The Ordway new era., 1909-09-03
SEMl-ARlD LANDS
Supplying Moisture One Of World
Wide Important Problems.
Question Be Discussed by Experts at
National irrigation Congress to 30
Held at spokane-Was Prae.
ticed by Ancients.

~ NHStCVkos
Supplying moisture to semi.arid and
desert lands by artificial means, one
OF the problems of worldwide impor.
tance to be discussed by experts at
the 18th sessions at the National Irri.
CATION congress In Spokane, August
TO IA. was practiced by the Arabians,
Egyptians. Assyrians and Chinese,
long before the advent of Solomon,
ana 1t has since formed port of ag-
riculture of the countreis bordering
on the Mediterranean sea. The an.
cient art had Its origin in American
In prehistoric times. by the Pueblo
Indians, who inhabited portions of
what are now New Mexico and Ari.
zona and their descendants were still
cultivating the lands when the first
spanish colonists came from the
south, several centuries ago.
census to-day would show fully
25O,OOO farms in the United States uu.
der bitches. watering more than 49,
100000 acres of lands. Colorado leads
In the number of acres irrigated. Cal
ifornia has the largest number of ir-
rigators, while Washington has the
greatest percentage in the number Of
irrigators. The science is also prac-
ticed In Canada. England, France, Italy
Japan, the Argentine. South America.
Algeria. Australia. Switzerland, Belgi.
um. Denmark. Bohemia. India, Spain
and Scotland. 1t is estimated that
more than 75.O0O.OOO acres are unter
irrigation throughout the world.
History records that the valley OF
March. in Arabia. was supplied with
water drawn from n reservoir made by
dam 120 feet in height, and two
miles In length. This wall was con.
structed Of hewn stones and II re.
strained the swift current OF an impor.
tant stream for more than 1000 years.
Mention is also made Of the canal uf
the Pharaohs. connecting the Red sea
with Potassium. Flood waters OF the
river were used to irrigate the valley
OF the Nile centuries before, and the
plains OF Babylon were literally criss.
crossed with canals, some OF them
hundreds OF miles in length. The Ro-
mans also operated vast systems,
while the Chinese supplied moisture
to their rice lands by artificial means
before the Christian era.
Mormons settling on the shores of
the Great Salt lake. In Utah. were the
first of the English.speaking people to
make systematic application OF the
principles of irrigation In the west.
They turned the waters of the Wa.
satch mountain streams upon their
holdings. the present site of Salt Lake
City. mastering the art after years OF
effort. Priests of the early missions
also made use OF water on the lands
in southern California. where to-day
may be seen the ruins of pretentious
works built by the Indians. Placer
gold miners in California utilized thc
water from their bitches for irrigation
purposes.
The result obtained in Utah and
California induced settlers in other
states and territories to try the plan
and small tracts of land were put un
der the bitches in Idaho, Washington
and Oregon. The Indians in the Clear
water country. in Idaho. were the first
in this part of the country to use arti
fcally supplied moisture in the cult
walton of crops. Rev. Henry II
Spaulding. who came to the north
west with DR.. Marcus Whitman. men
toned this fact in his early letters &c
relatives in New England.
Less than 10000 acres were under
irrigation in the United States in 1870
but during the next decade the acre
age was increased to 100000. Tht
federal census shows 3,63l,4S acres
on 54.136 farms under the ditch II
1889. the area doubling the following
decade. due largely to the extension
of the existing canals. A special cen
sus in 1902 showed 126.00S farms will
a total OF 9,O3i.526 acres under irri
CATION. Congress adopted the nation
al irrigation act that year. which saw
the beginning of the construction o.
work under the control of the secre
tary of the interior. the fund beinl
derived from the disposal of reclaimed
lands. The law provides that the cos
of the work is to be apportioned t.
the land and refunded to the govern
ment in ten yearly installments with
out interest.