3IO 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



August, 



point where through ticket can be ob- 

 tained, requesting a certificate from the 

 ticket agent at the point where each 

 purchase is made; third, tickets for the 

 return journey will be sold by the ticket 

 agent at I^ansing at one-third the first- 

 class limited fare only to those holding 

 certificates signed by the ticket agent at 

 the place where ticket was purchased, 

 countersigned by the Secretary of the 

 Michigan Forestry Commission; fourth, 

 the one and one-third fare will not be 

 granted from local points on the Mich- 

 igan Central Railroad and the Lake 

 Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, 

 on which the rate of fare is only two 

 cents per mile; fifth, a representative of 

 the Michigan Passenger Association will 

 be present at the meeting August 28 

 and also on the return of the excursion 

 to Lansing, September i. This will 

 give those who cannot attend the ex- 

 cursion an opportunity to have their 

 certificates signed immediately after the 

 close of the sessions at Lansing, A 

 charge of twenty-five cents will be re- 

 quired of certifiate-holders for each cer- 

 tificate signed, to cover the expenses of 

 the special agent of the Michigan Passen- 

 ger Association. 



On another page of this 

 number of Forestry 

 AND Irrigation there 

 is printed an account of 

 a very interesting irrigation experiment 

 by Mr. F. F. Colhns, of San Antonio, 

 Tex. In a recent letter to the editor, Mr. 

 Collins has the following to say about 

 his venture : 



Dear Sir : The principles of irriga- 

 tion are, from my standpoint, so very 

 simple, and the immense revenues from 

 irrigated acres in southern sections are 

 so well known, that I find myself won- 

 dering why every section in the south, 

 where a sufficient supply of water can 

 be easily obtained, is not being culti- 

 vated in this way. 



And I might add that it is a source of 

 surprise to me that the farmers of the 

 north, whose knowledge of agriculture 

 in all probability exceeds that of south- 

 ern farmers, do not so arrange, where 

 possible, to use irrigation during dry 



A Texas 

 Irrig^ation 

 Experiment, 



spells. The big profit in farming is in 

 sure crops, and with irrigation no time 

 is lost looking for rain. 



In this part of Texas we do not have 

 our share of rain. The past two sea- 

 sons were unusually dry ones. Those 

 who used irrigation regarded those 

 conditions with satisfaction, as higher 

 prices were secured for what they 

 raised. It must not be inferred, how- 

 ever, by this remark that no S3mipathy 

 was extended to those who planted 

 and reaped no harvest. The satis- 

 faction felt was based solely upon the 

 fact that they were in a position to 

 take advantage of the demand at ad- 

 vanced prices. 



I have preached and practiced irriga- 

 tion for twenty years. My irrigated 

 gardens were conceived by me for an 

 object lesson, to prove what I had been 

 preaching, not especially desiring to 

 make the investment profitable. Hence 

 you can imagine my surprise when at 

 the end of the first year, commencing on 

 a mesquite-covered tract of 140 acres, I 

 netted from rentals over thirty per cent 

 on my original investment. Those who 

 cultivated the 10- acre tracts into which 

 I divided the 140 acres netted from $300 

 to $625 per acre. 



What I have done is possible on every 

 acre in what we know as the artesian 

 belt, in which San Antonio is the center. 

 There are 31 artesian wells within the 

 city limits, with a flowing capacity of 

 76,000,000 gallons per day, ranging in 

 depth from 700 to 2,200 feet. My well 

 is 600 feet deep and flows a lo-inch 

 stream. South and east of my prop- 

 erty, water in some instances has been 

 reached in less than 600 feet. All our 

 soil needs is water. Put the water on 

 the land and farm intelligently and a 

 good profit will result. 



As the crops we raise on irrigated 

 fields mature from four to six weeks 

 earlier than in any other southern sec- 

 tion that commands railroad facilities, 

 we secure the highest market prices in 

 the northern and western markets. 

 Last season one small station between 

 San Antonio and the Gulf shipped 

 $38,000 worth of cabbage, while Corpus 

 Christi, 20 miles further south, claims 

 to have shipped double that amount. 



