THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



1057 



WASHINGTON'S IRRIGATION STATISTICS. 



Acting Census Director Falkner has issued the first 

 official statement from the Census Bureau relative to the 

 statistics of irrigation in the state of Washington. 



It is based on a preliminary comparative summary 

 submitted by Dr. Le Grand Powers, chief statistician of 

 the division of agriculture in the Bureau of Census, under 

 whose supervision it was prepared bv R. P. Teele, special 

 agent in charge of irrigation. This summary shows for 

 both 1909 and 1899 the number of farms irrigated, the 

 acreage irrigated, the acreage which existing enternrises 

 are capable of supplying and the acreage included in ex- 

 isting projects, the number of independent enterprises, 

 the length of main ditches, the total cost of irrigation 

 systems, the average cost per acre irrigated, and the aver- 

 age anaual cost of maintenance and operation. It shows 

 also, for the year 1909, length of lateral ditches, number 

 of reservoirs, capacity of reservoirs, number of flowing 

 wells, number of wells pumped for irrigation, number of 

 pumping plants, engine capacity of pumping plants, and 

 acreage irrigated with pumped water. The acreage irri- 

 gated is classified by the type of enterprise supplying water 

 and by the source of water supply. 



The act of Congress of February 25, 1910, under 

 which the census of irrigation is being taken, provides for 

 collecting full information concerning the location, char- 

 acter and cost of irrigation enterprises; whether such en- 

 terprises are conducted under national, state or private 

 control; the acreage of land irrigated; the prices at which 

 land with water rights can be 

 obtained ; and the quantity of 

 water used for irrigation. 



It should be noted that the 

 figures are subject to revision 

 after more complete tabulation, 

 but it is not expected that 

 there will be any material mod- 

 ification of the totals or per- 

 centages reported. 



The total number of farms 

 irrigated in 1909 was 7,405, 

 against 3,513 in 1899, an in- 

 crease of 3,892, or 110.8 per 

 cent. This rate of increase is 

 considerably higher than that 

 in the whole number of farms 

 in the states, showing that irri- 

 gation is advancing more rap- 

 idly than dry farming. 



The total acreage irrigated 

 in 1909 was 334,378 acres, 

 against 135,470 acres in 1899, 

 an increase of 198,908 acres, 

 or 146.8 per cent. During the 

 same period the improved land 

 in farms increased but 83.3 per 

 cent, showing that a consider- 

 ably larger part of the im- 

 proved area was irrigated in 

 1909. The per cent of the im- 

 proved area irrigated increased 

 from 3.9 in 1899 to 5.3 in 1900. 



The total acreage which all enterprises were capable 

 of supplying with water in 1910 amounted to 470,514 acres, 

 an excess of 136,135 acres over the area irrigated in 1909. 

 The total acreage reported in projects in 1910 was 817,032 

 acres, an excess of 482,654 acres over the area irrigated in 

 1909. This indicates in a general way the area which will 

 be available for settlement within the next few years. 



The number of independent enterprises was 1,933 in 

 1909 and 878 in 1899, an increase of 1,055, or 120.2 per 

 cent. The total length of main ditches was 2,558 miles in 

 1909 and 806 in 1899, an increase of 1,752 miles, or 217.4 

 per cent. In 1909 there were 156 reservoirs, having a ca- 

 pacity of 121,543 acre-feet. 



The total cost of irrigation systems to July 1, 1910, 

 was reported as $15,014,090, as against $1,722,369 in 1899, 

 an increase of $13,291,721, or 771.7 per cent. The average 

 cost of irrigation systems per acre irrigated in 1910 was 

 $31.91, as compared with a cost of $12.56 in 1899, an in- 

 crease of $19.35, or 154.1 per cent. 



The average annual cost per acre for maintenance and 

 operation in 1909 was $3.08. This was not reported in 

 1899. 



The acreage irrigated in 1909 has been classified ac- 

 cording to the state and Federal laws under which the 

 works were built or are operated, as follows: United 

 States Reclamation Service (act of Congress, June 17, 

 1908), 55,690 acres, or 16.7 per cent of total; United States 

 Indian Service (various acts of Congress), 35,000 acres, 

 or 10.5 per cent of total; co-operative enterprises, 81,122 

 acres, or 24.3 per cent of total; enterprises supplying water 

 for hire, 66,911 acres, or 20 per cent of total; private and 

 partnership enterprises, 95,655 acres, or 28.6 per cent of 

 total. There are no Carey Act or irrigation district enter- 

 prises in the state. Of the 55,690 acres reported as irri- 

 gated by the United States Reclamation Service, 49,979 

 acres is reported as having been irrigated by works built 

 by others and taken over by the United States Reclama- 

 tion Service. Works built by the United States Reclama- 

 tion Service are to be turned over to the water users for 

 operation and maintenance. Including these, 69.6 per 

 cent of the acreage irrigated in 1909 was supplied by 

 works controlled by the water-users. 



Streams supply 310,426 acres, or 92.8 per cent of the 

 total acreage irrigated in 1909; lakes supply 10,782 acres, 

 or 3.2 per cent; well supply 8,664 acres, or 2.6 per cent; 



NEW INCORPORATIONS. 



The McGhie Irrigation Company has recently been 

 formed to take over and extend the McGhie Irrigation ditch 



Fig. 2. View of Sub-Surface Dam and Collecting Head. 



near Butler, Salt Lake County, Utah. Capital stock, $9,270, 

 divided into shares of $18.00 each. Wrrr. McGhie, president; 

 John McGhie, vice-president ; Thomas McGhie, secretary and 

 treasurer. These officers constitute the directorate. 



The Utah Rivers Investment Company has filed articles 

 of incorporation with the county clerk, Salt Lake City, Utah, 

 to engage in a general land and irrigation business. Capital 

 stock $10,000. The officers of the corporation are Frederick 

 Steigmeyer, president and treasurer; Max Brown, vice-presi- 

 dent; James Wolfe, secretary. 



Articles of incorporation have been filed in the territorial 

 secretary's office by the Gallinas Irrigation Land Company, 

 which will have its main offices in Las Vegas, New Mexico, 

 and names Stephen B. Davis, Jr., as its statutory agent. The 

 company is capitalized at $50,000 and consists of 500 shares 

 at $100 "each. 



