Imperial Valley press., 1913-09-30

racine Rural TTcSS. Lie ucShC W
look into the future exists in every
man, and has done so for all ages
past. The following outline of the
kind Of farm that ultimately seems
bound to come in California is simply
based on an observation Of tendencies
and Of the kind Of farming that pays
best, for one is justified, es-
pecially in America, in figuring that
the thing that pays best in the thing
that is going to be done. Certain
causes bring certain results. The
only difficulty is that never are OBJ
servations of causes entirely accur-
ate, nor is it possible to give each
cause just its proper weight, and
further, other causes entirely unfore-
seen may develop. Therefore, there
are lots of things that may upset all
this prophecy, and no one, at the best
Of IL is supposed to lake it at any
thing more than face value.
The first great fact that is apparent
under any conditions, unless every
thing goes 70 the dogs, is that the
material development of agricultu-
raj California will be enormous. Aban-
Goned farms are almost unthinkable,
except perhaps in spots where farms
should never have been started. Cal
iforIlia's soil is too rich, her climate
is too satisfactory for both vegetable
and animal life to let any natural re
source lie idle, and every piece Of
LAID that is worth using or that can
ne made worth using will be put %
full use.
That means. as one of the most M
s,.tant points, that all Of the irri-
CATION supplies will he developed and
conserved to the utmost. California S
agricultural richness has been fun
damentally due to the richness If
her deep soil, dry though it is by ma
ture. Water here has been worth
moro than sell, and the future ca Is
for the proper utilization Of her
streams. Irrigation has progressed
by leaps and bounds in certain re-
spects, but there are yet far greater
areas of half barren soils than Of ir-
rigated lands. Never before have so
many irrigation ventures, public and
private, been started as recently. All
of these will sooner or later be owned
by the farmers who get the water. It
Is the only way that satisfaction can
be secured.
But besides diverting the water
from the streams, or pumping it up
to canals, there is more to do; there
is the storage of the great amounts
that run to waste in the winter or
spring. Storage also has barely
started, and before many years have
passed it will be rare to see at any
time water running in large amounts
unused to the sea and land lying al
most idle through lack Of water not
Ear from it. This water, if properly
utilized, is sufficient to irrigate
nearly every acre Of soil worth ir-
rigating in California, and it's devel-
opment will more than pay
No more, also, will drowning out cf
land be problem. Water will be too
valuable to waste, to say nothing
about using it to absolute injury. We
will have time to complete develop
nent when we get ever the rush that
is always pioneer work, and not
only our main canals, but our la
.erals, down to the smallest perma-
nent ditch on the farm, will be con-
crete lined. Unnecessary land will
thus not be used up with dirt banks,
nor will it be run over with weeds or
drowned out by seepage. Nearly all
tho water entering the soil will he
used by roots, and what goes down
will not be in such excess as to water
log the land or to make it require tie
drainage. except in very sandy soil
and where water Is cheap. At the
most, it will but fill up the strata 80
hat, travelling underground, it will
provide water for pumps elsewhere
70 bring to the surface. Little water
Will 90 to waste in any way.
It viii take years before we can
put Oh the finishing touches, but they