The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-07
MURDOCK'S IDEA.
He Has Discovered the Irri-
cation Problem.
It Is in the Plan Of SuppIement-
al Irrigation.
GOVERNMENT is SLOW.
Lateness of Kansas Men to Wake
Up to the Cause.
The Thing to Be Done Is to
Agitate.
GOVERNMENT is SLOW.

Washington, Dec. Representative
Victor Murdoch, who has been giving
a great deal of attention to the subject
of irrigation, since taking his seat in
congress, has at last developed some
definite ideas from the mass of infor
nation which he has absorbed through
his Investigations in the departments.
Mr.. Murdoch thinks the keynote of the
irrigation problem so far as Western
Kansas is concerned is supplemental
irrigation. He does not think the gov
eminent can be interested in the prob
lem from any other standpoint. Kan
sas is not arid, but sub-humid, the
government says.
The first thing an enthusiast for ir-
Tigation in Western Kansas runs
across when he comes to Washington
with the idea of accomplishing some
thing in the way of irrigation for our
state" says Mr.. Murdoch, lis a wide
spread. deep-seated departmental atti-
tude of negation of all propositions Of
fered and a denial of the feasibility of
all proposed plans. This unfortunate
attitude on the part of the department
is due to two causes: The manner of
the settlement of Western Kansas from
1884 - 1887, and the lateness of Kan
sas and Kansas men in waking up to
the Importance of this subject. The
settlement of Western Kansas ante
dates the general irrigation movement
in this country. Western Kansas, in
scientific terms, is not arid, but sub
humid, and in frequently recurring pc
RODS has groups of years in which it is
humid. The normal annual rainfall
in Western Kansas is 20.9S inches. In
1875 it was nine inches below this; in
1876 four inches below; in 1877 seven
inches above this normal; in 1878, two
inches below; in 1879 four inches below;
in 1880, two inches below: in 1881, thir
teen inches above; in 1882, seven inches
below; in 1888, eight inches above; in
1884, nine inches above, and in 1886,
but one inch below. 1t will be reme1n-
bered that this group of years of great
rainfall was followed by the settle
ment of Western Kansas. At the same
moment humanity was seeking to gain
q foothOId in the arid regions of the
West. These pioneers in the arid re-
Rions had no aid from precipitation
To keep a fOOthOld they had to supply
to their farm moisture in an artificial
way and in a small way, for all iTriga-
ton is restrictive and intensive farm
ing. In the meantime, with few nota-
BILE exceptions, Western Kansas took
no noteworthy interest in irrigation.
Interest in irrigation consequently de-
veloped in the arid region and remained
undeVeloped in the SHb-humid region
Government departments direct their
activities in places where the people
locally manifest a great interest and
enthusiasm in a project. The depart
ments here dealing with irrigation nat
urally took UP the cause of the people
in the arid regions, and in large
measure there the departments inter-
est and activity is now centered, and 1t
is extremely difficult, as I have indi-
Gated, to interest them in Western
Kansas"
How are the government experts to
be interested in the matter?" Mr.. Muir
dock was asked.
at behooves western Kansas, and it
should have in the matter the assist
ance of eastern Kansas, to agitate for
supplemental irrigation in western
Kansas. and make UP for the valuable
time lost hitherto. The scientists are
divided as to the formation of the great
prairies of western Kansas. Some hold
that they were anciently lake formed,
but the accepted theory is that they
were river formed through a process
of aggregation and degradation, of
building and destroying by periodical
tOrrential streams. This has left a
widespread plain of UNSURPASSED fer
tility of soil, underlaid near the larger
streams with an underground flow OF
water near the surface and beneath the
tnterstream areas, and a presumably
far greater body of water at a greater
depth under the whole exDanse-water
which has it's origin apparently in
mountain precipitation. AS western
Kansas has frequent seasons in which
there IS sufficient rainfall. irrigation
Will naturally be supplemental and to
be applied in years or seasons of in
sufficient precipitation. The problem
of applying water to lands near the
stream has this feature: Colorado has
emptied the Arkansas in good part a
large portion of the time, but there are
which could be stored in reservoirs.
But the geological survey declares that
in western Kansas the Typographical
survey so far as completed reveals no
suitable reservoir sites for irriga ton.
BY way of completing this question the
typographical survey of Kansas should
be extended with a view of revealing
such sites. The raising of the under
ground water is an engineering prob
lem, Including cost of fuel and aDpli-
ances, This Is true also of the problem
OF raising deep sheet water. But they
are problems which ought to be solved
and which cannot be solved except by
Ane departments here taking an enthu-
siastic interest in them, which they will
not do until they are persuaded to take
a favorable instead of a negative view
OF the subject. This I am striving to
bring about.
The whole subject of irrigation in al
regions, arid and sub-humid, has great
difficulties before it. The department
here knows that the catchment area OF
the Rocky mountains is not sufficient t.
1rrigate all lands in the arid region. t.
say nothing of the lands of western
Kansas. Irrigation will go on to &
certain point; available water from al
sources will be exhausted: then viii
come period Of the most economic uss
OF water, and beyond that irrigation
cannot proceed in my opinion For in.
stance, the total area of the arid regior
in the nation is 500 eco. 600 acres. OF fhi.
area it is estimated that not quite one
hair is eultvable; that is. if irrisa
ton were not necessary, so much co1lI,
be far1ned with profit: but it is est
mated also that from all sources Their,
is water available for the irrigation o
not more than 60,o00,000 acres. In othe
words, not more than per cent is re
claimable. and the actual irrigated ares
Of which we hear so much is less thar
I per cent of the whole-about sever
million acres.