Imperial press and farmer., 1902-02-08

strange that people claiming to be intelligent, and leading the world In farming, ever tolerated such word, and allowed its idea of sterility to be applied to it's best lands. Even after 1t was found false as applied to the vast prairies of Kansas and Nebraska, 1t was still supposed true in those States where the rainfall was lighter It took years to learn what the sim plest chemistry of agriculture should have taught-that the scarcity of rain fall made the soil richer It is only in the lands having rainfall enough to leach out the nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid that real sterility is found Where the rainfall is too light for vegetation. soil may have an excess of fertilizer, as in the case or some alialies, where the drainage Is interrupted and the excess cannot be carried off. And 1t may be too coarse. as at the base of some hills. But wherever it contains enough fine material to make it hold moisture we'll enough, and has drain age enough to carry away any excess of potash or soda, there seems no such thing as sterility in the lands where the sunshine is so incessant as to make the great, bare, dry plains that 20 under the name of desert And there Is no greater mistake than to suppose sand special feature of it. Take away the rain from the prairies of the Western States, and in few years the wind would be drifting the soil. while it's color would change to the lighter tints of sand. If it had never had any rain to darken the ground by decaying roots combining with iron, 1t would always have had the light gray tint that suggests bar renness. And If the rainfall were cut off entirely, with no irrigation to take its place it would in time change back to grayer tints, while the desert will finally darken to a richer-looking hue with decaying roots.
 It Is therefore no wonder that every part of California has once been con sacred desert, and that each part in turn, as 1t was found worth something should prove richer garden than its predecessors that had emerged from the desert state. And it was the same in Arizona, and has long been the same in parts of Mexico.
 Along the Colorado.
 Consequently there was no experi ment in undertaking the reclamation of the vast plains along the Lower Colorado with tho water from that river. The result was as certain as the flowing of the great stream itself. Had not irrigation received a tenn porary setback bv the manner In which great works had been mon keyed" into bankruptcy bv wild-eyed promoters and financial desperadoes trying to get rich over night on the money of others. this work would have been undertaken before It remained for an experienced hand to take hold of the proposition in husiness-like way and manage 1t first last and all Quence Is living creation. adding wealth by the dav to the State. No engineering problems are involved that have not been solved over and over again. so that here is no need of any failure The spring and sum mer rise of the great river is as sure as that If the tide, and, even if 1t ever seen there is enough to reclaim an area greater than has been re- claimed hv any other ditch in Amer iCa. As the largest amount that can he needed during the irrigation season will not interfere with navigation in the slightest. and as there Is no other nlace where the river can he t"'-
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