Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-08-07

profit or strength to the union from
the growth of the Pacific slope, but
President Roosevelt OWNED Alright
and IL is largely due to his policy
("Irrlgation OF the semi-arid region
is the greatest question Of public In
ternal policy in the development OF
the United States") that the nation
al irrigation act was passed by con
gress in 1902.
There are. in round numbers, lO0.-
900 900 acres of vacant public lands
in 16 semi-arid states and territories
Arizona, California. Colorado. Ida
no, Kansas, Montana. Nebraska. Ne
vada. New Mexico. North Dakota, Ok
lahoma, Oregon. South Dakota, Utah
Washington and Wyoming.
Hereafter all the receipts of gov
ernment land sales within these same
states (which receipts formerly went
to the national exchequer) will be de
voted to the reclamation Of protitless
desert by development, conservation
and conduct of water thereon-mak
ing reservoirs with systems Of irri
states
In the government treasury there
are more than 330,OOO,000 received
from land sales in the semi-arit
states ready to be expended in tn'
| reclamation of arid acres In this sam.
region.
Uncle Sam is making valuelea,
land valuable by aiding the farmer
to apply water in the semi-arid re
gion, and the farmer pays Uncle San
for what he has expended. Uncle
Sam, therefore. is renovating his
stock In trade, and where were to be
seen only the cactus and sage brusn
are now aprocots, alfalfa, apples and
| aviaries Uncle Sam now puts mis-
| former protitless and unstable lands
at a premium and wakes rich.
Six remarkable irrigation project
| are today being prosecuted by the
government engineers-the Gunnison
in Colorado; St. Mary's, in Montana
Sweetwater, in Wyoming; Carson
Truckee. in Nevada; Salt River, In
Arizona, and Utah Lake. tunnel
six miles long will lead the waters
of the Gunnison river through the
mountains TO redeem 5000 acres OF
worthless land. wnich then will com
mand 5000 to S400 an acre in the I'm
compahgre valley.
Today Colorado has the greatest
area of irrigated land Q,700, ,00C
acres) of any state in our union. and
it pre-eminently affords the best il.
lustration Of agriculture under irriga
tion within the United States. No
where in the world il found a better
illustration of the irrigation system
OF the present and the capabilities OF
its future.
BY the timed, measured application
OF water to the planted soil the Colo.
rado farmer more nearly renders as.
riculture an exact science and large.
ly determines the amount OF fats In
his oats. or starch in his Greeley po
tatoes and OF sugar in his Fort Col.
Inns beets.
AS the mountain SHOWS and Ice melt
with approaching summer the farm.
ers guide the streams into canals.
bitches and burrows, to grow on des-
ert sands wonderful golden harvests.
The irrigation planter is Immune
from toilsome systems OF farming.
disastrous droughts and uncertainties
of crops known in the region depend.
ent upon rain, from the clearance of
forests and boulders; from too much
rain. from cyclones and from tickle
and treacherous atmosphere
TIE irrigation water carries down
with 1t from the mountains in the silt
requisite salts sufficiently and salts
factorily to fertilize the soil and Sc
cure unheard-of hSrvests.
The annual cost Of putting water
on the land is from 81 to $3.50 per
acre, and the Colorado farmer under
irrigation practically has entire con-
troll of his crops after fertilization.
Grains. fruits, edible roots. tubers
and grasses are superior In yield and
quality because they receive neither
too little nor too much moisture in
Colorado. BY diligent cultivation the
soil Yields a crop double that Of the
average general yield in farm prod
ucts. There are 20.OOOO0o acres of
rich agricultural land In Colorado
now awaiting colonists to grow their
promised harvests. Great irrigation
enterprises are now being prosecuted
which will add hundreds Of thousands
OF acres Of arabic land 10 TIN enrich