East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-07-12
IRRIGATION AN
ANCIENT SCIENCE
PRACTICED BY NATIONS
BEFORE TIME OF SOLOMON
History Shows That Streams Were
Damned and Irrigation Systems
Constructed Thousands of Years
AgO-MormOns are the First to
Systematically Apply Irrigation in
United States-Morc Than 25O,OOO
Farms Irrigated Today.

United States-Morc Than 25O,00I
Farms Irrigated Today.
Spokane.-Supplying moisture t.
semi-arid and desert lands by artifi
cial means, one OF the problems ol
worldwide importance to be dis
cussed by experts at the 17th sessions
at the National Irrigation congress in
Spokane, August to IA, was prac-
ticed by the Arabians, Egyptians, AS
syrians and Chinese long before the
advent of Solomon, and 1t has since
formed a part of the agriculture of
the countries bordering on the medi-
terranean sea. The ancient art had
Its origin in America in prehistoric
times, by the Pueblo Indians, who in
habited portions of what are now
New Mexico and Arizona, and their
descendants were still cultivating the
lands when the first Spaniard col
onists came from the south, several
centuries ago.
A census today wiuld show fully
100000 farms in. the United States
under ditches watering more than
100000 acres of land. Colorado
leads in the number of acres irrigated.
California has the largest number OF
irrigators, 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, Switzer-
land, Belgium. Denmark, Bohemia.
India, Spain and Scotland. 1t is es-
timated that more than $4,000. 900
acres are under irrigation through
out the world.
Irrigation I'm Arabia.
History records that the valley OF
March, in Arabia was supplied with
water drawn from a reservoir made
by a dam 120 feet in height and two
miles in length. This wall was con-
structed of hefn stones and 1t re-
strains the swift surrent of an inn
portant stream for more than 200
years Mention is also made of the
canal of the Pharaohs, connecting the
Red sea with Pelusium. Flood waters
OF the river were used to irrigate the
valley of the Nile centuries before |
and the plains of Babaylon were lit
orally criss-crossed with canals some |
of them hundreds Of miles in length. |
The Romans also operated vast sys-
tens. while the Chinese supplied |
moisture to their rice lands by artifi-
cial means before the Chirtian area.
Beginnings in America.
Mormons settling on the shores of
the Great Salt Lake, in Utah, were
the first of the Englsh-speaking
people to make a systematic applica-
tion of the principles of irrigation in
the west They turned the waters OF
the Wasatch 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 today may be seen the ruins
of prententious works built by the In
dans. Places gold miners in Califor-
mia utilized the water from their
bitches for irrigation purposek.
The result obtained in Utah ana
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, we're the
first in this part of the country to
use artficially supplied moisture in !
he cultivation of crops. Rev. Henry
4. Spaulding, who came to the North
vest with DR.. Marcus Whitman, mem I
toned this fact in his early letters TO
'elatives in New England.
Growth of Irrigation.
Less than 10000 acres were under I,
irrigation in the United States in 1870, 4
,ut during the next decade the acre. +,
.ge was increased to 1000, ,000. The q
ederal census shows 3,631,4S1 acres n
N 54,136 farms under the ditch in II
ecade. due largely to the extension +
( the existing canals. A special CEN y,
us in 1902 showed 10000 farms X
nth a total of 9,O34,526 acres under 9,
'rigation. Congress adopted the ma -,
onal irrigation act that year. which -
aw, the beginning of the construction ~
( work under the control of the Sec n
etary of the interior, the fund being h,
erived from the disposal OF reclaim n
a lands. The law provides that the
1st of the work is to be apportioned
the land and refunded to the gov
in 10 yearly installments y,
ithout interest "i