PULSE OF THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY. 



217 



received a severe blow, as applied to the canal sys- 

 tem. On the question of pumps and windmill irriga- 

 tion, the people are becoming aroused; the great suc- 

 cess that the new irrigation windmills have achieved 

 has aroused a hope that on every farm in Nebraska 

 where the depth to water does not exceed 200 feet 

 there can be from five to twenty acres or more 

 irrigated., Digressing slightly, will say that experts 

 claim that the new 12-foot irrigation windmills 

 have five times the power that is allowed for the 

 old-fashioned 12-foot farm mills. They are now 

 working three 12-foot mills on twelve and fourteen 

 inch pumps, with a stroke of from ten to twelve inches 

 lifting water from twelve to twenty-five feet in height. 

 It is claimed that the 16-foot irrigation mill will lift 

 water enough to irrigate ten acres pumping from a 

 depth of 200 feet where economy in water is used. 

 So this method of irrigation will go on, even if our 

 laws are nullified, which we trust will not happen. 



After making such a splendid start on this method 

 of farming it is to be hoped that nothing will mar the 

 progress of the sentiment favoring irrigation. Yet 

 even with the decision of the Nebraska Supreme 

 Court in favor of the Wright Act of our State, the de- 

 cision of Judge Ross, of California, on the case tried 

 in his court and now pending in the United States 

 Supreme Court must affect our district law, and until 

 such a time as a decision is rendered, the district act 

 will, to a certain extent, be checked or inoperative. 

 With the two decisions pending in Nebraska Supreme 

 Court and one in the United States Supreme Court 

 that will thus affect our laws irrigation works of every 

 character have received a check. 



There will be progress, however, in Nebraska on 

 this question, in the way of education, as the people 

 everywhere are taking a very active interest on the 

 subject. One of the largest loan and trust companies in 

 the State that now holds a number of thousand acres of 

 Nebraska lands has commenced work and has arranged 

 for a series of lectures on irrigation by pumping, along 

 the lines of the Burlington and Missouri River Rail- 

 road in Nebraska, where canals cannot be constructed. 



One of the most powerful factors in the spreading 

 of this sentiment is the total abandonment of the 

 theory of the increase of rainfall that was to have fol- 

 lowed the settler in his march Westward; even our 

 State college officials now urge the abandonment of this 

 theory and prove that it is a fallacy; had they at- 

 tempted this five years ago, off would have gone their 

 official heads and they would have been branded as 

 enemies to our State and its interest. 



Prof. Chas. E. Bessey, the botanist of the State 

 university, is earnestly and actively urging the relin- 

 quishment of the remainder of the United States land 

 to the State, to be accepted by the State and be con- 

 verted into a great forest reserve that will be owned 

 entirely and controlled by the State, and to be held 

 solely for that purpose and no other, title only to re- 

 main with the State on condition that it becomes 

 planted to timber after so many years. 



The idea of Professor Bessey is that such a theory 

 is practical and that in time this vast body of timber 

 would very materially affect the climate of Nebraska 

 and the plains. This reserve would be very largely 

 on the north side of the North Platte river, in what is 

 known as the sand hill and lake region and all west of 

 the one hundredth meridian. 



Professor Reece, of Falls City, is actively and ener- 

 getically pushing his atmospheric irrigation idea, 

 that if it would be carried out would also affect the 

 climate of the great Plains. Many persons are follow- 



ing Prof. Recce's advice. Our State Commissioner is- 

 adjudicating the filing of water rights that have been 

 made in the past ten year?. Nebraska is making 

 .steady progress and will yet lead the nation in the 

 amount of its irrigated area. 



IKKIGATION IS WASHINGTON. 



BY ARTHUR GUNN. 



THE valley of the Wenatchee river, in the exact 

 center of the State of Washington, is being rap- 

 idly developed by means of irrigation. Two 

 canals are now under construction the Peshastin 

 Ditch canal and that of the Wenatchee North Canal 

 'Co. Both of these canals were originally planned by 

 the late C. F. B. Haskell, C. E., and the construction 

 of both is now under the charge of Mr. Harvey Shot- 

 well, the resident engineer. 



The Peshastin Ditch Co.'s canal takes its water from 

 the Peshastin river, about two miles above the conflu- 

 ence of that stream with the Wenatchee river. The 

 canal is twelve feet wide at the water line and will 

 carry two feet of water. Its length is fourteen miles, 

 covering a little over five thousand acres of land trib- 

 utary to the town of Mission. The earth work of this 

 canal is now finished, and there remains but three- 

 fourths of a mile of fluming to be built before it will 

 be complete. It will be done in time for the crop of 

 1896. 



The Wenatchee North Canal Co. is so named in dis- 

 tinction from another proposed corporation, the Wen- 

 atchee South Canal Co. The North Canal Co. is now 

 actively engaged in building a canal which when com- 

 pleted will be twenty-two miles- in length, and will 

 completely cover the arable land upon the north side 

 of the Wenatchee river from opposite the mouth of the 

 Peshastin river to the mouth of the Wenatchee river. 

 It is proposed to organize the Wenatchee South Canal 

 Co., which will take water from the North canal, two 

 miles above its lower terminus and carrying it across 

 the Wenatchee river, supply that part of the valley 

 immediately surrounding the town of Wenatchee. 



None of these works present unusual engineering 

 difficulties, except the South Canal, which will have 

 to cross the valley of the Wenatchee from bluff to 

 bluff, a distance of about one thousand feet, and a 

 depth of about three hundred feet. The main point 

 of interest arises from the fact that these works are 

 being successfully pushed to completion by the local 

 farmers, who are men of limited means, entirely with- 

 out aid from outside capital; showing both energy and 

 faith in the future of the Wenatchee valley under irri- 

 gation. The total value of these canals when com- 

 pleted will not be less than $100,000. 



In addition to these larger canals there are numbers 

 of smaller ditches; all the small streams which here 

 come down from the mountains having long since 

 been diverted and used to their entire capacity. 

 However, the total acreage covered by them will not 

 exceed three thousand acres, making the larger canals 

 a necessity for the development of the valley. 



The Wenatchee valley is justly famous for the 

 quality of its fruit, its low altitude and sheltered 

 position insuring early crops and freedom from injury 

 to trees in winter. Since the building of the Great 

 Northern Railway through this valley, three years ago, 

 fruit raising has taken a vigorous and healthful impe- 

 tus, and will soon make the Wenatchee valley one of 

 the most beautiful garden spots on the Pacific coast 



