THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



VOL. XI. 



CHICAGO, FEBRUARY, 1897. 



NO. 2 



THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA. 



Irrigation Legisla- There seems to be 

 tion in Kansas. but little expecta- 

 tion that the Kansas Legislature will do 

 more than appropriate a limited amount 

 of money to carry on the work of irri- 

 gation survey and experiment inaugu- 

 rated two years ago. The prevailing 

 impression seems to be that the work 

 should be placed in charge of the State 

 Geologist with possibly a provision that 

 the superintendent of forestry be author- 

 ized to spend a couple of thousand dol- 

 lars in experimentation. The recent 

 change of political complexion is respon- 

 sible in a measure for the desire to do 

 otherwise than follow the precedent 

 established by the republican adminis- 

 tration. It must in justice be admitted, 

 however, that the work accomplished 

 with $30,000 appropriated by the last 

 legislature is of a preliminary character 

 only. This is due in part to the restric- 

 tions and conditions imposed with the 

 appropriation. The report to the legis- 

 lature just issued by the Board of Irriga- 

 tion Survey and Experiment contains 

 many valuable geological maps and sur- 

 veys prepared by Prof. Haworth, of the 

 State University and a mass of informa- 

 tion resulting from the two years' work. 

 It is to be regretted that the nature of 

 the problems to be solved were not more 

 thoroughly understood in the beginning 

 in order that the work might have been 

 pursued with definite objects in view. 

 The board is to be congratulated, how- 



ever, upon the able manner in which it 

 undertook to accomplish the task set 

 before it. 



A Little Activity An awakening is 

 Needed. needed among the 



friends of irrigation in Western Kansas. 

 For a long time they have accustomed 

 themselves to look on everything with a 

 dull eye and but little effort has been 

 made to encourage the growth of inter- 

 est in the subject or to set before the 

 public a few of the things already done 

 and attract some of the immigration 

 which has been flowing across the state 

 and locating elsewhere. The time is at 

 hand for organization and active work 

 and unless it is done immediately there 

 will be lost the advantage of the revival 

 in the movement of population. 



The Situation in The irrigation situ-. 

 Colorado. ation in Colorado is 



a peculiar one. It is remarkable mainly 

 because no united effort is being made 

 to accomplish something definite and 

 tangible. A number of bills have been 

 introduced in the state legislature but 

 they are confined to matters pertaining 

 to some particular limited locality and 

 are conflicting in many provisions. The 

 most noteworthy advancement seems to 

 be in the direction of utilizing land 

 under the Carey law. Surveys, plats 

 and filings have been made of two large 

 areas one in the northeastern part of 

 the state adjacent to Greeley and the 



