Imperial Valley press and the Imperial press., 1907-03-30


 al Valley of California, have thought best to supply some such desired infor- nation by addressing the following to your paper and by this means reach a much greater number than is possible by private correspondence.
 The hitherto vexed water question be- nl; 2 now settled for all time by again re- Il irning the Colorado river to it's former ,ht ,nnel carrying the water to the Gulf # CCalifornia has added renewed interest o Sthis very interesting subject. The ocastion of the Valley may be described y g. aying it is situated just outeide the loa.st Range of mountains in San Diego ouinty, Calif., and distant from the city Sa n Diego about one hundred and went y-five miles due east.
 It Ii es west of the Colorado river, from ,hich, it derives an unlimited and con- tant supply of irrigating water at all ,ason, s of the year. In area the Valley nor e than 40 miles long by 30 miles idle and contains about fifteen hundred ,uareS miles of irrigable land which is the main quite level, but having an clination to the north and west of om four to ten feet fall to the mile. The whole Valley has been formed by le filling in of the deposit of the Colo do river and thus leveling up in a easure this large geinter-mountain basin. lis deposit has consisted mainly of a le silt and very fine sand and reaching known depth of several hundred at. The entire Valley is susceptible irrigation or in other words can be yered by water and irrigated, yet re- firing more or less leveling for this rpOse.
 The eleva tion ranges from two hun ed and eighty-seven feet below sea ,el to about forty feet above. On be- ytold that the general level is below sea, one would very naturally in- ire if there was not danger of it's be- inundated to whichit may be replied 1t there is an intervening coast range mountains nearly five thousand feet height through which the Colorado cut it's way to the Gulf of California I is now flowing with a moderate de from the Valley to the sea.
 S stated the soil consists of silt and d combined in somewhat variable portions and the lands are designated bilt and soft lands depending on the portion of sand, the former being aposed almost exclusively of fine silt I almost entire absence of sand and taking quite little of the qualities dobe yet never getting so hard and fielding when dry nor so gummy or ky when wet. It does not irrigate asily nor does it hold moisture so as the softer lands. The soft land ,mposed of silt and sand combined. presence of the sand in all cases es it more soft and foiable, while containing most sand is frequently fit that when driven over by ve-
 the wheels often sink into the un- vated soil several inches. The soft
 is usually much preferred flor the bn it is so much more easily worked pm gets very muddy when wet, is a ner soil and is considered far better
 uits, gardens, cantaloupesand al-
 As before stated the whole Val as been formed by she sediment de- ed by the Colorado river and at all
 there is sufficient silt in the water Ike it very dark and muddy, not
 e that seen in the dtches and gut
 fter summer shower. This sedi-
 is said to represent from two to
 CT cent. of the water and when
 for irrigation purposes it greatly
 ies the land.
 filling in of the Valley has been
 and long continued process of
 uilding, which we have been per
 to see duplicated in a measure
 the last two years during which
 ter has been flowing directly
 riverin the SaltOn sea through
 rotscted cut thoughtlessly made
 liver bank for divSrting the wat