The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1911-06-01
IDAHos IRRIGATION STATISTICS.
Preliminary Statement for 1909, Com
pared with 1899, Issued by the Gen.
sus Bureau.

pa SN "'su soSSS IoouS0 W tuC NCH-
sus Bureau.
Washington, D. c., June l, 1911.-
Acting Census Director Falkner is
sued today THE first official statement
from the Census Bureau relative to
the Statistics ct irrigation in TIL.
lState of IdahaL
It is based ON a preliminary com
parative summary submitted by Dr.
LeGrand Powers, chief st-itisticiMn of
the division f agriculture in the Blu
rea0 of the CenS5us, un0er whose SUI
pervisIiQn it was prepared by r. p.
Teele, special agent in charge OF irri-
gation. This summary sh,ws for
both 1909 and 1899 the number of
farms irrigated; the acreage irrigated
the acreage which existing enterprise
are capable of supplying a.lu the acre
age included in existing projects; tine
number OF independent enterprises;
the length of main ditch S; the tollal
cost OF irrigation systems; the aver
age cost per acre irrigated; nnd the
average at4la.l cost OF mainte.. ance
kJnd cperation 1t shows also for the
iN1ar 1909 length L4 kuuelAl dl,ches,
number OF reservoirs, capacity OF res
erWodrs, number Cf flowing Wells num-
ber OF wells pump ID for irrigation,
number oil pumping plants, engine ca
paclty of pumping p4a1ts, and acre
age irrigated wIJn pumped water Ine
acreage irrigated is classified by the
type of enterprise supplying water
ana by 'uhe source of water supply.
The act OF O-hgress of February 25
1910, under which the census of irri-
;g&olon is belL-5 taken, provides tor
collecting full Information concerning
lthe location, CHI racter, and q st OF
irrigation enterprises; whether such
enterprises are conducted under Ma
tiOnaI, St.lte, OF priv-te co4krCl; the
acreage of land irrigated: the prices
at which lanQ witch water rights can
water used for irrigation.
1t shCuIai be Noted TIN. the figures
are subject to revision, oWill. luJ Che
1act dha1 "a SMALL par. of the state
could not be ekJDv-ssed until the pr S
ent summer. 1t lis ,.l !. eMpeGleI,Q Lhat
the reports from the territCry not yat
: cRnvassed will make amy material
modific ations in the totals or perc IL
tages reported.
The total number Of farms irrigated
i'm 1909 was 16,0l2, against 9,1SS in
1885, an increase III 6,S24, or 74.3 per
cent, which is about the same as tn
ratio OF increase, 1873 per cent, i'll tn,
whole number OF farms in Jne state
during the same period OF time. Hence
THE per cent OF farms irrigated re-
mains practically unchamg lds being
521 in 1909 and 526 in 1899.
The total acrea5e irrigated in 1905
Was. l, ,42S, 542 acres, as against Cos,
71S acres in 1899, am increase II Sl9,
S24 acres, or 134.7 per cent. AS the
improved acreage in farms i'm the
state i'm THE same period OF time iA'
creased 96.2 per c lit, it is evident
that farmers IRE irrigating larger
parts OF their cultivated lands. This
improved acreage irrigated increased
from 43.1 per cent in 1899 to Ok
per cent hin 1909.
The total acrea=ie which all enter
prises wer capable OF supplying W l~
water ann dlnted i'm 1910 TO 1884 80
acres, as compared with 1,34S, 90
acres reported under ditch in 1895
tue increase being 1.036,074 acres, O
7GS per cent i'm the IL years.
The acreage included in all projec1
cumpleteht or actually und con
struction, i'm 1910, was 3,547,9 ,949 acre
The number III independe.-G entel
prises WIS 3,OS1 in 1903 amid 1884 i
1899, an increase OF PAT, or 67.9 pc
cent. the total length OF MAIN ditch
was, Z ,621 miles in 1909 AID 4,S46 i
1899, an l.crease OF 2,775 mil S. c
57.3 per cent. These imcreases -
much amlller than the gain in un
acreage irrigated, Indicating that tn
new enterprises and the new ditche
are much larger than l;h- Sc OF 1893.
The total cost OF irrigation system
to July /, 1910, was reportc'l as SAC
9sS,6S2, as ayainst $5,116,227 in 1ss
An incr hse OF $35, 400, or 701
per cent.
The average cost per acre OF irr
gation lu 1910 was S17.1S, as compa
ed with 1919 i'm 1899, an i-crease
s13.3s. or 1888 per cent. This gre
increase in cost per acre irrigated
due in part to more difficult CO
struction, and in part to better az
m-re permanent construction. II
average. annu~I cost of lrrletatlo-' Z
eration and maintenance per acre
<.-oo.<~<l f,oy,I % cents IN 1889 10