advantage
Tn, United States Department Of Agri-
culture VIII s1oa issue a comprehensive
report on irrigation in California. which
ouhoGics the first attempt At cooperation
by the Federal Government with any in
div.dual State I'm tho solution OF intricate
legal and economic problems underlying
IIuGdted agriculture.
The Investigations chrouicI,d by the re-
port, and upon which the conclusions and
recommendations OF the engineers i'm
charge are based. were made in CO-Opera-
ton with the California Water and Forest
Association during the summer of 1900,
under the direction of Elwood Mead. eN-
pert in charge Of the irrigation investiga-
tons OF the Department of Agriculture,
assisted by eight specialists in irrigation
engineering and irrigation economies. In
addition to general review Of the agrI-
cultural situation ~ California by the eX-
pert in charge. the report covers the local
conditions Of irrigation and water rights
on nine typical streams. and brings to
light astonishing facts about California
irrigation. the nature and extent Of which
have never been appreciated by the people
Of that State. 1t shows that in many Of
the principal portions Of the State aEri-
cultural development is greatly hindorcd
because through the inadequacy Of cali
fornia laws the waters which could and
should make Of them highly developed
and valuable districts are flowing unused
to the sea.
The report holds the chief obstacles to
rTa- H.
be an Lnremitting production Of cereal
crops in the great interior valley and a
lack Of more diversified farming; opposi-
ton 70 irrigation in districts which the
census shows to be measUrably decreasing
In wealth and population; too great zeal
on the Part Of advocates Of the Wright
district law, followed by uuwise invest
ments which have led to loss and disap-
pointment and a consequent opposition tG
irrigation laws Of whatever nature. over
appropriation Of streams. resulting in CON
fusing uncertainty as TO the number and
extent Of valid appropriations; the CON
ficting nature Of the water laws. and the
existence, side by side Of the two oppos-
Ing doctrines Of appropriation and riparian
rights; absolute private ownership Of
water in face of the fact that all leading
countries where irrigation is necessary
recognize only the rights Of use and at
taCh them not 70 the owner of land or 20
canal companies. but 90 the land itself
from which they are inseparable: and
finally, and most important Of all. the
absence Of any State control Of streams
or Of any State administration Of rights
70 their use.
The conclusions Of the special agents
and experts who made the Investigations
are that the State should ascertain the
volume Of available irrigation water. de-
fine an rights to its use. whether already
acquired CT 10 be acquired hereafter and
provide an efficient system Of water ad-
ministration. The definite recommended
lions for attaining these ends are far
reaching. CmbodyinE, among other meas
UrCs, the creation Of State board Of con-
troll Of waters, similar to that in existence
In wyoming for the past ten years the
making Of inappropriate waters State
property, the Limitation Of all appropria-
lions TO actual beneficial use. and the at
tachment Of all rights 10 water TO the
land irrigated. II carried out they believe
these recommendations would put an end
to the conflicts and controversies which
now harass iTriEatOrs in California. and
would place its iTriga ton law and deveI-
opment on a sound and permanent basis
The special agents who carried on the
Investigations under the direction Of EN-
pert Mead and the streams 90 which they
were assigned were as follows: w T.
Smythe. Susan River, Marsden Manson.
Yuba River; J. NJ Wilson. agent and ex-
pert in irrigation Investigations Cache
Greek; Prof Frank Soule. Of the Uni
versity Of California. San Joaquin River:
Prof. Charles y. Marx. Of Stanford Uni
versity. Salinas River; @. +. GrUnsky,
city engineer Of san Francisco. Kings
River; Edward NJ B1gss. Los Angeles
River; James d. Schuyler. Swee,water
River.
The general agricultural review Of Cal
ffOTniu. which opens the report IS also
a summary Of the work Of the others
One Of the most striking portions Of this
review deals with the value Of irrigation
water and the effect of Irrigation on Cal
ifornia land values Land in southern
California. which without water for irri-
cation was not worth s. an acre, is
shown TO have sold, when irrigated and
planted TO orange trees. for $500 an acre.
and instances are given where a water
right Of fifty miners inches recently sold
for 500 and where $3.50 an inch was
paid last year for a twenty-fOur hours
flow
Speaking Of the great interior valley Of
California. Mr.. Mead declares that the
water supply available there for irriga-
tion without injury TO navigation ought T.
make OF il the Egypt Of the Western
Hemisphere. Within a radius Of five
miles he says. i saw every product Of
the temperate and seEIi-tropical zones
which ] could call 10 mind. and c0ntinu-
ing. he observes that there are more acres
OF Irrigable land in the San Joaquin Valley
than arc now watered In Egypt from the
Nile. where agriculture alone supports
over 100000 people. The irrigated lands
along the Nile. nc says. support 5+3 per
five mile drive in the Sacramento Valley
over what is potentially one Of the most
fertile and productive agricultural dis
trlcts on this continent. he saw only two
schoOlhouses, attending which were only
fifteen children. Just before taking this
ride he had been for distance Of fifteen
miles through an irrigated district in
Utah, where there was not "a farm Of over
thirty acres. The average population of
the Utah district Is over go 10 the square
mile. that Of the California district ten
Every natural advantage Is with Cali
fornia. he continues. but the Utah dis
trict Is irrigated. the other is not"
The laNity Of the California irrigation
laws could not be shown more forcibIv
than by -he working Of the law Of appr0-