THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



117 



the river channel from the country immediately to the 

 north and immediately to the south of the river. De- 

 terminations showed a rate of movement of the ground 

 waters much greater than had been expected, according 

 to Mr. Slichter's published report of 1904. The velocities 

 of the ground water at the stations established were found 

 to be remarkably uniform. The gravel was exceedingly 

 uniform in size and character of grain. 



Mr. Slichter said of the formation of the underflow, 

 and in disagreement with the popular theory that it is 

 formed as a vast underground river coming down from 

 the mountains: 



"The summer's investigation indicates that the water 

 of the Arkansas underflow has its origin in the rainfall 

 upon the sandhills to the south of the river, upon the bot- 

 tom lands of the valley, and upon the plains north of the 

 river. The average rainfall in the vicinity of Garden 

 City is about 20 inches per year. A very large portion of 

 this must pass into the open and porous soil, so that the 

 actual contribution to the underflow must be consider- 

 able. If the gravels beneath the plains were not so open, 

 so deep, and so wide, the seepage waters would be obliged 

 to seek relief in surface streams, but the underground 

 conditions are such that ample drainage is offered by 

 porous beds of gravel several hundred feet in depth. In 

 short, the underground drainage in this region is so enor- 

 mous and the water passes through the gravel so freely 

 that there is no surplus left to form surface streams or a 

 perennial supply for Arkansas river." 



Mr. Slichter reviewed the purpose and result of his 

 investigation, referring to the irrigation practiced at that 

 time and for many years, by means of canals in the valley 

 and small windmill or gasoline engine in the upper coun- 

 try. He declared the great problem was that of fuel, and 

 suggested that as petroleum had been found in enormous 

 quantities in eastern Kansas this might solve the ques- 

 tion. It has done so, just as Mr. Slichter pointed out, 

 both the Garden City reclamation project and the great 

 sugar factory now using crude oil. He also said as to the 

 recovery of the underflow: 



"Careful consideration has been given to the matter 

 of the recovery of ground water in Arkansas river valley 

 by means of gravity. The investigations have* shown that 

 the recovery of ground water by means of infiltration gal- 

 leries or any other form of gravity works is entirely im- 

 practicable." 



He gave the reasons, largely this: The slight slope 

 of ground, and the fact that infiltration galleries in actual 

 use for irrigation had not proved successful. He then 

 stated a project was feasible, and the first long step toward 

 the success of Garden City and vicinity of today was 

 taken. 



Preliminary plans and estimates for the Garden City 

 project were submitted to the project board at Denver, 

 March 24, 1905. The board recommended the continuance 

 of the investigations and estimates made for future con- 

 sideration. At Garden City, in September, 1905, the board 

 again met and recommended the construction of the 

 project as soon as the water users' association could be 

 formed and the area appropriated. One month later the 

 project was approved. 



The underflow of the Arkansas river at Deerfield, just 

 west of Garden City, was appropriated to the extent of 

 200 second-feet for the United States Reclamation Service 

 and notice duly filed according to the laws of the state 

 of Kansas. The water users' association was formed and 

 received applications from the owners of about 12,000 

 acres. Contracts were approved for an acreage of 9,625, 

 but the area was restricted to 8.600 acres. It is possible 

 that 15,000 acres can and will be utilized later. 



It is important to recognize the fact that all the land 

 under the Garden City project was private at the time of 

 the inception of the project and at the time it was finally 

 started. 



The Garden City project is situated along the Arkan- 

 sas river west of Garden City and just east of Deerfield 

 station, on the main line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa 

 Fe railroad. The irrigable areas are in the bottom lands 

 of the river and include portions of Kearny and Finney 

 counties. The land has an elevation of practically 3,000 

 feet. The soil is a, rich prairie loam, characteristic of the 

 rich plains of western Kansas. The annual range of tem- 



perature is from a minimum of 20 degrees below zero to 

 105 above. The average annual rainfall is about 20 inches. 

