, 1906-10-13
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, Office of Experiment Stations.
Washington, d, c., Oct. 5, 1906.
Hon Il Il Brooks

ture, Office of Experiment Stations.
Washington, d. c., Oct. 5, 1906.
Hon. B. B. Brooks,
Governor of Wyoming,
Cheyenne, Wyo.
Dear Sir:-I wish to congratulate
you and the state at large on the con
tract recently signed for building the
irrigation works from Wind river. The
location of these canals in advance
Of settlement insures enduring benefits
to the state and the settlers under
them, and is an advanced step in the
state administration of streams oil
great practical value, n a precedent
which will be widely followed by other
states.
Against Lack of System.
When state engineer | repeatedly
called attention to the mistake involv-
ed in leaving canals and bitches to be
located without any system or arrange
ment, instead of according to a prear.
ranged plan, and that this inevitably
entailed loss of water and a perpetual
additional expense on the taxpayers of
the state for the services of a water
commissioner. can recall several
streams where, under the haphaZard
system, priorities are SO placed that
it is almost impossible to adequately
protect prior rights, whereas, if the
bitches had been planned before o n
struction, there would have been
scarcely any necessity for the services
of superintendents or commissioners.
These difficulties of haphazard appro-
priations have all been obviated on
Wind river by the states action in 10
eating the canals at the outset.
Wisdom of State Administration.
The state by its wisdom and fore
sight in this matter has conferred a
benefit on that region, the value of
which will become more and more
manifest as time goes on. The bitches
which are to be built represent the
trained judgment and experience of
engineers familiar with the states con-
ditions and with the progress made in
irrigation engineering in recent years.
If, in the building of such a system,
the state had disregarded its respon-
sibilities and left these bitches to be To-
Gated without any plan or oversight,
it would have resulted in a few small
bitches % water the bottom lands,
which would have left the great body
of bench land upirrigated for many
years, because the few cheap works
would have taken the can off the
reclamation of these lands as an invest,
ment and made it difficult to secure
capital for the building of any higher
lines.
This, instead of being a benefit to
the settlers on the lands irrigated,
would have been a drawback to their
property. 1t is a uniform rule that the
larger the area under irrigation in any
district, the higher the prices of land
and the more prosperous the farmers.
This grows out of the fact that large
areas enable shippers to get better
rates, attract buyers from a large ter
ritory, and furnish more stable mar
kets, result in the building up of larger
towns with better stores and lower
prices for the things farmers must buy,
1t means better passenger service on
railroads for the people and better
freight service for their products. The
area of land now being reclaimed on
| Wind river will be one of the largest
in the state. With its abundant water
supply, its low elevation and fertile
soil, | look, within the next ten years,
to see higher prices for land in that
valley than any now prevailing in the
state.
Contract a Favorable One.
1 regard the contract made as a ia
vorable one for the state and settlers
The price of water rights is below the
average under the government recla-
nation projects, and is lower thai b a
of my large enterprise now being car
rled out by private capital with which