The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-09


 The first fruits of the national reelama- tion service ripened in Nevada. where. on June r, 1905, the third anniversary of the reclamation act the Truckee-Carsen canal was thrown open. This canaL9is thirty-one miles long and diverts water from Truckee river to the channel of Carson river, where a storeage reservoir will be built Water is now ready for delivery through several hundred miles of lateral ditches to about 50,000 acres, 30, 600 of which are public lands open to home stead entry. An assessment of $26 an acre is made against this land for water rights, payable in the ten annual install- ments allowed by the reclamation scheme. When the TruckeeC Carson project is final ly complete, 35O,00O acres will have been reclaimed.
 In Montana, as in Arizona, the Indians are aiding in the work of conquerng the desert The Blackfeet indians are being employed on the Milk river project, which proposed to redeem a tract of a quarter of a millio nacres between Havre and Glasgow. Montana. In addition to reg ulating the flow of Milk river. the water supply will be supplemented from St. Mary's lakes. The water will be stored and then conducted through a canal, twenty-six miles long to the headwaters of Milk river. This is but one of several Montana irrigation projects now under way.
 New Mexico has held public territorial celebration in honor of the advent of the federal reclamation work money having been appropriated by the legislature for that purpose. Here in the Pecos River valley irrigation works were constructed by private enterprise. Although the con- struction was imperfect the water was carried to the land and it's wonderful fertility fully demonstrated. The country became famous for its fruit within a few years. Then came a disastrous flood three years ago and swept away a large portion of Avalon dam, ruining the whole irrigation system An appeal to the gen. eral government was made, and the re- sponse was ready. The work of recon struction was taken up and water is TOW being served. The defects of the old sys- tenn were remedied. and there is now as- surance of a water supply every year. The Yuma project in southern California and Arizona has been the subject of a presidential message to congress. It will add much to the wealth of the Egypt of America" Other projects are under way which will redeem large sections in Texas, North Dakota Utah, Oregon. South Dakota, Idaho and Kansas.
 When the twenty-five irrigation systems now under way are completed, and the thirteen yet in abeyance are taken up and finished this work will have added to the crop-producing area of the country lands equal in extent to the improved farm acreage in the states of Massachu- setts, Connecticut. Vermont and Maine. This is one way of annexing new terri tory that will find no political opposition.
 On these irrigated lands the element of chance is removed from the pursuit of agriculture. The farmer knows exactly when he will plant his crops. and exact ly when to expect his harvest. There Is no problem of too wet spring or a too dry summer. On these vast tracts of the arid west, being won from the desert by the energy and genius of the Ameri- can engineer. agriculture will become science almost as exact as mathematics.
 Tomorrow-Historic Taverns of Amer ica.