THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



255 



greatly augmented. The assessed valuation of property for 

 taxation in 1911 was $100,000,000, the real valjje not far 

 from $300,000,000. The year's production from the mines 

 amounted to the fabulous sum of $42,200,000. 



Irrigation was practiced in Arizona oy ancient people, 

 ruins of ditches and reservoirs having been found in numer- 

 ous river valleys; their character demonstrating that these 

 aborigines possessed considerable skill in the art. Some of 

 the present Indian tribes still exist largely from the product's 

 of irrigated farming. Irrigation upon the part of Europeans 

 was practiced as early as 1732 in the vicinity of Tucson; 

 the Americans receiving their first instructions from the 

 early Mexican inhabitants. 



Irrigation in the Salt River Valley began as early as 

 1867, on the upper Gila river in 1874. The development of 

 irrigation from the Colorado river has been stunted owing 

 to the erratic character of that stream. The practical com- 

 pletion of the gigantic government project at Yuma will 

 remedy this condition for all time. The normal minimum 

 flow of such streams as the Little Colorado, The Verde, San 

 Pedro and Santa Cruz has all been absorbed by numerous 

 little ranches. Figures are extant which indicate that irri- 

 gation in the State has progressed from 2,000 acres in 1854 

 to 228,000 acres (census of 1909). 



Climatically the state may be regarded as being divided 

 into two zones, the northern part of the state embracing 

 altitude from 5,000 to 13,000 feet, the southern part, of lower 

 altitudes, diminishing to sea level. 



Precipitation ranges from 3.13 inches to an average max- 

 imum of over 20 inches at the higher stations. Seasonal 

 distribution of rainfall varies widely over different portions 

 of the state. 



The daily range of temperature averages about 30 de- 

 grees F. and may reach 50 degrees F. Relative humidity is 

 low, less than 10 per cent being often recorded. Sunshine 

 percentages are high, over 80 per cent being the rule in 

 southern Arizona. Wind movement is light, averaging from 

 Z l /2 miles an hour at Phoenix to 7 miles at Prescott. 



The dearth of vegetable covering in the desert region, the 

 dry air and clear skies favor rapid radiation at night. All 

 these factors make for ideal health conditions. Under the 

 varying conditions of soil and climate crops of all kinds, 

 ranging from those of the temperate zones to those of the 

 tropics, can be grown successfully. A large trade in valley 

 products is maintained with the thriving mining towns which 

 consume large quantities of forage and food products, with 

 southern California points. Kansas City and the eastern 

 markets for fruits. Small, intensively cultivated areas, no' 

 infrequently yield values of $100 to $300 per acre. Live 

 stock raising, ostrich breeding and beekeeping are profitabl. 

 variations of farm practice. 



In her standing forests of immense area, Arizona has 

 one of its greatest resources, as yet but little exploited. 



The land area of the state, roundly 73,000,000 acres, 

 may be divided as follows : Military and Indian Reserves. 

 15,100,000 acres; National Forests. 14,000,000 acres; Rail- 

 road land grants, 2.141,000 acres; Spanish grants, 54,700 acres; 

 in private ownership, 3,760,000 acres ; unappropriated and un- 

 reserved, 39,273,000 acres ; lands in National Forests and 

 Indian reserves subject to Reclamation Service restrictions, 

 4,130,000 acres. 



Under the "Enlarged Homestead" Act 26,657,000 acres 

 have been designated. Railroad grant lands, especially those 

 of the Santa Fe Pacific are subject to purchase. The method 

 of disposing of the enormous grant of land under the "En- 

 abling Act" has not been determined, but a bill has been 

 introduced in the Legislature at this writing (H. B. 101) to 

 provide for this. 



Agriculturally, lands may be classified as irrigable, dry- 

 farming, grazing, forest and waste lands. 



Under the head of available surface water resources, 

 reliable estimates place the amount of water available from 

 the Colorado river (with storage) for land that can be 

 reached, as around 9,000,000 acre-feet annually, which will 

 serve 1,374,000 acres of land in Arizona, California and 

 Mexico allowing a duty of a l / 2 acre-feet annually; from the 

 Little Colorado 300,000 acre-feet, enough for 100,000 acres ; 

 the Salt River and Verde River are treated of in a separate 

 article in this issue. 



Storage of the flood waters of the Gila river appears to 

 be beset with difficulties of a physical and administrative 

 nature. 



