PULSE OF THE IRRIGATION INDUSTRY. 



MORMON COLONY LIFE. 



BY JOEf SHOMAKER. 



TTHE Mormons, inhabiting Utah and 

 the west possess many peculiar 

 traits of character, among the most 

 noticeable are those of colonial customs. 

 No colony founded by those people ever 

 fails or becomes disorganized. The men 

 and women are called by church author- 

 ities to settle upon arid lands and reclaim 

 and always respond to the dictatorial 

 mandates of their authorities. Scores of 

 beautiful little cities now adorn spots in 

 Utah that a few years ago were not re- 

 garded as fit for the habitation of 

 Indians. The deserts have been con- 

 quered by irrigation and luxuriant vege- 

 tation covers the earth where once not 

 even sage brush could grow. 



A spirit of co-operation prevails among 

 the mormons to a greater extent than 

 with any other class of colonists in the 

 west. The organization is such that an 

 officer presides over five lay members 

 and counsels from superior officials as to 

 the best policy to pursue in all matter. 

 Colonies are organized primarily for the 

 advancement of church interests which 

 depends of course upom the individual 

 success of the colonists. The irrigation 

 canals necessary for all colonies in the 

 West are constructed by co-operation of 

 those interested. The produdts of the 

 farm are sold and machinery purchased 

 through the same principle of co-opera- 

 tion. 



Utah is composed of numerable towns 

 where citizens reside. The farm are sit- 

 uated around the little colonies. Some 

 farmers travel five miles morning and 

 evening going to and from work. No 

 fencing is to be seen except surrounding 

 a few pasture fields. The co-operation 

 plan. of colonies secures the safety of the 

 farm and prevents damage from roving 

 animals. One man is as much interested 

 as another in tjhe growing crops, the 

 ripened grain and the harvested stacks. 

 The entire colony cares for the property 

 of each other and individual prosperity 

 thereby insures colonial happiness. 



Colony life among -the Mormons in- 



creases the social and moral obligations 

 so as to make the people better. The 

 spirit of competition is more strongly 

 enforced in colony life. Men and wo- 

 men compete for honors in superiority of 

 demeanor,dress,education and refinement. 

 The desire for individual wealth is not 

 diminished in colonial organizations. 

 Every family desires a home and as a re- 

 sult of their teaching over ninety per cent 

 of the Mormon families own their homes. 

 The consumers of commodities are more 

 thoroughly trained and the tastes more 

 completely modernized by a systematic 

 colonial adminisration. 



The Mormons have demonstrated that 

 colony life is conductive to healthf ulness. 

 Abetter sanitary condition prevails among 

 colonists and diseases are more readily 

 controlled. Health brings wealth and 

 wealth insures the comforts of life. 

 Colonial schools are better disciplined, 

 more thorough in system and more com- 

 prehensive in education. The luxuries 

 of life in food, dress and recreation are 

 more generally enjoyed and easier ob- 

 tained under colonial jurisdiction. Many 

 lessons have been learned from the 

 Mormon colonies and the entire west 

 seems to be adopting more or less of the 

 information. With all their faults the 

 Mormons have made rapid progress in 

 the development of Arid America and 

 their success can be attributed to the 

 plan adopted for the guidance of col- 

 onies. 



LAND AND CANALS IN WASHING- 

 TON. 



There are in the state of Washington 

 206,458 acres of land under irrigation 

 and a total of 807 miles of ditches. The 

 greatest number of acres in any one sec- 

 tion is 139,410 in Yakima county, and 

 the next greatest is 40,000 in Kittitas 

 county. Following these the third and 

 fourth highest in the list are Walla 

 Walla and Okanogan counties, the for- 

 mer with 10,498 acres and the latter with 

 10,000 acres. As regards the expense of 

 putting in these ditches, shown by the 

 miles of ditches, Yakima county comes 



