The Teton peak. [volume] (St. Anthony, Idaho) 1899-1904, 1904-10-13
How Irrigation Will Develop the One and Ger
tainIy Secure the Other.
ROOSEvELTS INSPIRING AMER|CANISM
While Creating New Agricultural and Hort-
cultural World at Home, He Would
Establish Commercial Pres
tige in the Orient.

The heart Of the great West has beef
touched by the sincere, persistent, effec
tive friendship Of President Roosevelt
1t had begun, but only partially, to fee
It's great need; when this strong, idea
American stepped up to it and handed
It the golden key which is to unlock it
Gmitless. latent wealth-greater than thu
combined mineral deposits of all tn,
world.
! one stroke Of his pen he gave thu
Unied States new empire greater il
possibilities. for good to the human race
than all that other great section situat
cd between the Atlantic Ocean and thu
Mississippi River. The National Irri
cation Act will transform 125.OOO,OO(
acres of land from desert to garden. Il
will create the greatest home market thi.
country has ever known. 1t will make
happy homes for millions of free Ameri
cans. 1t will establish forever the pres
dge of our commerce in the Orient. II
will cause President Roosevelt's name
and his official acts to be gratefully re-
Uembered for all time to come.
All the People Interested.
All American citizens are essentially
interested in the operations Of the Ma
donal Irrigation Act for the reason that
its influence on domestic trade and for
eign commerce is destined to be simply
tncalculable. The reclamation Of arid
America along the lines of the National
Irrigation Act means "a home for every
man who wants one 1t means that
when settler gets ready to obtain his
share Of the National heritage he will
obtain not only fertile soil, but the water
necessary to make it a self-sustaining
home and that the water right is guar
anteed by the government of the United
States. This is. beyond all comparison,
one OF the greatest things ever attempt
ed by the American people.
Pregnant with great possibilities is
ems proposed irrigation of l25,OOO 900
acres OF the peoples domain, an area
tnat now supports but a meager popu-
iauon. Under irrigation farms are small
because the yield of the land is very
much greater in proportion to cost and
operating expenses than it is where the
clouds are the first and sole reliance for
q water supply. 1t follows that there
will be dense population ON our irri.
gated area and greatly increased mar
ket for the manufactured products Of tho
rest Of the country. The railroads and
al otner industries will profit by the
reclamation Of region. SO vast in ex-
seht' and Its settlement by prosperous
population.
Wealth Beyond Compare,
According to the National censu, Of
1910 the total improved farm area Of tho
United States was 14,SOO, 900 acres. If
Us conservatively estimated that tho re.
claimable land is not less than 125 600
wv acres. Its reclamation. therefore
VIII aod much more than one-fourth to
tne actual crop-producing area OF the
country ana will exceed by a liberal mar
gan, the tillable land of all the States
On the Atlantic Coast from Maine ia
Florlda-except a modest portion of New
AorK. Allowing twenty acres as the
average size OF irrigated farms, this area
van make 6,25O,OOO farms or more than
ene number in the United States in 1900
The total value Of all farms in 1900 in
Gu ing all improvements except bn;ld-
angs, was $13,115, 100000. At S425O ner
acre, the average value of irrigated land
the 125,OOO,OOO acres to be reclaimed
will add to the value of the farm land
1922, 100000. II buildings are inclnd.
60, the value will be increased by 50
Ooo'oVO,oOO; while the augmented wealth
tnrougn railroads, cities, mills and fac
tories Is beyond estimation. The an
uuaa value OF all the farm products in
AoVO was $4,379,OOOOOO. The average
per acre OF products Of irrigated land
was *i4.oI. At this rate, the area to
Oe reclaimed will add products worth
Sl,ool, 100000, an addition of nearly
oaH OF the life sustaining power of the
country.
VIII Not Compete with East.
national irrigation will amount to a
series Of loans by the government and
the supervision of the construction work
ana water distribution. As to the ones
Slon whether the products of the irri-
gated west will compete with eastern
farm products, it is only necessary to
travel through the West and see wba+
1t raises under irrigation to understand
that there will never be any such com
petition. Irrigated farms are small and
S s',' 'aiua Die TO grow the staple products.
Aney are devoted to fruit culture or TO
oiialia raising. In California, for in
stance, where irrigation is Oldest and
W re Its highest types are found the
IA unit, instead of being 100 or 900
acres as in the East, is 40. 20 and <
acres. Fine fruits, wines and dairy nro.
ducts are raised and cattle are fattened
1t IS difficult to name a California farm
product which comes East and actually
completes with Eastern products.
we get from California, oranges. lem
ons. prunes, raisins, figs, olives. wine,
dried fruits, etc.-luxuries: on the other
nand. the Eastern farmers derive a dis
einct benefit from irrigation in Califor.
mia. for 1t makes California, and she fur-
oashes a greedy market for every sort of
Eastern manufactured product. sending
Der money back to New England and
throughout the East and thereby stimu-
Iating manufacturing. Busy factories
an well paid, steadily employed factory
hands mean good Eastern markets for
Eastern farm products
Precedent Cited.
Our friends the farmers of the East
we're somewhat alarmed as to what the
result migth be when the tide was west
ward and settling up the eastern Dor
tion Of the Mississippi Valley. but the