The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-11-01


RESULTS OF IRRIGATION WORK.
A while ago Clarence J. Blanchard
statistician of the United States rec
lamation service, pointed out that the
policy of the federal government in
retaining thousands of acres of the
public domain by irrigation is begin
ming to bear fruit. Discussing these
results with a number of newspaper
men, Mr.. Blanchard said:
THE full Importance of national rec
lamation is obtainable only by COM
parison. The twenty-five projects upon
which the government is now engaged
when developed to their full extent
will add 3,198,000 acres to the crop
producing area of the United States.
Add to these thirteen other projects
which are held in allegiance, pending
the completion of the first mentioned,
and which will reclaim 3,27O,OOO acres,
and we have a grand total of 6,468, 900
acres.
"This enormous area today is prac-
tically worthless. 1t returns revenues
neither to the states in which it is
located, nor to the nation to which
it largely belongs. 1t is utilized only
short period in each year for graz
ing nomadic herds that are driven
over it. Potentially it is the richest,
the most fertile and productive land
in the world, and is capable of sup
porting in comfort an agricultural pop
ulatiOn as dense as can be found in
any of the older settled parts of the
country.
'By expanding $60,00O,0OO on the
twenty-five engineering works now in
process of construction, the reclama-
ton service will reclaim 3,198,000
acres, or cultivated area equal to
the total acreage in crops in the four
states of Connecticut, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire and Florida The di-
versified crops, enormous yields from
irrigated lands, and the excellent
prices for all farm products in the
west warrant the assumption that the
land will return annually an income
larger than the farmers receive in the
four states named. For comparison,
let us say that the revenue per acre
will be the same.
''It is apparent then that this area
reclaimed will each year increase the
value of farm crops by $60,000,000 1t
will add $232,O00,O00 to the taxable
property of the people. 1t will furnish
homes for 10000 families on farms and
in villages and towns.
"a summary of the work of the rec
lamation service to January shows
that it had dug 1927 miles of canals,
or nearly the distance from Washing
ton to Omaha. Some of these canals
carry whole rivers, like the Truckee
river, in Nevada, and the North Platte,
in Wyoming. The tunnels excavated
are AZ in number, and have an aggre-
gate length of IL miles. The serv-
ice has erected ninety-fOur large struc-
lures, including two great dams in
Nevada and the Minidoka dam in
Idaho 80 feet high and $50 feet long.
at has completed 670 headworks,
fumes, etc. 1t has built 376 miles of
wagon road in mountainous country
and into heretofore inaccessible re-
gions. 1t has erected and in operation
1873 miles of telephones. It's own
cement mill has manufactured 10000
barrels of cement, and the purchased
amount is $4,000 barrels. It's OVID
sawmills have cut 100000 feet of
lumber, and 6,540,000 feet have been
purchased. The surveying parties of
the service have completed topograph-
ic surveys covering 1O,97O square
miles, an area greater than the COM