138 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



small annual reduction it is better than failure of the 

 entire reclamation plan. 



Remember the reclamation act only required the re- 

 turn of the "estimated" cost of the projects. This was 

 understood to be, both by the government representatives 

 for several years after the project, and by the water users 

 for many years and at the time of signing up of most of 

 the projects, the cost as estimated at the time of begin- 

 ning the project, and in all fairness it ought to be so con- 

 strued now. It is ridiculous, preposterous and absurd to 

 say that Congress intended by the estimated cost to mean 

 the cost after all contracts and experiments and contin- 

 gencies have been struggled with until the original esti- 

 mate has been multiplied to 200 per cent and in some 

 cases more than 300 per cent. 



There is no such condition, and has never been as 

 referred to by Mr. Raker at page 148 of failure to pay 

 because of want of judgment or laziness; that is, no con- 

 siderable number. It is not a disease of the projects. 

 The conditions are all general and apply to the most in- 

 dustrious, economical and of keenest judgment. Our peo- 

 ple have not and will not organize an irrigation district 

 until some such reasonable, substantial and workable re- 

 lief is granted, and the moment it is granted farm loan 

 bank loans are available, and besides that private invest- 

 ors will be willing to supply the needs of the settlers 

 with far less red tape delays, and I believe at actually less 

 administration expense. 



Mr. Raker on page 145 refers to "the men whom we 

 hear are making all the way from $50 to $100 per acre,-" 

 which shows that he is not familiar with the conditions on 

 these projects, surely not on ours. The Reclamation serv- 

 ice published the average income from all lands in its 

 printed report, and this project is a fair average at $27 

 per acre. Out of this must be paid interest, water, seed, 

 plowing, leveling, all labor and services, marketing and 

 support of the family. You must not overlook the fact 

 that these reports of $50 to $100, and in some cases of 

 $.'500 per acre income from land are exceptions. They 

 might be produced from the market gardens around any 

 town in the United States, but will not apply to the gen- 

 eral average of any farming community. 



He says on the same page: "They seek to subordi- 

 nate the government's lien in order to borrow money from 

 the Farm Loan Bank to pay the purchase price of the 

 land which they bought from somebody else." This does 

 not apply here. The public lands on this project are in 

 worse position than the private lands. The purchase 

 price of those who hold by purchase, and part of them 

 have been the owners from government title for 30 years, 

 has been in most cases only for the actual improvements 

 on the land. Unless some such amendment, remedy or 

 relief as we have suggested is afforded, you cannot give 

 away the public lands. No one will take them and at- 

 tempt to pay for the water under any present law, as it is 

 a practical and financial impossibility. 



Mr. Lobdell says, same page: "We let the private 

 owner take care of himself. We deal with him, but the 

 settler whom the government invited onto this land can- 

 not get by without some help, and we are asking for 

 opportunity to help him." 



Now if Mr. Lobdell will kindly take the trouble to 

 look over some of the government advertising literature 

 sent out concerning these projects, and if he cannot find 

 it, we will send him a copy of the advertising sheet sent 

 out under the signature of the Secretary of the Interior, 

 by which many were induced to come here and invest, 

 not locate on public lands, because the public lands have 

 been withdrawn from the beginning of the project from 

 entry. Absolutely it has been impossible to locate on pub- 

 lic lands, but the government has been boosting private 

 lands and inducing settlers to come and buy and locate 

 by purchase from private parties, and the exaggerations 

 of these pamphlets have not been equaled by any real 

 estate schemer in any part of the country. 



One form of relief has been suggested by Mr. Her- 

 bert Quick: that the government release the lands and 

 retain its security on the water only. He very justly and 

 sensibly says that it is criminal for the government to 

 have required and obtained a lien upon the lands and 

 water. There has been no shark corporation, irrigation 

 outfit in the United States except the government that lias 



thought of requiring security on the lands as well as the 

 water. All other furnishers of water or builders of irri- 

 gation projects have been satisfied with retaining their 

 water rights or ditch stock as security, and which with 

 the right to turn the water off is an absolute protection. 

 I say this because the great injustice that has been caused 

 to these settlers who might have obtained some little 

 credit and been greatly aided in their efforts to get 

 ready to repay for these projects had it not been for this 

 unfair policy, and Mr. Quick has hit the nail squarely on 

 the head. 



On page 129 Mr. Norris brings out a matter that 

 should be provided in your amendment; that of anticipat- 

 ing payments and giving a discount. There is no reason 

 why you should not do it. The government can afford 

 to do this as well as any other investor, even though 

 they furnish the money without interest. They can per- 

 mit a payment to be anticipated certainly on a basis of 

 3% per cent discount, or the interest on Liberty Bonds, 

 and reinvest the money in these bonds without loss to the 

 government, and with great advantage to the settlers. 



I call your attention to the fact that the government 

 has encumbered our records, and every abstract of every 

 acre in the valley is compelled to pay $6 or $7 extra for 

 the abstract by reason of the government's filing to "File 

 and enforce this lien," and that these filings cannot be 

 done away with by any irrigation district. The forming 

 of the irrigation district will add another entry or per- 

 haps two or three, and notice will thereby be given of 

 the entire exact condition, so that it is impossible for 

 the government to loan money on these projects even 

 under an irrigation district without being fully and actu- 

 ally apprised in the abstract of the present law, and the 

 amount of the indebtedness, and that it must be paid in 

 such a time that it is wholly impossible to be met. 



Now I have written much more than I intended in 

 the beginning, but the matter is of so great importance to 

 us, and the investigation of the committee thus far has 

 seemed so fruitless, and the real cause of the trouble as 

 well as the remedies, although so plain to us who are, as 

 Mr. Norris says, page 135: "Leading a dog's life, hang- 

 ing on by pur eye teeth," and if the real remedy escapes 

 you there is no likelihood of any relief from any other 

 source; I urge our great necessity as excuse for the time 

 taken. 



Yours truly, 



F. D. CATLIN. 



HOW TO MAKE PRIME HAY 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 2, entitled "How to Make 

 Prime Hay," has just come from the press, and is 

 perhaps the most succinct treatise on this subject 

 that has been published. The bulletin comprises 

 twenty pages and is attractively illustrated with 

 photographic reproductions showing excellent views 

 of modern haying machines in action in the hay 

 field. The illustrations show modern methods of 

 making hay, when the clover is in blossom, mowing 

 machines in operation, side delivery rakes in the 

 field, hay in the cock ready to stack, the old way 

 of pitching hay, the hay loader handling a heavy 

 crop, the sweep rake and stacker in full swing, field 

 stacking with hay poles, and the best way to market 

 hay. This treatise on "How to Make Prime Hay" 

 was prepared by Professor A. M. TenEyck, who has 

 had wide experience in experiment station work, 

 and who is now director of the Agricultural Exten- 

 sion Department of the Emerson-Brantingham Im- 

 plement Company, Rockford, Illinois. A copy of 

 this bulletin will be mailed to any farmer interested 

 enough in making prime hay to write for it. 



