lEEIGATION FROM SAN JOAQUIN ElVEK. . 225 



down toward the mouth of the river, might be successfullj' and profitably irrigated, 

 and, in fact, the area of land under the ditches and the crops produced could 

 undoubtedly be multiplied several times. 



The irrigation possibilities of the river, so far as the ordinary flow is concerned, 

 seem to have been fully exploited, and further extension of irrigated area will depend 

 entirely upon the storage of storm and flood waters. 



Irrigation along San Joaquin River is practiced both for the wetting of barley 

 and alfalfa tracts, where the soil is too alkaline for the production of other crops, 

 and for the cultivation of various cereals, grapes, and orchard fruits where the absence 

 of alkali permits. It is also used to improve the pasturage on the wild grass lands 

 in the river bottom. 



This list includes all the irrigation sjstems taking water from San Joaquin 

 River and the lands irrigable therefrom; but, as Fresno River and Chowchilla Creek 

 are natural tributaries of the San Joaquin and are in close proximity to it, I shall 

 include in this report descriptions of these streams and of the lauds which may be 

 irrigated from them. 



FRESNO EIVEE. 



This river has a drainage area of 272 square miles. Its sources are in the lower 

 mountains and foothills on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley; consequently it 

 is fed principally by the rains which fall upon these elevated lands, and derives 

 comparatively little of its water from melted snow; therefore, it is a torrential 

 stream, subject to great and sudden floods, and afterwards usually quickly subsides 

 into ordinary flow, or even a dry state. The months in which the greatest flow 

 occurs are December to June, inclusive. During the remainder of the year its bed 

 is nearly or quite dry. 3 



Records available show a monthly mean flow sometimes as great as 1,632 cubic 

 feet per second; but the general average is much lower than that, running from 200 

 to 500 cubic feet per second during the wet months. 



The waters of this river, carried in the Madera Canal and Irrigation Company's 

 ditches, are used first to irrigate alfalfa on from 100 to 300 acres of land on the Adobe 

 Ranch, 10 miles above the town of Madera. This area could be increased, probably, 

 to 1,000 acres, by a suflicient water supply. The main field of distribution from the 

 canal is upon what was formerly known as the Howard & AVilson Colony lands, about 

 a mile below or southwesterly from the town of Madera. About 40,000 acres of 

 irrigable land lie under the ditches of this company, of which one-half have been 

 irrigated at different times. The maximum area irrigated in any one 3ear has been 

 14,000 acres. During last year — 1899-1900 — the company watered 7,100 acres. 

 As the water supply for this canal is limited, the irrigated area depends largely upon 

 the amount of the rainfall and the resulting quantity of water flowing in the river. 

 With ample storage capacity, the entire 40,000 acres of land might easily be irrigated, 

 and to great advantage. In fact, there is a very large area of land lying beyond this 

 colony, to the south and west, which might easilj' be brought under the ditches, if' 

 water were available. This company is already preparing to improve its canal sys- 

 tem and to greatly increase its storage power. The particular crops produced in 

 1899-1900 were: Wheat, 300 acres; barlej', 600 acres; grass and alfalfa, 3,000 acres; 

 vineyards, 2,000 acres; orchard trees, 1,000 acres; EgA-ptian corn, 200 acres. 

 23856— Xo. 100—01 15 



