The San Francisco call., 1907-03-31
0RLAND TAKES THE LEAD
IN MARCH OF PROGRESS
Irrigation Project Is the
Beginning of Great
Development
SETS AN EXAMPLE
All of Sacramento Valley
Will Profit From the
Enterprise
SETS AN EXAMPLE


WASHINGTON, March s0.-The Sec
retary of the Interior some time ago
made conditional allotment of $780,
600 for the Orland irrigation project in
the Sacramento Valley, and 1t now rests
with the land owners in the vicinity of
Orland whether the reclamation serv-
Ice shall have an opportunity to prove
TO the people of the Sacramento val
ley what Government irrigation Is
capable of doing for them. Every one
knows that large number or the lanu
owners are content with wheat raising,
which requires section of land or
more to maintain a family.
With the examples of the success of
irrigation in many parts of the valley
before them, the people are gradually
awakening TO the fact that the cultl-
walton of large areas in wheat is not
calculated to bring about the best de-
velopment of the valleys resources,
nor does it bring financial returns
commensurate with the labor and cap
ital invested. The big ranchmen. more
than any other factor, have retarded the
proper development of the state OF
California, and progress VIII continue
to be slow until the large land owner
can be brought to see the possibilities
of intensive cultivation under 1rr1ga-
tion.
have shown a remarkable spirit of pro-
gressiveness in organizing water
users association entirely upon their
own initiative, and in urging upon the
Government through their washington
representatives the consideration OIL
reclamation project. By energetic ac-
tion they have succeeded in proving TO
the reclamation service the possibility
that land owners might consent TO the
necessary subdivision of their land;
that the owners of present small canals
could probably agree to an amlcapte
settlement of water disputes by the
disposal of their properties at rea-
sonable price. and that lands that
might be required for reservoir Pur-
poses would be obtainable at fair hg-
ures.
The Orland people have been able
to induce the Secretary of the Interior
to make an allotment from the recla-
nation fund for the construction or an
irrigation project on condition that the
foregoing matters were adjusted
When the conditions imposed by the
Secretary of the Interior shall nave
been complied with, and when the con-
ditional allotment shall have been nnaoe
definite, the final plans of the necessary
work will be promptly prepared by the
reclamation service, after Whlch con-
struction can commence.
The area of the project probably VIII
be slightly IN excess of 10000 acres. AS
compared with the irrigable area or the
Sacramento Valley it represents less
than / per cent. 1t cannot therefore
seriously affect the physical conditions
throughout the valley. When, however,
these 10000 acres, now producing
small amount of wheat, shall become
highly productive, when oranges and
lemnns and walnuts and almonds are
being shipped from this small. area by
the hundreds of carloads when the land
shall have increased in value from less
than $40 to many hundreds of dollars
per acre, then, Il is to be hoped, other
parts of the valley will desire to be
similarly improved.
The immense possibilities of the val
ley will then become more and more
apuarent and the various interests VIII
come to realize that the success or one
will assist the success of the other. 1t
can then be shown that the olfflcultles
in protecting the low lands on the sac
ramento River may be helped by the
construction of reservoirs for the irri-
CATION of high lands: that navigation
can be better provided for them at
present with a less wasteful use OF the
summer flow of the Sacramento River,
and that there are ways In which the
mining industry can be carried on
without detriment to agriculture.
With a better understanding of these
facts the people of the valley will in
sist upon attacking the problem OF
general Improvement on the vast and
far-reaching scale which it deserves,
and henceforth progress will follow in
broad lines and with constantly accu-
mulating results.
With the progressiveness and ambi-
ton of the Western people it need not
be more than a generation to see
marvellous change in conditions. and
the work in connection with the Orland
project will derive its highest impor-
tance and value from having given i'm
petus to the full development of the
potentialitIes of this great valley.