Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-08-14
IRRIGATION STATISTICS.

a recently issued census bulletin, CIV
ing statistics on the agriculture of the
United States devotes several pages to
irrigation.
II first gives a brief outline of the
history OF that mode or raising crops,
Irrigation. It says, has been practiced
from time immemorlal by the Pueblo
Indiars Of New Mexico and Arizona, Ia
the eighteenth century rice was raised
In the Carolinas by the aid OF lrriga-
ton. But the credit for the first sys-
tematc application Of irrigation, by
Anglo Saxons in the so-called arid
West. is given to the "Mormons. when
they were driven out of Illinois and
Missouri and took refuge In the UNI
known desert regions. ~rhe SOIL says
the bulletin. twas so barren that crops
could not be raised by ordinary means,
and, compelled by fear and prlyatlon to
adopt new and extraordinary devices,
they turned the waters Of the little
canyon streams upon the ground where
Salt Lake City now stands About the
same time, when placer mining had be-
come an industry in California, the
miners constructed bitches and used the
water FOR irrigation. Many years later
the Greeley colony was founded In
Colorado. The success OF this colonys
and the wonderful results witnessed in
Utah, whence Mormon" colonies
spread into Idaho, Wyoming and Arl-
IONA, attracted attention to the posi-
blllties Of irrigation and greatly slim
ulated the colony idea.
Then the bulletin gives some general
irrigation statistics Of the country. The
number Of irrlgators, exclusive Of those
In Hawaii, the Indian reservations, and
the rice producing states, except Texas
were, In 1899, 1OS.2ls, which was an in
crease of 54,OS2 over the number re-
ported in 1859. The total area ir-
rgated was 7,5S9hl5 acres, or more
than double the area irrigated in
1889. The total value OF the crops raised
by this means was $50, $50, 49i while the
total cost OF the construction Of irrI-
cation systems was estimated az S61,-
7To.Si2. That Is to say, the total value
of one years crop raised by irrigation,
exceeded by several millions the entire
cost OF the canals, bitches. etc. used
for irrigation purposes.
What can be done by means OF lr-
rigation is graphically set forth in the
statistics relating to the acreage and
production Of irrigated crops In the
various states and territories. Thus
Arizona has a total irrigated area Of
1877 .2SS acres. producing 1918 tons Of
hay and forage, and 1,O7O679 bushels OF
cereals. California has l,15s,l7S acres,
yielding s97,I3s tons Of hay and 4,17l.777 |
bushels OF cereals besides fruit and |
other crops Colorado has i,299.S2i |
acres, yielding 1901 COZ tons Of hay and
946927O bushels OF cereals. The figures |
for Idaho are 5OS,iS3 acres. with 697O59
tons of hay and 3.l7l COS bushels Of GER
calls. Utah has 5S7.5SS acres. with 7sS,-
us tons OF hay and ls77 i33 bushels of
cereals, and Wyoming has 400 099 acres |
with 4i5,4Ss tons of hay and 94s,5s5 |
bushels of cereals. What an addition
to the nations wealth and resources.
which, but for irrigation, would never
have been utilized! There can be no
stronger argument in favor OF the irrl-
CATION policy NOW adopted by Congress.
than the figures presented by the Cen J
sus bureau on this subject.