El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-02-05
DAM THE CANYONS; THEY ARE AMONG
THE BEST RESOURCES m WEST TEXAS

DAN I'd the rivers canyons and arroyOs. Impound the
II water IN vet weather and it for irrigation That
means the salvation Of considerable part Of west Texas
and it ought TO be worked out IN every loeay Vhere It
Is possible even Il VIII provide for the irrigation Of only
part o. the land in that locality
It Is as important for New Mexico and Arizona as for
vest Texas but in less degree because in the two former
states there has been better development Of irrigation BY
darminF apparently Insignificant water courses.
west Texas has al along been too much inclined 70
rsv On rainfall That won't DO in this part Of the world
Rainfall is too uncertain The past several years OF dIouth
should have proved to the farmers and ranchmen that there
is no crop assurance whatever without irrigation
But there is always enough rainfall, in years Of
subnormal precipitation, to provide supply ior rTlga-
ton when t is most needed
wichita Falls has proved this. To provide water
supply for the and with the idea that any excess
supply might be used for irrigation, Wichita Falls damned
creek that has watershed Of $50 square miles Lake
Wichita IS 500 body Of water Il has capacity OF
O00oOoOoo glons and It cost only 100000 When the
first water impounded there plenty for the i'm
cation Of al the land roundabout that could receive It
The town gown since then into city and its needs
are much greater than when the dam built Since the
towns water requirements first, there is much less
water to be supplied rTigators However about 5000
acres are stiH being irrigated from the lake
Crop production from the irrigated lands IS so much
above that Of the uugated section where the farmers
have to rely rainfall that It ought to be an object lesson
all vest Texas The difference in profits in that one
ughborho0d makes good rate Of return on the invest
ment.
Fverv time ANYBODY suggests the danming Of water
courses in vest Texas provide for irrigation, DIRECTORS
up with the statement that the air IS dry that the
10 maintain water supply n such reservoirs as II IS
possible to make The lake at Wichita Falls is stand
ing refutaon Of this statement Evaporation did not dry
The lake IN the most extreme and proraeted period Of
drouth the state has known its supply ser
ousIy diminished.
Many small reservoirs IN New Mexico and Arizona
where the Is hot and the air dry as in west
Texas ara also denias Of the theory that small reservoirs
made impossible because Of evaporation There is evzp
Grafton Of course, but not enough TO be Of serious
what wichita Falls has done can be done IL hundreds
Of other places in west Texas doubtless Some Of them
probably have better watersheds from which to obtain
water for irrigation and poorer. But If az
r1yo VII irgate only two ranches, Il Is worth
dzmung IF al these opportunities were utilized hun
dsds Of thousands Of OF fertile Texas could be
made productive the lands Of the most favored states
found al over vest Texas among the most valuable
natural that the state has and they ought to be
utilized more than they ara.
They have not been put to the proper use first be-
Of the objection above noted and second because any
KIND Of dan costs money. It need not cost great
deal however farmers get together and do the work
themselves With material at hand IN most cases. labor
IS the greatest item Of expense.
These reservoirs large OF small are worth going after
With water for irrigation agriculture becomes practical
certainty Without II, farming in Texas is gamble
rather than industry There large sections IN al
most every county II west Texas where certainty can be
substituted for the gamble
Even the Papago Indians OF southern and southwestern
Arizona raising wheat CON- sorghum and fioIes On
reservation lands which they rrigating with water
from small reservoirs made by putting dams across ean-
yons that are dry nearly al the year The winter rains
With an occasional snow, give them wafer for their sprng
cups ana me sumner rams provide irrigation supply
1or the sumner and early fa crops The Indians irrigz
ues system Is quite primitive but very effective They
nag no money to begin with and what they did vas done
With their Own labor.
White farmers Of vest Texas ought not to be less mo-
Eressi7e than Tribe Of Indians
Princeton challenges vassar debate which is surely
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