THE IRRIGA TION A GE. 311 



these and especially to think them up before they are sprung upon you 

 when you are totally unprepared is too much. To do this requires a 

 man of brains and wider learning, a student who knows how to look up 

 what he does not know and, above all, one who is not too lazy to do it. 

 For this none but a good engineer can be relied on. 



There are many other causes of failure such as squandering money 

 in hotels, townsites, colleges, railroads, and what not in the attempt to 

 force settlement. Such things are in the nature of a dangerous gamble. 

 It is a bad scheme to start with that requires anything of the sort. A 

 settler of sense will want to know first what your soil is and what can 

 you do with it. If there is anything in it that will justify the building 

 of a ditch to irrigate it why is not the company or some one interested in 

 it making some of the money they are inviting the settler to make out of 

 it? Many a ditch has failed because it should not have been built. Any 

 one who understood matters thoroughly could have told that land in that 

 locality would not justify water at that price. But having built it the 

 last thing to do is to spend any more on "Jim Crow" boom appendages. 

 A few dozen acres devoted to intensive culture of the very best kind will 

 do more than all of them. A few thousand put in alfalfa or something 

 else with a handsome bonus to such settlers as do the best work each 

 year will pay interest quicker than a big school house. Promoters of 

 waterworks of ten think they must put on a certain amount of style just 

 the same as a private person if he wants to do business. If one can 

 afford it it does often pay, but for one person who cares where you live, 

 what you eat or how you dress there will be near ninety- nine who will 

 inquire whether you keep your word and pay your debts. It is much 

 the same with waterworks. What is there back of all this that I can 

 make some money out of, or at all events a living, is the question the 

 great majority of the settlers will ask themselves privately. 'And big 

 words will not serve for an answer. 





