Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-09-14

The natural tendency OF irrigation
is to make little farms. The reasons
are obvious enough to any one who
gives the subject the slightest
thought.
To begin with, in the region where
irrigation Is necessary, to produce
regular crops, there is much more
land than water. OF course. no one
can tell the ultimate limitation Of
the water supply since we are Just
upon the threshold Of anything ap
preaching scientic development Of
this wonderful domain. What has
been done thus far has been done
wastefully and by those crude meth
DDS which pioneers employ when get
ting a foothold in new country.
Doubtless, the visible supply Of wa
ter will be made to cover more land
than it does now as better methods
are gradually worked out and put into
practice. And doubtless water will
be found where its presence is now
hardly suspected.
These circumstances, added to the
vast storage enterprise on which the
government Is about to enter, Will con-
stantly tend to reduce the dispropor.
tipn of water to land. But when all
has been done there will still remain
many acres OF land which can not be
watered for each acre which is irri-
gated.
Hence, the law of supply and de-
mand tends to make small farm
unit in the arid region. This law, in
exorable as it is, would be far less
Immediately effective unless supple
mented by other natural laws which
operate in the same direction.
To bring water upon land by artlfl'
cial means is costly. The cost varies
widely according to conditions, bu'
even under the most favorable cir'
cumstances irrigation involves an int
tial expense and burden OF main
tenance which becomes an unayold
able charge upon Agriculture
charge which is wholly absent where
moisture is obtained by purely nat
ural means.
Now, the thing that costs money
can not be had for naught. And the
more ii costs the more it will be di
vided and subdivided among those
who have need of 1t. This Is doubly
true where the thing desired is moi
a luxury, but rather a necessity q
existence. So for this reason also
the tendency to make little irrigated
farms is irresistible.
Still further. 1t must never be for
gotten that the measure OF value II
land Is not area, but productive capac
ity. Skillful irrigation multiplies The
productive capacity Of . given area
over and over. Thus one acre OF land
which is absolutely independent o.
rainfall Is equivalent to four acres
which depend upon the caprice OF th'
"a. a
clouds. So II happens that q littl'
irrigated farm satisfies the same Dc
mand that a much larger piece o
land would be required to satisfy un
der different conditions.
But this, in turn, has its economic
influence. A large product on eacl
acre Of ground means correspond
ing amount Of labor-the bigger th'
product. the bigger the job of cultlvat
ing and harvesting It. So here agaii
we hnd an inevitable tendency a
work to compel small farm acres u
the arid region.
Very likely the reader will say
But can people make living OF
these little farms?" Yes. generou
living including about everything yo'
find on the bill Of fare Of an ordinary
hotel. In the semi-tropical region
Of the southwest this Is literally true
from the olives Of the first course Y
the raisins and walnuts OF the last
For where the farmer has perfect con
troll Of the moisture he can realiz
the most perfect diyersification o
crops. lie does not LET II rain on tn
Just and The unjust, but turns the wa
ter on the strawberry vines, whicl
may be thirsty, and let's II run pas
the sugar beets. which crave only th'