| OCR Text |
Show IRRIGATION AN AID TO WEST Greatest Single Factor in Building Up and Populating Barren Lands In Many States. Irrigation, perhaps, can bo given no bitter tribute than thu Increase In population of Colorado. Nevada and Idaho, recently nnnounictl by thet census bureau. Take Nevada, for example. ex-ample. Tin years ago, or In 1900, the lit lite cetiHUH report showed a det-dine det-dine of 11 per cent. In that decade. Since 1300. however, the tide ban turned - the Mate has almost doubled In population. Here's an Illustration; The old Carson sink, no much dreaded dread-ed by the forty nltiers, and which was strewn by the bones of cattle that had died of thirst, and also notorious for Its ltagtowu. where fresh water beyond be-yond the waste could ft r Hi be obtained, ob-tained, now lies under a great Irrlga tlon system. The population of Idaho nlfo has been doubled In the decade Jui;t past, due in a largo measure to Irrigation, and nlso tu the settlements In the fertile panhandle nt the north. Colorado, which had gained 110 per cent. In the hint decade of the last century, shows a pain of 40 per rent lu this ilei ade. Of course, fomft Inaf question the (talement or claim that these changes can be attributed to the In Ration undertaking of the pant ti n yearn, but It cannot be denied de-nied tlat they have given a stimulus to gcnoial Industries of these communities com-munities that has played a vital part In the general results. Irrigation, perhaps, has been the greatest single factor lu the building up and populating populat-ing of thu bairen lands In the rapid ly growing stales referred to above The same condition prevails also In other sections of tie country. Take Texas. New Mexico, rlonii, Cnlifor nla, I'tah, Wyoming. Washington and Oregon. All these states bavo ad vaii'ed rapidly In the lint few years, specially In population and develop Mont, due In ft large mensuro to th various Irrigation projects that have been Installed and are now In procesM of being Installed It In by no mentis n small advantage to any stale In It social und pollticR n'(ts to have (urdy a nil progressive farmers no In and fill up a sparely settled region us Is being done In the fevcra! states iihove enumerated. They relieve these sei lions of the unsubstantial character which Ihey would have with a population dependent on ranching or searching for precious metals for their livelihood. It Is safe to predict that In th next (en, If not five, years, tne phenomenal growth of these various states during the lust decade will be duplicated and perhaps doubled through th private and governmental Irrigation undertakings;. |
