La Junta tribune., 1904-09-24
irrigation Will Change Deserts to Gardens and
Provid, Lands for HiIions Of Homes.
ROosEvELTs STRONG. FRIENDLY HAND
Policy that Increases the Sum of Human
Happiness and EnIarges and Strength.
the Republic.

rouutry sboun.l- in mountains. plains
aud valleys. IL Is here that the govern
! m-nt proposes tD apply the workings of
the National Irrigation Act and to re-
claim all of the arid land which may
| I've asc-rinlnei 10 be arabic and which
| is found u be susceptible Of reeia mn
ton 10y the amount of water available.
Government experts estimate that the
present amount Of land which may be
| irrigated i sbont on. hundred million
| acres. This cln be reclaimed 10y apply
ing the amount OF water now available.
| dirert II /. also estimated that after
| irrigation hi> been applied u the soil
for three or four year.. a los quantity
| OF water j. necessary and hence an adj
ditiDuai area OF perhaps hfyy millions
| acres more may possibly b- added to the
reclamation area.
| Satsre Did the Sesdfst.
Mature seems To have employed every
| resource at it, command to make the
mountain ami plain region the most far-
or-d portion of the -srth> surface for
the habitation of man. This section will
| one day b- the seat OF empire OF the
| United States. aud. consequently. the
| world. For a distance of more than
thousand miles there successive
| chains OF mountains, ia general course
| running north aud south and on parallel
lines. with numerous valleys occupying
the immediate ground.
Each valley. large or small. has its
| stream. carrying. with rapid fall, the
| mrltin: SHOWS Of the tributary noun
tains. The grades in general favor the
| operation Of irrissting causl. which
take the water from streams and carry
| II at a moderate fall to lines above
| the cultivated Land. A- the sI,ring sea
| sou advances. the rainfall decreases. the
| crops need NOR. and more water. which
Il furnished automatically 10y the gradual
increase OF the temperature along and
| mp the mountain side. reaching the light
| est deposit Of snow first. aud then. during
the later and hotter mouths. drawing
upon the reserve OF the deeper and less
en- -ier melted lee Mt the higher attitudes.
| FERTILITY Of Arid ~oii.
| Under the rains Of centuries much "f
| the soluble plant foods ia eastern soils
| liav. been washed into the sea. Where
no rainfall exists the plant food remains
| The government analyses Of soils show
| thai tie arid lands average three times
| as much potash, six times much mag
| ntsia aud fourteen times a. much lin"
~ the humid lands. Any farmer will
tell you that limestone country i
A -
| by growing plants the eastern farmer
\ resorts to fertilizers and manure. Start
I ing with rich soil. the irrigstionisi also
| hnds fcrIllikiuS strength in tn. water h.
uses. The mnnuriai value held in soiu-
| tion in 10 inches of water-'bs amount
| applied to acre in season at the
University OF Arizona-amounted To
| SoO.. Ten acres under irrigation aver
/ age iY.tier returns than iO-acre crops, in
| the usual way
Land Very Valuable.
In those communities Of the west
| which have been created by irriga ton
| the average Weld Of wheat. potatoes and
| small fruits far exceeds that of the best
| farming district in Iowa or Missouri
or the best part OF the Mississippi Val
ley. Although comparatively remote
| from tn. worlds markets for pralncts.
| an acre or land under wafer rights in
the very heart Of the arid region. will
| command higher price than an acre in
| the humid Mississippi Valley. The farm
crs have learned that ~ acres. well till
81. will yield more profit than 400 sere>
rarme.l in the old. haphazari way. In
| tsn~is- farming and larger profits from
smaller farms are making closely settled
communities. establishing near ri,y neigh
! hors. schools. churches ani libraries and
| the isolation of old farm life no longer
exists. The farmer ma.es more money
and the deadly non"tony Of life does
u"t drive hi- children from home, or
his wife to the insane asylum.
Rooseveis sImmorta,iz
The passage OF the National Irriga-
tion Act ia tautamount To saying that
the west is already r-.lecmed--it is now
only \ question OF time. Perhaps no
| law has tecn passed since the fonnda-
ton OF this government wh.ch has been
or can be prolific Ia great and last
ing results to the United States. No
law has ever been enacted which will
add 50 much stability wealth. happi-
ness and general prosperity TO the peo-
pie and the government as the National
Irrigation Law.
Here is a new field for the most hope
fui speculation. II cannot he that any
human mind has yet been able TO e~ti-
mate the far-rrachnr. the fruitful re-
suits which will follow in the wake of
this National Act. Lincoln is immortal
ixe,i for his Emancipation Proclamation.
Roosevelt will lie immortalixeSi because
he has done that which will set free
from the thraldom Of the couxeeted cen
tiers of population. millions of families
who can and will feel grateful to hin,
and his memory as they sit under their
own vine and fgfree and enjoy all the
comforts and contentment Of their new
and enlarged life of health. happiness
aud usefulness.