Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-11-30
irrigation at Garden City, Kansas

| have been asked by a member
what l thought of the irrigation
prospects at Garden City. Kans. If
were to undertake to express in one
word / would write over every quart
er section of land from Garden City
north to Scott, how much farther I
do not know, and both east and west
until it embraces an empire, in gold
en- letters Opportunity" Neither
do believe were you to search the
United States over would you find
greater.
: i am not land agent and l am not
trying to boom Garden City and its
surrounding territory, for we have
here, although on smaller scale. the
same chances that are found there
but it is confined mainly to the val
ley of the Saline, Big Creek, the
Downer and other streams which l
know to be underlaid with sufficient
depth of water for all purposes and as
good if not better soil than they have
there.
1t was the object of our party to
visit such plants as seem to US most
suited to the needs of this section
and through the kindness of the
president of the state board of agri
culture, l. L. Diesem and c. D. kif
of the Garden City Land and Irriga-
tion Company and others who not
only took US to the places we wished
so see but arranged to start such as
were not running so that we could
see the actual working, also answer
ing any and all questions which we
thought fit to ask.
One of the smallest plants, that of
w. E. Covert is arranged for about
5 acres, but is amply large enough
for 10 acres. In this we'll the surface
of water lies eight feet below the
ground. His we'll is thirty feet deep.
The pump two and half centrifugal
cost $50. The entire plant S275. He
has two horse power gasoline engine
using four and half gallons in ten
hours run pumping 175 gallon water
per minnie.
Do you know what this means? In
Colorado terms Is miners inches of
water which would be furnished to
you in Colorado for about s2000.0e
That is the right, after which you
would have to pay Sl.00 per acre each
year as a maintenance fund equal to
the cost of pumping and dete rioration
of plant.
We have hundred of acres here just
as good, what can you do with its to
8 tons of alfalfa yearly, garden fruit,
potatoes any thing that will grow
and 10 acres properly used will keep
far ilyri
But if that is not enough then here
is another:
The J. L..Owen's plant. A 1-2
horse power engine No. , pump. $500
for we'll and all complete, this is capa-
BILE of 800 gallons per minute and will
irrigate 25 acres, estimated for a
country where the rainfall is II inch
es only per annum, by proper storage
such a plant could easily be made
available for 40 acres especially where
we have rainfall of % inches,
We visited several larger plants.
One of the Garden City Land and
Irrigation Company's. This we'll is
los feet deep, the pump as in all the
deeper wells is set 60 feet below the
ground, and 20 feet below the surface
of the water. Engine s7OO, pump $3.50,
well $500 per foot. Total about $1,000.
This pump throws $50 gallons per
minute and they are arranging for 80
acres. These men have tried it once
and know what they are dOing-A
water right in Colorado equal to this
would cost from five to eight ,thous-
and dollars.
At L. L. Diesen's place there are
two wells 10 feet apart to the one
pump No. 4 and capable of throw
ing 500 gallons per minute. Here the
water surface is 10 feet below the
ground. He irrigates 40 acres with a
10 horse power engine. Total cost
s72O
The next one of the Garden City
Land and Irrigation Company's wells
is IS feet-l2 feet to water. Here we
have an 8 IL pump Capable of
throwing 1850 gallons per minute-120
acres of land and the cost of entire
plant $500. Equal to $4,000 of
Colorado. The engine uses so gallon
of oil in IA hour run, about s1.50 to
lift enough water to cover 40 acres
with water an inch and half deep
pretty good rain and enough for
one irrigation
At the d. d. Doty plant there are II
wells about twenty feet apart hitched