There are considerable areas in southern Arizona where 

 ground waters are found within 50 feet of the surface. The 

 subject of ground waters is being systematically studied by 

 both the United States Geological Survey and the University 

 of Tucson. 



Such waters in quantity sufficient to make them of ex- 

 tended agricultural value have been found in the valleys of 

 the Rillito. Gila, Salt, Agua, Fria, New and Hassayampa 

 rivers, and in the Santa Cruz, San Pedro, Sulphur Springs 

 and San Simon valleys. Sulphur Springs valley, particular- 

 ly has proven a source of large ground-water supplies, val- 

 able in dry-farming operations. These great bodies of 

 ground-water have, for the most part, been drawn upon but 

 little. Considering the all-year growing season and the di- 

 versity and value of crops much may, with reason, be ex- 

 pected in the direction of further extended irrigation by 

 pumping. 



There are three well defined artesian districts in the 

 state, those of the San Pedro valley north of Benson, one in 

 Graham county, between Pima and Solomonville and one at 

 San Bernardino, 40 miles east of Bisbee. Artesian flows 

 have been struck, also, in northern Arizona. 



The modern idea of compulsory definition of vested 

 rights in water and the acquirements of new rights under 

 public supervision has not yet found expression in Arizona 

 statutes. However, at date of writing, the following meas- 

 ures dealing with the subject of lands and water rights have 

 been presented to the Legislature but not as yet enacted into 

 law, viz.: H. B. 6 adopting the provision of the Carey Act; 

 H. B. 9 with reference to leased territorial school lands ; H. 

 B. 101 and 126, for the disposition of State Institutional 

 and school lands ; S. B. 58, Appropriation for Arizona Ex- 

 periment Station ; S. B. 66, for the organization of Drainage 

 Districts; S. B. 70, for the organization of Irrigation Dis- 

 tricts; S. B. 150, to prevent the damage of public highways 

 by water allowed to overflow such from ditches. 



The future of Arizona is bright with promises, and with 

 the enactment of the measure now pending, providing for 

 the establishment of a permanent Bureau of Immigration and 

 with the enlightenment of the American public upon the sub- 

 ject of its manifold resources and advantages, its future 

 growth and development is assured. 



"Note: For the data upon land and water resources the author is 

 indebted, largely, to the splendid work of Professor R. H. Forbes, direc- 

 tor of Arizona Experiment Station, entitled "Irrigation in Arizona," 

 Bulletin 835, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



THE "BARTLETT-HEARD" RANCH DISTRICT. 

 This district, just outside of Phoenix, a point Z l / 2 miles 

 south of Phoenix marking the nearest boundary, to be ac- 

 curate, embraces a large area originally belonging to the so- 

 called "B-H Land & Cattle Company." It embraces, in 

 round numbers, some 7,600 acres, a great part of it under 

 intensive cultivation at this time, the history of the agricul- 

 tural operations of this district dating back to th'e early 

 '70s. These operations embraced what, in an agricultural 

 district, even in the days of princely land-holdings, was 

 phenomenal, a single farm six miles long and from one to 

 three miles wide, cross-fenced, and with 4,000 acres planted 

 to alfalfa, much of this crop, owing to its age and conse- 

 quent sturdy growth being, at this time in great demand, 

 owing to its prolific yield and excellent quality and freedom 

 from foreign growth. The completion of the storage sys- 

 tem has, under the operation of the Reclamation Act neces- 

 sitated the disposal of this land to "bona-fide residents" 

 (as explained under caption "Status of Lands). At the time 

 of writing, 4,500 acres of this domain have been sub- 

 divided into tracts of 10, 20, 40 and 80 acres. Upwards of 

 100 tracts have been sold, the ave'rage size being about 20 

 acres. The close proximity of these lands to Phoenix and 

 their ease of access via the new $jj^000 concrete bridge over 

 the Salt River has been a large 

 of these "excess holdings." Th^ 

 the average tract has had the effec 



predicted by advocates of government irrigation with restric- 

 tions as to land ownership, of making for the establishment 

 of that ideal form of country life, the form of the future 

 small acreage. Capable of great revenue production, prox- 

 imity to large centers of population, with its manifold ad- 

 vantages, absence of that isolation which is the apprehension 

 of the city-bred man and the nightmare of many a "practical 

 farmer" and, to no less degree, of his spouse. With many 



for in the quick disposal 



nail acreage comprising 



' as has been many times 



