La Junta tribune., 1911-06-24
Conservation Of Water.

acre OF mesa land and high-lying
land In Colorado should not be irri.
gated declared Meyer Harrison to
representative OF the Denver Times,
In discussing plans for n greater Colo
RADIO. I'VE have sufficient water
to wet them and II can be pumped up
to the land. There Is no reason why
We shouldn't have 300. 900. 100000 or
l l,000. 900 more people In Colorado,
We can get them here II We con-
serve our water and use 1t properly.
God helps those who help them
selves" continued Mr.. Harrison. land
unless Colorado helps herself she will
not advance. We hear about water
famines and water shortage and crops
burning up. and meanwhile We are
permitting millions and billions of. gal.
Ions OF water to slip away from us.
There is no reason why every acre
Of land lying between Denver and
the Kansas and Nebraska state lines
should not be under irrigation. We
have the water to wet them.
I'VE think that We appreciate the
value Of water. but we don't II We
did, it would not be wasted. And
We are wasting enough water to irrt-
gate all the lands on which a vege-
table or a berry can be grown. The
use OF water In large quantities Is
injurious to crops. II destroys the
quality and the quantity. A cigar
must be kept moist In this dry cii-
mate. but II II is soaked with water
II Is no good. The same logic can
be applied to crops Just enough
water makes . plant grow. expand, at
tain Its greatest growth. Too much
water water-soaks II, causes deterior'
alton and greatly lessons the value Of
the product.
The project Is too broad and -
] peasive Tor inAivtAuals 70 carry out.
/, but Il 10 something that the ssnte
eau and should do We make laws
against crime-it Is a crime to waste
water. Some will say 1t would be
unconstitutional: | say. change the
constitution. The people can change
IL by vote. The will OF the people
Is supreme. l believe that II the
people knew what could be accom-.
plished by conserving our water they
would alter the constitution without
end and make as large n bond issue
ms they deemed wise to accomplish
that purpose.
"The people Of Colorado should do
two things-at once. One is to make
bond issue. say OF S25.o0o.ooo for
fifty years ut three and one-half or
four per cent To line the irrigation
canals and bitches with cement. The
state should then step In and take
charge OF all the water. educate
the farmers how to use water and not
let one Of them have drop more
than is required for bis crops. Small
reservoirs should BE- built NJ various
places along the large canals. Large
sh l,. htslt nj tsntne -
along the rivers. Every drop Of
flood water should be- stored for III.
ture use.
THE state should be divided Into
districts for the convenience Of In.
structors from the State Agr,cultur.
al College and the water commission.
erx. Each Instructor would have n
certain territory to cover. Soil and
climatic conditions would have to be
taken into consideration. The Instruc
tor would determine the exact guam.
tiiy Of water needed In his district
His results would be conveyed TO the
water comm issioncr. Electrically op.
Grated devices for handling the water
gates could be- installed at n central
point In each district The water
com missioner could operate the gates
from the central station by pressing
= button. Electrical devices could
register the flow Of the water. All
farmers would be given Just the guam
tity Of water that their crops re-.
quircd and not one drop more
RnAAlaa Asain a. AAlleh fA.Aa