The daily tribune., 1909-01-04

blight expert and horticulturist of
Rife has written an article for the
Rocky Mountain News condcmnlng
the criminal waste Of water" which
he declares is now going on In Colo
RADIO.
His article Is as follows:
To the Rocky Mountain News:
Since the invitation has been ex-
tended by your valuable paper for re-
plies to Mr.. McConnell's article ON ir-
rigatlon | desire to make a few re-
marks. not 30 much in answer to his
article as for the purpose Of describ
get it. 1t is, OF course, an admitted
fact that the water makes the value
OF nearly all land In Colorado, but It
Is just as valuable for the owner to
know how and when to use the water
as II Is to have 1t. While we are i'm
proving each year In agriculture and
horticulture. there Is nothing SO Inn
portant connected with these indus
tries as the judicious- application Of
water TO the land.
In years past little or no attention
has been given to the amount of water
used. most of the people thinking that
as the water was the thing needed
the more the better, and In conse-
quence much more crops have been
ruined from too much water than too
little. This is not all. The land has
also been seriously damaged, and in
many instances ruined. This Is shown
from the fact that millions of dollars
are and will be spent in the reclama-
ton of land drainage through care
lessness, ignorance, greed, etc The
state laws have reduced the quantity
Of water from time to time until we
are now allowed practically three
quarters of miners inch to the
acre. Did you ever stop to figure what
a volume of water this Is? One-fourth
OF an inch to the acre for the irri-
CATION season of four months means
sixteen inches of water In depth over
every acre of your land. while we are
allowed forty-eight inches under the
state law. Think of this reckless and
useless waste of water. or course.
some land needs more water than
other land for several reasons. but
the amount OF water is not so import
ant as the application and conserva-
tlon OF 1t.
II we would apply ourselves to the
proper method of conservation OF mo-
lsture 1t would be far better to both
land and crop.
The artificial application of water to
land Is science, and its misuse In
Colorado Is most serious problem.
The distribution of water to obtain
the maximum results is not learned In
day. month of year, and there Is
only very small per cent OF the peo-
pie who are really skilled in the art,
While the writer has been living in
Colorado for the past thirty-fve years
and given close application and study
to 1t, he still feels that he Is only a
student In the profession. and we find
there is yet much to be learned upon
the subject
There is another important feature
to be considered in the future, and
that Is the method OF building canals.
AS the water costs more from time to
time. the land will likewise Increase,
hence II will be necessary to have the
water to reach the maximum results
This can be done in many places by
piping to prevent leakage. and would
reduce the maintenance Of the canal
to Il minimum and prevent the need of
drainage In after years.
While we need and must have water
on our land. We also need Instructions
for applying II. We need education
along this line. and lots OF 1t, and we
need to know that water is not the
only requirement to make success.
II many OF our farmers and orchard
lists OF Colorado today had less water
and used less. and the surplus was
given to those who have too little.
a much larger area could now be COW
cred with more beneficial results.
J. +. MYSER.