The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-08-30

8lana adapted to dry farming, but for
which q supply OF water for surface
IRRIGATION could not be regularly pro
vided. = 1'iy plo-
This raising Of the water-table
would bring the underground water
near enough to the surface to be
reached by alfalfa roots or fruit trees
ana also near enough for the under
ground moisture to be brought to the
surface by such dry farming processes
as the Campbell system, which would
u THIS way make fertile many mil
lions OF acres Of land otherwise avail.
aple only for pasture or grazing.
= al the surplus flood-water OF the
missouri river and its tributaries that
could be so distributed out over the
plains were disposed OF in that way
instead OF. as now. coming down In
destructive floods, the foods OF the
MISSOURI river would cease to be. and
return seepage would insure the navi-
gable stage Of the river throughout
the entire low water season. In adj
dition. the life-giving influence OF the
water upon the immense territory
that 1t would be spead over, would
create an agricultural Transformation
SO stupendous in extent that figures
faii to convey any estimate Of the
vastness of the nationl benefits that
would result from II.
An Illustration.
Merely as an illustration OF what
this would mean, as one Of the econ
omic aspects OF the problems let TO-
100000 acres in the Missouri river
drainage basin be irrigated with o.
acre feet Of water.
What would be the result in the
territory where the irrigated lands are
located? It would result in the pro-
duction OF at least a crop OF hay
worth $1,000 Or more per acre over
every acre Of the whole tract OF 10 /.
100000 acres. This would mean .
production OF at least $10V, 00O, 10000 a
year worth Of hay. This hay In turn
would be fed to stock and would be
turned Into beef cattle, and thereby
replenish the beef supply OF the couu
try, which is rapidly diminishing year
otter year in its proportion to popula-
ton. with the consequence that beef
is so rapidly rising in price thai it
Will soon cease to be within reach of
the poor mans purse for his family
table. That Is an economic aspe !.
lof the question which affects not only
territory directly involved, but the
entire country as we'll. and every cit,,
zen who is a consumer of bee. for
food.
4 Turning from the question Of agri,
cultural production to that of flood
prevention, this is what it would mean
Ito draw off flood-water enough to II.
Irigate 100000 acres Of land with 2.
acre feet of water.
1t would soak into the ground
which would absorb 1t as great
eerth-sponge, 100000 acre feet Of
water in one year. That would be wat
Ter enough to cover 31,250 square
miles, one foot deep with water.
Change the torn of the volume o!
water and 1t is enough to make a
flood three miles wide, ten feet dec,
and more than 1000 miles long In
other words, flood volume ten feet
deep, three miles wide, and extending
ALI the way from New Orleans to st
Louis.
A Leyee System.
Il In the lower Mississippi valley
from st. Louis and Cairo to the Gull
/ of Mexico, system of levees should
be built under national control anG
supervision, and the national govern
ment should assume the obligation o.
the maintenance of that system. The
levees should be in every respect as
hie,h and ac stron0 and qs comp1afe