Claude Champion, Dighton past-due accounts and collect any amounts due the state from the transactions of the former commissioner. Pursuant to this the following individuals or firms were paid in the amounts indicated: Union Pacific Railroad Co.... Scott City Furniture Co., Scott City. $8.11 8.70 90.00 9.00 Since its establishment this department has done engineering work and furnished plans for irrigation projects to twenty-five farmers. Seventeen of these projects consisted of topographic surveys aggregating over 1,700 acres. Ditch systems for the distribution of water were planned for this land and maps made showing the topography of the land and a plan of the ditch system. One large irrigation dam was designed and profile surveys made for two other dams. