Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-23

be our progress.
"In that extensive territory which
people designate the Mountain states
the sloil of the upper benches is ire
quently better and deeper than that
of the valleys. In my own experience
in locating canals have found to my
deep regret that the best land is fire.
quently above the proposed canal.
Then. too, under favorable conditions.
this deep fertile soil which cannot be
artificially watered produces bet
ter quality of grain. Its extent is also
much greater. No one knows how
much land can be irrigated in the
arid and semi-nrid regions of the Unit
ed States. 1t has been variously esti-
mated all the way from co.
100000 to 100,000,000 acres. Thls
much we do know. that ev-
cry acre that is irrigated by
the generations that will follow us.
there are likely to be several acres
of equally fertile soil that must be
cultivated without irrigation. II cul-
tivated at all. Our children and chill
dren's children may in time reclaim
by irrigation 100000 acres, but
these descendants of ours VIII still
gaze just as we do on from one to
two hundred million acres of arabic
and irrigable lands for which no water
can he obtained. Nothing that ] may
say can show more clearly the mag
nitude of the problem you men have
undertaken. In your praiseworthy eff
forts to establish happy and prosperous
homes on what Is now the uncultVat-
ed and uninhabted uplands of this
western country, bring you the greet
bors and friends who toll amidst the
irrigated burrows
NO LINE OF DEMARKATIoN,
In this age of diversified farming IN
the west and of the winter feeding OF
stock. II is no longer possible to dlaw
any sharp line between the farmer and
the stockman. The small farmer Keeps
stock and the large stockman grows
alfalfa. For the same reason, no sharp
line of demarkation exists between the
irrigator and the dry farmer The If
rigator has frequently u moro or less
extensive tract above the canal which
he cultivates without water and the
dry farmer derives a great deal of
profit and satisfaction from the small
tract which he irrigates. This is surely
another reason why the dry farmers
and irrigators should be on friendly
terms.
This brings me to the subject that I
would like to present in the briefeSt
possible time, viz: the use of limited
water supplies on dry farms. 1 know
men will tell you that artificial sup
plies OF water are mot needed and 10
prove their statements they will point
to the rich valley l;tnds that have been
converted into marshes, to the barren
stretches rendered valueless by the
rise of alkali and to the troubles ana
controversies which arise over the
division and use of water.
Most of these troubles are of our own
making. This is the penalty we pay for
lad
the rise of the ground water and The
rise Of the alkali would not be so
troublesome factors and If we had
started out IN this work OF reclaimins
the desert by irrigation with better
laws on our statute books governing
the appropriation, diversion and use of
water there would have been fewer
legal battles over water rights. The
beneficial effects of irrigation should
not be lost sight of on account of these
drawbacks.
Water is not only needed for house
hold and stock purposes and for The
irrigation of trees, lawns and gardens.
but 1t is the most important factor
in the production of field crops. The
soil is fertile, the climate favorable,
but the proper amount of water is fire.
quently lacking and low yields or crop
failures result II the dry farm could
only obtain and apply the water which
the irrigator wastes 1t would greatly
increase the yields from arid lands.
WINTER IRRIGATION.
BY winter irrigation is meant the
application of water to the soils out
side of the regular irrigation season.
The latter seldom lasts more than four
months. During the balance of the
year, particularly in the early spring.
a large quantity of water passes the
dry farms on its way to the ocean. This
water is not utilized by either the dry
farmer or the irrigator. yet 1t is cap
able of producing valuable results. If
one excludes the Great Plains region,
where there are few rivers, and con-
slders the more mountainous portions
of the states and territories west of
the Missouri river, there is presented
well-nigh llmitless opportunity for
the diversion of water from western
streams and its application to dry
farms during periods of the year when
1t is not used by the irrigators of the
lower valleys.
Winter irrigation has got beyond the
experimental stage. In Arizona, Cali
fornia. eastern Oregon and eastern
Washington, many of the streams dis
charage the greater part of their flow
during the non-irrigating season. This
water when not retained In storage
reservoirs would be entirely wasted
unless diverted and used. Quite often
fields and orchards are irrigated In
this way when the plants and trees
do not require water. but in order to
store up supply of moisture in tho
soil for future use. A deep. retenslve
soil forms one of the best natural res
ervoirs.
Winter irrigation as practised In the
Santa Clara valley, California, may
serve as an example. In 1898 the rainfall
WAS only one-half of the normal. In
stead of l6 inches the precipitation was
inches. The year previous was like
wise one of scanty water supply, These
two dry years coming In succession and
followed by others OF medium rainfall
compelled tho orchardists to irrgate,
and since that time they have con-
tinued the practise. Investigations
made there by our office IN 1904 showed
that one ditch supplied water TO l,24l
acres from Feb. % TO April 30. During
these days In winter and early spring
the land was Hooded TO a depth OF 10
inches. Another ditch covered over
5000 acres TO a depth OF q inches from
Feb, ~ to April 90. Still another COW
cred 300 acres 10 depth OF 40 inches
during the early spring months. The
average cost of this water TO the llrl-
gators under the three bitches was
$iG6 per acre, This water which
averaged nearly 81 inches In depth.
was applied at n time when the orchard
soil was wet from rains, when the
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