THE IERIGATION AGE. 



239 



Rice irrigation forms an important portion of the 

 report, which says that the remarkable increase of the 

 production of that grain along the Gulf coast has made 

 it desirable that the irrigation problems of that section 

 be systematically studied, many farmers knowing nothing 

 of the methods of applying water to crops. Many un- 

 solved questions confront the manufacturers of pump- 

 ing machinery and those who buy and operate it. There 

 is need to know how much water is re- 

 quired, how it can be distributed with 

 the least loss, and used to the best 

 advantage. 



Irrgation in our insular possessions 

 is also treated, and altogether, the re- 

 port is as complete as possible. 



Accompanying the report are three 

 diagrams showing the flow of three 

 rivers largely used for irrigation pur- 

 poses, which merit attention "and 

 study. Also illustrations of irrigating 

 investigations in various parts of the 

 irrigated districts, all of which are 

 given in this number of the AGE. 



gineering feats have been accomplished in America, and 

 when some of these are considered, the building of a 

 huge chimney by means of which land may be irrigated 

 seems no longer an impossibility. 



The chimney, once constructed upon the plan sug- 

 gested by Dr. Woolridge, the tremendous current of 

 ocean air passing through it to the great height pf its 

 topmost point, by rarefaction, would be reduced to an 

 extremely low temperature, thus forming, according to 

 the inventor's theory, an immense glacier. 



ARTIFICIAL GLACIERS NEXT. 



A CALIFORNIA' SCHEME COINCIDENT 



WITH A SIMILAR SUGGESTION FOR 



COLORADO. 



Dr. Woolridge proposes to render 

 the arid lands of Southern California 

 fertile by changing the climate by 

 means of artificial glaciers in the 

 San Bernardino mountains. 



J.L.Herwick,of Glen wood Springs, 

 writes that irrigation in Colorado 

 may be vastly augmented by arti-i 1 

 ficial glaciers, or "icebergs," created 

 in the winters in the mountains. 



For many years vast sections of the 

 arid lands of Southern California have 

 been so much waste territory to the 

 country from the standpoint of farm- 

 ing. They have baffled every proposed 

 plan of irrigation. Systems used 

 with great success in other states have 

 failed here. 



A scheme for irrigating this section 

 of the country, startling in its magni- 

 tude and originality, but possibly 

 plausible at the foundation, has just 

 been advanced by Dr. C.W. Woolridge, 

 of Cleveland, 0. It is to create by 

 scientific means an artificial glacier at 

 the top of the San Bernardino moun- 

 tains in California. 



The first thing which the plan for 

 making this artificial glacier calls for 

 is an immense chimney on the Pacific 

 coast, miles in width at the base and 

 of an enormous height, so that the 

 ocean air could be carried to the top 

 of the San Bernardino mountains. 



This scheme is not so impracticable 

 as it appears on the simple stating 

 of the plan. It must be remembered 

 that the most wonderful modern en- 



800,000 

 760,000 

 720,000 

 080.000 

 640,000 



600,000 

 560,000 

 520,000 

 480,000 

 440,000 

 400,000 

 360,000 

 320,000 

 280,000 

 240,000 



h 



W 200,000 



H 



g 160,000 



W 120,000 

 K 



80,000 

 ^ 40,000 



ANNUAL DISCHARGE 

 OF STREAM 

 2,900,202. 

 ACRE FEET 



ACRE FEET 

 AVAILABLE FOR 

 IRRIGATION BY DIRECT 

 DIVERSION 

 1,706,892. 

 59 PERCENT OF 

 ANNUALFLOW 



ACRE FEET 



WHICH MUST 



RESTORED 



1,193,308. 



41 PERCENT OF 



ANNUALFLOW 



Courtesy U. S. Dept. Agriculture. (Mead.) 



IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS DIAGRAM SHOWING FLOW OF BOISE RIVER, IDAHO, AND STOR- 

 AGE REQUIRED FOR ITS COMPLETE USE IN IRRIGATION. 

 White areas represent amount of flow during nonirrigation period. Black areas represent 



amount of flow which could be used by direct diversion. Hatched areas represent the 



volume which must be stored and the time of its use. 



