r lHE IRRIGATION AGE. 



315 



A New Appli- -^ n interesting example of the 

 cation of Elec- value of electricity in making 

 tricity. profitable, old industries which 



have fallen into decay, is to be found in 

 the valley of the Yuba Kiver, California, 

 which was years ago the scene of an ac- 

 tive search for gold. As much gold as 

 could then be profitably found was se- 

 cured and the locality abandoned ; but the 

 advent of electricity has created a new 

 and unusual activity there. Many miles 

 back in the mountains a large water plant 

 has been constructed for the generation of 

 electricity; by means of the power from 

 this source, the people along the lower 

 and sandy parts of the valley have begun 

 to use huge machine dredges to work the 

 old abandoned placer mines. These 

 dredges scoop up the gravel in which gold 

 is thought to exist, pass it back to be sep- 

 arated and deposit it on the ground be- 

 hind them. It is an unusual and exceed- 

 ingly interesting sight to see these great 

 machines eating their way into the earth. 

 They stop at nothing but work along 

 steadily through fields and orchards and 

 leave behind them as complete a picture 

 of desolation as one could expect to find. 

 The operators are said to be making a 

 good thing out of it as the power is cheap 

 and the findings of the precious metal is 

 sufficiently large to bring very good re- 

 turns. The work was lately watched with 

 much interest by some of the members of 

 the United States Geological Survey who 

 were making a general reconnoisance in 

 that region. 



Irrigation ^h e constantly increasing en- 

 West Means thusiasm in the western arid 

 Benefit East. states over the regu it s and 



possibilities of irrigation is a happy omen 

 for the whole country. Hundreds of 

 square miles of territory, before desolate, 

 have been brought under cultivation in 

 this way. Cultivated country means a 

 demand, for the necessities of life. Many 

 necessities and most of the luxuries of 

 life, and a large part of the agricultural 



machinery of the country are made east of 

 the Mississippi Eiver. Hence irrigation 

 means a growing flood of eastern supplies 

 to western markets. Again, irrigation 

 means wonderful production ; hundreds of 

 carloads of high priced fruits, ready for 

 shipment each year, from tracts that were 

 poor sheep pastures before. The East 

 wants these car loads of fruit; Europe 

 wants them, and across the country for 

 thousands of miles the railroads carry 

 them. Hence irrigation means two long 

 lucrative hauls of freight, the supplies 

 west and the products east, and the divi- 

 dends of thousands of stockholders in the 

 East and West alike reap the benefits. 

 There are many other benefits from irri- 

 gation, but these are enough. Irrigation 

 is not a sectional matter ; it is a great Na- 

 tional Question. 



Lean Cows Tlie United States Geological 

 and Irrigation Survey has been making some 

 valuable studies on the Great Plains, west 

 of the Mississippi River, in connection 

 with artesian waters. What this vast 

 section needs above all things is water, 

 and it has been estimated that millions of 

 dollars would be added to its value if only 

 a reliable supply could be found. An 

 interesting illustration of the bad 

 effect of the lack of water, during 

 the summer season, is found upon the 

 cattle ranches. The great herds of cattle 

 which roam on the Plains sometimes have 

 extreme difficulty in finding water, especi- 

 ally in time of draught. Their usual 

 drinking places may be miles away from 

 where they are obliged to graze, and it is 

 not at all unusual for them to travel all 

 night or even longer, from the one to the 

 other. As a result of going these long 

 distances at frequent intervals stock be- 

 comes poor and thin, and the profit of 

 cattle raising is thereby much impaired. 

 Water bearing rocks are known to exist in 

 large quantities under the whole region of 

 the Great Plains which ought to yield an 

 abundant supply. The work of the Gov- 



