THE COUNTRY HOME [chaptfr 



of the United States of greater importance than 

 that of the water supply and the reclamation of 

 the arid lands, and their settlement by men who 

 will actually build homes and create communities. 

 Throughout our history the success of the home- 

 maker has been but another name for the upbuild- 

 ing of the nation." Irrigation by the government, 

 supplemented by individual economy, shows that 

 in Arizona, where high-class fruits are cultivated, a 

 family of five can obtain a good living upon forty 

 acres, or even from twenty. 



A bulletin issued by the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture reports on the cost of a small 

 system of irrigation. It makes its estimate of a 

 ditch one and a quarter miles long, with main lat- 

 erals five-eighths of a mile long. The first cost of 

 removing the dirt from the ditches would be a little 

 over sixty-two dollars. The cost of head-gate, 

 drop, division boxes, and other appurtenances is 

 set down at one hundred and twenty-five dollars, 

 adding twelve dollars for making levels and running 

 lines. The total cost will not be far from two hun- 

 dred dollars. The annual outlay for maintaining 

 ditches and irrigating will be about sixty-eight dol- 

 lars more. In this estimate the farmer is supposed 



[74] 



