The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1914-01-21
PREPARING FOR LAND OPENING
Project Officials Have Farm
Unit Plats Under Way.
May Rent Water.

been set for the project opening, il
seems probable that the tentative
date of May 1st, will be abandoned
for an earlier one The local reela.
nation Office force, having the work
in hand of doing the necessary field
work and effecting the amendment
of the farm units plats, will com
plete these tasks within the nexi
two weeks, when the matter will
rest with the department officials al
Washington.
About $4,000 acres of new lands
have been blocked out in different
parts of the project, the chief por-
ton of which lies west of line run
ing north and south through Fallon,
though in isolated instances, subdi-
visions between Fallon and Still
water will be restored to entry. No
general attempt is to be made in the
immediate future to include the
eastern part of the project within
the scope of the land restoration.
Practically all of the Fernley land
will be restored to entry, much of
that lying on the Swingle bench, and
parts lying north. south and west of
Fallon in the close in districts. The
first land opening. in the main, will
include tracts that can be most con-
veniently irrigated, a1d great care is
being exercised to get correct clas-
sification of land, that none that is
worthless may fall into the hands of
unknowing ones with resultant en-
barassment. In other words, the
first land opening will have to do
only with productive farm units, and
particular attention will be given
prospective settlers by the reclama-
ton authorities that their objec-
tives may be subserved.
The average size of tho irrigable
arec of the farm units as designated
by the plats now In the making is 40
acres. In some instances it runs as
low as 80 acres, though in such cas-
es, other factors outweigh the short
age represented by the decreased
acreage. Certain of the farm units
will have a total acreage of as much
as so. but generally speaking it is
aimed that each settler shall have
40 acres or thereabouts of land that
is susceptible to cultivation. Thus
1t will be seen that the reclamation
officials contemplate the introduc-
ton of the intensive forms of agri-
cnlture in this project. 1t Is cited
that the average size of farm units
in the Hermiston project is 20 acres,
while generally, the 40-acre size is
a sort of standard, which is being
maintained generally in government
projects the country over.
Included within the area to be res
tored to entry will be considerable
choice railroad land, which will in
all likelihood, be sold under the scale
of prices that governed before the
lands of the project were taken off
the market, though the agreement
between the government officials and
those representing the railroad COM
pany, is only tentative.
Although no definite figure that
will govern in the sale of water
rights has yet been announced, 1t is
understood from semi-official sour
ces that the settlers of the future
will be required to pay from $40 to
$50 per acre, with the odds in favor
of the charge approaching the last
named sum. In view OF the almost
certain passage by congress of a
law amendatory to the present rec
lamation law, extending the payment
plan from ten to twenty years, the
reclamation officials have under con-
sideration the scheme of opening the
project lands to settlement first and
fixing the charges for water rights
at later date, tne water privilege
to be accorded in the interim upon
rental basis. 1t Is figured that
proposed legislation may radically
affect and change the law as it now
stands and that the best interests of
all concerned can probably be serv-
ed best by the rental plan.