100 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1 



according- to Elwood Mead. This same au- 

 thority g"oes on to state that it required less 

 experience to plow furrows for carrying" 

 water in some of the western arid kinds 

 during the early da3's of irrigation than it 

 takes now to put out a sj'stem of underdrains 

 to carry away the excess of water on some 

 of the eastern farms, and I believe it. But 

 irrigation to-day, as I shall presently ex- 

 plain, is much more complicated, with its 

 system of canals, ditches, and laterals than 

 it was at first, when each one irrigated his 

 own little patch from some near body of wa- 

 ter. 



It was a matter of surprise to me that 

 the knowledge of the practical farmer from 

 tlie East does not avail him very inuch when 

 he strikes these arid lands that have to be 

 watered artificially. Almost any one with- 

 out experience, providing he has good com- 

 mon sense and lots of energy, can do almost 

 as well, beciiuse the mode of farming" is so 

 strikingly different. 



SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY. 



As I have already pointed out, a large 

 portion of the water used for irrig-ation 

 comes from melting snows on the mountains. 

 In the East, the g-reat amount of precipita- 

 tion is either in the winter or along in 

 March and April; and the consequence is 

 there is a g-reater supply of water than is 

 required, and it of course goes to waste. 

 In the mean time the farmer has to wait till 

 the land is dry enough before he can work 

 it. But in the West the greatest supply of 

 water comes at a later period and just at a 

 time when it is needed. When warm weath- 

 er comes on the snow begins to melt; and 

 this vast quantitj' of stored-up water, in 

 snow form, is given off under the influence 

 of the unadulterated raj'S of the sun about 

 as fast as the irrigator can use it. In the 

 mean time he has been preparing- his land, 

 fixing up his ditches, and as soon as he is 

 ready for the water he turns it on; and he 

 can have his moisture under absolute con- 

 trol, providing, of course, there are not too 

 many ranchmen taking water from the same 

 ditch, and providing, of course, there is an 

 eqviitable distribution, which in some cases 

 there is not. It will be seen, then, that the 

 mountains, the very cause of these arid 

 plains, because they form a barrier to the 

 clouds and winds, are the means of catch- 

 ing the snows, preventing them from going 

 into the valleys or upon the plains; that is 

 to say, they are the fountain sources or res- 

 ervoirs for holding the supplies of water 

 that they have borrowed, so to speak, and 

 5'et later on pay back in installments. 



FARMING IN THE WEST VS. FARMING IN 

 THE EAST. 



Right here arises an interesting question: 

 If it were not for these mountains, the prob- 

 abilities are these arid lands would be wa- 

 tered the sanie as our land in the humid 

 territory. Would it be better if these great 

 barriers did not exist? I think not, as I 

 shall presently try to show. The farmers 



of the East are continually being hampered 

 by having too much water — that is, too 

 much rain at certain times and not enough 

 of it at others. As a result, their crops are 

 somewhat uncertain. When thej^ do get a 

 large yield there is an oversupply, and 

 prices are low; and when, by reason of 

 drouth, there is almost no crop, prices are 

 high, but there is nothing- to sell. The 

 trouble is not, that in the ag-gregate there 

 is not enough or too much water, but an 

 uneguat distribution of it. In the West, 

 the same amount of moisture in the form of 

 snow is lodged on the sides of those great 

 mountains. The sun is bound to shine; 

 and the accumulated wealth (water) that 

 has been stored up all winter can be given 

 off, and is given off just as the farmer 

 wants it, with the result that his crops are 

 reasonably sure in most localities and 

 prices generally good. But right here I 

 may be misunderstood. There are some ir- 

 rigated regions where the water supply is 

 inadequate some seasons, either because 

 too many ranchmen have located in a cer- 

 tain area, or because the fall of snow is 

 just barely adequate, under favorable con- 

 ditions, to supply the demand.-^ When the 

 precipitation has been light, then there is 

 general hardship. It is but fair to state 

 that, owing- to the lack of proper laws reg- 

 ulating" the number of ranches to the amount 

 of water, there are some localities that are 

 over-farmed, if I may use the term, for the 

 amount of water or precipitation some 

 j^ears, so that the irrig-ation farmer so lo- 

 cated does not have things all his own way; 

 but I think I am not overstating the facts 

 when I say that certainly he has the ad- 

 vantage over his co-laborer in the humid 

 portion of the country, because he has the 

 one important requisite, water, much more 

 nearlj' under his control. 



I think I am also correct in stating that 

 most of the localities are not overstocked, if 

 I may borrow a term from our own indus- 

 try (apiculture) with farmers. The thin- 

 ning-out process is sure to come. Some 

 will become disgusted, and move out. 

 Lands that were sold at big prices are 

 worth practically nothing, because it is 

 difificult to get all the water that is needed 

 during off" years of lig^ht precipitation of 

 snow. In my line of travels, I ran across 

 many and many a ranch that showed the 

 irrigation furrows all over it, but which 

 had been abandoned, and which was then 

 overgrown with sage brush, and occupied 

 only by the jack-rabbit and the coj'ote. 

 These furrows seem to be silent reminders 

 of the fact that some poor fellow had been 

 induced to go upon these lands from the 

 over-coloring that had been given him. paid 

 big prices, sunk his money, and abandoned 

 his ranch, sadder but wiser. 



A WARNING TO PROSPECTIVE IRRIGATORS. 



Before I go further I wish especially to 

 warn go-west young" men not to be misled 



* This is true in the region of Phcenix and Tetnpe, 

 Arizona. 



