Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-05-15
URGES NEED OF WATER
Veteran Engineer Writes Strong Ar
ticle Urging Need of Irriga-
ton for Valley.
(By ]. S. Howard.)


irrigation. l was raised on farm
so that l am familiar with farm
conditions, life on a farm, soil con-
ditions, home conditions, the posi-
bilities of cultivating the soil, and
having been surveyor in Jackson
county for so years, 1 have been on
almost every tract of agricultural
land in the county.
know what returns the land gave
in early days, when the country was
covered with grass and the soil had
not been tramped by stock, and
moisture was conserved and was
ample through the summer, and so
bushels of wheat to the acre was not
uncommon. Now after the hills have
been grazed bare and tramped with
stock so the rains run off without
being absorbed in the soil, and after
wheat has been raised on the first
three or four inches of soil for so
or 60 Years, is it any wonder that
the soil resents this unkind treat
ment and that IA bushels of wheat
per acre in some places and often
failure in others are the present con-
ditions?
Fifty years ago this valley in the
summer time looked like the garden
of Eden, with grass on the hillsides
and rank green waving grain fields.
Look at the condition now, when in
summer time half tn country looks
like the desert of Sahara. The
same soil except the first three
inches is here now, and the possibili-
ties are the same if the same amount
of moisture was applied now that ex-
listed formerly. The same opportuni-
ties exist now as then if people will
use the same energy and industry.
When l came to Jacksonville SO
years ago had wornout OK team
and an old wagon, a wife and three
babies, and SO cents in money I
traded my wagon for a lot on the
hillside, my cattle to the sawmill for
lumber, and in just two months I
was living in board and battened
house on my own lot and did not owe
a dollar. put my lot in cultivation,
although the bedrock came near the
top of the ground. 1 got permission
from Peter Brit to etend his ditch
and use the surplus water, and raised
a fine garden, potatoes and other
vegetables. Planted some fruit trees
and had a comfortable home there
for "a years before coming to.Med-
ford.
The water supply for that place
failed many years ago.. and with the
exception of comfortable house and
a few shade trees that lot today
looks like an Arizona desert. Why?
Just for lack of little water. The
place had about an acre. A $50 per-
petual water right and $3.50 main
tenance fee would make that place
blossom as rose again and make a
place that the owner would be proud
to call home.
The same possibilities exist all
over the valley. Look at the God
forsaken places all over the valley,
a house without shade tree, with
out spear of grass or a green thing
in sight, house exposed to the blus-
terry storms of winter and the scorch-
ing heat of summer, an old barn
without anything to put in it, the
doors off the hinges, barren corral
without a water trough.
Is it wonder that the boys come
to town and pass their time on the
curbstone or with vicious associa-
tions? Is it wonder that the Cir
hunt for employment in the luwns,
in stores or other places?
No saying is more true than "The
character of a country is judged by
the character of it's homes" Now
the opportunity presents itself to
change the present conditions by
making it possible to bring water
onto all these desolate home tracts
by signing up for water, under the
proposed terms of easy payments.
Suppose a man would sign up for
40 acres and suppose he would divide
1t into four tracts of 10 acres each,
one tract for corn or grain one tract
for alfalfa or clover, or six acres in
alfalfa and four in clover, 10 acres
for orchard, and he could raise corn
or vegetables between the rows: 10
acres for house, lot, barn, corrals
home garden, for berries, home or
chard and a lawn, shade trees around
nome and barn. In the heat of the
day the farmer will sit under his
shade trees on his ample lawn. look
at his well-filled barn, his slick Jer-
sey cows. In the evening his chill
dren and his neighbors will assemble