206 



THE IRKIGATION AGE. 



their stockholders only, so that those who locate on 

 thes lands fully understand that to become a stockholder 

 in these mutual companies it is absolutely necessary that 

 they become absolute owners of the water. These mutual 

 companies were also put on an equal footing as regards 

 cost of stock and cost of water, so that there was no 

 cents per acre foot, which is equal to about 2 cents 

 per inch for 24 hours' flow. The owner of the land 

 is entitled to receive four acre feet for every acre of 

 land for which he owns water stock should he need 

 the same, but he is required to take at least one acre 

 foot of water per annum for each acre every year. Each 

 mutual water company owns its own distributing sys- 



FLOODING THE LAND AT IMPERIAL. 



terns of water and manages that system for distrib- 

 uting the water under its own control among its stock- 

 holders. 



As these lands are all held by the Government and 

 subject to delivery under the Desert Land Law of the 

 United States, the individual can locate 40, 80, 160, 

 or 320 acres, as the case may be, by paying the United 

 States Government $1.25 per acre for the land, and 

 can purchase a perpetual water right for the same from 





1 



A FIELD. IX MILO MAIZE. . 



the mutual water companies in the district that these 

 lands may be located in at $15:00 per acre on easy pay- 

 ments ; $2.50 a share at the time of purchase and $2.50 

 per share on the first day of January of each year until 

 possibility arising as to priority to right, as there is 

 more than water enough for all. Up to date there has 

 been six water companies incorporated, covering 360,000 



acres of land. Each of these companies has a con- 

 tract with the Imperial Canal Company whereby it is 

 to receive perpetually from the main Imperial canal 

 water for as many acres of land each season as it has 

 outstanding sales of stock at the uniform price of 50 

 piid, with 5 per cent interest on the deferred payments. 

 There is no question as regards the water supply, as 



SOK'JllUM FIELU NE\K l.VIIEKIAL 



the Colorado river is a navigable stream, and after this 

 canal diverts water enough from the river to irrigate 

 800,000 acres of land the stream will still be navigable. 

 By actual analysis an acre foot of water taken from 

 this canal carries a value as a commercial fertilizer 

 worth $3.42 per acre. Consequently lands irrigated 

 by these waters must continue to be. fertilized indefi- 

 nitely. 



The climatic conditions in this territory are much 

 like that of the Salt River Valley in Arizona or the 

 Sacramento Valley in California. The summers are 



CANE GROWN NEAR CALEXICO. 



hot and dry, the winters cool and pleasant, and for nine 

 months in the year 710 more enjoyable climate can be 

 found anywhere in the world. This fact alone will 

 eventually make it one of the most popular resorts on 

 the Pacific coast. 



In conclusion I will say that it was the marvel 

 of the age and it only proves what I have long believed 

 that in the near future the arid regions of the West 

 will become the most prosperous and most thickly popu- 

 lated districts in the United States, as the wealth pro- 

 ducing power of the average irrigated lands where the 

 'water supply is 'ample, is equal to that of any por- 

 tion of the Mississippi valley multiplied by five, where 

 natural moisture is relied upon. 



