Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-11-09
THE VALUE OF WATER
Irrigation Once Used Profitably on
Meadow Land

EDITOR GAZETTE: Just now the peo-
pie of Rockbridge are in a condition
to appreciate the value of water.
In the beginning" what a bless
ed thing it was to humanity to cre-
ate water, and as we now view it
what poor world this would have
been IL water had been left out OF
the creation. In fact it would be
hard to imagine a world without
water.
During the prolonged drought
which the people of Rockbridge
have passed through, who among all
its citizens has not wished for rain?
Every person who has any connec-
ton with the cultivation OF the earth
has looked so often at the sky with
the hope Of finding some indication
of rain.
The United States government in
recent years has expended vast
sums of money to irrigate the arid
districts of the West, and great ter
ritories. which have been until re-
Gently Gully sandy waste places, are
now made to bloom and blossom like
the Plain OF Sharon. The most won
derful grain crops, as well as the
most wonderful fruit crops OF all
kinds, are being raised in parts of
the United States where formerly
nothing but vast deserts of sand
existed.
Coming to our own county Of
ROckbridge, there was a day in its
history wnen it was the custom of
the farmers to irrigate their lands,
and especially the meadows. Prior
to the Civil War the watered mead
ows of RockbridGe were famous as
well as source of great revenue to
the people.
There we're so many horses needed
to run the stage coaches and so
many mules used about the old iron
founories that these animals CON-
bined made vast army OF hay eat
srs that had to be fed. There were
no railroads to bring hay from dis
lance, and if there had been rail-
roads no baling machine had been
invented by which it could be pre-
pared to be shipped, so the hay had
to be raised here in Rock bridge
county for home consumption.
Nearly every farmer had his watered
meadow, and today. by close exami-
nation, traces of the old bitches can
be seen in most any part of Rock
bridge county. The custom was to
take all stock off of the meadow land
in the latter winter and early spring
and then flood the land with water
as far as possible. Even wet weather
springs we're used for this purpose,
and the result OF this irrigation was
to make enormous yields of hay,
most frequently making two fine
crops the same year
The very best income many OF tn,
farmers had in those days was from
: watered meadows. After the ditcI
was once cut the distribution O
water WAS a duty that an elderly
ROckbridge farmer delighted to per
form. And this was not all; the fin
grass crop made fine young horses
cattle, sheep and hogs; the land wa
permanently enriched, and whel
the farmer wished to break the so,
of the watered land for ccrn al
enormous crop always followed
Why cannot tie farmers of Rock
! bridge return to the old custom @
, irrigating? Nothing is so cheapl,
done on farm in the way of perma
nent improvements as toirrigate; ant
nothing can be done that will max
so great a return for the labor ex
pended. The beautiful springs ar,
here, just as they were in the day.
of old, and we have the same hills
, only little older and poorer thar
, they we're in the days of the fathers
and why not now return to the oil
method OF irrigating? Every farme
of Rockbridge county is anxious 4
improve his land; it is a constan
source of study to him by which b.
, can find out how to improve his Ian,