Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-24


ries in the United States; there are very
few exceptions. The total capacity Is 40.-
600 tons OF sugar day. There has been
past year. Here in Colorado two new fac
tories will soon be ready to receive the
present crop-one at Lamar. with a capac-
ity of 500 tons of beets a day and belong
ing to the Oxnards. and one at Sterling.
with a capacity OF 600 tons of beets be-
longing to the trust. Those who have
worked so hard to develop the sugar beet
industry with the expectation that It
would serve a regulator" for the trust
and contribute to "a cheap breakfast table
have been disappointed. The price of ST.
gar Is regulated in New York city the same
as in every city and village In the United
States unless the local grocer takes no
ton to raise or lower his own profit.
Michigan leads in the production of beet
sugar. having eighteen factories with ca
pacity of 1900 tons of sugar daily; Cali
fornia has seven factories with capacity
of 5000 tons; and Colorado stands third
having nine factories with capacity OF
1000 tons per day.
Irrigation In Colorado.
The pamphlets and other advertising mat
ter issued by the railroads and boards OF
trade concerning Colorado boast that
this state is the best irrigated section OF
the world-a statement which should be
corrected so as to read ''of the United
States.'' The writer's have overlooked In
dia. Arabia. Egypt. Syria. Turkey and
other ancient countries. where every avail
able acre was under irrigation centuries be-
fore Colorado was ever heard Of But.
nevertheless. 1t holds the first place among
our arid states and will be far in adj
vance when the federal government has
completed it's benefcent plans and has add
ed ten million dollars worth of new reser-
vors and canals to the twenty-five millions
already expended and proposed by private
enterprise
Colorado Is amply supplied with water. 1t
has a never-fatling source In the melting
SHOWS Of the mountains and K Is only nee
essary to construct dams to hold the spring
floods until they are needed In the sum-
mer. This work Of water storage has only
begun. Thus far about two and half
million acres are supplied with water from
$5.SS per acre-and by well pumps. at an
average cost of $S31 per acre. According
to the latest enumeratiOn. there are 1882
irrigated farms supplied by 1888 different
systems. with 1920 miles of canals. The
largest system in the state Is that Of tho
Water Storage Company. In the Arkansas
valley. reaching 14.00O acres
Cheesman Lake Reservoir.
A wonderful enterprise Is the Cheeseman
lake reservoir. which supplies the city OF
Denver with water. 1t has attracted much
attention from irrigation engineers through
out the world. although >the water it stores
is not intended for irrigating purposes. 1t
demonstrates what can be done in the way
Of collecting and conserving the rainfall
and the melting SHOWS. dam built across
g canvon In the Platte river. about thirty
miles from Denver Is az feet high ana
cost two millions of dollars. Natural COM
ditions have been utilized with great skill
wall of masonry constructed across tho
canyon higher than any other In the world
creates lake six miles long and from q
quarter of a mile to two miles Wide. hold
ing q. $50 2Ss. 900 gallons Of water. This 10
70 ha n qNDDly the city
Of Denver for 500 days. allowing zU gal
Ions day for every citizen.
Although the Cheeseman reservoir - now
the finest In the world the San Luis Valley
Irrigation Land and Power Company pro-
pose to surpass 1t by constructing wall
of masonry go feet high across gorge at
Terrace. on the Alamosa river. nfteen mnes
below the town of La lara. in southern Col
orado. The canyon Is only Twenty-Five feet
wide at the bottom and only go feet wide
at height OF 21O feet 1t will create
lake three and a half miles long and an
average of a quarter Of mile wide and
200 feet deep The water will be used for
irrigating between $4,000 and 10000 acres
of land IN southern Colorado
Reclamation Of the Desert.
The government Of the United States pro-
poses to redeem 1856 acres OF desert land
in the western part OF Colorado by boring
a tunnel $4,000 feet long and ten feet In
diameter through solid rock so as to bring
the waters OF the Gunnison river for dis
tribution in the Umcompahgre valley. along
the Denver. Rio Grande and Western rail-
road. This Is OF the greatest projects
ever undertaken and Is done under what Is
known the reclamation act. The 125, 900
acres to be redeemd to agriculture In this
manner will be sold In small tracts at the
rate Of SIS an acre payable in ten annual
instaIlments after the water has been turn
ed on. A considerable part of the area to
be benefited belongs to private parties.
who will have to pay the same price-that
Is. SIS an acre, provided they use the water.
But there is no further charge beyond an
annual tax sufficient to pay the expense
Of maintenance and administration of the
system
1t Is estimated that the labor of 2 900 men
will be required for at least three years
to bore this six miles Of tunnel through
the granite wall OF the Gunnisen. Con-
tracts have been let. both for the tunnels
and for forty miles of canals which will
distribute the water.
In addition to these great projects ten
smaller ones, costing A.41O0OO. are now in
progress or proposed, which will redeem
about IA. 600 acres OF arid land. Several of
them involve double use of the water.
which will. Of course be greatly to the
profit of the projectors. Where natural
conditions will permit the same water can
be used for electric light and power and
that is the economy aimed at By irrigation