The Glenwood post., 1907-07-20
South.

The secret of the transformation of
the state from dry, semi-barren ex-
pense of prairies and hills to its pres
ent state of fertility is simply this:
Colorado push and energy, coupled with
the natural resources Of the state.
Early settlers in the Centennial state
found here loan and soil of unsurpass-
Cd richness, especially in the valleys
where the snow waters Of the Contin-
entail Divide rushed along in rivers and
creeks. Here in these valleys they
were able to raise crops of hay, grains
and fruits with most astonishing re-
suits and the least possible effort. Seeds
planted thrived and produced beyond
all expectation.
The gold, silver and other metal fields
attracted the majority of the other set
tiers, but some few, looking further in
to the 1uture than others, discovered
Colorado 8 greatest bonanza-her farm
iIg sr6 fruit-growing facilities. Ex-
periments proved that prairie lands
supposed to be useless save for grazing
purposes because of scarcity of water,
were equally as fertile under proper ap-
plication of water. The settlers began
to divert streams through bitches and
thus place larger areas under cultiva-
tion.
The success attending their efforts
was the primary move toward the pres
ent great irrigation system, which
even now is the largest in the world
and which, it is expected, will be dou-
BILE its present size within the next few
years.
An almost incalculable amount of
money has been spent already on these
systems, but the expenditure of this
money has been amply justified by the
increase in the. value of land and the
ability of the producers to grow all
sorts of articles of the vegetable king
dom and reap the benefit of crops so
large that to tell of them to a New
England farmer would be to invite his
opinion as to your ability as fairy-tale
author.
The figures with which the article
opens are only few that have been
compiled from actual data and facts on
file in the office of the secretary of
state and of the state engineer.
total capitalization Of more than Eve
Already many companies are being
incorporated to extend the irrigation
systems Of the state. In the six
months of the year already gone by
AZ new companies for promoting irriga-
tion projects have filed incorporation
papers with the secretary of state. They
are capitalized at various amounts
from $500 to 100000 each, and have
amount of money thousands of miles of
additional bitches will be constructed
and thousands of acres of what is now
l,sctically arid land, so far as farming
aid produce-raising is concer led, will
soon be green and fertile.
Nearly one thousand reservoirs
great and small, are already planned
and will be completed within very
few years. Cclorado's supply Of water
from her snor ~. pea mountai.s Is
and one half million dollars. With this
practically inexhaustible, AMI N';h
these reservoirs completed and i'm
pounding flood waters and seas ,nubl,
waters, t"lc.i.cr with what tsseu d
rcc,Iy frnr -h- streams ot the state
nearly 100000 acre feet Of water will
be available for irrigation purposes.
For this vast amount of water is con-
ceded to be inadequate for the needs
of the land in Colorado, as there are
thousands of acres of land which can
be brought under irrigation by the use
of lifting pumps. At few places in
Colorado is the depth to ground water
so great that it cannot either be car
ried to the required spot in fumes from
some point at a high elevation or be
piped to the area desired by the means
of lifting pumps. In the latter case,
of lifting pumps. In the latter case,
than in cases where the natural loca-
tion and slope of the land is such that
only bitches, canals or fumes are
needed.
This question of irrigation by lifting
ground water to the required elevation
is being. experimental with by the
state engineers office. Eastern Colo
rado being the district where the
working out and demonstrating of this
pumping system is being carried on.
Another kind of irrigation which has
not been taken up much in the past is
now beginning to come into common
use. That is the irrigation of apple
orchards. Last year was the first year
in which irrigation Of these orchards
was utilized to any great extent. Then
Il ,uaa found fhat fxaxn fon. md ano.