

THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA 





IRRIGATION FROM THE GREAT 

 LAKES. 



ONE cause of anxiety concerning the 

 lake levels is the immense "Drain- 

 age Canal" from Lake Michigan, at 

 Chicago, through a portion of the State of 

 Illinois. But the ''Drainage Canal," 

 with its great drainage on Lake Michigan, 

 is really a merchant-ship canal which pro- 

 vides another water' route to and from the 

 Atlantic, this time via the Mississippi 

 river, and it cannot be interfered with. 

 By this route, American men-of-war can 

 come up to the lakes. Congress will look 

 after the lake levels and, by a system of 

 immense dams in different locations, the 

 level of the lakes will be kept sufficiently 

 high so that the stage of water at the 

 shallowest points in connecting rivers 

 (with additional dredging and rock blast- 

 ing) will be deep enough for the largest 

 and deepest lake carriers. This ship canal 

 is really a National institution, and in 

 case of war would be all-important, as it 

 will at all times be to the commercial 

 world. There is a secret about this great 

 project which may now be let out. For 

 years old residents of Chicago labored for 

 it, but, under the name of <% a ship canal, 

 to connect the lakes with the Mississippi 

 and the Atlantic," the masses refused to ex- 

 pend the millions necessary. The matter 

 was allowed to drop out of the public mind 

 for a few years, and a seemingly brand 

 new project of ' ' a great drainage sewer for 

 Chicago" was then broached, and it went 

 through with a rush. Now Chicago has 

 her drainage sewer and the nation has a 

 great ship canal, and the dear people are 

 benefited even against their own sweet 

 will. 



And if a ship canal, or a drainage canal, 

 why not an irrigation canal? As the safe 

 and sure (the irrigation) plan of farming 

 grows in Illinois, it will suggest itself to 

 the agricultural classes that this "Chicago 

 Drainage Canal " can be tapped, and that 

 other, special, irrigation canals can be 



built, and so it will go until Illinois has a 

 system of irrigating canals. And if this 

 can be brought about in Illinois, then every 

 State having a lake front can follow her 

 example. 



Irrigation is being adopted generally in 

 the central West, and in the Eastern 

 and Southern States, and the people will 

 go any length to obtain water. In a word, 

 the agriculturists seem to have suddenly 

 awakened to the fact that the element of 

 uncertainty can surely be removed from 

 their industry and that the means to this 

 end is irrigation. Located on fertile soil, 

 they are tired of losing a crop every other 

 season, while farmers on arid lands in the 

 far West have a certainty of several crops 

 every season. 



For the present the central Western 

 States just resorting to irrigation Illinois, 

 Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, etc. will 

 confine their operations mostly to the or- 

 chards and the garden vegetables, and 

 wells, pumps, and reservoirs will be the 

 means of obtaining and accumulating 

 water, but sooner or later the lake States 

 will be watered from those great fresh 

 water lakes, and there will be water enough 

 obtainable to insure the safety of all the 

 great staple crops. 



LIVE STOCK INTERESTS. 



Samuel W. Allerton,one of the large pork 

 packers of Chicago,is in Washington in the 

 interest of live stock growers, shippers 

 and traders. At a recent meeting of the 

 representatives of the Live Stock Ex- 

 changes of Omaha, Kansas City, Sioux 

 City, Buffalo and Pittsburg, it was de- 

 termined to petition congress in regard to 

 the re-establishment of reciprocal relations 

 with foreign countries, so that cattle and 

 hogs could be sold to advantage. Com- 

 munications were addressed to the mem- 

 bers of the Ways and Means Committee, 

 and a hearing has been accorded the 

 representives of the National Live Stock 

 Exchange. We shall go before the sub- 



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