The Florida agriculturist., 1908-01-01

undertook to show some OF the dit
ferent modes that are used in the
great arid regions of the West. Also
some of the difficulties under which
the growers there labOred, but should
I attempt to enumerate all OF them,
[ would have to write a volume Of no
small size, but they were there in large
numbers.
They had, as rule, one advantage
over us in Florida-the source Of water
supply was generally above the land to
be irrigated, but not always so. This
was one advantage they had. But
then, on the other hand, they we're
handicapped for lack Of transportation,
oftentimes a hundred miles to the
nearest railrood, and sometimes five
hundred or even more miles from any
station, and no wagon road worthy to
be called such-just Indian trails, and
then these trails were dangerous to
travel over, for the Indian was jealous
of his white neighbor and was not
averse to lifting his scalp whenever
an opportunity presented, SO you see
those of the West had their troubles.
This lack Of transportation was only
IlllllS ClICy udQ W OOIllCIlQ WILL
But it was serious one.
Then, again, we had trouble with
Our bitches, for oftentimes just as we
would get them done and in running
order, some section away off up the
stream would have heavy rain, and
the water came down with rush, and
away went the dam, and much of the
ditch as we'll with it. And frequently
it was too late to renew it in time for
crop that season. All the tedious la
Dor of weeks and sometimes months,
was gone in a night. But they per-
severed and in the end they prospered
and redeemed the wilderness and
transformed it into beautiful farms,
fruitful orchards and groves. So you
see it was no small task they had to
contend with.
AS an instance in mind, I will just
mention friend who settled in the
mountains on fine stream Of water,
some 400 miles as the crow flies, from
a railroad, and 600 or 800 miles by
wagon road, all for the sake of getting
on land and in a section where he
wouldn't have to irrigate. But after
a time, he decided that while he could
get along after fashion Gust as we
have been doing here), he would go
back to irrigation methods, again, and,
being of an inventive turn, he intro
duced a system of overhead irrigation.
That was the beginning of what we are
now pleased to call the Skinner sys-
tenn $50 you see there is nothing new
under the SUM, only in his case he
used fumes and small troughs of wood
to carry the water, pipes being out Of
the question.
To make long story short, I will
just say that while this man could have
scratched along as others were doing,
and made a living, he resolved, at an
expense of some $4,000, to put water
on his land. AS result, instead of
just about making both ends meet, as
too many do here under the present
system of culture, the year following
the introduction of irrigation, he came
out over $4,000 ahead from his crop
besides spending over $1,000 more in
charging his watering plant. Such is
one of many instances [ could mention
to show what irrigation has done for
others when it was thought irrigation
was not needed.
We all have seen what it has done
around Sanford and other places in
Florida, for the truckers, and what it
has done for them it can do for the
fruit growers as we'll. 1t is true some
seasons we may not need it, but, like
insurance on your house, it is a good
thing to have. You may never use
it, but if you should be so unfortunate
as to need it, you feel thankful you had
it secured in advance.
And so we come back to irrigation