230 



THE IBKIGATION AGE. 



voirs have been sunk on the tops of the prairie undula- 

 tions, and windmills are everywhere pumping from the 

 wells into the reservoirs which feed the irrigation 

 ditches. Many newcomers are living in sod houses, 

 others are putting up substantial cottages and market 

 towns are rising. This spring 13,000 fruit trees have 

 been delivered at the towns of Colby and Goodman to 

 be planted on the prairies of the northwest tier of 

 counties. The intensive farming that irrigation always 

 brings is supplanting the meager stock raising that 

 followed the bitter failure of twenty-five years ago. 



In connection with the good words quoted 

 Lute from "Polly Pry" about Lute Wilcox, 



Wilcox. editor of The Field and Faarm, in this 

 issue is brought to mind a happening 

 in the early history of the National Irrigation Congress 

 which it will do no harm to repeat. 



The executive committee of the Congress, 



which was to be held in Phoenix in the fall of 1893 

 met at Denver in the summer of that year to arrange 

 a program, and Lute Wilcox, as well as the writer, was 

 in attendance. During the work incident to the prepa- 

 ration of the program, the writer suggested the name 

 of Dr. Clarke Gapen, at that time superintendent of 

 the Eastern Hospital for the Insane at Kankakee, 111., 

 as a good man to have on, as he had been experimenting 

 along the line of supplemental irrigation at the hos- 

 pital farm and would be able to give a valuable and 

 interesting report on his experience. 



For some unknown reason, all the members of the 

 committee excepting Lute Wilcox opposed the sug- 

 gestion, evidently thinking that a man from Illinois 

 could give very little information to a Westerner. 

 After threshing over the subject for some time, and 

 when it was about decided to turn the proposition down, 

 Wilcox came over to where the writer was sitting and 

 suggested going downstairs "to see a man." When 

 he had gotten out of earshot of the balance of the com- 

 mittee he said, "Say, , you stop here a little 

 while and I will go back and tell those fellows some- 

 thing. They think that because your man Gapen and 

 yourself are from east of the Missouri that you can't 

 tell them anything." 



Wilcox came back in about five minutes, smiling, 

 and said it was all right Gapen would go on. 



As a result of that work the Congress at Phoenix 

 heard the best talk that has ever been delivered on 

 supplemental irrigation, and Dr. Gapen's talk has ap- 

 peared in print and been read by one hundred people to 

 every one who has ever read any of the other talks at that 

 meeting. 



In connection with this story it occurs to the 

 writer that this same Congress at Phoenix was the first 

 time George H. Maxwell came upon the scene. This 

 is the same "Ozone George" who now poses as the 



father of all irrigation movements in this country. 

 "Ah Lack-a-day." 



In conversation recently with a well 

 Self known irrigation man from a Western 



Exploitation. State, some queer information was secured 

 about the methods of F. H. Newell, of 

 the Reclamation Bureau and his systematic method of 

 exploiting his personality during the years when he 

 filled the position of hydrographer for the United 

 States Geological Survey. 



The gentleman informed us that on one of his 

 trips through the West he met Mr. Newell in a Pull- 

 man car on his way to Denver. As they were nearing 

 the city he noted that the genial "Doctor" opened a 

 suit-case, which was filled with half-tone portraits of 

 "the gentleman himself," to each one of which was at- 

 tached by a rubber band a typewritten biographical 

 sketch, in some cases accompanied by a written-in-ad- 

 vance interview on some subject germane to a particular 

 district. On arriving at the station, our informant 

 states that Mr. Newell explained that he would visit 

 several of the newspaper offices and leave cuts and 

 data before going to the hotel. On the following mom- 

 ing the papers appeared with splendidly written inter- 

 views with Mr. Newell, accompanied by his photo in 

 half-tone. 



Thus it will be seen that glory may be gathered 

 abroad by direct application to work during harvest 

 time. 



IRRIGATION BOOKLETS FEEE. 



In order to increase the circulation of THE IR- 

 RIGATION AGE, it will be necessary for the publishers to 

 secure the names of all interested so that sample copies 

 may be forwarded, with a view to having this class of 

 people become interested in the publication. With this 

 end in view, we will ask our readers to send on a list 

 of names of those in their county or State who would be 

 interested enough in irrigation to examine a sample 

 copy of this journal. 



If you send us a list of ten names we will for- 

 ward to you, postage paid, our booklet No. 1, on "Lay- 

 ing Out Land for Irrigation." If twenty names are 

 sent, we will forward booklets No. 1 and No. 2, the lat- 

 ter entitled, "The Science and Art of Irrigation." 



If thirty names are sent in we will send full set 

 of booklets, Nos. 1, 2 and 3, which treats of "The Irri- 

 gation of Profitable Crops." 



Eemember, these booklets will be sent to you abso- 

 lutely free of charge, the only expense to you being 

 one or two cents, one cent if names are sent on postal 

 card and two cents if sent in a letter. 



Kindly write your name and address plainly, also 

 observe the same rule in preparing the list sent in. 



Address THE IRRIGATION AGE, 112 Dearborn street, 

 Chicago, 111. 



Send $2.50 for The Irrigation Age 

 1 year, and The Primer of Irrigation 



