Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-02-12

ton Of agricultural crops is impossible
without irrigation.
With the exception Of Green river ant
its tributaries, all the streams OF th'
state have their sources within the Dor.
ders Of the state and none terminals
beyond its boundaries. All are torren.
tial streams subject 10 great fluctua.
tons and very little has been done {.
| equalze the variability OF the flow
Great scarcity In the water supply /:
experienced during the low water per.
Tod Of each year, although not more
than about one fourth Of the whole an.
nual supply has been utilized .the other
three-fourths being wasted by absorb
ton and during the food and winter
seasons.
FLOW MUST BE REGULATED.
From the foregoing It is evident that
| TO regulate the flow Of the streams
by means OF storage reservoirs and "a
extend the irrigated area are matters
| of paramount Importance to the future
| growth Of the state, 1t Is also clear
when the dispropprtion OF land to water
| supply Is considered, that the greatest
| care should be exercised In selecting
| the land upon which the water IL to be
| ultimately used. Only such lands as
| will return the greatest possible value
| for the water applied should be con-
| sldered as worthy OF the water and
| the less worthy lands should be put to
| some subordinate auxiliary use without
| water. Because Of the shorter sea-
sons and the liability to late and early
| frosts In the higher valleys Of the state,
| II is the rule that the lands of the
lower valleys are most worthy Of the
water.
THREE VALLEYS AFFECTED,
The Wasatch and Uintah mountains
| are the sources OF practically all OF the
water supply Of the northern half Of
| the state and the greater portion OF
| the water flows naturally into the Great
| Salt Lake where II is dissipated by
evaporation. The water In passing
| from mountain TO lake traverses the
| three principal valleys Of the state
| known as Cache valley salt Lake val
| ley and Utah valley, respectively, salt
| Lake valley Is the lowest valley In the
state. the elevation being about i,2OU
feet above sea level. Utah and Cache
| valleys come next each being about
i,50O feet above sea level, With re-
spect TO climate. scenery, character OF
| soil etc., IL is doubtful II these three
valleys are excelled by any In the world
PIONEERS IN IRRIGATION.
The first irrigation institutions In the
| United States were established In these
| valleys nearly 60 years ago by the
| pioneer settlers Of the state. The plan
| then initiated and subsequently adhered
10 was one Of small farms, intensive
methods and cooperative ownership OF
! all irrigation works As result OF
operations during these 60 years all OF
| the water supply that can be made
available through individual or ordin-
airy cooperative effort has, under this
system been put to use and there Is
no further opportunity for great de-
| yelopment. except through extensive
and complicated works that involve en-
eineerlng. legal and financial problems
quite beyond the power of the previous
ly potential cooperative methods
WEALTH OF COUNTIES.
These three valleys comprise Cache,
| Boxelder, Weber Davis Salt Lake and
| Utah counties; have about 10000 people
| and contain property assessed on the
| basis of $50 900 900. There are al
| together about 100000 acres OF
irrigable land In the three val
| leys less than third or about
| 307 900 acres being at present irrigated,
| the remainder or about $4,000 acres
having no water supply, This irri-
| gated area IL apportonad among about
| l0, 200 owners making the average size
Of the irrigated farm about 30 acres,
| There are, however, about 6SS,OOO acres
out of the 100000 acres that are In
| private ownership, so that the average
size OF the farm consists Of about 66
acres, more than half OF which, or SO
acres Is without water supply. In
extreme cases the estimated value of
| the right to the use Of water, In Salt
| Lake valley, is as high as siS000O per
second foot for city purposes, and S10,-
900 per second foot for Irrigation, While
these figures should not be taken TO
indicate the market value of the water,
they are fairly suggestive Of It's pos
sIble worth
A FEW FIGURES.
The productlyeness OF the soil and
the possibilities Of THESE valleys are
best Indicated by the great variety and
value Of crops that have under favor
able conditions been already produced,
some Of which are as follows
Sugar bcets per AUTOMATICALLY tons
Alfalfa hay, per acre. .,,".,... t's IONS
~. mol "a
onions, per 0crevr, 90 ,.rllOO bushels
Peaches, per acre (neOu""uuoS 400 90
Cherries. per acre (Fross) .,,u si1.OO
RasphenieH, per acre tgross)" $4,000
strawberries, per acre ,grossl 500 90
Grapes, per acre lgrossl ,,-.,., L@OO 'VO
OTHER RESOURCES,
The present population consists Of
frugal, energetic, prosperous ana Pros
iAC communities whose constantly IN
creaslng numbers would naturally over
now onto and occupy the Immediately
1iaCent lands, but who because there
Is no water supply tor these lands, are
now forced Go lind footing elsewhere
40 tholr own great dctglment as Wen as
that of the state. \ public school
system thal VIII compare Wyorably
With that nf auy otht state has been
established Churrhtd and other pub
llo buildings have been provided which
llf amuIv 10 accommodate much
larger population that could hN Quiok
Iy and probably settled There ll the
NltDr supply NOull permit Al0ple
characterization facilities lre already
niogl0oa me mining industry affords
Nu excellent lural markpt lur tI ha
m0duom Ol irrigation, ono augor tc
l0IN nul ot0rN anNalbn stations ln
W0h Ol ihg lhr0p valleys cleii0 aulo
And pIoliNNlg market Cos about nuU0
0na ol hras md produce aN0ui pm
0N40N puuDH al sugar annually
WOulp HNsrAlN a NillloN
Ihp pruui l0nHY of ppuau0n
a Violated w in0 IfiNNt1 aI.0