Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1905-06-24
IRRIGATION BY
GOVERNMENT

Washington, ID. G., June ITO.
day. the third anniversary OF the pass.
age BY congress Of the irrigation law.
Is 10 BE- slEnallzed by the formal open.
ing Of the hrst great COVE umont h..
rigation work The Nevada town OF
iiazen, which owes iis existence 10
the government irrigation project, n
TO bee the scene Of the opening, and
dispatches received here hy the ON.
cials OF the reclamation bureau state
that the event ~ 20 be Accompanied
with interesting ceremony.
Water Will be turned on TO 10000
acres OF land, which never has known
tho taste OF water II is rich. Fat
soil. needing only moisture 20 make
u the most productive ln the world
Before another thrcU-youf period has
passed. 100000 additional acres will
he brought under water and made
tributary 20 the same general system
Already the government has spent
1880. 900. The eutlre project con.
templates IN expenditure ~ $4,000 900
Tho irrigahlo lands within reach OF
the Truckcc and Carson river waters.
outside OF 10000 acres already under
cultivation IN and about Reno. as a
result of private irrigation enterprises,
comprise a total area Of abont tGO.-
900 acrcs.
The 1nckee.C Carson project. which
h the official designation Of the an.
dertakinR which has produced the
town Of Haken. and will soon b. the
creator Of some 1000 farms. Ia one OF
fourteen principal projects 10 which
the government has set ~ hand The
Others ain IN various less ADVANCED
stages Of progress. The problem In.
vOlyed Ia this Truckoe. Carson project
was 20 nnd some way 10 save The
waters OF two rivers OF Importance.
the Carson and Truckoe. which now
from the SHOWS OF the lofty Sierra
Nevada mountains, CA the northwest
border Of Nevada aud California. and
plunge Into a mysterious pIt on the
borders OF the desert. This pit. into
which the waters disappear into the
bowels OF the earth just when they
are most needed tO irrlgate the plain,
Is known az a sink"
To divert the waters of these rivers
and lead them into canos and stor.
axe basins for distribution over the
Hat, dry areas about the sinks" Is
the task 60 which the government en-
glneers SET themselves two years ago.
Since then i3 miles OF canal have
been constructed. The main canal
taps the Truckec river a few miles be.
low Reno Il carries the waters south
60 natural reservoir site, which the
engineers discovered on the lower
Carson, some thirty miles distant. In
this same reservoir the waters OF the
Carson are also 70 be diverted and
stored. From this reservoir, Il Is but
short distance 10 10 the wide. nat
landa about the Carson sink" and
the way u down gentle incline,
which lends Itself TO the construction
Of the network Of distributing canals.
The farms have a soil adapted 10
raising apples, pears. grapes, peaches,
berries, wheat. oats. potatoes, sugar
beets and alfalfa. The government
has q particular interest In this lrat
Of Ia irrigation projects, and will try
20 see that the bcs; Kind OF settlers
have a chance 10 take up tho lands.
No one can get more than so acres
OF the irrigated land Tor a homestead
and the purchaser IS required 10 stay
ON the land and improve n There
are some fees TO pny, and Il viii take
year TO make the farm bitches and
raise crop. The prOpOftiOnate cost
OF irrigation is paid back by the set
tier IN ten annual installments. with.
OUT interest. II IL estimated that the
payment 20 the government In ten
years with be s2.OS0. and THAI the
farm, Judging from the value OF other
irrigated lands, will then be worth az
least 5000. II the settler az the end
Of ten years can show that he has 70.
claimed o. least half Of his entry
Tor agricultural purposes the land and
water supply are his promperty per.
petually.