136 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



farm price is about $3 a barrel, so that good cultivation 

 will produce from $45 an acre up. The straw is as 

 good for feed as wheat straw. 



The future rice crop of Texas may easily be $75,- 

 000,000 a year and may reach $100,000,000 annually. 



OTHER IRRIGATION INTERESTS. 



The rainfall of Texas gradually decreases from 60 

 inches on the Arkansas line to 9 or 10 inches on the 

 western border. 



Even where the rainfall is 30 inches a year it pays 

 to irrigate, and many projects, large and small, are in 

 operation, being planned or considered. 



The greatest enterprise of this kind, aside from the 

 rice plants, are on or near the Rio Grande river, where 

 many thousand acres have already been thus reclaimed. 



Both for rice and general farming in southeast and 

 western Texas many wells are in use. Some of them 

 flow out and need no power, but most of these wells 

 have to be pumped; 



Such wells are successfully employed in the Pan- 

 handle and on the highlands of the Staked Plain, where 

 such a scheme would have been considered impossible a 

 few years ago. Irrigation in Texas is just in its infancy 

 and in time will make millions of rich acres in this 

 state fertile and profitable, which are not now under 

 cultivation. 



THE GROWING INTEREST IN DRAINAGE. 



From the activities of the various drainage asso- 

 ciations about the country and the frequency with 

 which drainage bills are being presented before the 

 National and State legislatures it would seem that the 

 idea of the importance of drainage as a means of agri- 

 cultural improvement is very rapidly gaining ground. 

 This progress is clearly reflected in the operations of the 

 Office of Irrigation and Drainage Investigations of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. The work 

 of this office in drainage extends over the entire coun- 

 try from Florida to the Dakotas and from Masachusetts 

 to California. Drainage maps are being prepared and 

 the general soil, topographic and hydrographic condi- 

 tions as related to drainage are being studied in a score 

 of localities. Among the drainage projects recently 

 taken up are the following: A preliminary survey of 

 the Everglades, with a view of securing data upon 

 which to base a plan for the drainage of that district; 

 a survey of the Black Bayou in the Yazoo Delta District 

 of Misissippi; and surveys along the Little Forked 

 Deer River in Tennesee. 



To carry on these investigations and other work 

 which will be taken up during the next fiscal year, 

 $150,000 was included in the general agricultural ap- 

 propriation bill for the use of the Office of Experiment 

 Stations. This bill has already passed the House of 

 Representatives. 



A far-sighted and business-like policy of assisting 

 in the improvement of the agricultural conditions in the 

 territory through which they run is becoming very 

 popular with railroads at present. The Missouri 

 Pacific has recently imdertaken a very necessary appli- 

 cation of this policy along its line in Arkansas and 

 Louisiana. In this section there are numerous and 

 extensive areas of march and swamp land, notably those 

 of the St. Francis and Washita basins and the Cypress 

 Creek district. Throughout this territory drainage and 

 good roads are the two most pressing requirements of 



agriculture, and the farmers are in great need of relia- 

 ble information and instruction as to how best secure 

 the necessary improvement. 



Realizing the importance of this need the Missouri 

 Pacific provided a special train and a series of farmers' 

 institutes were held during the latter part of January 

 and the early part of February at various points along 

 the line of the railroad. Mr. J. 0. Wright, drainage 

 engineer, represented the Office of Irrigation and Drain- 

 age Investigations, giving a series of addresses illus- 

 trated with lantern slides, when possible, on the agri- 

 cultural engineering and legal phases of drainage ; while 

 Mr. Z. M. Peirce of the office of Public Roads discussed 

 the good roads problem. The awakening and instruction 

 of farmers in such matters should be followed by far- 

 reaching results, and the railroad company is to be 

 greatly commended for its initiative in the matter. 



That the State of Arkansas is becoming greatly in- 

 terested in the subject of drainage is evidenced by the 

 fact that the Arkansas legislature recently invited Dr. 

 Mead, chief of Irrigation and Drainage Investigations, 

 United States Office of Experiment Stations, to address 

 that body on the subject of drainage, but unfortunately 

 he was unable to accept the invitation. 



In South Carolina the question of drainage is be- 

 ing taken up with great energy and thoroughness. Fol- 

 lowing the example of the Charleston County Sanitary 

 and Drainage Commission, which during the past year 

 has been co-operating with the Department of Agri- 

 culture in the preparation of plans for the drainage of 

 swamp lands in the vicinity of Charleston, the South 

 Carolina Legislature recently extended an invitation to 

 the office of Irrigation and Drainage Investigations for 

 a representative to address them on the subject of drain- 

 age. Mr. C. G. Elliott, drainage engineer of the de- 

 partment, responded to this call, and on the 6th inst. 

 made an address before the legislature on the general 

 features of drainage, taking up in particular the legal 

 phases of the problem from the standpoint of the ex- 

 perience of other states. 



Our Future Orchards. 



Ten years from now every farmer who sets out 

 fruit trees this spring will congratulate himself on his 

 wisdom in selection if he listens to and seeks the advice 

 of experienced fruit and nursery men. 



A veteran among nursery men is Carl Sonderegger, 

 at Beatrice, Nebraska. Any farmer who contemplates 

 setting out a new orchard, or just a few trees; a new 

 fruit farm, or just a little patch; or is planning to 

 reforest any part of his holdings, or wants just a few 

 shade trees, will get dollars added to his bank account 

 and years of experience added to his knowledge if he 

 would write Mr. Sonderegger for counsel. This is free. 

 But because it is free, don't think for a moment that 

 it is not valuable. Mr. Sonderegger is offering a big 

 line of nursery stock, field, garden and flower seeds, etc. 

 The seeds are all tested before shipping; all fresh, clean 

 and vigorous. His prices are attractively low. For 

 instance, apple trees are 4c, peach 5c, plum 12c, cherry 

 15c. These trees are not seedlings, but are grafted 

 stock. Concord grapes are 2c. Forest tree seedlings a 

 thousand for a dollar. Mr. Sonderegger gives for this 

 season a packet of a new variety of head lettuce called 

 "May King" to every person who writes for his large, 

 illustrated catalogue and asks for sample packet. 



