Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-04-25
new IRRIGATION
ERA DAWNING
Pumping System Will Prove
A Great Boon
WILL BRING WATER
TO DRY FARM LANDS
Nearly 1000 Acres Northeast of
Fowler Will Be Irrigated From
Pumping Plant.


new irrigation era is dawning for
Colorado. In days gone by it was
thought the only way water could be
placed on the soil was from running
streams or by conserving in reser-
voirs and then conducting to the land
by the means of canals. The great
Arkansas valley has much of its land
handled this way and much more that
can be handled this way. but more
than that, it has large area that will
be cultivated through the pumping
system which has proven its merits.
C.. p. Schmidt of the Rock Island
Immigration department at a dinner
given him in Pueblo the other even
ing said that he made this trip to
Colorado to report on big pumping
Fountain. and intimated that it was
his belief work would be well under
way on this great project before the
year was many months older.
Several pumping plant projects have
been tried along the Arkansas river,
but the largest one, and the one that
has demonstrated beyond any ques-
tion the great merits of this system,
is that installed by w. X. Stubbs near
Fowler. The following account from
the La Junta Tribune will be of deep
interest:
Developing the waste places of
Colorado by pumping water supply
from the underground sea that seems
to underlie the territory adjacent to
the Arkansas river has been the dream
OF many promoters, but none of the
dreams came true until w. R. Stubbs,
ex-governor of Kansas, and his BROTH
er, J. l.. Stubbs of Lawrence, Kan,
woke up one morning and found
themselves with 1000 acres of unde-
veloped agricultural territory on their
hands with no water available to
make i bloom and blossom !.
The Stubbs ranch is located thirty
five miles west and trihe north of
La Junta. on the north side of the Ar
kansas river. and about six miles
gate of the Catlin canal is only half
mile away from the Stubbs pump
ing plant. The Stubbs ranch con-
sists of 1923 acres in one compact
body. and until two years ago it was
practically virgin territory. and had
been since the days of Adam. The
pumping plant was installed two years
ago this month, and since that time
about GOO acres of land have been
brought under cultivation. AS the
supply of underground water seems
to be unlimited it is the intention to
install two additional pumping plants
during the present year and have the
entire 1923 acres under cultivation in
the shortest period of time possible.
1t is proposed to make a model farm
of the Stubbs ranch. and in time to
have the entire tract under cultiva-
ton, much of it in alfalfa, and this
fall it is the intention to break lip
400 acres of virgin territory and plant
the entire tract in winer wheat.
The Stubbs pumping plant was in
stalled two years ago at an expense
of about $4,000 1t is equipped with
forty horsepower gasoline engine,
coting $3.50. and has been in use
every day for two years with a loss
of less than two days time during
that period for repairs. 1t has been
operated for period of two weeks.
DAYS and night. without being shut
down. There are two lifts at the
pumping plant-one OF twelve feet
and another of seventeen feet. and
there is only 5 cents an hour differ
ence in the expense of operating the
two lifts. For lifting the water
twelve feet the expense is IS cents an
hour. and for the seventeen-foot lift
20 cents an hour. The capacity of
the well is nine cubic feet per second
OF time. and 1t pumps at this rate
night and day without lowering the
level of the water in the we'll. 1t
does not seem to make any difference
whether the river is bank full or dry.
the capacity of the well is just the
same under either condition.
The engine is operated with distil-
late oil. which costs ? cents. per gal
lon. gasoline being used only when
starting the engine. 1t is claimed
that this single pumping plant, work
ing to its full capacity of nine cubic
feet per second of time. will furnish
sufficient water to irrigate 900 acres
four times a year at an expense of
81 per acre-on the basis that cu-
bic foot of water per second is sufh-
cient to irrigate 100 acres. If this is
true pumping for irrigation is the
cheapest process, and with a never
failing supply. like the Stubbs pro-
ject, is better than a gilt-edge water
right in the best canal system in the
Arkansas valley"