The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-21
TRIUMPH FOR IRRIGATION.
Quakers at Work on Tract of Colo
RADIO Land.
(Brooklyn Eagle.)

II 10 tune u ISCOTQ dnOCner triumph
Tor Irrigation. Certain Quakers. seek
ing temporary substitute for the
promised land, happened to find them
serves IN ProWers county, Colorado.
how they happened to find themselves
there while prosecuting such u search
! is quite immaterial. Possibly the in
dustrial department of the Atchison.
Topeka q Santa Fe railroad could
throw some light on this subject. bur
anyway, they found themselves in
ProWers county, which is in the ATkan-
sas valley Of Colorado, and also in the
hands of various men interested in the
development of that valley. And they
liked the appearance of the country
round about.
we are looking" said the Ouakers.
Tor place where We can COLOMBO"
here is the place. was the reply.
We represent, said the Quakers.
members Of the Society of Friends at
present scattered over Ohio, Indiana
ana Illinois. and we desire to get to-
gether. We want our own schools and
our own meeting houses and our own
local government; in fact. we want
such control of 5000 acres of good land
mat we can say who shall live on if
and who shall not. We have no desire
to be Extensively exclusive. but orr
ways are not the ways of many other
people. and we desire to control the as
sociations amid which we will rear and
educate our children"
Here is the place" was the reply.
VI course, we must have good, pro-
ductive land. said the Ouakers
Here is the place" was the reply.
The Industrial commissioner and pro-
moter knew the value Of iteration and
reiteration, and they never let any,
thing get away from them when a few
impressive words viii do the business
1t looks like a fertile country" said
the Quakers.
1t is a fertile country, was the re-
ply.
How about the rainfall?" asked the
Quakers.
Here they were playing right into the
hands of the promoters.
We'll" said the latter, you buy the
land and We'll throw in the rainfall
Furthermore, we'll give it to you Just
when you need it
But the Lord giveth rain" said the
Quakers.
True" admitted the promoters. but
the wise man stores it up for future
use"
o - @
thus QuakeTS were made convert :
10 the principle of artificial irrigation.
And right here, let it be said. that
there are few people in the east who
begin to appreciate the growing i'm
portance and value of irrigation in the
west. There are few districts in which
there is not enough water for all prac-
teal purposes, if only il was to be had
at the right time. 1t comes when if is
not needed and is gone when it is most
essential for the growing crops. There
is where the trouble lies, and therein
also lies the value Of irrigation.
Just the right amount of water at
Just the right time doubles. and some
times even quadTuples the productive
ness Of the soil If this can be guaran-
iced, II has been found in some in
stances that forty acres are better than
100 under ordinary conditions In irri-
gated districts farms are smaller. land
is more valuable and communities are
more COMPACT The element of chance
which has worried and wrecked so
many farmers-is largely eliminated
Tho business of farming is brought, at
least approximately. TO the same basis
as that Of a mercantile establishment.
f~r his resOurces-the point from which
he must fgure-are more stable: they
do not fiuctuate with the weather.
. . q
At any rate that seems to have been
the way the Quakers figured it out. for
they have decided TO take 5000 acres of
land near Lamar Colo. and establish
their own colony upon it. The ad-
vantages of this plan are numerous.
At present the Quakers are scattered
over three or four states. They have
many little colonies. but they are a part
of the general population. They wish
to get together where they can Coop
crate on a larger scale in the matter
of school facilities and local govern
ment. Possibly it would cost no more
to get the necessary land i'm a non-irri-
gated district. but they would of neces-
sity be more widely separated and CO.
operation would be more difficult. They
would require three or four times as
much land. which would mean consid-
cradle distances to be traversed to
reach a common school or a common
meeting house.
So. aside from the question of GER
tainty Of crops. the irrigated district
has an advantage for them in its com
pactness. They will be together and
the 5000 acres will be absolutely under
their control The associations will be
only such as they desire: only those
who are congenfaI will be able to secure
permanent location among them. From
their point Of view it certainly is an
ideal arrangement.
The preliminary investigation for the
Society Of Friends was made by d COM
n'ittee consisting of John T. Thomas OF
Pendleton, Ind; Edward Coale of
Bloomington. Ills, and Morris A. VIII
son of Magnolia Ills. and they are
most enthusiastic With Charles L.
Seagraves of the Santa Fe road they
vert over the whole district and de-
cided that the thing for the Quakers
to do was 10 go into the business of
raising sugar beets. cantalOupes. onions
and celery. With honey as d side line.
The latter Just follows naturally the
raising of alfalfa. which is a staple