1062 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



.39 = 2.52 feet. Proceeding in this manner the depth of the 

 ditch or trench at any one of these points can be figured out 

 and when excavated the grade line of the same will be found 

 uniform. 



It is to be understood, however, that for long distances 

 the leveling frame should be superseded by a leveling instru- 

 ment equipped with telescope and level, the readings being 

 taken upon a leveling rod, which operation takes much less 

 time and is perhaps more accurate, but it requires some knowl- 

 edge to adjust the instrument and make the necessary com- 

 putations. 



ARIZONA'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 territory of Arizona. 



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 the Census, 

 under whose supervision it was prepared by 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 enterprises 

 are capable of supplying, the acreage included in existing 

 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 average annual 

 cost of maintenance and operation. It shows also, for 

 the year 1909, length of lateral ditches, number of reser- 

 voirs, capacity of reservoirs, number of flowing wells, 

 number of wells pumped for irrigation, number of pump- 

 ing plants, engine capacity of pumping plants, and acreage 

 irrigated with pumped water. The acreage irrigated 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 col- 

 lecting 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 ex- 

 pected that there will be any material modification of the 

 totals or percentages reported. It is explained also that 

 the census reports for 1899 do not show data concerning 

 irrigation on Indian reservations in Arizona. For this 

 reason comparisons between the 1909 and 1899 figures and 

 corresponding percentages of increase and decrease have 

 been made with the elimination of the totals for Indian 

 reservations from the figures for 1909. 



The total number of farms irrigated in 1909 was 

 4,509. Exclusive of Indian reservations, the total was 

 3,847, against 2,981 in 1899, an increase of 866, or 29.1 per 

 cent. 



The total acreage irrigated in 1909 was 320,051 acres, 

 or, excluding Indian reservations, 300,665, against 185,396 

 in 1899, an increase of 115,269 acres, or 62.2 per cent. 

 During the same period the improved land in farms out- 

 side of Indian reservations increased but 42.4 per cent, 

 showing that a considerably larger part of the improved 

 area was irrigated in 1909. The per cent of the improved 

 area irrigated, outside of Indian reservations, increased 

 from 81.4 in 1899 to 92.7 in 1909. 



The total acreage which all enterprises were capable 

 of supplying with water in 1910 amounted to 387,655 acres, 

 an excess of 67,604 acres over the area irrigated in 1909i 

 The total acreage reported in projects in 1910 was 944.090 

 acres, an excess of 624,039 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 1,269 in 

 1909. Excluding Indian reservations, the total was 1,218, 

 against 519 in 1899, an increase of 699, or 134.7 per cent. 



The total length of main ditches outside of reser- 

 vations was 1,608 miles in 1909 and 1,492 in 1899, an in- 

 crease of 116 miles, or 7.8 per cent. In 1909 there were 

 402 reservoirs, having a capacity of 1,348,358 acre-feet. 



Fifty-one Indian enterprises were reported in 1909. 



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

 was reported as $17,651,148. Eliminating reservation 

 systems, the cost was $17,183,487, as against $4,408,158 in 

 1899, an increase of $12,775,329, or 289.8 per cent. The 

 average cost of irrigation systems per acre irrigated in 

 1910 was $45.53, as compared with a cost of $23.90 in 1899, 

 an increase of $21.63, or 90.5 per cent. 



The average annual cost per acre for maintenance 

 and operation in 1909 was $0.91, and $0.82 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, 

 1902), 138,364 acres, or 43.2 per cent of total; United States 

 Indian Service (various acts of Congress), 19,386 acres, or 

 6.1 per cent; co-operative enterprises, 101,025 acres, or 

 31.6 per cent; enterprises supplying water for hire, 80 

 acres, or less than 0.1 per cent; and private and partner- 

 ship enterprises, 61,196 acres, or 19.1 per cent. There are 

 no Carey Act or irrigation district enterprises in the ter- 

 ritory. Of the 138,364 acres reported as irrigated by the 

 United States Reclamation Service, 134,364 acres are re- 

 ported as having been irrigated by works built by others 

 and taken over by the United States Reclamation Service. 

 Works built by the United States Reclamation Service 

 are to be turned over to the water users for operation and 

 maintenance. Including these, 93.9 per cent of the acre- 

 age irrigated in 1909 was supplied by works controlled 

 by the water users. 



Streams supplied 307,778 acres, or 96.1 per cent of the 

 total acreage irrigated in 1909; lakes, supplied 570 acres, or 

 0.2 per cent; wells supplied 7,585 acres, or 2.4 per cent; 

 springs supplied 3,631 acres, or 1.1 per cent; and reser- 

 voirs supplied 487 acres, or about 0.2 per cent. 



STATISTICAL RECORD OF THE UNITED STATES. 



This annual publication originating with the Bureau 

 of Statistics thirty-three years ago, then a small volume of 

 150 octavo pages, has grown with the growth of the coun- 

 try and the demands of the public for additional infor- 

 mation, to 750 pages in this, the thirty-third number just 

 issued. Purely statistical, and thus appealing only to 

 those desiring definite information in concrete form, it 

 presents many interesting pictures of conditions past and 

 present in the United States. 



For instance, the 100 pages devoted to the general 

 subject of area, natural resources, and population, show 

 the date of admission of each state and territory and their 

 respective areas, the land area unappropriated and un- 

 reserved, amounting in 1910 to 712 million acres, and 

 forming 41 per cent of the total land area of the country; 

 swamps and overflow lands, 75 million acres; developed 

 waterpowers, 5J/j million horse-power ; estimated coal 

 supply of states and territories; estimated iron ore sup- 

 ply; the number of farms irrigated, 167,000 in 1907, and 

 number of acres 11 million; the various irrigation projects 

 commenced and the respective area to be reclaimed; 

 population from 1790 by decennial years to the present 

 time, and population of states and principal cities at each 

 census; share which persons of foreign birth form of the 

 population at various dates; marriage and divorce statis- 

 tics; school population, enrollment, and attendance of 

 pupils, universities, colleges and technical schools, with 

 students and instructors; and temperature and rainfall for 

 various sections of the country. 



The fifty pages devoted to agriculture, forestry and 

 fisheries show the number and acreage of farms by decen- 

 nial periods extending back to 1880, value of farm prop- 

 erty by states and territories amounting to over 20 billion 

 dollars in 1900, the latest year for which complete statis- 

 tics are available; the production of principal cereal crops, 

 and of other farm products, including fruits, butter, wool 

 and chickens; the wealth produced on farms for a term 

 of years, showing a growth from 5 billion dollars in 1900 

 to practically 9 billion in 1910: and numerous other facts 

 relating to the wonderful development of the agriculture 

 of the country for a long term of years. 



