The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-20
Irrigation Gaining Favor in
Western Kansas.
Advantages Shown to Farmers
in East Sections.
IRRIGATED LAND 95, 900 ACRES
Water Systems in All But
Thirty of IO5 Counties.
George S. Knapp is Revising
Watering Laws.


acres of irrigated land in Kansas. This
statement is contained in the biennial
report of George S. Knapp. state irri-
cation commissioner, made public to-
day. Some irrigation is practiced IN
all but thirty of the states 105 coun-
! ties. Mr.. Knapp says. adding that,
however, it assumes the proportions
of general farm irrigation in only sew
| en- counties.
Finney county leads with 52.O41
acres farmed under irrigation. the re-
port shows, while Kearny is second
with 23,O79 acres. The other of the
seven counties and the number of
acres irrigated in each are as follows:
Scott. 1921; Hamilton, 1866; Paw
nee, 2,244; Meade. 2.169; Gray, 1886;
Sedgwick 6S5. The entire irrigated
acreage for all the other counties, as
shown by the report, was 4,S97 in
1920.
Mr. Knapp states it has been impos-
sible to obtain a complete check of
the extent of irrigation in this state
and that such information as his re-
port contains has been secured by |
personal survey and reports from Of |
ficers of irrigation associations.
Irrigation Is Growing.
THE present extent of irrigation in |
Kansas gives little indication of the /
irrigation possibilities of the state
the commissioner declares. The ex-
istence of abundant supplies of ground |
water in many parts, together with |
the uniformly beneficial results OBJ /
tanned where irrigation is now prac- |
ticed indicates that as the population /
increases, as land values become high /
er and as the value of irrigations be-
comes more generally appreciated, the i
acreage will be greatly increased.
Already around several cities and L
towns where land is high and where /
iS 81
or where truck growers associations
have been organized to provide a /
means of marketing the crops, irri-
cation is regarded as an essential part
of farm operation aHd the irrigation
pumping plant is as much part of
the necessary farm equipment as is
the silo.''
From Arkansas River.
Approximately $1,000 or IS per cent
of the $4,000 acres under irrigation
is in the upper Arkansas valley be-
tween Dodge City and the Kansas
Colorado state line, Mr.. Knapp's sur
vey shows. More than $1,000 acres in
this area is irrigated by bitches taking
are seven such bitches in use now, the
five principal ones serving to water a
fairly compact stretch of territory be-
tween Garden City and Lakin. The
other two water comparatively small
tracts around Coolidge and Syracuse,
both in Hamilto- county. The remain
ing 16 000N acres of this territory is
irrigated by pumping plants taking
water from the ''underflow'' of the
river.
In the lower Arkansas valley around
Great Bend, Hutchinson and Wichita
there are about 1,100 acres irrigated |
the report shows This lard is most
ly devoted to truck farms, gardensI
and orchards. In the Blue valley, in
Washington county, northeastern kan
sas. only about 200 acres are included
T,-r-Ter TOv, es~Ne
ley would not merit special consider
alton were it not for the fact that
here in the eastern part of the state.
where the average rainfall is high and
where little is known of irrigation, |
very good results have been obtained
with the irrigation of farm crops"
Mr.. Knapp says.
Reports from washington county
show that in a field of corn irrigated
twice a yield of seventy bushels to
the acre vas obtained while only |
twenty bushels per acre was reaped
in an adjoining unirrigated field Mr..
Knapp points out one Washington |
county farmer r-~orted that from an
irrigated field he obtained a yield ofI
900 bushels of potatoeSeto to the acre.
Similar favorable reports come from
the lower Arkansas valley, Mr.. Knapp
says.
Form Associations
In the upper Arkansas valley irri-
cation of sugar beets and other truck
crops, such as Irish and sweet po-
tatoes, onions, tomatoes and melons
has proved very satisfactory and a
new development of this method of
farming is taking place. the irrigation
commissioner says. Many irrigation
associations have been organized
around Dodge City and Garden City
and reports from these indicate that
during the 1922 season the Garden
City organization, with forty members, |
shipped to eastern markets sixty car
loads of onions and 80 carloads of 1
sweet potatoes along with much other
produce.
Mr.. Knapp t. now revising the gen
eral statutes pertaining to irrigation
with a view to making the
laws uniform and to encouraging a 1
greater interest in irrigation in other
sections of the state.