The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1919-12-10
WHAT GOVERNMENT RECIA-
NATION HAS DONE IN WEST
Tie Realmation Statis.ician Makes
Interesting Showing of Irrigation
Accomplishment

Sa Lake Tri eune--
Fxper diture of less than S12O
100000 on government reclamation
proie.ts has added farm lands to the
limited States estimated conserya.
lively at $500. 100000, according tc
A. p. Davis. director and chief engi
nrer of the reclamation service, and
c. ]. Blanchard, publicity director OF
the reclamation service, who gave an
illustrated lecture last night in as.
sembly hall of the delegates attend.
2 the conference of the Western
Reclamation association. Farmers
on these government projects in
1918 took out $67 ,000.0 in crops.
they stated, and that since the be-
ginning of the reclamation work,
crops token from these projects have
yie'ded $3.50, 100000.
Speaking of some of the successes
of the reclamation service, Director
Davis said in part.
Much Land Irrigated
Under the provisions of the rec
lamation act. the United States has
spent about 100000 and has
provided irrigation facilities and wa
ter supply for l,7S0,000 acres of
land, of which about two-thirds was
der actual irrigation and cultiva-
tion. In addition to the above. a
partial supply of stored water is be-
/ delivered TO about LOCO, 900
acres OF land which was previously
irrigated with a sufficient water sup
ply, and, under enabling legislation.
purchased storage rights in govern
ment reservoirs.
The projects constructed are in
yeriably those requiring heavy en-
gineering work, usually involving
construction of large storage reser-
voirs or long and difficult canal
locations in mountainous country.
with a goodly proportion of tunnel
| z. fiume building and similar heavy
work.
1T includes the construction of
4 Arrowrock m on the Boise riv-
er in Idaho, with a total height of
34S feet. said TO be the highest dam
yet constructed. This dam impounds
the water of the Boise river and a
portion of II is conducted TO another
reseryoir constructed in the valley
below. which is inclosed by two en-
bankments containing nearly two
and a half million cubic yards of
eorth 0nd gravel Many other works
Of simi'ar character have been con-
structed In various parts of the coun-
try, TIE total capacity available ag-
gregau g ne@rly nine and one-half
million acre feet.
Miles of Canals
In addition TO TINS, canals and
dltehes have been constructed TO q
length OF 10. .ssf miles; 143,s47 feet
OF tunnels have been constructed.
The embankment ard canals con-
srueted have required the exeava-
tion OF over 100000 cubic yards.
OF witch 10 per cent was rock and
cubic yards of concrete have been
lid.
THE average value Of products on
& e reola nation projects during 1913
was over $4,000 per acre. without in
cluding livestock Increase This was
about double the average acreage
riald OF the entire United States.
THE total value of crops harvest
ed on the reclamation projects in
1918 was about S67, 100000, or
more then half the entire net con-
struetion cost Of all the projects. On
seyera' of the projects the gross
acreage yield Is considerably in ex-
cess OF the construction charges on
the same acreage.
Tile net Investment in the recla-
nation service is $f17,665.62S. This
sum is secured by contracts with wa
ter users irrigation districts and wa
ter users associations. TO be return
ed 10 the government under the
terms OF the law at an average rate
OF five per cent per annum. The
earlier payments. however. are small
er, and most of the projects are pay
Ing at the rate of two per cent, as
provided by law The securities held