174 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



of the Congress this year. 

 Boise, Idaho. 



The place, as you know, is 



IRRIGATION IN WESTERN KANSAS. 



All sessions of the Congress are, of course, important 

 events in the history of the irrigation in this country. But the 

 coming session will be, I think, of especial importance; for 

 the reason that the system under which we are now working 

 being on trial, those who are disposed to doubt its efficiency 

 and question its results will be particularly active at this 

 session to discredit it. Therefore, it behooves those who have 

 faith in the final outcome of the system, and who desire to 

 see it carried on along the lines so successfully inaugurated, 

 to be present at Boise and, by taking part in the proceedings, 

 do what they can to see that what has already been gained 

 shall not be lost 



May I, therefore, request that you take the matter up 

 with the governor of your State and with the public and semi- 

 public bodies who, under the constitution of the Congress, are 

 entitled to representation, and see to it that delegations as 

 large and influential as possible be accredited from your State ? 



I realize thoroughly that many of our States have no 

 direct interest in irrigation. But when it is considered that 

 those States which are not directly interested are the most 

 densely populated parts of our country and that, therefore, it 

 is necessary to find homes for coming, even present, gener- 

 ations upon the land, if our cities are not to become too pow- 

 erful as compared with the country, it will be seen that every 

 State in the Union has, at least, an indirect interest in making 

 possible the irrigation of these millions of arid acres, which, 

 without irrigation, are of little use, but which, with irrigation, 

 will accommodate, in prosperous homes, many millions of 

 American families. The general prosperity of our country 

 also depends, I think, in a great measure upon there being 

 a prosperous and dense rural population, rather than upon 

 our population being confined to large cities. It is to the 

 interest of every State, therefore, to do what it can to have 

 our country lands as densely populated as may be. 



Therefore, I hope you will be able to arouse sufficient 

 interest among your people to assure a large, active and 

 enthusiastic delegation from your State at the next session of 

 the National Irrigation Congress at Boise next September. 



Very truly yours, GEO. C. PARDEE, 



Governor of California and President of the National Irriga- 

 tion Congress. 



Carnegie Library, Boise. 



While some slight objection has been taken to the 

 wording of Governor Pardee's official call, this fact will 

 in no wise dampen the enthusiasm of the members of 

 the committee, nor others interested who are pledged 

 to make this Congress a success in every way. 



The hotel accommodations at Boise are ample, and 

 we are showing in connection herewith a half-tone cut 

 of the famous Idan Ha Hotel of that city, which will 

 be the headquarters of delegates during the Congress. 



THE IRRIGATION AGE has made arrangements for 

 ample space on the parlor floor of this hotel where it 

 hopes to entertain its many friends during the Con- 

 gress. We will publish from month to month a report 

 concerning the work done in behalf of this meeting so 

 that our readers may be thoroughly informed and be- 

 come better acquainted with the city and its hospitable 

 citizens before the Congress convenes. 



In conclusion we would suggest that every member 

 of the committee and vice-presidents from each State 

 take active part in assisting the Boise people. It would 

 be well for each and every one to "Boost for Boise." 



BY CHARLES ALMA BYERS. 



Western Kansas is to have an irrigation system un- 

 like that of any other district in the United States. In 

 fact, it has had such, on a small scale, for several years. 

 The Government, however, has recently promised to 

 come to its assistance, and in consequence the western 

 part of that State or, to be more definite, the vicinity 



Soldiers' Home, Boise. 



of Garden City, is to have an irrigation system sup- 

 plied with water from a series of wells the only system 

 of the kind in this country, except the small ones owned 

 by individuals in that vicinity and in certain parts of 

 Texas, for the irrigation of their own land. 



This system is designed to furnish water for 10,000 

 acres of uplands, but its capacity will be considered 

 at about 15,000 acres. The total estimated cost to the 

 Government of putting the system in operation is 

 $250,000, and the Secretary of the Interior last Oc- 

 tober, acting upon the report of Prof. C. S. Slichter, 

 consulting engineer, ordered that the United States 

 Reclamation Service set aside this amount from their 

 $30,000,000 fund to carry out the work. The Govern- 



Orchard Near Boise. 



ment is to control the system for ten years, at the end 

 of which time it becomes the property of the Finney 

 County Water Users' Association, an organization com- 

 posed of the owners of the land to be irrigated. In 

 the meantime the land owners will be under contract 



