54 



THE IKKIGATION AGE. 



their representatives in Congress to the passage of the 

 Borah measure? Here again is where enlightened selfish- 

 ness controls. The lumbermen of the West, finding a 

 limited demand for their steadily increasing output in their 

 natural marketing zone, invaded the yellow pine territory, 

 lying west of the Rocky Mountains. The ox of the south- 

 ern lumberman was being gored. The western lumber- 

 man had to make a price at which his product would move 

 in competition with the southern product. 



At a glance the lumbermen, even in sun-kissed Flor- 

 ida, realized that the only possible chance for escape from 

 well-nigh ruinous competition from the great lumbering 

 possibilities of the West, attracted such men as J. B. 

 White, president of the National Conservation Congress 

 and southern lumber operator; R. A. Long of Kansas 

 City, also a power in southern pine interests, and other 

 lumbermen to throw their strength in behalf of the cause 

 of irrigation. It was self-protection. In meant a larger 

 market for southern yellow pine, not only by possibly 

 checking the aggressions of their western neighbors, but 

 in Texas. Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and in Ne- 

 braska, where they were already doing business, and where 

 national irrigation projects were being developed. 



Today, but for the results which have accrued from 

 the development of the West and Southwest from irriga- 

 tion, the market for western lumber would have been 

 much less than it is. Without irrigation there would 

 scarcely be a foot of lumber sold in many valleys of 

 Washington and Idaho except for an occasional ranch- 

 man's shanty. California alone imported from the states 

 of Oregon and Washington by cargo 1,300,000,000 feet of 

 lumber in 1910. The bulk of this lumber was consumed 

 within the state, or a portioti re-shipped to Nevada, Ari- 

 zona and New Mexico. It is safe to say that without irri- 

 gation in the states mentioned probably less than 10 per 

 cent of this lumber would have been consumed. This vast 

 amount of lumber represents only a portion of the lumber 

 consumed in the states mentioned. 



Intensified farming, made possible by irrigation, is the 

 mainstay of the western lumbermen. When the country 

 is settled in small farms and orchards the consumption of 

 lumber per capita is large, obviously. The reverse is true 

 where wheat raising and stock farming predominates. 



Irrigation makes possible the highest utilization of 

 the tree, by providing a home market within zones where 

 transportation charges are not prohibitive. It creates a 

 steady and increasing demand for lumber, hence the lum- 

 bermen should give liberally of their substance to pro- 

 mote in every way possible broad and comprehensive 

 national and state policies in dealing with either public 

 or private irrigation. Irrigation is the handmaiden of 

 lumbering. The irrigationist and lumberman must work 

 together. 



The National Lumber Manufacturers' Association 

 should take a foremost place at each session of the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Congress, especially the convention in 

 Chicago, December 5 to 9. and lend its influence, which 

 ramilies to every state in the Union, in behalf of the cause 

 of irrigation, to which the lumber industry of the North- 

 west, in many instances, owes its very existence. 



NEVADA'S IRRIGATION STATISTICS. 



These are based on a preliminary comparative sum- 

 mary submitted by Dr. Le Grand P'owers, chief statistician 

 for 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 sum- 

 mary shows for both 1909 and 1899 the number of farm* 

 irrigated, the acreage irrigated, total length of ditches, 

 the total cost of irrigation systems, and the average cost 

 per acre irrigated. It shows for the year 1910 the acreage 

 which existing enterprises were capable of supplying, the 

 acreage included in existing projects, the number of in- 

 dependent enterprises, number of reservoirs, capacity of 

 reservoirs, number of flowing wells, number of wells 

 pumped for irrigation, the number of pumping plants, and 

 engine capacity of pumping plants. The acreage irrigated 

 is classified by the type of enterprise supplying water and 

 by the source of water supply. 



It should be noted that the figures are subject to re- 

 vision, after more complete tabulation, but it is not ex- 



pected that there will be any material modification of the 

 totals or percentages reported. 



The total number of farms irrigated in 1909 was 2,406, 

 against 1,906 in 1899, an increase of 500, or 26.2 per cent. 

