Arizona republican., 1920-06-12

West and Southwest has been run with scant thought of those old, abandoned ditches of South America of Egypt, of other far places; but are learning that all irrigation is surely profitable.
 In one place, for instance water is poured upon the level valleys until it fills the basin and the water table rises to the grass roots. The ground is saturated, and the drowned. Of course, there is an remedy-turn off the water; but in that deadly akali boils through the soil and spreads like perpetual the surface. This will make the salt for crops. as is already the case in some parts of the Imperial valley, in Southwestern California.
 Again. some of the famous health resorts of the arid regions irrigation has mostened the at mosphere, and tuberculosis patients longer as much benefited they before built canals and dtches to water the soil and change the climate
 Efforts to commercialize the agricultural tably change the value of that desert to neghborng valleys The desert is the stored heat the reservoir of thin, pure air. for all the neighboring region; destroy 1t at your peril! But Nature has it's own remedy-it turns irrigated lands worth $200 into areas of gypsum. of salt ground"t In country 1t has put of rich land below the level thus forbiddeH drainage; after few futile decades of alleged success in irrigation and vegetation up boils that cold, salt crystal mock the feeble efforts of short sighted men.
 We would observe. in the first place. that the newspapers and magazines afe not good sources of scientific information. The writers on these sub jects unless they of standing with repu- tation to sustain, usually deal in the fanciful and the striking without regard to facts. Magazine
 
 attractive and interesting. The foregoing is inter esting and would be important if true But it is plain that the writer is grossly ignorant of his subject.
 There two features of this article with which we shall deal-the effect of irrigation on climate and the ultimate effect of it upon the soil Irriga tion have perceptble effect upon the climate of tho adjacent very little effect upon the climate of the irrigated area much less than is supposed The climate of. the Salt River valley within the irrigated has changed very little, if at all, have been kept and so far learn, has undergone only a slight change since white came into the valley
 When in 1s05-06 the Colorado river broke into the Salton Sink. the Sea and threat ened the submergence of an area of 2ooo square miles, there were many who believed that a new climate was to be given Southern California and Arizona Much rot filled the papers and the Sun day sections on that subject. The government in order to dispel the popular impression issued bull ietin in which it was explained that the presence of even large a body of water would prodnce no perceptible effect the climate of the surround ing country Of how much less effect then must be the. water that flows through the canals the laterals and irrigation dtches and spreads over the fields one day in eight to drunk up by the dry soil and atmosphere which immediately become dry again. ever
 As to the effect upon the soil. there is such thing, as we know, of water logging land and drv- Ing alkali but that is something we also know that may be overcome by drainage. There have been abandoned irrigated areas. We have in. this valley prehistoric irrigation system but we do not know why it was abandoned, nor do we know why any system was abandoned, of which there are vet traces That it because of the water logging of the land is only fancfu conjecture of the writer of this magazine article. But this we do know ana that is that in modern irrigation that is through period covered by the history of irrigation there has been no abandonment of an irrigation system anywhere By reason of carelessness or ignorance lands under systems fave been allowed to become water logged and aIkali-covered. to be re- claimed at great expense.
 Government experts know more about irrieation than the common run of us; they know more about water logging and how to overcome it. and on their recommendation, the government is spending mill lions annually reclamation projects througbort the arid regions.
 50. the Kansas citizen may return to Arizona without risk. He will find our deserts unchanged as they have been for centuries He will find our soil as fruitful ever, unchanged in quality but changing in price for the so that those who longer delay coming will find themselves at 2 dis advantage The water level this valley is lower ing and the price level is rising. We are getting further and further above the ground floor
 Now and then baseball fan within the last