1030 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Reclamation Notes 



CALIFORNIA. 



The four great pumps of the Sacramento Valley Irri- 

 gation Company at the head of their canal near Hamilton 

 City were simultaneously put into operation and tested 

 recently. They lifted out of the Sacramento river and 

 poured into the great canal the enormous volume of 900 

 cubic feet of water a second. 



An option on the old Woodbridge canal, near Mo- 

 desto, and water rights has been secured by property 

 owners of that section for $350,000. The formation of a 

 Wright law irrigation district is contemplated. Wood- 

 bridge district comprises 70,000 acres, many of which are 

 already under irrigation. 



Mass meetings are being held by the farmers of the 

 West Side county, including Mendota, Firebaugh, Dos 

 Palos, Newman, Crows Landing and Los Banos, in the 

 interests of forming an irrigation district under the state 

 law. 



At a joint meeting of the directors of the Oakdale 

 and South San Joaquin irrigation districts, all bids were 

 rejected for that portion of the bonds of the two districts 

 whose proceeds were to be applied to the construction 

 of the dam and other works to be built at joint expense. 

 As a contract had probably been virtually agreed upon 

 before the bonds were advertised, the rejection was ap- 

 parently made in the expectation of better terms. The 

 bids for other bonds of the South San Joaquin district 

 were also rejected. 



Work on the third big syphon has begun by the Sac- 

 ramento Valley Irrigation Company. This work is only 

 preliminary. The syphon crosses Willow Creek, and is 

 an immense affair. Two syphons were put in last sum- 

 mer at the Walker Creek crossing, but they were small 

 ones as compared with the one now begun. 



The rapid sale of lands in Subtract No. 2 of the Pat- 

 terson Irrigated Farms, Patterson, has made it necessary 

 to hasten the work of laying out the sub-laterals. About 

 5,000 acres of this land are now in grain with an average 

 yield of about twenty-five sacks to the acre. 



COLORADO. 



Dr. R. D. Elmore, of Broomfield, was recently in Fort 

 Lupton organizing the farmers under the Standley lake 

 irrigation project into a body for offense and defense. It 

 is understood similar organizations will be formed in all 

 parts of the district. No irregularities are charged, but 

 close watch is to be kept. 



Windsor Lake, adjoining Windsor, is being surveyed 

 for the first time. Although one of the oldest lakes used 

 for irrigation, its capacity is unknown. It is understood 

 that the survey is made because of future litigation to 

 come up by water users down the river, who claim that 

 water is being turned into the lake to which they are 

 entitled. It is estimated that the lake has a capacity of 

 CO.OOO cubic feet of water. 



It is announced that work will start on a $250,000 

 irrigation project in the Big Park country for the purpose 

 of irrigating from 10,000 to 20,000 acres of land in the 

 Big Park. The prospect is backed by two promoters, 

 Messrs. Armstrong and Shaw of Butler, Pa., who have 

 been at work on the proposition for some time. Water 

 will be taken from the Little Dolores and East Creek and 

 will irrigate all of the land settled in the Big Park. 



An irrigation project in the vicinity of Pueblo was 

 voted upon recently and the vote of the property owners 



was unanimous for the organization of the district. The 

 proposition is to irrigate 50,000 acres of land and the 

 estimated cost is $2,500,000. Old water rights on the 

 western slope have been secured and the water is to be 

 taken down the Arkansas river and stored in reservoirs. 



A series of reservoirs and ditches to cost $29,000 is 

 to be built by Denver people to reclaim by irrigation and 

 develop the country in the vicinity of Sligo. 



The Pueblo Land & Irrigation Company, through 

 C. E. Sutton, president of the company, have filed maps 

 of the Park Lake reservoir and Thompson reservoir with 

 the county clerk. The reservoirs will irrigate 3,400 acres 

 of land and will cost $17,000 to construct. The land is in 

 the Orchard Park district. 



Two more suits against the Pueblo-Rocky Ford Irri- 

 gation Company were filed recently in the district court 

 of Pueblo county by dissatisfied land buyers who signed 

 contracts for the purchase of lands under the project. The 

 suits involve the recovery of about $4,000. 



Several farmers in the arid regions east of Denver 

 believe that by sinking wells the underflow of streams can 

 be utilized with pumps for irrigation. 



Actual construction work on the Havemeyer ditch 

 between Rifle and De Beque will be started in a short 

 time by contractor J. J. Lumsden. Engineer Warning 

 stated recently that the preliminary work of starting a 

 camp has already been started. The length of time that 

 \vill be needed to finish the canal is indefinite. 



The Terrace Irrigation district, comprising about 

 400,000 acres of land, situated between Lajara and Monte 

 Vista, has arranged to purchase the Terrace reservoir and 

 also the La Jara Meadows reservoir. The La Jara 

 Meadows reservoir is now completed and filled with water 

 and has a capacity of about 16,000 acre feet of water. 



Probably the most expensive irrigation pipe line and 

 pumping plant system ever established in northern Colo- 

 rado is being installed by W. S. Freeman, a Chicago at- 

 torney, on his ranch near Briggedale, at a cost of $47,500. 

 The water is to be drawn from underflow streams and 

 seepage from Crow creek, and 4,000 acres will be irri- 

 gated. 



The Poudre and Platte rivers are rising and ditches 

 are running full with surplus water going into reser- 

 voirs. The prospect of a good supply for late irriga- 

 tion is the best in years, and this means the making of 

 the beet and potato crops. 



MONTANA. 



Professor Bonebrigh of the Experimental Station, 

 Bozeman, is conducting a valuable series of experiments 

 to determine the amount of irrigation that can be profit- 

 ably used for different crops and also the relative amount 

 required by different soils. The result of his experiment 

 will be published in bulletin form later and will contain 

 valuable information for farmers on irrigated lands. 



A scheme for the reclamation of 20,000 acres of land 

 lying along the Little Missouri river in Custer county, 75 

 miles south of Baker, is being projected by Butte men. 

 It is understood that the backers "of the project are ex- 

 pecting a railroad to tap the district when the lands will 

 be placed on the market. 



There is a small force of men making ready to begin 

 work on the Sun river irrigation project. Houses are 

 being erected to shield the men and general exploration 

 is in progress. 



Affairs of the Valier irrigation project have been ad- 

 justed. Work is to recommence at once and the project 

 is to be completed by June, 1912. This was the news 

 brought to Great Falls by James T. Stanford of the 

 Conrad-Stanford interests, who has been in the east, and 



