The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-02-01
UNAVOIDABLE REPORT ON ARTES|AN
WATER POSs|b|L titles At OROvADA
Kirk Bryan, Geological Survey Investigator, Says Only
Small Artesan Flows May Be Secured, Valuable
Only for Stock Watering, but insufficient for
Irrigation Purposes Which are Needed

marketed, and the irrigated land is
devoted to the raising of stock-feed.
In April and May the cattle are
turned loose in the plains and lower
foothills, where they browse on the
plants and the grass, and as the
snow melts they gradually climb
higher into the hills, reaching the
submits in midsummer. AS the
cattle leave the valleys the ranchers
begin to irrigate their lands, start
ing with the first floods and con-
tinuing to use the water as long
as it lasts. In August great guam
titles of hay are made from the
native grass and from alfalfa.
The cattle begin to come down
from the hills late in August and
early in Septcmber-according to
the local saying, "as soon as they
hear the moving machines" Late
in September and during October
the ranchers bring the last of the
cattle out of the hills to the owners
fields, where they are pastured on
the still green native grass and on
CROSSWORD until it is necessary to
feed them hay. In ordinary years
the cattle are brought through the
winter in excellent condition.
The routine OF raising cattle was
seriously disturbed years ago by in
cursions Of bands of sheep, many Of
which were pastured during the
summer on the mountain range and
moved to other areas in the winter.
On account of overgrazing by these
sheep the native vegetation suffered
severely and large parts of the
range were destroyed. The estab-
lishment of a national forest in the
Santa Rosa mountains brought an
end to. most of the abuse of the
mountain range by sheep and even
restricted the number Of cattel
grazed on the range.
Under the present system the
parts of the valley not fenced are
almost valueless as range. All the
original native grasses have been
killed and there remains nothing
but black sage, plant almost
worthless as feed. The number of
cattle that can be supported is
relatively small, for instead of liv-
ing on the range and being tided
over bad seasons by the cultivated
forage the cattle spend six to nine
months in the fields. The result is
that hay has a relatively low value,
the average price per ton for IL
years having been only $3.50, and
all other forage crops have a pro-
portionately low value. It is OBJ
vious that an increase in the value
OF forage crops and a consequent
increase in production and popula-
ton must depend on an improve
ment in railroad communication or
in range management.
Into this region of primitive
agriculture and stock-raising there
came, about five years ago, a group
of settlers who hoped to develop
farms with water pumped from
wells. They settled on the public
land in homesteads on the east side
of Quinn River south of Rebel
Creek, about Orovada. The land
lies on the lower part of the alluvial
slope and includes much excellent
agricultural soil, which, after the
sagebrush has been cleared off, can
be easily cultivated. Wells drilled
to depth Of 40 to $50 feet obtained
water sufficient for local irrigation.
Pumps equipped with gasoline en-
gines lift the water from depths
ranging from 20 to 40 feet. The
long haul from the railroad, how
ever, makes gasoline expensive, and
the reverse haul diminishes the
profit on crops, and because of
these drawbacks and the local con-
ditions already stated forage crops
have low value. The settlers
can make successful farms only by
discovering a special valuable crop
that will stand the heavy charges or
by obtaining supply of artesian
water so large and so cheap that
they can successfully compete in
raising forage crops with ranchers
that have the use of food water.
Possible Artesian Water in
Valley Fill
Artesian water occurs only under
certain geologic conditions, namely
ID there must be one or more
porous beds in which water may be
stored, enclosed above and below by
imprevious beds; (2) the porous
bed or beds must be exposed at
the surface in an area where they
may receive water from rain, snow,
or floods and must slope upward and
underlie the lower ground where
artesian wells are to be sunk; go
the water in the porous bed or beds
must be so confined that it will not
anywhere be drained away below
the level Of the ground at the sites
Of the wells.
In what rocks and in what areas
may it be possible to find these con-
ditions in Quinn River and Paradise
Both valleys are underlain by