146 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



HEAD OF THE CANAL OF THE FELIX IRRIGATION COMPANY. 



OVER DAM. 



WASTE WATER FLOWING 



by the Felix canal was arid prairie. In 

 twenty years irrigation has increased 

 the value of the land around Roswell 

 from $1.25 to $125 per acre exactly 

 100 times and this fact is attested 

 b)- a recent sale where land was sold at 

 the latter figure which was originally 

 entered as homestead. 



There is an irrigated apple orchard 

 covering 700 acres, with about 5,500 

 trees. The trees are from five to six 

 years old, and in 1901 yielded about 

 20,000 bushels ; thirty car-loads of this 

 fruit were shipped to Chicago. Last year 

 the crop was much larger, and yielded 

 about 100,000 boxes. The orchard is 

 not irrigated by the canal which sup- 

 plies the alfalfa ranch, but from flowing 

 springs and artesian wells. Altogether, 

 about 7,000 acres should be reclaimed by 

 irrigation, supplied by the Felix Com- 

 pany, which owns merely the canals, not 

 the ranches mentioned. 



The Yakima Valley Canal Company. 



The Yakima Valley Canal Company, 

 of North Yakima, Washington, serves 

 3,000 acres of land and delivers one 

 cubic foot of water per second, meas- 



ured over a Cippoletti weir, upon each 

 134 acres. The land served is located 

 on what is known as Nob Hill, imme- 

 diately adjoining North Yakima, and 

 overlooking the entire valley. 



Prices range from $100 per acre to 

 $800 per acre, actual sales having been 

 made at the latter figure. Gross returns 

 on land in fruit are sometimes as high 

 as $400 per acre annually, and returns 

 of $125 and $150 per acre in potatoes 

 are not unusual. Returns on alfalfa 

 and timothy hay vary from $25 to $50- 

 per acre. The Canal Company recently 

 decided to enlarge its service and supply 

 1,200 acres of new land, extending its 

 main canal some six miles. 



The old canal carried 32 cubic feet 

 per second, and deductions are made for 

 seepage and evaporation of 30 per cent, 

 which, as stated, leaves to the laterals 

 one cubic foot per second per 134 acres. 

 The canal is being enlarged to a carry- 

 ing capacity of 75 cubic feet per second, 

 and after deducting 30 per cent for 

 losses, this will leave a net delivery of 

 one cubic foot per second to each 80- 

 acres. 



The work necessitated by this in- 



