WILL IRRIGATION PAY THE 

 FARMER? 



BY O. H. CURTIS. 



The time is quickly coming, or has already come, when the farmer 

 as a class, is no longer called by the balance of humanity, "a gawk" 

 "country gake" '-hay seed" or other similar terms. 



Why is this.change? Both, because the other classes now realize 

 that the farmer is necessarily for their own existance, and that they 

 are not necessarily for his, and also because, by better education 

 personally, the farmer has elevated the standard of his occupation. 

 This has been brought about by the free use of the many inventions 

 which lessen his labor, thus giving him extra time for reading and 

 study, and also by direct study and practice, in many cases, at the 

 various agricultural colleges of the country. 



Logically then, this proves that any means which will make the 

 farmer more successful, will enable him to better his condition, and 

 tend to elevate his class in the estimation of people generally. Un- 

 questionably, an increased yield of crops, with little if any added ex- 

 pense or labor by the farmer, will add to his success. This will be 

 the sure result, both from more intense and careful cultivation of the 

 soil, which education teaches him to accomplish, and also from the use 

 of irrigation as an auxiliary aid to his own careful labor. This is 

 amply proved to be a fact, in Nebraska and many other parts of our 

 country. 



Near Ord, Neb. a yield of 105 bushels of barley to the acre result- 

 ed from irrigation. 



Where only 30 bushels per acre of corn was raised on adjoining 

 land, 65 bushels resulted from irrigation. 



P. J. Hendryx, of Platt Co. raised 25 acres of celery which netted 

 him above all expenses, 125. 00 per acre. 



Another farmer raised 1365 bushels of onions on a single acre. 

 His neighbor raised only 100 bushels without irrigation. 



Mr. Sailing of Cozard, from applying water only twice to his 

 wheat, received a yield of 40 bushels per acre. 



Adjoining him 20 to 23 bushels were raised without irrigation. 



A striking example is shown at Green River, Utah, in the very 

 heart of the barren desert, where three years before, every vestage of 

 civilization was destroyed by fire. 



Since then, by the use of the water from one artesian well, has 

 resulted, several trees six inches through and sixty feet high, and in 

 a garden of half an acre or less, all the vegetables are constantly 



