New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-08-06
war service demonstrated they meril
the appointment.
To Add Half Million Acres

To Add Half Million Acres
Engineers of the government .ecla
nation service are engaged in max
ing a survey for an all-Americar
canal so as to double the pro
cuctive area of Imperial valley, Cal.
the garden spot of the world. Al
though the half-milliOn acres of lam
That may be added TO that district be
longs entirely to the government. .prl
vate land of the valley arr
financially aiding the survey because
Of unsatisfactory supply from tn,
present irrigation route.
The present water route uses n par
of the old bed of the Alamo river II
Mexico. and this crossing of the inter
national boun larry causes legal cOntrO
of the water to he lost by the land
owners. While the expense of the
present system is maintained by the
California people, the net results are
That they are providing free water ia
people in old Mexico. Likewise. they
have been obliged { o protect them
selves from inundation in cast of flood
by building levees in Mexico, and they
have had To carry expensive material
across the boundary and pay high tar
if duties.
For ten years, the ali-American "a
nal has been urged before congress.
hut not until recently was legislation
passed directing that the survey be
made by the reclamation service. The
growth of irrigation in the Imperial
valley Is one Of the remarkable rO-
mances of the conquest OF the desert.
Twenty years ago. transcOntinental
travellers heard the train porter an
nounce that they were passing through
the great Colorado desert, where moth.
ing would live except rattle snakes,
horned toads, centipedes and scorpi-
OnS.
Deepest Soil in World.
With a vision worthy of a seer, some
hardy pioneers went into the valleys
forbidding arid areas which lie below
the level of the sea-. diverted the wa
tiers of the Colorado river and created
the most productive region in the
world.
Everything that the human family
needs grows In Imperial valley -
months GU: of the year. AS many no
II crops of alfalfa have been nj IL
n year: from there comes the high.
est-priced cotton In the world and
fhArn ara uraaf horNcfS Of urllnut hor.
ley. lemons oranges, dates and canta'
lOupes. Except for the land surround
ing the edge OF the valley, the lowland
soil Is the deepest soil that has been
discovered anywhere In the world. For
OF years. biologists say, the
soil was filling In there when the val
ley was an inland sea-. No rain falls
except once In two or three years II
sprlnkles a little overnight or for q
day.
Evaporation is the only way to get
water u OF the valley, and the old
sea might be revived by an
overflow OF the Colorado river. The
reclamation engineers say that the
present irrigation projects fail to pro-
Iect the land within the valley. and
hence the movement for the new sys-
lem by way of an all-AmerlcaD IA
Nature has through many q
.uries protected this great depression
rom overflow.
The reclamation engineers IN gen
.rai regard the Imperial valley prof.
the greatest irrigation project In
he world. and the survey they are
is solely for the purpose OF
determining the route that will be fol-
owed when the actual work of con-
:vucting the canal system Is begun.
are that the engineers viii
Iecide o. liverting the water from
.aguna dam, 'shich now furnishes the
water for the Yuma irrigation dis
rict In Arizona.
Would Cut Down Flood Menace.
These storage reservoirs would he
{ value other than for irrigation. The
%ngineers point cut that any storage
n q large scale would have the hene-
clal effect of reducing the peak OF
he flood discharge In the lower Colo.
ado. thus cutting down the food men
ce 10 submersible lands in the delta
rgion as well as in the Imperial val
y.
The work OF the engineers ~ siir-
pying the all-American canal route
les moi meal that the construction Of
he canal will be started NJ soon
! they have completed their
Indeed. there remnlns the
Iost important plase-the financ.
Of the project that Is found t. he
Ie solution OF the problem. The en- ,
II system, II Is estimated. would cost
O.OOO.OO or more. hut the govern
may Join hands with privat. In 4,
rests In bringing about the re.iemp- +,
m of l.OOOOO0 acres ~ iard-the p.
In the world. ,
Sooner or later. government officials !,
needle. the canal will he built. and !.
completed II Is expected thai the i,
st government-owned area will he =
ened to settlement. II may be then .
nj because OF the wonderful p~roluc- !.
lily Of the region that the govern !,
mt land when disposed NJ will be- /,
out In small areas 10 SIS 10 !.
'e everybody a chance. !,
x- 49, 4.