The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-06

her own resources n few years ago by
the death of her husband, Captain T.
w. Dodd. The land which she has con
verted into q productive onion farm
and a comfortable home in the town
were all the property hat was left her.
She decided that the land must be
made TO bring in "A revenue in order
70 pay for itself and support her. No
tract Of land in the Laredo section is
more advantageously situated. 1T has
n frontage on the Rio Grande, the ia
ternational boundary stream, and runs
back to the limits of the town.
When Mrs. Dodd took personal charge
Of the property the success of growing
Bermuda onions had been proved. A
small part of the land was already uu-
der irrigation, the water supply being
obtained from the river by means Of a
steam pump. After a careful study Of
the situation, Mrs Dodd decided to
clear and make available additional
land for cultivation and to try her hand
at raising onions on n large scale. She
enlarged the irrigable tract to seventy
acres, all Of which she planted in Ber.
muda onions, That was three years
ago. Conditions were favorable and
despite the many difficulties that had
to be overcome she marketed the onion
crop upon the seventy acres at a net
profit of $50 900 The season IS work
had taught her many things in con-
nection with farming, particularly with
reference to that particular crop. She
found that the steam pumping plant
was inadequate to the needs Of the
farm, and. furthermore, that it was sit
uated so low upon the bank of the
river as to run the risk of being washed
away by an overflow. For such ca
lamity to, happen i'll the midst Of
crop growing season might mean the
loss Of most Of the onions Some of
the onion growers in the valley Of the
Rio Grande were at that time receiv-
ing the power for operating their pumps
from an electric transmission line which
| had been built down the river from
the central electric power plant in La.
redo. After mature consideration of
the matter. Mrs. Dodd decided to re.
place the old steam pumping plant with
an electric station. She went over her
farm carefully and determined that the
| water from the pump could be made to
rrigate the upper benches, This was
! something that other farmers along the
river had pronounced as impracticable.
il being declared that the water could
not be successfully lifted to such a
height as would be necessary to put il
over the upper lands.
Mrs. Dodd went ahead with her ar.
raugements. She erected an electric
| pumping STATION upon tho bank OF the
river: The pump which has a capacity
Of $500 gallons Of water minute is
located in "A concrete we'll which rises
above the ground 81 feet. This we'll
is l3 feet in diameter. The electric
motor which operates the pump is 1876
horsepower. Upon the top Of the we'll
is small house in which is located the
switches. The pumping station is we'll
above the highest water mark of the
river. The lift of the water is l06 feet.
which is of itself something Of a nov
city in irrigation works. The water is
pumped into l4-inch wooden pipe
which carries it n distance of $500 feet
and empties it into a reservoir. From
this reservoir three open bitches and
one sheet-iron hume lead over the farm
in different directions. The hume is
2750 feet long
Besides tho l3j acres Of onions Mrs
Dodd this season had about 50 acres in