 The size of farm units at present is 160 acres, but more 

 and more is growing the feeling that the unit should be 

 reduced at least to 80 acres if not to 40 acres, which will 

 be the inevitable result. Land which formerly was worth 

 $35 to $50 per acre now sells anywhere from $75 to $125 

 per acre, and the latter figure is nearer the average. The 

 principal products are sugar beets, alfalfa, wheat, melons 

 and sweet potatoes, while small fruit growing is being 

 practiced more and more. 



The power station develops 600 horsepower in two 

 units with water-tube boilers and De Laval steam tur- 

 bines. The power is transmitted electrically by 6,600-volt, 

 3-phase alternating current to 23 pumping stations, 13 on 

 the south side of the river, at right angles with the river, 

 and 10 on the north side, parallel with the river. These 

 are lined up alongside a concrete-lined conduit 20,000 feet 

 in length. The ten stations north of the river and the 

 first three south of the river each have twelve 15-inch 

 shallow wells, 35 to 60 feet deep. The remaining ten 

 wells south of the river have twelve 15-inch shallow wells. 

 The power-transmission line has length of 25,000 feet. 

 The river is crossed by a siphon made of 42-inch internal 

 diameter wooden stave pipe. Each pumping unit consists 

 of a vertical shaft 9-inch centrifugal pump, direct-con- 

 nected to a 25-horsepower motor. It is estimated by the 

 statistician of the Reclamation Service that each group_ of 

 ten wells at each of the 23 pumping stations will yield 

 6,580 gallons per minute under a 15-foot head. During 

 the irrigation season this leviathan pumping system will 

 lift 30,000 acre feet, or 10J4 billion gallons. 



The work of the government has already given a de- 

 cided impetus to private enterprise in the Garden City 

 section and will greatly stimulate the, development of 

 similar projects in other valleys of the Great Plains where 

 there are similar conditions to those existing in the Ar- 

 kansas valley. 



Two things have resulted from the construction and 

 successful operation of the project that are well worthy 

 of note in addition to the fact that the project has, brought 

 the sugar factory and other institutions to Garden City 

 and vicinity. These are: Winter irrigaton and a decrease 

 of the unit of farms, heretofore referred to. 



The doctrine of winter irrigation is comparatively a 

 new one to be preached in western Kansas, though some 

 pioneers have tried it successfully for some time. The 

 use of water on certain occasions the present winter from 

 the reclamation project, and the direct encouragement the 

 sugar company has given to this system, have resulted 

 in the essay at winter irrigation in the Garden City vicin- 

 ity this year for practically the first time in any united 

 and not purely spasmodic manner. The direct results are 

 confidently awaited when the approaching season shall 

 have demonstrated the wisdom of the pioneers. 



The reduction of the unit of farm to 80 acres and, in 

 the end, to 40 acres, is being impressed as a necessity and 

 the part of wisdom, more and more. The fact that 40 

 acres of land, under the ditch, with the successful opera- 

 tion and guardianship of the Garden City reclamation 

 project, whether that land be put in to alfalfa, sugar 

 beets, or fruits and truck, plus the use of water in the 

 winter time, is enough for any intelligent and practical 

 man to use, is rapidly being forced upon the minds of 

 the owners. It will not be long until both winter irriga- 

 tion and the 40-acre unit will be well observed in the 

 Garden City vicinity. 



, There has just been issued from the press of The 

 Caxton Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a 7,000 edition, 80- 

 page catalogue for the Dayton Globe Iron Works Com- 

 pany, of Dayton, Ohio, describing and illustrating the 

 New American Turbine. It is printed on _100 high-grade 

 coated paper, which brings out every detail of the many 

 half-tone illustrations. The cover is of dark gray stock 

 with a light gray fly leaf, and is highly embossed with the 

 company's name and the name of the product. A very 

 pleasing effect is obtained by the use of a tint block, in a 

 delicate shade, which overcomes the high gloss of the 

 paper stock and makes the illustrations more attractive 

 by having the high lights cut away and bringing them out 

 in white. 



