New-York tribune., 1910-01-25

ton does enable the farmer to control the
tainty what to expect of his crops or to
get large yield from small acreage.
IRRIGATION COSTS MONEY.
Men who are attracted by the prospects
in the great state of the Southwest want to
know about all the things that enter into
success I'm agriculture. and in the main the
man from the North and Middle West
knows nothing about irrigation excepting
that ii is artificial method Of supple
menting rainfall or providing moisture
where none at all comes from the clouds
In taking up irrigation he should remem-
ber at the beginning that he VIII not get
his water for nothing.
The companies that have built great
dams and reservoirs, canals and artesian
wells. supplied the pumping machinery
where gravity flow was impossible, and
SO on, had to expend a great deal of money.
They sell their water at so much an acre
foot and an acre-foot means a foot depth
OH an area of an acre. The amount it will
cost TO grow a crop depends upon the kind
of vegetables or cereal 10 be grown. 1t
may cost dollar an acre and it may cost
s.; but this expenditure brings returns
every time.
Irrigation as now practised makes the
supply of water as certain as anything
can be on earth. When rivers are used
dams are built for the purpose of hoard
ing a supply large enough to take care OF
a given acreage. From this river a sys-
TEN of canals is built. extending at given
distances into the country. From these
canals lateral bitches are dug, according
TO the needs of the land. Gates control
-
any locality operated by a company is
built the farmer gets his water as any
other necessary thing he may wish to pur-
chase for his use.
The farmer may use the water in his
own way, and he will find that his way
will be based upon the experience of his
neighbors and the advice of experts.
Some plough burrows across the fields,
and these are filled and then absorb the
moisture, distributing ii evenly over the
whole area. From the bitches there is. of
course. a steady percolation. The surface
of the soil is kept open to retain the moist
ure and with experience the farmer learns
to economiZe safely in his use Of the life
of his crops The mechanical part of the
irrigation system is in the hands of the
company managers. They see to it that
the supply never fails, that every condi
tion is safely met.
II is to the interest of the companies TO
make the supply safe and sure. Objection
has been made to irrigation on the ground
that it is not reliable so far as the surety
OF the supply of water is concerned. Those
persons in Texas who have taken land in
the irrigated sections do not make objec-
tions. They know that the great reser-
voirs, whether filled with river water or
from artesian wells, are there; that they
contain so much water. and that the sup
ply is maintained far beyond the require
ment of the section irrigated They know
Furthermore that they are by means of
this method able to regulate their farm
production 10 nicely.
Irrigated lands are, of course. more ex-
pensive than acreage in sections where
the system has not been introduced, but
the price asked to-day for the best irri-
gated lands in Texas is far below that
asked for land not a whit richer in sec
tions more densely populated.