CHEAPNESS OF IRRIGATION. 165 



penditure of capital per acre not any greater than the 

 annual rent paid per acre for irrigating water in European 

 countries. It is true that we have cheap land upon which 

 to construct the ditches, and that so far, for want of pre 

 occupation of the land, the course of the canal has been 

 made to follow the meanderings of the line of grade 

 chosen, and to save the cost of expensive aqueducts across 

 valleys and depressions, and that economy in the use of 

 the water has not been an object of serious consideration; 

 but it may be some years or even centuries before the cost 

 of irrigation with us can reach $5 to $10 per acre yearly, 

 which is the cost of water supplied by canals of Europe. 

 This cheapness of irrigation must undoubtedly give a 

 great impetus to the settlement of lands upon the plains 

 and great valleys, so soon as those who are now occasion 

 ally brought to the verge of ruin, by the failure of their 

 crops, can be brought to understand its cheapness, its ease 

 of application, and the certainty of crops secured by its 

 means. The numerous settlements that have been made 

 in California, Colorado, Utah, and other localities, and the 

 success which has attended these pioneer efforts, in spite 

 of all the drawbacks incident to a want of knowledge of 

 the peculiarities of the climate and the soil, and inex 

 perience in the art of irrigation, will tend greatly to 

 attract men toward new enterprises in this direction. 

 The evident advantages of a system of agriculture, in 

 which water can be supplied to the fields at will, and de 

 pendence upon a fickle and uncertain or arid climate is 

 avoided, will have numerous attractions to men who have 

 seen the fruits of their labor perish, year after year, either 

 by drouth or excess of rain ; and as soon as trustworthy 

 and exact information can be procured, thousands of set 

 tlers ^ill avail themselves of the benefits offered to them 

 by a cheap, fertile soil, clear skies, genial climate, and 

 water constantly at hand, and under the most perfect 

 control. 



