The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1923-06-12
UNITED STATES
IS PIONEER IN
PROJECT WORK
Stands Alone in Reclaim
alton Field; Entire
State Added to Pro-
ducing Domain.

Misunderstanding a state to III
nation without foreign conquest, witt
out using a soldier or a gun, eve
without looking to the taxpayer fo
money, is a national project wort
while. Such a description might b
applied to the work OF the reclamation
service OF the department OF the in
terror. In farms and industries mad
possible, in area made productive AM
value of crops produced. in addition
TO the country's resources and taxabl
wealth, a state has in effect been add
ed to the nation.
Irrigation is the basis for these re
suits. Roughly. the western third o.
the United States is arid. Westward
from the Mississippi the rainfall grad
ually gets less and less until the noun.
tains are reached and beyond the
Rockies are the driest lands of all ex-
cept for a narrow strip along the Pa
ci6c slope. Much of the arid area is
public land; it belongs to the ma
ton. but can be taken by citizens IN
der various laws, usually with very
small payments to the United States
Ten Million Acre Feet
In 1902 Republican congress pass
ed and President Roosevelt signed the
federal reclamation act, which made no
draft on taxes but put to use this COM
bination of arid region and public
lands. The proceeds from such lands
were dedicated to irrigation. which has
increased many times the value OF the
particular lands benefited. Large
works have been built by the reclaim
alton service. 1t has erected the high
est dam in the world on the Boise
river. and the one storing tue greatest
quantity of irrigation water on the
Rio Grande, New Mexico. Its reser-
voirs can hold ten million acre feet.
or over three thousand billion gallons
OF water. The reclamation service has |
excavated two hundred million cubic |
yards OF earth and rock, placing IA
million yards in dams and forming
conduits aggregating fourteen thous-
and miles in length. including II miles
OF tunnels and 100 miles of fumes Its
canals placed end-on would circle the
United States.
The reclamation works so far built
offer irrigation water for nearly three
million acres, for two-thirds of which
the government systems furnish the
entire supply; for the balance in most
cases the service furnishes reservoir
water to supplement the partial sup
ply of private canal systems otherwise
dependent on erratic stream flow. I
Since the government works began de- .
livery of water to new lands the crops S
produced have exceeded half billion
iollars in value. Large additional d
'ields have resulted on the areas given J
partial service and still further values Il
ealized in livestock. dairy products,
WOOL and honey. "
Not Competing ''
While the nations products have s.
hus been enhanced by large values L
nd millions of these dollars 90 east to !"
NY manufactured products. the irri- CT
ated crops differ so from those of Al
umid regions that they do not in the
iain compete. Alfalfa is the basic u
rop on the irrigated land; il is rare IN
eastern markets. The Indian corn
the middle west occupies less than M
our per cent of the irrigated lands,
'hich produce milo, kaffir. and other Is
arieties strangers to most other To- 81
alities. The irrigated cotton of Ariz- IN
ma is competitor of the long staple &c
egyptian, not of our southern upland.
Ielons and fancy fruits are produced
nder irrigation, differing from the
uits OF other sections in character and
ltering the markets at different times. ,e,
Thus the state added to the nation q.
irrigation is a new and different 20,
ate. but it is peopled by typical o.,
with sense OF adventure N
ID determination to make homes on ~,
newly cultivated land. In build Ca
and operating large works sue Of
ssiully, the reclamation service of ,r,
e interior department has brought N.
pert engineering and good business inc
o government operations. but the Or
eatest credit for the result of irri- In,
ton is due the hardy American FAM
$ that are creating farm homes in
" places and by repaying the gov
iments irrigation costs, making pos
lie the construction of other large
'jects. ret,