Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1904-02-26

Progress 4" Irrigation.
F. H.Newell, OF the United States gee
logical survey, in charge Of the recla-
nation service III the arid west, in ii
recent paper in the Natiounl Geographic
magazine gives some interesting data Of
the wo:k.
The reclamation fund now amounts to
about sl5 .0C0.OC0 and ~ INCREASING
rapidly. Tie fund is accumulated
under the provisions OF the reclamation
law. which set apart the proceeds from
the Isale Of public lands in thirteen
Western States and three TERROR ries
for the construction OF ireiga ion worHs.
Tho land SAILS i'll 1901 started the
fund with si,0J0.O00: in 1902 the sun
OF 100000 was added. AMI N 1903
about $4,000 coo. The more irrigation
works are built the more pDhlic land
within reach Of the water supply will
become marketable, ant thus the pro.
gress OF the work will help to swell the
fund.
As the water il supplied the owners
OF the land benefited will pay for what
they use and will ultimately pay Tor the
entire cost Of improvement. All the
money they pay twill be turned back
into the fund. and thus will he used
over and over again for the building OF
more storage reservoirs.
When finally the limit OF water at
k,,,,I1a I,c knn, sa,ohal anil - a.. mot
practicable to irrigate more land the en-
tire fund will be turned into the gem
eral treasury.
The work OF surveying the Western
streams to ascertain the amount OF
water supply and how the land may be
reclaimed by irrigation has been in
progress since 1888 and is still going on.
The work Of building the storage reser-
voirs has only lust begun in Nevada and
Arizona.
Some OF the states and territories
from which the largest contributions 10
the fund are received -brcauSG :Gcy in.
clude tine greater area Of the Gcrea,-
sold-will derive least benefit from the
fund. The contribution OF North Dd-
kota is very large, but there viii be
little irrigation in tina state bccausr
irrigablc lands and al adequate supply
of water are hard to find.
Oklahoma is q large contributor. but
with it sub humid climate ii has little
need Of irrigation. On the other hand
1iffIa ln,l 80 anlt %. Nnrala ,nl 81 nj
dition to the fund is small, but the state
affords the largest opportunity for irn-
cation developemeni.
Colorado is the creates; mining state.
but the proceeds from the small riri.
cation area i'll Colorado are already
mora valuable ,han the gold and silver
produced. The area OF land that can
DO reclaimed 10y irrigation is relatively
small, but il > or 3 per cen OF the vast
area nf arid land is ultimately reclaimed
and put under cultivation it will mean Il
population i'll the Western half OF the
United States almost rs great us that
now in the Eastern hall c. the country.
Nearly all the land has value III one
way or another, and the grazing il
dustry will occupy 80 o 81 per cent OF
the arid lands. But the value OF graz
ing products will not be 20 great us that
OF the crops raised ON the reclaimed
lands.
Here in conc 50 form, il stated the
present status as vel ns the prospective
general result to be attained in the re-
spective states mentioned through the
work now proceeding under the di-
rection OF the experimentation yer
News.