242 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



have found alfalfa the most successful crop for this pur- 

 pose. Could stable manure in quantities be secured any 

 crop could be grown on the virgin soil, but of course in 

 a desert country this is not possible. 



The new farmer, therefore, finds it necessary to 

 seed his land as rapidly as possible to alfalfa, for, once 

 in alfalfa a year, it will produce any crop which can be 

 grown in the north temperate zone. Little can be pro- 

 duced the first year, unless the farmer has been fortu- 

 nate enough to secure an eighty with a very level sur- 

 face, requiring a minimum amount of leveling. The 

 second year some returns commence to come in and in 

 the third year, if common sense has been used, the prof- 

 its commence to show. 



produce will be produced on these irrigated farms and 

 will find ready markets in the cities around San Fran- 

 cisco Bay. Already Nevada beef, mutton, potatoes and 

 dairy products are well known in California, and Ne- 

 vada farmers are reaping profits from their shipment. 



Now, in order to convey some idea of the progress 

 already made in the settlement and reclamation of this, 

 the first great reclamation project, let us see how much 

 land has been taken up and see how much is actually 

 under irrigation and what crops have been grown. 



On December 1 of this year we had 322 home- 

 steads filed on and water right applications filed for 

 30,566 acres of land. 



An agricultural census taken during November of 



1. East Portal of Tunnell, Truckee-Carson Project. Navada, 2. Showing the Heading of Take-Out of T-line Canal at the Diversion Dam 

 on Carson River, Nava. 3, View Showing Drop in "L 1" Line Canal at Station 485-42, Lookinff Down the Canal. Truckee-Carson Project. 

 5. Part of Vegetable Exhibit, First Annual Churchill County Fair. 



this year shows that we have under actual cultivation 

 about 27,000 acres of land, as follows: 



Acres. 



Pasture land 10,000 



Alfalfa and hay 13,500 



Grain 8,700 



Potatoes 600 



Garden 180 



Orchard 150 



Miscellaneous 100 



Head. 



Horses and Mules 1,960 



Cattle 1,880 



Hogs 1.031 



Sheep 6,075 



Poultry 18,760 



Stands of bees 1,250 



The Truckee-Carson Project is the largest agricul- 

 tural region in the state of Nevada. Last year Nevada 

 was third in the production of gold and fourth in the 

 production of silver among the states and territories. A 

 large mining population has entered the state in the 

 last few years and these mining camps are the markets 

 for the products of the farms on the project. Califor- 

 nia is so close that much of our excess produce is al- 

 ready being shipped there and this project will rapidly 

 become the center from which the California slaughter- 

 ing houses will be supplied. Dairy produce, poultry, 

 potatoes, onions and many other type of staple farm 



