THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



135 



The editor of THE IRRIGATION AGE re- 

 Minidoka cently made a general trip through the 

 Difficulties. West, taking in the states of North Da- 

 kota, Montana, Idaho, western Oregon, 

 Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, where a lot of data 

 concerning irrigation projects, both under private and 

 federal control, was secured, from which articles will 

 be prepared for future issues of this journal. 



During this time it transpired that the editor vis- 

 ited the town of Burley, Idaho, on the date set apart 

 for a meeting of settlers on what is known as the south 

 side of the Minidoka irrigation project. This meeting 

 was called so that the settlers of the land could meet 

 and talk with the engineer of that project, Mr. Ross, 

 and learn what provision could be made for securing 

 water for their land. As stated elsewhere in this issue, 

 some six or seven hundred settlers were induced to 

 locate on the south side of the Snake River, where they 

 made proper entry for the land and established homes 

 thereon, with the expectation that the government 

 would establish a pumping plant and supply water for 

 this large area. It was subsequently learned and pub- 

 lished by the Reclamation Bureau that this part of the 

 work of the Minidoka project had been abandoned for 

 lack of funds, or some other cause, and this large body 

 of energetic, ambitious farmers were left on an arid 

 sage brush plain with very little hope of securing water, 

 without which the matter of raising crops, whereby 

 they might make a living for themselves and families, 

 is an impossibility. 



The writer spent a short time at this meeting and 

 looked over this large body of settlers, all of whom had 

 the appearance of men from whom hope had gone. 

 These men are sturdy and industrious and anxious to 

 build homes for themselves and families. 



Mr. Ross, of the Reclamation Service, made a talk 

 to this gathering of settlers, and so far as the writer 

 was able to learn, made no promises of relief; in fact 

 rather placed the blame on the shoulders of the settlers 

 themselves for having gone in and exhausted their 

 homestead rights without positive assurance from the 

 government that water would be furnished them. 



It is claimed by those who are in a position to 

 know that the government definitely promised water 

 for this tract, and that these men would not have made 

 entry on the land had they not so understood the sit- 

 uation. 



It appears, therefore, to be a great injustice on 

 the part of men connected with the Reclamation Ser- 

 vice that these people are today crying for relief with 

 no hope of its attainment. 



A sturdier lot of people it would be difficult to 

 find. Men with large families dependent upon them 

 are practically stranded on a sage brush desert, and 

 government officials who are sent to confer with them 

 offer no suggestions of assistance. 



The thought which occurs to one who looks over 

 the situation carefully is, why does not the government 

 offer some plan that will relieve the minds of these 

 people of honest intent, who are capable of sturdy en- 

 deavor. There is no doubt an inclination on the part 

 of the Reclamation Bureau to do something for these 

 people, but such an impression could certainly not be 

 gained by anything which was said by Mr. Ross, who 

 represented that bureau at the meeting. 



It is to be sincerely hoped that the government may 

 take up the case of these people at once and offer them 

 such assistance and advice as will enable them to either 

 re-enter upon the land where water is a certainty, or 

 make provision to supply water for their present needs. 



To an onlooker it appears that the head officials 

 of the Reclamation Bureau are not handling this grave 

 question intelligently 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



BY G. L. SHUMWAT. 



Since the passage of the National Irrigation Act 

 we have urged, as one of the auxiliary duties of the 

 Reclamation Service, establishment of experimental 

 and demonstration farms in each reclaimed community, 

 to instruct new settlers who in the main will be unfa- 

 miliar with irrigation, the fundamentals essential to 

 render them more competent to meet requirements. 



OUR efforts for a time met with resistance from 

 Engineer Peld, who was in charge of the North Platte 

 Project, for reasons which he has neglected to eluci- 

 date. However, we are now glad to note occasional 

 segregations for establishing such farms, and we pre- 

 dict this will prove one very important function of the 

 service, and will materially reduce per centage of 

 failures. 



THE President's message indicated clearly that a 

 section homestead is wholly inadequate to support a 

 family in many grazing districts of the West a fact 

 obvious to anyone familiar with certain areas. Result- 

 ing are several proposed measures. The President has 

 alluded to a commendable plan which he will inaugurate 

 in event proposed legislation fails. 



WE BEG the privilege of recommending supple- 

 mental work for the new department. Experimental 

 farms should be established for introducing new for- 

 age plants antecedent to range improvement, and evolv- 

 ing methods of range culture, which, if proven of any 

 considerable benefit to native grasses, with reasonable 

 labor or expense, should be imposed upon lessees as one 

 of the conditions of their leaseholds. By systematic 



