204 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



take part in the development of irrigated lands are the 

 youths of the eastern states who are now seeking knowl- 

 edge of the processes by which the products of the soil 

 of irrigated lands in certainty, in quality and in quantity 

 exceed the products of sections in which they now live. 

 To these youths and to men and women of worth whose 

 opportunity for obtaining a comfortable home and a 

 competency is limited, I address these letters. 



On every hand I met the same request send us 

 men and women who will work and send us money to 

 develop our country. We have the opportunity and 

 you back east have the people and the capital. Our 

 people have made a living so easily they do not care 

 to work. 



To attain the highest success on irrigated lands 

 intelligence and attention to business count for more 

 than they do in the country of plentiful rainfall. In- 

 tensive cultivation is both possible and profitable when 

 you have an abundant supply of sunshine, water just 

 when you need it, and the finest soil that can be made. 

 Forty acres of land with all the essentials for producing 

 a full and certain crop is worth more, if measured by 

 net cash returns, than a quarter section under ordinal y 

 conditions. When fruit is planted the value of the 

 product is many times multiplied. At the present time 

 irrigated lands are as cheap as the best lands of the 

 east. Dr. N. D. Hillis said recently in an address at 

 Caldwell, Idaho, that the farm lands of that region 

 would, within a short time, be worth $500 an acre. 

 Lands there now, in alfalfa and sugar beets, net more 

 than ten per cent on that amount. 



The irrigated country will be densely populated, 

 bringing all the comforts of the city with the added 

 pleasures of country life. This is possible because the 

 delightful climate permits outdoor work and outdoor 

 pastimes during the greater part of the year. 



It is often remarked that if the production is so 

 abundant the market will be overstocked. The his- 

 tory of the country and the natural conditions prove 

 the opposite to be true. Only a small portion of the 

 land can be irrigated, on account of the surface forma- 

 tions and the supply of water. The greater interests of 

 mining, stock raising and manufacturing will consume 

 more than the irrigable lands can possibly furnish. In 

 one year food products to the amount of $6,000,000 

 were shipped into Montana alone. Other states have 

 the same conditions to meet. The demand for agri- 

 cultural products increases more rapidly than the sup- 

 ply, and must do so for many years. 



The federal government is spending from ten to 

 fifteen millions a year in building irrigation systems, 

 and private enterprise more than that amount, and yet 

 the demand for unimproved land is so great that at 

 the opening of the Twin Falls tract, in April, 1907, 

 thirty thousand acres were sold, with a great number of 

 buyers unsupplied. It might surprise our readers to 

 know that the most eager buyers are from the irrigated 

 regions. 



We are now in a most remarkable period of settle- 

 ment. The opportunities of fifty years ago in Illinois 

 and Iowa are not to be compared with the advantages 

 now offered in our western states. The settlement will 

 be largely completed and the settlers will be enjoying 

 luxuries superior to those of the older communities 

 within a very few years. 



In selecting a state or a section for a home, one 

 must be guided by his tastes, the amount of his cap- 



ital, and the kind of business he will choose, in in- 

 tensive farming specialization should be practiced. 

 Some will choose fruit culture; others the dairy; others 

 hay farming; many sugar beets; and still others stock 

 raising. In all sections garden marketing and poultry 

 raising will be very profitable. 



In the main, the reports of great crops are true. 

 Only those who have made investigations can believe 

 what is told. In all the good is there nothing dis- 

 agreeable? Yes, the country is full of failure, and al- 

 ways will be. Men will not work. They squander their 

 money and their energy. The privations common to 

 any new country discourage the faint-hearted, but there 

 is compensation for those who conquer ! Home with 

 all the comforts and luxuries that money can buy is 

 sure to come to the faithful. Worthy is the man and 

 woman who build such a monument. It is not best 

 for all to be dissatisfied with the old home. But to 

 youth and ambition without a home there is a field in 

 our great and growing west that will amply repay them 

 for their labor. There is no room for the idler, the 

 trickster, the pessimist. 



In,the June issue of THE IRRIGATION* AGE I shall 

 write about my observations in "The Great Valley of 

 California"- the Sacramento-San Joaquin with illus- 

 trated articles. The National Irrigation Congress has 

 chosen wisely in selecting Sacramento for the place of 

 its next meeting. 



TO STOP SEEPAGE LOSSES. 



The following letter comes to us from the Uni- 

 versity of California: 



BERKELEY, CAL., March 31, 1907. 



Dear Sir: The irrigation department of the Experiment 

 Station of the University of California is investigating canal 

 linings to stop seepage losses. This work was begun last year 

 and is to be continued this summer. What is wanted is to 

 find the cheapest material and simplest process ; something 

 which can be used on laterals as well as large canals, some- 

 thing which will check if not stop the percolation of water, 

 prevent the growth of vegetation in canals and obstruct bur- 

 rowing animals. Cement is effective but costly. Clay for 

 puddling is not to be had in many valleys where water is 

 valuable. There are, however, an unusual number of raw ma- 

 terials in this state which promise well, crude oil and as- 

 phaltum being the most abundant, and the special purpose of 

 this year's investigation is to test the native materials. 



The results of last year's tests will soon be published as 

 a station bulletin. They showed cement concrete to be most 

 effective, but it cost six times as much as a lining of crude 

 oil, which cut down the loss more than half, stopped all veg- 

 etable growth, and ended the work of gophers. 



We wish the interest and co-operation of the canal man- 

 agers and irrigators of the state. We are especially desirous 

 of securing two things: 



1. From every irrigator or canal manager who has a 

 lined ditch or reservoir a description of how the work was 

 done, what it cost, and what the result has been. 



2. Suggestions as to the experiments you would like to 

 have us make, especially of material or methods of applying 

 linings you would like to have us test. 



You can be of great help to us in the planning of these 

 experiments and we shall appreciate this interest and co- 

 operation by giving careful attention to all suggestions and 

 keeping you informed as to results. Sincerely yours, 



EL WOOD MEAD. 



