Arizona republican., 1916-11-29
WHAT IRRIGATION HAS DUNE
 FUR ARID LANDS IF THE WEST

0O VI u. uuGO reached solely by experience and ex- peiimen,ation, The problem largely revolves around what is known as
 the duty of water" or the question lf expense involved. but likewise. that If efficiency.
 There is danger by the excessive n SC. of water-logeing the soil and thus .aiiing to get the best results per acre Moreover in such contingency. the lack of proper drainage causes the salts carried in suspension to be deposited in the soil and in time com pletelY to destroy it's fertility. This is m ever present menace in alkali soils There is no general solution of the problem, the report goes on, for it is a question of varying and differing soils md climates. As water costs money avery effort is made to prevent undue evaporation or too great percolation through the soil The constant en- deavor is to increase the duty of water. that is. to make as little of il rrigate efficiently as much land ats possible.
 Where Water Supply is Obtained
 The principal source of irrigation water k from streams according to the committee. In fact it is said they constitute about 94 Der cent Of the total supply So great is the vari ation in the flow of many streams that m some seasons they are merely unconnected and infrequent pools or else beds of drifting sand. Moreover. it is nos enough that there be water 5u; it must likewise he available The volume the Columbia rolls to the SCI, IS in such deep channels. with much surrounding high land that it's waters can be used only by pumping.
 Another source of supply K what IS known as ground water, comprising springs and wells. Springs are gem erally distributed over the arid lands but their available supply is small Wells are divided into flowing wells and those that have to be pumped Ii, one or the other of these shapes the, are largely used in Southern California The Pecos valley of New Mexico in southern Texas. in the Texas l-an- handle. the Llano Estacado or staked plains. In some sections they arc largely driven by windmils lrriga tion by wells has of late assumed much Importance in Kansas. because or an abundant supply at easily reached depths. of ground water or nnderflow throughout the Arkansas valley. The outlook is for considerable increase of irrigation in time from this source. h, 1909 the water supply from the wells irrigated i5o00U of the total Of oA-t l g. 900 GOO acres
 Successful Irrigation Lessons Farmers
 Problems
 Given sufficient water n the pro. duction Of the usual staple products. there is practically no gambnng witl, late In the shape of weather the ma tional chamber committee declares The farmer is no longer up against the forces of d nature who k cruel as often as she Is kind. for the fate Of his venture lies almost entirely in his own hands. If he pays for water that east of him is provided by the clouds. he is more than compensated by increased production per acre. the almost entire absence of chance of loss hy natures calamitous happen ings, and the certainty of results. Meanwhile. the cost ot maintenance Is comparatively small
 His real problem ls to find an ade- quate market for his products. for he is usually d long. long way from the great cenfers of demand and conSump- ton, and the sparseiy settled surround ing country rarely gives him sufficient outlet He has likewise to overcome the haudicaps of costly transportation. and the mishaps and delays of long transit. In general. he has done so because necessity compelled. and in most human fashion by applying the principal of cooperation 10 all his en- deavors. More than that, he has made his market and holds them by iudicious and unceasing advertising. and by es- tablishing in the very beginning a reputation for the quality of his products.
 Tt is small wonder. therefore that the Fruit Growers Association Of the far west ship their products not only over this country. but in many in- stances all over the world. Both state laws and cooperative requirements prescribe and regulate every intelligent detail of proper cultivation oi g,ad- ing. Of packing. and of marketing. This Is why the apples of the irrigated lands of the west and northwest sell in the eastern cities. when in some sec lions the home grown fruit Of equal quality .rots on the trees because of lack of intelligent cooperation among the growers in all the details Of pro- duction and distribution.
 A Tribute to Those Who Overcome The
 Difficulties of Irrigation
 Throughout all time the inhabitants of the desert have been men of force and originality both in thought and endeavor. Their civilizations have ever been marked alike by material and mental accomplishments. l. was no mere coincidence that this was as true of the Arabs who overrun Spain aA Of the Babylonians, who blazed the way of civilization. for their freedom oi thought. and initiative in action were bred in them by the vastness of soli- tude of their environment.
 "So in our times. we are building in our arid regions an empire of irrigation that embodies the spirit of progressive democracy. It is no mere accident that 1 irrigated regions have set the pace in all manner of intelligent agricultural production and distribution Nor is il l by blind chance that in the main the states of irrigation are among the low est in illiteracy. and the source and mainstay today of most of the reforms in our social. economic and politica life. For irrigation k that wonderful thing. the creation of life from death and making glad the waste places o l the earth
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