The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1912-01-18

worth to him during twenty years
farming experience II he could have
turned on the rain whenever hlf
crops needed moisture? His hall
crops would have been full ones,his
occasional total failures would have
been successes, and the money ae-
tually saved would amount 10 4 sum
WA'ch might well make him thought
al. The western man realizes thes
things. A man who has practised
iarming by irrigation, or who has
carefully studied Its advantages
rarely reyerts to either the theory
or practice OF rainfall farming. The
farmer IN humid regions realizes
clearly the handicaps under which
he works, but hesitates 10 change
because he has not had the object
lessons or experience Of the west
erncr, or has not given considcra-
ton TO the matter OF applying irri-
CATION to his own fields.
Many eastern farmers have the
idea that the irrigation farmer is
In chronic state Of water short
age, or has TO fight excess Of alkali
IN the soil, or 10 so far from market
hat profits are eaten up by trans
5ortatlon charges. These things
are sometimes true. but II 10
grave mistake TO believe that they
are unavoidable defects or that they
pp,y to all irrigated districts. In
building It's irrigation projects tn,
Government selects only fertile soil,
then IL gauges the size of the area
70 tit tho available water supply.
The reservoirs and canals are built
as substantially as engineering skill
zen devise and when the farms have
oecn laid out and water is running
In the canals, then and not till then.
settlers are Invited to use their HON
'tead rights on the land. The money
actually spent In building the lrri-
CATION works Is prorated against
each acre of land and Is repid by
The settlers In ten equal, annual
without interest. Cali 4
II you llke--it Is max
Ing homes by the thousand every
year
The Statistician Of the Rcclama-
ton Service at Washington, ID. c.,
states that success cannot be at
AIMED without work, either In the |
vest or anywhere else, ard the man
who expects to farm an irrigated
without hard work viii
le grieyously disappointed. Ncithel
vii. 20 get rich over night. The
Government holds out no promlc,k
,sf fabulous profits per acre or OF
and values increasing like snow
lail rolling down hill The Gimpl,
acts are these: Tracts OF first
lass farming land varying from ~
o leo acres are now open TO entry;
o their raw condition they produe,
lothing and are worth very little.
When properly irrigated they pro.
luce large crops Of alfalfa, grain.
vegetables, and fruit; In fact, all
be crops common TO the region In
which they are located, but In
reatcr abundance and more surely
han In states where farmers must
Iepend on the rainfall. Cultivated
and with an ssugred water supply
= worth s1O0 an acre upward an1
u some Of the older and more high
y developed fruit districts prices
I fz,oe0 or $4,000 per acre hay,
cen frequently recorded. These
Ugh figures are due TO perfec.
tate Of cultivation. thorough know
edge 81 packing the fruit for mar
ct and well-organized selling as
ociations.
The settlers now locating on Gov
rprient irrigation projects are fire.
nently surprised al the modern cor
liions which surround them. and
10 IIuhtles project in Montana Ia
d example Of what can be accom-
lishcd 10 three or four years by
rogr.saise people IL includes an
rea approximately twenty miles
as and five miles vide divided ln.
} farrzs averaging forty acres % lr-
gable land. ard about five hundred \