UNPROFITABLE IRRIGATION. 



No. I. 

 BY T. S. VAN DYKE. 



Under the title of "Cessation of Irrigation," in the March number of 

 the AGE Mr. Mount of Colorado, opens up the most important branch of 

 the whole subject and one that so far has been very slightly discussed. 

 There is no cessation of irrigation. On the contrary the triumph of irri- 

 gation has never been so apparent as during the recent hard times that 

 have crippled so many who depend upon some business out of the profits 

 of which they have to buy their living. The irrigating farmer who has 

 attended to his land has been the most independent of any one^ And 

 even where he has lost, he has lost far less in proportion than the most 

 solid old money bags. 



But there is a cessation in the building of irrigation works as Mr. 

 Mount says and the two reasons he gives are very correct, though they 

 cover but a small portion of the whole ground of the difficulty. There 

 is also a cessation in the buying of irrigable land at any price and in any 

 location or on any terms, which Mr. Mount does not notice and is not 

 governed by the second reason he gives, but which is very pronounced 

 and very saddening to any one who thinks of the future welfare of his 

 country. I -shall notice this more at length in another paper and stop 

 now only to say that much of it is due to the talk of politicians that 

 there is "nothing in farming." 



The class of settlers who have been foreclosed on mortgages and 

 who will not buy anything that has any kind of lien on it as mentioned 

 by Mr. Mount are not the principal ones at fault. There are many such, 

 but there are ten times as many who have the money to buy but do not 

 want land except to cut into town lots; men by the thousand with from 

 three to ten thousand apiece in ready cash who three or five years ago 

 could be induced to look at a piece of land with a view to doubling their 

 money by selling to some one else, but who today will not leave the 

 pavement to look at it for any purpose. 



Then there is another class who will look at it if it is not over five 

 miles from an active center but if at all remote don't want it at any price or 

 for any purpose. Upon this is another set who will look at it five miles 

 from a city of ten thousand people but want it at strictly backwooods 

 prices. 



Then comes the great "poor settler" class with no money and no 

 land, the poor suffering mortal who is dying for land but cannot get any 

 because it is all monopolized by monsters of iniquity. Now some of these 

 are very worthy but if you want to get a real vivid idea of the propor- 

 tion of the worthy ones, put in a paper of good circulation an ad. like 

 this: 



