THE CENTRAL RIO GRANDE VALLEY 



A Typical Central Valley Alfalfa Farm 



fleld for speculation. It 

 is enough for the mod- 

 ern American farmer, 

 who is now invading 

 this valley in con- 

 stantly increasing num- 

 bers, that, if possible, 

 the land is more fertile 

 now than when "Coro- 

 nado discovered the 

 primitive Indian farm- 

 ers; that essentially 

 the same irrigation sys- 

 tem in use then is in 

 use now, although en- 

 larged and extended, and that the opportunities for profitable develop- 

 ment are therefore great. 



Irrigation in the Central Valley is by the community ditch system by 

 which farmers owning adjoining lands associate themselves together 

 for the construction of an irrigation canal for their common use. Shares 

 of water are divided in proportion to the amount of land held by each 

 for irrigation and the land owner contributes his porportion in labor 

 or money toward the maintenance of the canal, its cleaning, repairing 

 and the incidental expenses attached. The water right thus acquired 

 goes with the land and is perpetual as any other improvement. Water 

 rights, of course, may be divided, transferred or sold separately from the 

 land, or attached to other lands by deed or transfer. The actual cost 

 per acre for maintenance and use of water on these community ditches 

 varies between communities and also according to whether the land 

 owner desires to contribute his proportion in money, or in labor on the 

 ditch. The charge, in any event, is extremely low as compared to 

 irrigation charges in most of the more modern irrigated districts, varying 

 from 75 cents to $3.00 per acre per year. 



There are many of these community ditches along the Rio Grande 



