Graham guardian., 1912-02-09
IRRIGATION is FIXED FACTOR
There Is Not Section In West, Under
Good System, That 10 Not Be-
coming More Productive.

BY rotation with alfalfa to keep the
right amount OF nitrogen In the soil,
and irrigating to supply just the right
amount OF moisture, land In many OF
the western section that had been
planted to wheat until the yield was
reduced to 10 or Is bushels per acre.
was brought up to q yield Of 30 or
so bushels.
Irrigation In connection with the
growing Of alfalfa has had wonder.
ful effect In keeping up heavy yields,
and In greater diversity Of crops
throughout the west, and at less than
one-tenth the cost of keeping up fer
tility as practiced In the older coun-
tries.
The enormous yields, and sure crops.
due to these two factors. are simply
beyond belief to the man Of the more
humid sections who depends on rain
for moisture for his growing crops.
There is not section IN the west
today that has been under good sys-
tenn Of irrigation for ten or moro
years. that is not becoming more pro-
ductive every year. In quantity. quail
ity and variety.
In the irrigated sections, the most
difficult problems have been solved,
and their future ID assured.
The same methods win not apply to
the east, but the irrigated area is be-
ing greatly enlarged. and its further
development will reach much farther
than thought possible few years
ago.
New ways have been evolved for
developing and using water supplies.
and It has been found that much OF
this water supply can be used over
and over again.
The law Of nature that water 10 in-
destructible is being realized In many
irrigated sections, where the soil for
a great depth Ia gradually being filed
with water from irrigation, and II
either being pumped to the surface
again or IL allowed to reach the sur
face at lower level where 1t is again
diverted by bitches and carried to
storage reservoirs, from which II II
drawn on as needed.
The great reservoir systems depen-
dent on spring and summer flood wa
ter. waste water and seepage from
irrigated districts above, are becom-
ing big factor In western irrigation.
The extent to which the same water
IL being repeatedly used almost az .
constant element, is clearly illustrated
In northern Colorado. where great
storage reservoirs are being construct
ed at cost Of millions Of dollars to
impound water. most Of which has
been used at least once before In fur
nishing moisture to growing crops,
In this same district more than IL
years ago It was generally believed
that the limit had been reached In ir.
rigation.
Since then the area has been more
than doubled, and the present area
will be more than doubled again when
all the works now In course OF con-
struction and projected are COM
pleted.
The same forces that have made In
this arid region, Of 30 little apparent
value only few years ago. some OF
the most productive and valuable
acres in the known world. are still at
work. and we can look for ever great
er results in the near future. extend
Ing over this whole region.
Nature seemed to put special pre-
MUM on human EFFORT when she first
made these waste places dificult and
unattractive. and then gave to man
kind for their development her
choicest prize.