, 1915-07-01
Examining Reclamation Projects.

The House Appropriations Committee o n Reclamation is exam.
lining the reclamation projects in Wyoming this week. We hope they
will make a careful examination and that all worthy projects will get
the attention necessary to make them what they should be. The day
has passed when Uncle Samuel will find projects to construct that
would be a paying proposition, and this serious problem is becoming
more and more necessary for consideration each year. We must now
build irrigation and power systems that would probably cost more
than could be derived from the lands in water payment after settle
ment This must be done from the stand point of development for
the sake of bringing into use thousands of acres that would lay idle
forever, if waiting for the time they would bring in the returns it
would cost to construct.
Fake the Saratoga Valley for example. The company which con.
structs any of our local irrigation projects as contemplated would
have to get from S35 to SIS per acre for the water rights. This makes
the construction impossible from a financial stand point. as a inves-
tor will not give that for raw lands when he can purchase improved
lands, with good water rights, for the same money in the same terri
tory. The Pathfinder dam was a miscarriage by its promoters in
lamation service passed up dozens of cheaper, better projects The
Gouchen Hold Unite, as til s called, is almost an impossible project
and comes under the first named-a project that will cost many times
what the water rights will bring when completed, and the soil is only
common. The Nebraska soil covered by the Pathfinder takes about
twice al much water for irrigation purposes as the soil in a sage brush
country.
The biggest, cheapest and best project in the west today is the
Saratoga Valley, which will some day be proven, add when every
acre of this valley is under cultivation it will be a far greater reser-
vGr for storing water for late purposes, than two Pathfinder dams.
just why the reclamation service refuses to believe that the proper
way to store water is in the soil, is beyond the comprehension of the
average man who understands a few simple matters of water storage
and reclamation.
Greeks in this valley, running in from the mountains to the rv-
er, which used to go dry when there wasn't but 200 or 300 acres iri-
gated from them are now running water the year round n lrrgat-
ing thousands of acres, instead of hundreds, and still the quantity of
water seems to improve. Water rights that a few years ago were not
worth the trouble that it took to ask for the permits, are now big full
running rights and considered some of the best in the valley, and
still the average ranchman use about twice as much water as he is
entitled to.
AS far a this valley is concerned it probably is the best stock
country under the sun, but the stockman is rapidly turning his at
tenton to better stuff and in a few years there will be no range stock
in the old sense, and the sooner this valley is settled up, the sooner
the stock people can get cheaper feed for winter and pasture in the
summer, and vegetation and stock alike TT here the healthiest in
the world. When intense farming will produce 108 bushels to the
acre of oats that weigh As pounds to the bushel, and the same class
of farming will produce 3 and 4 tons of alfalfa to the cutting, two
cuttings to the season, and our stock takes the blue ribbons every
where, AS well as topping the market, why isn't this the greatest To-
caGty in the west if only we could have the chance. We have failed
to mention the mining and any number of other resources that go to
show that we have more possibilities to the square inch than any
other place in the world, and a for water for irrigation, we have
more than any other two localities of the west put together.