The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-08-30
How the Development OF the West
Works Good to the Eastern
Manufacturers.
PROSPERITY rs FAR-REACHING
Thousands of TrainlOadS OF Eastern
Factory Products Going into the
New Communities Created
by Irrigation.

the freight traffic, he will gains some
idea Of what western development
means to the industries of thu eastern
and middle states He will see car
loads Of harvesting and threshing ma
chimes; traction engines, ROAD scrapeis,
farm implements and machinery OF
every sort; street sprinklers for the
new towns as we'll as the old ones:
wagons, carriages, and automobiles.
shipments of fancy live stock, from
chickens to horses; pianos and fur
naces, gas and coal ranges, electric
lighting apparatus, power equipment,
wire cables and hemp cordage, cloth
ing and textiles of every weave that
comes from eastern looms; plumbers
supplies, domestic water supply equip
ment, hardware, furniture, canned
goods, and, in fact, merchandise to
supply every human want.
Perhaps the fact will dawn upon
the observer that this tremendous
movement of freight upon a dozen
railroads is the result of western
prosperity and that this prosperity is
largely due to irrigation. Agriculture
has already outstripped mining in in
dustrial Importance in the west and
the agricultural community is far
more stable and permanent than the
mining camp. Successful agriculture
in the west depends upon irrigation
and irrigated agriculture is one of the
most potent factors in the building Of
western cities and towns. Even the
builder of railways finds it to his adj
vantage to be early on the ground
with his lines of steel to carry the
large volume of in-going and outgoing
freight and to handle a passenger
business at once profitable and of
rapid growth.
This new and expanding home mar
ket for the factory products Of eastern
centers is we'll worth cultivating and
worth seeing. The possibilities Of
agriculture and fruit culture, wool
growing, dairying, the raising of
swine and other live stock under ir-
rigation are beginning to be realized.
An enormous movement of the peo-
pie to irrigated lands is taking place
all the time. The exhaustion of pub
lie lands suitable to homestead ell,
tries is now followed by the opening
Of lands of the most valuable char.
acter, on which money has been spent
literally to give them an adequate
supply OF water for all crops. These
lands are available for anyone on an
easy payment plan, by which the
lands may be made to pay for them
selves.
Very interesting at this time is the
development in the counties of JEFF
ferson. Adams, Boulder and Weld on
the South Platte river in Colorado.
There is hardly place in all the IL
rigated regions of the west where
such advantages are to be found for
the irrigating farmer or homeseeker.
Irrigation is not new here, but it has
been done under a number of small
systems. leaving wide stretches of
dry land without water supply for
crop production. These systems are
now being consolidated, the storage
capacity increased and all the land
brought under canals. One efficient
organization takes the place of sever
al rival associations. The very best
use may thus be made of the water
supply. What formerly went to waste
is now conserved and will be further
conserved by the construction of a
10, nil
others combined which already are in
Guided in the system.
Eastern capital is interested in the
development. Seven streams from the
eastern slope Of the Rocky Mountains
will pour their waters into this huge
artificial lake, while an additional
100000 acre feet will be brought from
the western slope through a 1900
foot tunnel Thus, while the canals
are carrying water to the thousands
Of farms from the reservoirs the
many living streams are pouring their
flow into them, keeping large re-
serve supply for irrigation late in the
growing season. The benefit is per-
manent one, giving steadiAess to the
supply and bringing many thousands
of acres for the first time under canal
and reservoirs. The reservoir supply
is especially important. affOrdng Il
long growing season. The region is
really an old settled one with many
villages. railways in all directions and
what is very important. the big and
thriving city Of Denver within drv-
ing distance. Denver is the largest
city in the Rocky Mountain country
and the best market on the eastern
slope. Such development Of irriga
ton in a region so favorably situated
is a subject of great moment to irFi-
gated agriculture, because the market
offers the opportunity for success In
such a wide diversity of crops It is
regarded as somewhat singular that
the English speaking people have been
so slow to adopt irrigauon, but the
explanation is in the fact that they
have not lived in countries where it
has been necessary. They are making
up for lost time, however, in the pres