136 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



These people, after discovery of the 

 place and deciding to build, sent forward 

 their men and teams with a few families to 

 board the workers, and began the work. A 

 part of the teams procured work from the 

 government hauling supplies and wood to 

 Fort McDowell and so furnished the ready 

 money for such supplies as had to be 

 bought for cash. Putting a brush and 

 stone dam into the river they soon had a 

 small supply of water and began to raise 

 their food and forage. The population 

 was increased as rapidly as there was room 

 for them, a certain portion being kept at 

 work upon the canal. 



Thus in a few years they had a com- 

 pleted ditch and were all owners in fee of 

 their lands and the canal. 



The main objections to this system for 

 general application is that the bringing of 

 water to irrigate the best and safest loca- 

 tions, requires so large an outlay for dams 

 and other expensive works that ordinary 

 co operative communities are entirely un- 

 able to accomplish the results. 



Capitalists will not entrust the manage- 

 ment of their investments to a vote of a 

 town meeting, but require either personal 

 control or responsible ownership and man- 

 agement. 



There is no probability of canals being 

 built by our general or state governments, 

 as such improvements have been made in 

 India and lands reclaimed in Holland. 



It follows, therefore, that our great ca- 

 nals will be built, owned and managed by 

 stock companies. 



The plan that comprises the greatest 

 number of elements of safety and fairness 

 is the very simple one of encouraging all 

 settlers to take lands under the canal from 

 the government at one and one-quarter 

 dollars per acre. This the desert land law 

 makes very easy. 



The canal company should confine its 

 business strictly to selling water rights and 

 serving water. 



This gives the settler a fair share of the 

 increase of value to the land from settle- 

 ment and irrigation, while the canal com- 

 pany will have a safe and definite return 

 from its investment. 



In order to accomplish this happy com- 

 bination, there must be a constant, liberal 

 and judicious use of printers' ink. 



The Rio Verde canal of the Salt River 

 Valley has adopted practically the above 

 plan and nearly half its lands are taken 

 up already while the canal is not half con- 

 structed. 



KENNEWICK VALLEY, WASH. 



The farmers of this valley seem to be 

 satisfied with the crops they have har- 

 vested this season, and if prices were good 

 would receive ample return for the labor 

 expended. All kinds of crops grown un- 

 der irrigation this season have done re- 

 markably well. 



Quite a large acreage of sorghum was 

 planted, and where well cared for shows 

 very large growth, some fields showing a 

 growth of 14 feet in height and an aver- 

 age of 12 feet. Three sorghum mills are 

 now at work and will turn out several thou- 

 sand gallons of very fine syrup. 



Mr. M. D. Oslem has just harvested and 

 distilled 20 acres of mint. Thinks the 

 crop is very encouraging, giving a very 

 fair return for the year's work, consider- 

 ing the expense of putting in a still and 

 other necessary work to get started. The 

 returns are this year sufficient to war- 

 rant largely increasing the average if the 

 question of the supply of water lor irriga- 

 tion is satisfactorily settled, saying that he 

 would plant out 40 acres this fall, making 

 60 acres for another year. Mr. Oslem 

 came from Michigan where he was en- 

 gaged in mint culture. Thinks this coun- 



DO 



try far ahead of Michigan for this pur- 

 pose. The young fruit orchards have 

 made a very fine growth this season, giv 

 ing the farmers a little fruit. Next year 

 quite a crop of fruit can be expected. 



The wheat crop of Eastern Washington 

 has turned out considerably better, on the 

 whole, than expected. Quite a rise of 

 prices which has taken place of late caused 

 considerable shipments at 45 cents per 

 bushel, making the wheat growers look 

 more cheerful. 



NEBRASKA STATE IRR GATION ASSO- 

 CIATION. 



The executive committee has found it 

 necessary to postpone the meeting of the 

 fourth annual convention of the Nebraska 

 State Irrigation Association to be held at 

 Lexington, Nebraska, from the 7, 8, 9th of 

 October till the 19, 20, 21st of November. 

 The selection of these later dates was 

 thought to be essential to the most com- 

 plete success of the meeting. There were 

 conflicting meetings and engagements of a 

 large number who were particularly anx- 

 ious to attend, and the change was made 

 by unanimous decision of the local ex 

 ecutive committee at Lexington after due 

 deliberation. 



