Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-12-05
HAVE FAITH IN
IRRIGATION
President Fowler, DR.. Newell,
X. P. Teel Address
Congress
PRESIDENT SENDS MESSAGE
Representatives Present From
Western States and Foreign
Nations

(By Special Leased wire to New ,Yexican)
Chicago, ILL.,, Dec. 5.-Experis in
irrigation from many of the western
states and from a dozen foreign coun.
tries, including Mexico, Canada and
Central and South America and gov
ernment officials interested in the re.
clamation of arid and swamp lands at
tended the opening today of the 18th
annual meeting of the National Irri.
CATION Congress.
DIR. F. H. Newell. director of the
! United States Reclamation Service;
X. P. Teele, in charge of irrigation
statistics of the Bureau of Census, and
Senator William Z. Borah of Idaho,
were the chief speakers for this after.
noon. An encouraging message from
President Taft was received.
West Needs More Irrigation.
Chicago, Dec. 5.-The west is in
need OF more irrigating than of irri-
CATION works, more settlers than new
projects, according to report OF R.
p. Teele of the United States Census
| Bureau in charge of irrigation before
! the National Irrigation Congress here
today The report shows the increase
O. irrigated acreage from 1889 to 1909.
the nature of the enterprises by which
| the projects have been completed and
! the percentage of land actually under
irrigation as compared to the acreage
| for which water is available.
After showing by tables that thera
are 5.636,394 acres available for irri.
CATION on which there are no settlers,
Teele, in conclusion, said
| There Is large unirrigated acre.
age for which works are built and wa
ter is available and the water sup
ply for this land has been provided at
higher cost than previously had been
considered practicable.
| "Such a condition means that the
land actually irrigated must bear the
expense for the idle land, or that the
investor in irrigation must wait in
definitely for returns upon his money
His own legitimate burden is all the
new settler possibly can bear and con.
sequently the investor must carry the
load.
There is little doubt that most Of
our irrigation enterprises are practic.
able and would succeed to the salts.
faction of all concerned if all the land
for which water is provided were pro-
ducing returns but one-third or one
half or three-fourths of the land can.
not carry the whole load.
"The conclusion is obvious, what
the west needs now is not more irri.
Igation works but more irrigating."
"The total acreage irrigated in sew.
,enteen western states in 1909 was 49,
739,499 as compared with 3,631,3S1 in
1889. In 1889 California stood first
with 1,004,233 acres, Colorado second
and Montana third. In 1909 these three
states still held the highest places with
Colorado first with 2792,032 acres,
California was second with Montana
third, and Idaho close fourth.
A fact brought out by the census is
that large percentage Of the acre
age was irrigated by cooperative, in.
dividual and partnership enterprises,
about S4 per cent of the whole being
included in this character by the fol.
lowing:
United States Reclamation Service.
395,646 acres.
U. S. Indian service, 1899 acres.
Carey Act enterprises, 2SS,553 acres.
Irrigation districts 533,142 acres.
Cooperative enterprises, 4646,O39
acres.
. Commercial enterprises, 1,444,s06
acres.
, Individuals and partnerships. $685..
401 acres.
A lengthy table showed that in
1910 existing enterprises were ready
to supply 19,3S5,711 acres of land with
water. The larger part of this ad.
ditional acreage was in five states.
Colorado reported over one million
acres, Idaho and California each re.
ported a little less than million
acres and Montana and Wyoming each
showed over half a million.
The acreage reported as included
in projects is 31,112,110, an increase
CT 17,372,611 over the acreage irrigat-
ed in 1909 This additional acreage is
distributed among the states in about
: the same proportions as in 1909, ex-
cept that Oregon reports nearly 2 900;
600 acres. Much of this land under
lditch but not yet irrigated is undoubt-
edly in farms which are already taken