﻿310 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  certain 
  number 
  of 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  for 
  each 
  section 
  of 
  land. 
  An 
  

   annual 
  tax, 
  also, 
  should 
  be 
  levied 
  for 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  works. 
  

   This 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  mere 
  trifle 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  original 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  

   water-rights. 
  

  

  By 
  thus 
  taking 
  the 
  matter 
  in 
  hand, 
  the 
  general 
  government 
  will 
  not 
  

   only 
  promote 
  the 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  by 
  largely 
  increasing 
  its 
  pro- 
  

   ductive 
  capacity, 
  but 
  will 
  increase 
  its 
  own 
  returns 
  from 
  the 
  public 
  lands 
  

   immensely. 
  It 
  might, 
  if 
  properly 
  managed, 
  be 
  an 
  extremely 
  profitable 
  

   speculation 
  for 
  the 
  government. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  irrigation 
  per 
  acre 
  differs 
  materially 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  sec- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  West, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  expenditure 
  required 
  for 
  

   bringing 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  land, 
  and 
  also, 
  of 
  course, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   amount 
  of 
  water 
  used. 
  The 
  general 
  range 
  is 
  from 
  $1 
  to 
  $3 
  per 
  acre 
  an- 
  

   nually, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  $2. 
  As 
  a 
  general 
  thing, 
  the 
  

   water 
  is 
  supplied 
  to 
  ranchmen 
  by 
  ditch 
  companies, 
  who 
  charge 
  them 
  a 
  

   fixed 
  price 
  per 
  year. 
  The 
  unit 
  of 
  measurement 
  is 
  commonly 
  the 
  

   " 
  miner's 
  inch," 
  though 
  this 
  is 
  gradually 
  giving 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  simpler 
  unit 
  

   of 
  the 
  u 
  second 
  foot." 
  Many 
  companies, 
  however, 
  charge 
  by 
  the 
  acre, 
  

   ranging 
  their 
  rates 
  with 
  the 
  different 
  crops 
  cultivated. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  already 
  laid 
  stress 
  on 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  increased 
  settle- 
  

   ment 
  and 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  Northwest 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  checking 
  locust 
  

   increase 
  and 
  of 
  preventing 
  the 
  disastrous 
  incursions 
  of 
  these 
  devouring 
  

   pests 
  into 
  the 
  more 
  moist 
  and 
  fertile 
  Mississippi 
  States 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  irriga- 
  

   tion 
  is, 
  in 
  the 
  larger 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  region, 
  absolutely 
  indispensable 
  to 
  

   this 
  settlement 
  by 
  an 
  agricultural 
  population, 
  its 
  importance 
  cannot 
  be 
  

   overestimated. 
  As 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  our 
  First 
  Eeport, 
  irrigation 
  has 
  not 
  

   only 
  this 
  important 
  indirect 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  locust 
  question 
  ; 
  it 
  has 
  also 
  

   a 
  direct 
  bearing, 
  for 
  it 
  affords 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  and 
  most 
  satisfactory 
  

   means 
  of 
  destroying 
  the 
  young 
  locusts, 
  either 
  by 
  drowning 
  them 
  out, 
  

   as 
  in 
  submersion, 
  or 
  by 
  killing 
  them 
  with 
  kerosene 
  floated 
  down 
  the 
  

   ditches. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  by 
  encouraging 
  and 
  extending 
  irrigation 
  that 
  

   the 
  national 
  government 
  can 
  most 
  satisfactorily 
  act 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  perma- 
  

   nently 
  lessen 
  the 
  locust 
  evil, 
  and 
  we 
  cannot 
  too 
  strongly 
  urge 
  upon 
  Con- 
  

   gress 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  wise 
  and 
  patriotic 
  action 
  in 
  the 
  matter. 
  So 
  

   important, 
  indeed, 
  do 
  we 
  deem 
  this 
  question 
  of 
  irrigation 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  

   endeavored 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  some 
  approximate 
  estimate 
  ; 
  first, 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  land 
  redeemable 
  by 
  it 
  j 
  second, 
  of 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  redeeming 
  said 
  land 
  ; 
  

   third, 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  plans 
  to 
  be 
  pursued. 
  Upon 
  these 
  and 
  other 
  points 
  

   we 
  have 
  obtained 
  the 
  following 
  report 
  from 
  Henry 
  Gannett, 
  E. 
  M., 
  

   whose 
  experience 
  adds 
  weight 
  and 
  importance 
  to 
  his 
  views 
  : 
  

  

  To 
  illustrate 
  the 
  great 
  value 
  of 
  water 
  iu 
  the 
  arid 
  region, 
  we 
  uiay 
  say 
  that 
  a 
  contin- 
  

   uous 
  flow 
  of 
  one 
  cubic 
  foot 
  of 
  water 
  per 
  second, 
  throughout 
  the 
  growing 
  season, 
  means 
  

   200 
  acres 
  of 
  land 
  saved 
  from 
  the 
  desert 
  ; 
  it 
  means, 
  also, 
  30 
  bushels 
  of 
  wheat 
  per 
  acre, 
  

   a 
  total 
  of 
  6,000 
  bushels, 
  worth 
  perhaps 
  $4,500. 
  The 
  utmost 
  economy 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   water 
  is, 
  then, 
  the 
  great 
  desideratum, 
  as 
  every 
  cubic 
  foot 
  saved 
  insures 
  to 
  agriculture 
  

   200 
  acres, 
  more- 
  or 
  less, 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  laud. 
  It 
  is 
  perhaps 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  

   iystem, 
  or 
  rather 
  want 
  of 
  system, 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  vogue 
  iu 
  this 
  region 
  is 
  decidedly 
  the 
  

  

  