358 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Bumper 

 Crops 

 In 

 Idaho. 



On a recent trip through Idaho and Utah 

 the editor of IRRIGATION AGE found agri- 

 cultural conditions materially improved 

 over those of last year in fact, the crops 

 throughout Utah and Idaho as well as 

 Wyoming are in "much -better condition 

 and all those who are- familiar with irrigation affairs pre- 

 dict a bumper. crop in these regions. 



There is some question as to the ability of the rail- 

 ways to handle the immense crops which are raised 

 throughout the Twin Falls and other districts in Idaho. 

 It is stated that the officials will find difficulty in securing 

 cars-to handle the cropland this may materially, hamper 

 the farmer who has figured on turning his produce into 

 cash. On the other hand, it will give the bankers fhrough- 

 ouf : that section a chance to assist the settler by advancing 

 money on grain and produce in storage. 



It was learned on this trip that while there seems to 

 be plenty of money lying in the banks, there is a strong 

 tendency to hold it up pending the decision of political 

 questions. which now agitate the country. The word has 

 evidently gone out from financial centers to country and 

 city banks throughout the west to "go easy" until some 

 fairly good solution has been arrived at concerning the 

 political aspect of affairs during the next four years. 



While in Salt Lake City recently the 

 Twentieth editor of IRRIGATION AGE met officials of 



National the Twentieth National Irrigation Con- 



Irrigation gress which is to be held in that city 



Congress. September 30-October 3, and he learned 



that a special effort is being put forth 

 by the local officials to bring the largest crowd to Salt 

 Lake City that has assembled there in its entire history. 

 The congress, which will start on the 30th of September 

 and finish its work on October 3, will be followed by the 

 Semi-annual Conference of the Mormon Church, and this 

 will bring a large number of people from all over the 

 states of Utah, Arizona and Wyoming, as well as other 

 adjoining states. Those who attend the Semi-annual Con- 

 ference of the Mormon Church will, no doubt, take ad- 

 vantage of the special rates offered to the National Irri- 

 gation Congress and will spend a greater part of the 

 week in Salt Lake City. 



Another feature that will attract a great many visitors 

 to the city is the state fair, which will be held in Salt 

 Lake City during Congress week, hence it is fair to pre- 

 sume that Salt Lake City will entertain the largest num- 

 ber of outside visitors in its history. This will all tend 

 to make those from outlying states familiar with the pos- 

 sibilities, not only of Utah, but Idaho and other western 

 states through which they will travel in going to or from 

 the Congress. 



Those going from the east should make it a point to 

 go out from Denver over the Union Pacific line and 

 return via the Denver & Rio Grande, thereby affording 

 an opportunity to see the various phases of irrigation, 

 and at the same time enjoy the beautiful scenery along 

 each of these lines. 



It may be well to suggest that those who are -going 

 from the east extend their trip farther west and study 

 the rapidly developing state of Idaho. This state has 

 doubled its population during the past ten years, and 

 there are many opportunities for money making in that 

 state for those who are looking for new fields for in- 

 vestment. 



American manufacturers of excavating 

 Foreigners Buy and irrigation machinery are rapidly 

 Machinery Here gaining foreign patronage through the 

 Through The advertising columns of THE IRRIGATION 

 Irrigation Age. AGE. The government of South Aus- 

 tralia is buying machinery in this city 

 in considerable quantities. S. Mclntosh, director of irri- ' 

 gation and reclamation for the government, writes from 

 Adelaide that one of the large ditching machines recently 

 received from Chicago has reduced the cost of shifting 

 soil from 36 to 6 cents per cubic yard. Several concrete 

 mixers which were purchased here by Mr. Mclntosh 

 during his visit last winter have also served to materially 

 reduce the expense of constructing dams, ditches and 

 sluices. 



The government of South Australia is pushing irriga- 

 tion on a large scale for the benefit of agriculture. The 

 director, Mr. Mclntosh, who made a careful study of 

 methods in the United States early this year, is an enthu- 

 siast on the subject and reports substantial gains in all 

 kinds of crops as a result of water control. 



Nearly all demonstrations of a public nature in South 

 Australia are conducted by this gentleman, and the re- 

 sults, are published far and wide. It is stated by ma- 

 chinery men in Chicago that Professor Mclntosh has 

 made the best demonstrations of the value of irrigation 

 that are reported from any foreign country. The special 

 merit of his work is that he applies it to the common 

 farm crops not specially to fancy products. His irrigated 

 wheat lands are yielding 30 to 40 bushels an acre, against 

 15 to 25 bushels on non-irrigated soil. In vegetables and 

 fruits the results are equally important. 



Experts in this country and elsewhere are giving 

 much attention to machinery for the economical construc- 

 tion of irrigation plants, and up to the present time 

 Chicago manufacturers appear to lead all others. This 

 claim is made by Professor Mclntosh and is substantiated 

 by S. V. Kadam, B. A., agricultural officer of Gwalior 

 State, India, who also bought irrigating machinery and 

 agricultural implements in Chicago a few months ago, 

 after visiting factories in various parts of the country. 



These gentlemen, who are the foremost experts of 

 their respective states, advocate individual irrigation 

 plants wherever farmers cannot avail themselves of the 

 advantages of a general system. They tell of cases in 

 which farmers have constructed cement reservoirs at an 

 expense of a few hundred dollars and employed wind- 

 mills or gas engines to keep them filled when rain is 

 lacking. . 



Business like the sale of excavating machinery in 

 Australia and India serves to illustrate the opportunity 

 which is open to Americans in all parts of the world. 

 The time is ripe for an aggressive campaign in the inter- 

 ests of our manufacturers. 



What we should be doing to develop better commer- 

 cial relations with South and Central America is an issue 

 upon which many have spoken and written, with but 

 little change in the existing situation. It is not because 

 we fail to recognize the excellent opportunities for 

 profitable trading afforded us in the countries below the 

 equator. That circumstance is fully recognized. It is 

 owing to our failure to go after the trade systematically 

 and intelligently that our total commercial volume with 

 South and Central America shows up so negligibly. 



We have done .next to nothing to develop these 

 countries, while England, Germany and France have in- 

 vested therein large amounts of capital, and as a result 



