346 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



return for his year's labor fade away with a few days of 

 drouth. It is a common sight, which can be observed 

 almost anywhere in agricultural sections, to see water 

 stored at no little expense as a protection against fire 

 remain unused while some valuable crop is burning up 

 in the garden. 



Such losses, according to the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, are largely due to two things: 

 First, the notion that irrigation is of importance only 

 in arid regions; and, second, ignorance of the ease and 

 cheapness with which a supply of farm water can be 

 stored and distributed. 



It would take many times the space that can be 

 allotted this discussion to enumerate the numerous and 

 manifold benefits of irrigation, but suffice ' it to say, 

 that there is no one single item, which, added to the 

 farmer's assets, will do more toward making his occu- 

 pation one of certain profit than a practical system of 

 irrigation. 



I am particularly interested in the problem of irri- 

 gation from the fact that the railroad which I repre- 

 sent traverses a section wherein irrigation is receiving 

 great attention, not only because it is accepted as a desir- 

 able thing under any circumstances, but because it is 

 absolutely essential, in most cases, to crop production. 

 Rainfall, generally speaking, is a minus quantity, but, 

 while upon the surface, this state of affairs is not always 

 regarded as a recommendation, as a matter of fact it 

 places the pursuit of agriculture upon a perfect basis 

 and eliminates the speculative element entirely, pro- 

 vided, of course, sufficient water is at hand for irrigation 

 purposes. 



Being familiar with conditions in this section of 

 Southwest Texas, where irrigation is a matter of general 

 practice, I have frequent occasion to observe the many 

 benefits which result from irrigation. 



In the Eio Grande valley the culture of sugar cane 

 is the object of no little attention. Because of the uncer- 

 tainty of rainfall, irrigation, with the source of supply, 

 is practiced in its production. Last year one of the 

 growers displayed a few sample stalks of cane at the 

 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. He was awarded the 

 gold, medal over all competitors, including the display 

 of products from Cuba and Hawaii. 



On the irrigated sugar cane plantations in the Rio 

 Grande valley the average yield is forty tons of the raw 

 material, or 5,000 pounds of refined sugar, to the acre, 

 and the cane produces for eight or ten years before 

 replanting becomes necessary. 



In the same locality marvelous yields of alfalfa 

 have been realized through irrigation. One grower last 

 year obtained ten cuttings from a field of as many acres. 

 The average yield exceeded a ton to the acre. 



Last year, in the vicinity of Brownsville, an onion 

 grower realized net profits in excess of $600 from less 

 than an acre of Bermuda onions. Irrigation was the 

 reason for his success. 



The latter part of February this year a truck 

 grower in this section cleared an acre of land of its 

 investment of chaparral. On the first day of March ho 

 planted it to potatoes. By .the first day of July, four 

 months later, he had raised and sold a crop of potatoes 

 and a crop of watermelons from the same land. The 

 crop of potatoes netted him $120, and his profit on the 

 crop of watermelons was $160. He irrigated both crops. 



Scores of similar instances of the profitable use of 

 irrigation might be given, but the several cited above 

 are sufficient to prove that irrigation is a most desirable 



thing. Larger returns per acre, quicker production, and 

 a better commodity, all of which argue for better prices, 

 are considerations worthy of meditation, but secondary 

 to the greater consideration of assured returns. These 

 are the benefits attendant upon irrigation and benefits 

 which can be realized in no other way apart from irri- 

 gation. 



The question of irrigation is one whose require- 

 ments are too exacting to be dealt with technically in 

 connection with this brief discussion. Those who are 

 interested in the subject can procure all of the necessary 

 information concerning it, together with practical sug- 

 gestions with respect to the provision of a system of 

 irrigation, by addressing the secretary of agriculture, 

 Washington. The United States Department of Agri- 

 culture has given the question no little attention during 

 the past few years, and the reports of its agents who 

 have been employed to study it in all its phases are 

 replete with valuable facts, figures and suggestions for 

 the farmer who desires to make his vocation one of 

 greater and more certain remuneration. 



To say that agriculture has come to have a new 

 meaning in Texas during the past few years is but to 

 repeat a fact which all well informed business men, 

 farmers, bankers in fact, all those engaged in any 

 manner of enterprise are familiar. Much has been 

 accomplished and results obtained have reflected them- 

 selves in the status of the commercial and financial 

 world. General conditions have improved because con- 

 ditions agriculturally have been bettered. 



But a greater problem remains to be solved. It is 

 the question of irrigation. No argument is necessary to 

 prove it a desirable thing. But attention should be 

 called to its importance continually as a stimulator of 

 general prosperity. "All things begin and end with the 

 plow" and if we are able to increase the effectiveness of 

 the plow we may reasonably and assuredly expect a bet- 

 terment of general conditions. 



And this can be accomplished through irrigation. 



FOR SALE. One nearly new Buckeye Trac- 

 tion Ditcher. Cheap for cash. E. H. Koerner, 

 615 W. Fourth St., Owensboro, Ky. 



THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. 



There is great development work being done in 

 the Santa Clara Valley, California, illustrations of 

 which are shown in these pages. Our prints show scenes 

 on the famous Dunne Ranch, which is part of what 

 was formerly the great Murphy Ranch, a Mexican grant 

 to one Murphy. There were over 70,000 acres in the 

 Murphy grant, but this property was subsequently cut 

 up and divided among the heirs and Mrs. Catherine 

 Dunne, a daughter of the original Murphy, came in for 

 a great block of the land which is now known as the 

 Dunne Ranch and is being subdivided and sold in small 

 lots to farmers and orchardists. This ranch spans the 

 heart of the famous Santa Clara Valley, including the 

 valley plain, foothills and mountains, and contains 

 18,000 acres of the princely California domain acquired 

 in early days. It is on the main Southern Pacific coast 

 line twenty to twenty-five miles south of San Jose. It 

 offers all that has made the Santa Clara- Valley great. 

 The products include all fruits in perfection, and from 

 this section comes most of our well known California 

 dried fruits, it is the great vineyard section of the valley. 

 The principal town on this property is Morgan Hill. 



