WILLISTON: semi-arid KANSAS. 315 



Still, the utilization of the underflow where it comes near the sur- 

 face is a small part of the problem of irrigation in western Kansas. 

 The main problem, after all, is, how can the water underlying the 

 uplands be brought to the surface economically, and the next most 

 important problem is, how much water is there in this underflow? 

 Here we have almost no facts to go upon, except tliose of rainfall, 

 and the area of pervious rocks forming the water-shed. It is believed 

 by many that this water comes from the Rocky Mountains, a belief 

 from which I totally dissent. It is known that in northeastern Colo- 

 rado there are an immense number of what are called sink-holes. I 

 have not seen these, but I have seen similar ones in Kansas, the val- 

 ley of the White Woman in Scott and Greeley counties for instance, 

 a long valley draining hundreds of square miles, debouches into a 

 large sink near Scott City. This sink is of large area, though shal- 

 low. After rains it forms a lake, but the water soon sinks into the 

 ground and leaves the bottom dry. In traveling from the Smoky Hill 

 river to Scott City, a distance of twenty miles, a good barometer did 

 not show over ten feet difference in altitude in the whole distance. 

 Everywhere after rains there are pools and ponds of water over these 

 flat plains, whose declivity is about five feet per mile to the east. 

 There is need here of investigations by a competent hydrographic 

 engineer, based upon the features of streams, soil, vegetation, rainfall 

 and evaporation. As I have already said, the geology of the (juestion 

 is so simple that it falls far into the background. Can the water be 

 economically raised to the surface? Is it sufficiently abundant? 

 These are the questions that only time and money can solve. During 

 the past August I saw garden crops in small patches growing with 

 luxuriousness in the highest and driest region of Kansas, irrigated by 

 wells. At present it is believed that a plant costing two hundred 

 dollars will be sufiicient to irrigate an acre of land. Is it economy to 

 invest this much in agricultural land in Kansas? How much can 

 this cost be reduced by improved methods and cooperation? These 

 are questions to be solved, and in their solution state or national aid 

 may be justly demanded. 



After all this has been satisfactorily demonstrated, there remains 

 much yet for the agriculturist to learn in the methods of application 

 and the treatment of crops. 



As regards artesian wells there is a geologic possibility, but so little 

 do I think that they will enter into the problems of irrigation in 

 western Kansas that I do not deem it worth while to consider them. 



