IRRIGATION. 175 



water. There is sufficient water to run much larger machinery than is now 

 being used. 



The spring at San Saba is used for driving the machinery of a flour mill 

 of 250 barrels capacity per day. At a short distance below the mill, on the 

 same stream, is the dam for the waterworks. The Fleming Spring could be 

 utilized for working the beds of marble in the immediate vicinity, without 

 losing any of its value for irrigating purposes. 



The San Saba River has a succession of falls from head to mouth. At al- 

 most any locality there could be constructed a dam that would furnish water 

 sufficient for a large amount of power. 



The Concho River has a fall of about fifteen feet to the mile. All the riv- 

 ers are fed by large springs at no great distance above the town of San An- 

 gelo. This water could be very easily made to furnish a large amount of 

 power for manufacturing purposes. This would be a good place to start a 

 woolen mill, as a very large amount of wool finds its market here every year. 

 No city or town of any size can flourish without manufactories; and cheap 

 motive power is always to be taken into account in the estimates of a manu- 

 facturing enterprise. Water power is always the cheapest that can be used, 

 when it is convenient, so there is no reason why the immense power that can 

 be derived from the waters of the Concho River in the vicinity of San 

 Angelo can not be used in the way indicated. It has been estimated that 

 there is water enough in the river on the Riverside farm to give 380 horse- 

 power. 



IRRIGATION. 



The question of irrigation is one so intimately connected with the farming 

 interest in this part of the State that every available supply of water and 

 every locality of suitable land for this purpose ought to be investigated. 

 With this idea before me, I have given this matter particular attention dur- 

 ing the present expedition. While it is not absolutely necessary to the rais- 

 ing of crops that the land shall be irrigated, yet the value of the product 

 may be greatly enhanced thereby. There are two sources of water supply; 

 one is the utilizing of the natural supply from springs and streams already in 

 existence, and the other is to make large reservoirs for the storage of the 

 surplus waters of the creeks and rivers. The many large springs and the 

 perennial streams of this country have been examined with this in view, so 

 as to give some definite idea of the adaptability of all of them to the purpose 

 of irrigation. The first place examined with reference to irrigation was 

 Lampasas Springs. Here there is a constant and unvarying flow of water 

 from the several springs of 14,400,000 gallons per day. All this water 

 can be very easily taken out of the channel and turned on the wide val- 



