Year 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



VOL. XXVI 



CHICAGO, JANUARY, 1911. 



NO. 3 



THE IRRIGATION AGE 



With which is Merged 

 MODERN IRRIGATION 

 THE IRRIGATION ERA 

 ARID AMERICA 



THE DRAINAGE JOURNAL 

 MID- WEST 

 THE FARM HERALD 



D. H. ANDERSON 

 PUBLISHER, 



112 Dearborn Street, 



CHICAGO 



Entered as second-class matter October 3, 1897, at the 

 Postofflce at Chicago, 111., under Act of March 3, 1878. 



D. H. ANDERSON, Editor 



ANNOUNCEMENT. 



"The Primer of Irrigation" is now ready for delivery. Price, 

 $2.00. If ordered in connection with subscription, the price is $ 1 .50. 



SUBSCRIPTION PRICE. 



To United States Subscribers, Postage Paid, . . $1.00 



To Canada and Mexico 1.60 



All Other Foreign Countries 1.50 



In forwarding- remittances please do not send checks on 

 local banks. Send either postoffice or express money order or 

 Chicago or New York draft. 



Official organ Federation of Tree Growing Clubs of 

 America. D. H. Anderson, Secretary. 



Official organ of the American Irrigation Federation. 

 Office of the Secretary, 212 Boyce Building, Chicago. 



Interesting to Advertisers. 



It may interest advertisers to know that The Irrigation Age is the 

 only publication in the world having an actual paid in advance 

 circulation among individual irrigators and large irrigation corpo- 

 rations. It is read regularly by all interested in this subject and has 

 readers in all parts of the world. The Irrigation Age is 26 years 

 old and is the pioneer publication of its class in the world. 



Our readers will note that with this issue 

 Announce- THE IRRIGATION AGE appears under the 

 ment.. sole ownership of D. H. Anderson, the 



present editor. The last of the outstand- 

 ing stock of the Irrigation Age Company has been 

 taken over by the present owner, and the line "D. H. 

 Anderson, Publisher," takes the place of the Irrigation 

 Age Company, Publisher. 



The present owner has been interested in the publi- 

 cation since shortly after its formation, and has been 

 in control since 1899, but, as above stated, had not se- 

 cured control of all of the stock until recently. This 

 slight change will make no difference in the editorial 

 or business conduct of the paper. 



Death Toll 

 of Aviation 

 Horrifies 

 the World. 



The aviation death toll is altogether too 

 high. The world is horrified at the sac- 

 rifice of human life. It is clear that 

 science has not advanced far enough in 

 the principles of aviation to justify pub- 

 lic use or exhibitions of airships. The 

 death record for three years goes to prove that air naviga- 

 tion is a hopeless failure or that its principles have yet 

 to be studied and mastered by the world of science. 

 Whichever conclusion suits the opinion of the public. 

 there should be no more exhibitions until greater safety 

 is assured. 



In 1908 there was but one death among the aviators; 

 in the next year there were four; in 1910 the appalling 

 total of forty was reached. Nearly every day in Decem- 

 ber brought a fatal accident. Moisant and Hoxsey were 



killed on the last day of the year, the former while ex- 

 hibiting at New Orleans and the latter at Los Angeles, 

 where he had just established a new record for high flying. 

 The world does not require this sacrifice of life; it cannot 

 afford it. Public exhibitions should cease until inventors 

 have provided a machine that is more surely controllable 

 and dependable than any that so far have been produced. 



Frequency 

 of Drouths 

 Perplexing 

 Country. 



For three years the Upper Mississippi 

 Valley has suffered from devastating 

 drouths which perplex and alarm the 

 country. A decided change in atmos- 

 pheric conditions is taking place. It is a 

 change for the worse and there is no 

 prospect of improvement. Weather conditions this win- 

 ter continue abnormal, the lack of water being a serious 

 menace to farming interests. Following the destructive 

 drouth of summer there is occasion for widespread study 

 and apprehension. 



Theories vary as to the cause of these destructive 

 drouths. It may be planetary changes, forest destruction 

 or just chance. We only know that agriculture is not and 

 cannot be prosperous without water and there is no sys- 

 tem by which farmers can have irrigation in those states 

 which are depended on to produce the wheat supply of 

 the world. 



If these states are to retain their population and 

 maintain their property values an artificial supply will 

 have to be provided. It will take the assistance of capita! 

 to bring this about. Furthermore, if the standard of 

 American farming is to be raised, with a view to larger 



