The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-17
New York, April IL, 1903.
IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS.

IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANoHo
A convention of western Kansas farmers was in ses-
sion at Garden City, yesterday and which was attended
by delegates from every county of that section For the
most mart The delegates are men of experience who
have studied problem of irrigation and who are ac
quained with the soil elements and climatic condltohs
of the country which Boosting maximum OF sunshhe
is treated to only minimum of rainfall Hon. C. Starr
who has represented Scott county number of times ID
the legislature has given the subject of irrigation much
consideration He was present and active in the con-
vention alluded to- The following are Mr.. STAIRS con-
illusions touching this great interest;
The hope of western Kansas lies not in the big cattle
said Mr. Starr in discussing irrigation and its re-
ation to development of the west but 1t Is IN Ine
farmer and small stock raiser And the farmer must be
assisted by irrigation.
In my part of the west rrigate from the
Arkansas even if it in it, or from any oher
stream but we depend storing surface water
and upon pumping it from below This is entrely leasi
be and it is possible to rgate fifteen acres from
a single well. There inexhaustble sheet of water
underlying country which at Scott City is fifty 1eet
below the surface When you get down fifty feet you
strike of gravel and sand that is full OF water
How thick this is do not know but we do know
that it is at least 200 feet thick have never heard of
any drilling through it This shows that Wen SUNK
10
My idea that half dozen farmers ought TO cluD
together ana buy big portable gasoline engine to do the
pumping That is much more satisfactory than depend
ing on wind power Each should build an earth res
top of the ground in the center OF the ground
he wished rgate and sink his well beside it. 1t costs
thirty cents foot to drill we'll Such well and big
engine would supply fourinch pump, and in one day it
could pump enough to rrigate for week The engine
could pump for man on Monday another on IueSday
and so around
"Then the best crop for extreme western Kansas to
raise is sugar bees will require different people
from those raise them We people who are
out there like dig in the soil the way sugar
beets require No other crops will be sure or yield
such returns as sugar bees In Scott county we have
just good soil climate for bees they have at
Sugar City, Colorado and beets making that country
rich The Missouri Pacific offers us extremely low
freight rate on sugar beet TO Sugar City, where the
factory located that there will be trouble
about for them if get in the people who
Will raise them.
"Other crops are not sure enough, but if get
class of farmers out there place their chief
pendence in about ten of bees irrigated from
a reservoir and then put in wheat part of the
balance quarter secton and raise live
and alfalfa it will be the making of western Kansas.
I'VE too far west to depend upon wheat year in
and year out Some years will get big crop Every
thing looking extremely well this year, but rule
wheat is too uncertain for farmers in our county TO place
their dependence upon il.
1t may be in time that conditions viii change out
there told that the first settlers in the central part
OF the could any kind a crop when
they first there. but climatic conditions
much more favorable. think the planting of trees and
the storage of brought about this change
great extent and in the way few years may
similar change western if establish reser-
THE returns from sugar beets something wonder
full Ten properly cared for and irrigated will bring
in a pretty good income The work about raising
the beets is thinning is necessary TO get
down ones knees do it, but improved machinery
being constantly invented and presume it will be
long until machinery will be use in rails
ing sugar beets that viii enable man to Go much more
than he can at present.