Arizona republican., 1911-12-18
Expert Takes Rosy View of the Future of Irrigated Sections in Various Parts of the Western Coun- try.
RECLAMATION IS
 JUST BEGINNING
Government Official Says the Economic Value of the Back to the Farm" Movement Can Hardly be Computed.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 17.-W. H. | Heileman, who for many years has been connected with irrigation affairs l in the West and who is now in charge i of the maintenance and operation of one of Uncle Sam's big projects. is in ! Washington for a brief visit He said:
 The irrigated lands of the West. ] although irrigation is only in its be- | ginning. have begun to contribute many hundreds of millions annually to l the farmers bank account.
 An important part of the apple crop, the greater part of the citrus crop. sugar beets. and about all the raisin and dried fruit products of the l country come from the irrigated lands of the West.
 While the practice of irrigation un- til quite recently was considered eco- nomically possible only for high-cla products or crops with high market value per acre. such as fruits. We are 1 learning very rapidly that it is en- tirely practicable and profitable to carry on general farming under irri- gation. and that nearly all common crops can be made to pay very sat isfactory returns each year. especially if grown in connection with livestock production.
 Farming under irrigation is today representative of the highest type of husbandry. The control of water to the crop reacts with a twofold ad- vantage in an arid country. Primar- fly. moisture of water assurance such as is possible through irrigation is a crop insurance and the fact that there is little or no rainfall at the same time intimates almost constant sun shine. The combination of moisture and sunshine is one the importance of which no tiller of the soil can overestimate. and also a nature help which the novice in farming must consider as of enormous value.
 "Aridity to the uniformed means desolatiOn. dust, alkali. thirst and starvation As a mater of fact our millions of acres of arid land are veritable storehouses of fertility and production. and with irrigation will feed the nation for generations to come. We can consider this area in large way as natures great conserv- atory, tO be drawn upon perpetually after we have become sufficiently in- telligent in the matters of subjugation and use.
 Tt is difficult to estimate Offhand the economic importance of the much talked-about movement of families from the city to the farm The back to the land" eXhortation to all intents and purposes is a go West young man" motto redressed. Insofar as mil grafton tO the farm interets men with money and intelligence the whole idea is excellent and can only lead to success. The one phase of such q movement in it's relation to the oc- cupancy and development of irrigated lands, merits most careful considera- tion on the part of the man who wishes to leave the trades and pro- fessions to become farmer. After all has been said. any material efflux to the land will be to irrigated land. for the reason that homestead lands with sufficient rainfall and desirable cli- mate are largely things of the past in this country. Also. the majority of transfers of private lands in the older communities finally terminate in the migration of some one of the in terested parties to the irrigated West
 "I find that the beginner in irriga- ton farming is quite generally sue cessful In fact that success is quite uniformly possible. For a number of years I have been closely in touch with all classes of settlers in newly opened districts. and find that nearly always the beginner is ready with his water payments and that at the same time his farm improvements are not sighted. I am inclined to believe that more failures are due to misfor- tune in the initial requirement of un- desirable pieces of land. or to being cheated the first purchases of land and equipment, than to mismanage- ment of the farming operations. once started
 Fortunately. at least on government irrigation projects. the inexperienced man is given every help and consid- eration possible in matters relating to the selection of land and farm plans. Irrigated lands are attracting some of the brightest young men from older sections of the country. and these men of education and training in agricuI- ture do not need much help. Tn fact. they are early ready to help others
 There have never been better op-
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