 Within the same period the number of farms in the state 

 increased 30.5 per cent. The per cent of the whole num- 

 ber of farms irirgated in 1909 was 89.5, and in 1899 it 

 was 92.5. 



The total acreage irrigated in 1909 was 709,018 acres, 

 against 504,168 acres in 1899, an increase of 204,850 acres, 

 or 40.6 per cent. The irrigated area extended more rapidly 

 than the improved area, which increased during the 10 

 years by 31.8 per cent. This fact, together with the large 

 percentage of all farms which were irrigated, shows the 

 great extent to which agriculture in general is dependent 

 on irrigation in Nevada. 



The total acreage which all enterprises were capable 

 of supplying with water in 1910 was 840,962 acres, an 

 excess of 131,944 acres over the area irrigated in 1909. 

 The acreage included in projects either completed or 

 under construction in 1910 was 1,232,142 acres, an excess 

 of 523,124 acres over the area irrigated in 1909. This in- 

 dicates the area which will be available within the next 

 few years for the extension of irrigation, and shows that 

 the area irrigated can be almost doubled without the con- 

 struction of additional works. 



The number of independent enterprises reported in 

 191U was 1,347. The total length of all ditches in 1910 was 

 3,106 miles, against 2,859 miles in 1899, an increase of 247 

 miles, or 8.6 per cent. The length of ditches reported for 

 1910, 1,908 miles, were in main ditches, and 1,198 in later- 

 als. The number of reservoirs reported was 111, having a 

 combined capacity of 325,873 acre-feet. The number of 

 wells pumped for irrigation was 6 and the number of 

 pumping plants 18. The engine capacity of pumping plants 

 was 486 horsepower. The acreage irrigated with pumped 

 water was 906 acres. The total cost of irrigation systems 

 reported in 1910 was $6,664,833, against $1,533,927 in 1899, 

 an increase of $5,130,906, or 334.5 per cent. The average 

 cost per acre in 1910 was $7.93, against $2.05 in 1899, an 

 increase of $5.88, or 286.8 per cent. The average cost of 

 operation and maintenance per acre in 1909 was 90 cents, 

 against 18 cents in 1899, an increase of 72 cents, or 400 

 per cent. 



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), 37,185 acres, or 5.2 per cent of the total; United 

 States Indian Service (various acts of Congress), 2,597 

 acres, or 0.4 per cent of the total; co-operative enterprises, 

 78,966 acres, or 11.1 per cent; commercial enterprises, 8,864 

 acres, or 1.3 per cent; and private and partnership enter- 

 prises, 581,406 acres, or 82 per cent. No irrigated acreage 

 was reported under Carey Act or irrigation district enter- 

 prises. Works built by the United States Reclamation 

 Service are to be turned over to the water users for oper- 

 ation and maintenance. Including these, 98.3 per cent of 

 the acreage irrigated in 1909 was supplied by works con- 

 trolled by the water users. 



Streams supplied 668,947 acres, or 94.3 per cent of the 

 total acreage irrigated in 1909; lakes supplied 906 acres, 

 or 0.1 per cent; wells supplied 187 acres, or less than one- 

 tenth of 1 per cent; springs supplied 38,840 acres, or 5.5 

 per cent; and reservoirs supplied 138 acres, or less than 

 one-tenth of 1 per cent. 



LOOKS ENCOURAGING FOR TEXAS. 



Within the last year the following new irrigation 

 companies (except La Ferria Mutual Canal company, 

 which simply increased its capital stock) having an ag- 

 gregate authorized capitalization of $2,939,000, filed their 

 charters in the Secretary of State's Department at Austin, 

 paid franchise tax and were authorized to do business in 

 this state: 



Texaco Drilling and Irrigation Company. San An- 

 tonio, August 18; $5,000; paid in, $5,000; shares, 50; fifty 

 years. 



St. Stephen Land and Irrigation Company, Fort Stock- 

 ton, September 10; $250,000; paid in, $225,00*0; shares, 2,500; 

 fifty years. 



