152 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



ernment for the cost of construction, and the same re- 

 sult reached. Arizona, in some sections, is in the same 

 condition as Kansas in the matter of the lack of pub- 

 lic lands, and is working for this construction of the 

 act. 



In the matter of tho right of the water of the 

 Arkansas river, the authorities are inclined to believe 

 that this stream owes a first duty to the lands that 

 it traverses first ; that there is an economy in applying 

 its waters to the lands at the foot of the mountains 

 without loss from evaporation or seepage. But the 

 question is, as you all know, now in the Supreme Court, 



There is no positive information at hand of- the 

 volume and supply of the underflow of the Arkansas. 

 I have presented the plan of a siphon or pipe line car- 

 ried eastward to an outlet, down the general ' incline, 

 and have asked a written reply to the assertion of 

 its practical practicability, but regret that the reply 

 has not come that I might transmit it to you. 



The irrigation of tracts upon the inter-stream areas 

 in western Kansas those tracts far off the river caused 

 me to look into the matter of our "sheet water." The 

 hydrographers hold that much of this water has its 

 origin in the mountains, but it is a small portion of 

 the precipitation in the mountains. In support of this 

 they point out that erosion in the mountain catchment 

 area has in the main exposed granite cores, that the 

 great body of the water that falls runs off into the 

 streams, and that the area of actual intake for under- 

 ground drainage toward Kansas is relatively very small, 

 consisting in, along the mountain flanks, of the porus 

 rock sheets which, far to the east, constitute the deeply 

 buried water carriers. They hold that this deep water 

 would, if it could be profitably pumped from a great 

 depth for irrigation, soon be exhausted, a proposition 

 I do not believe and I do not think myself they can 

 demonstrate. The vast accumulation of deep water un- 

 der western Kansas, if it could be raised economically 

 for irrigation, would be found sufficient for all pur- 

 poses. And I believe that some day it will be raised 

 by improved engineering appliances. 



This brings us to the question of artesian wells. 

 The scientists claim that artesian water found in some 

 parts of western Kansas is caused by impervious shales 

 pressing down this water from above: that when this 

 impervious shale is punctured the shale-imprisoned 

 water rises to its level to the west, and if the surface 

 of the earth above the puncture is below underground 

 water level in the west, the water gushes forth above 

 the earth, as it does in Crooked Creek Valley in 

 Meade County. The department will not sink deep 

 wells for artesian demonstration where deep wells exist 

 or are being bored by private individuals. 



There are three bureaus here which I am seeking 

 to interest in our problems, the geological survey, which 

 is in the Department of the Interior and which I have 

 previously dealt with in this letter. 



The second bureau is the one on irrigation experi- 

 ments, which is in the Department of Agriculture. This 

 bureau has in charge the demonstration of the econom- 

 ical supply and use of water for irrigation and can, 

 and I believe, will, assist us. 



The third bureau is the bureau of forestry, in the 

 Department of Agriculture, but the administration of 

 which is in the Department of the Interior. This bu- 

 reau investigates trees and tree methods and designates 

 forest reservations. Having designated a reservation 

 it lies with the Department of the Interior to withdraw 



the public lands so designated from entry. Several 

 months ago the bureau designated a forest reserve to 

 the south of Garden City. The Department of the In- 

 terior now has the matter under advisement and is 

 inclined to rule (but it has not and it is vital to us 

 must not) that the law can not be construed to permit 

 the designation of a forest reserve on a tract having 

 no trees. The matter is further complicated by the 

 inclusion in the designated reserve of considerable pri- 

 vate land. In the hope of a favorable decision I have 

 asked the bureau of forestry to furnish me data of 

 public lands in western Kansas where other forest re- 

 serves might be created if any considerable tract exists. 

 I know we have much to expect from the tree in west- 

 ern Kansas. 



IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. 



Possible to Irrigate by Pumping Thirty to Forty Cents Per Acre. 



MESILLA PARK, N. M., Feb. 29. To the Editor of 

 THE IRRIGATION AGE. In a bulletin issued by this 

 station some time ago it was shown that the work that 

 we had done up to that time, showed that it was pos- 

 sible to irrigate from wells at an expense of from fifty 

 to sixty cents an acre for a three-inch irrigation. This 

 was on short runs with different pumps and under 

 conditions not as economical as are to be found on 

 the average farm. Since this bulletin was published our 

 work has been carried further along the line of seeking 

 to reduce the cost of pumping from wells, with the 

 result that by using a crude oil engine the cost is cut 

 almost in half, as represented by the above figures and 

 an acre can be irrigated three inches deep and at an 

 expense of thirty to forty cents. The most favorable 

 conditions in other parts of the United States where 

 irrigation is practiced from pumping show nothing 

 as favorable as these figures. 



You ask me for my opinion of the present value 

 of land in this valley and the possibilities that may 

 be realized by irrigation. I would state that in a gen- 

 eral way the land in this valley, not in cultivation is 

 worth from $10 to $25 an acre. This represents un- 

 cultivated land which would have to be, of course, im- 

 proved before it could be put in cultivation. Cultivated 

 land in alfalfa and other crops may be bought at pres- 

 ent at a price of $25 to $100 an acre, depending largely 

 upon its location. 



As for the possibilities for this valley, I believe, 

 speaking conservatively, they are unequaled in the 

 I'nited States. I make this statement in view of the 

 fact that we have carried on for the past year or two 

 a careful comparison of the conditions as they exist 

 today in this valley with some of the most favored 

 regions of Colorado, California and other States. It is 

 possible to make an income from the land in this valley 

 far in excess of what can be done under the average con- 

 ditions in other States. We have the most fertile soil, 

 an apparently inexhaustible underflow supply of water, 

 and a river running through the length of this valley 

 whose waters show by analyses covering a period of a 

 whole year as taken at this experiment station, that 

 they deposit on each acre of land irrigated from the 

 river, fertilizing material to the value of $29 per acre 

 per annum. This means that the fertility of our land 

 may be maintained indefinitely. In addition to this 

 we have an almost ideal climate and possibilities for 

 good markets. FRANCIS E. LESTER. 



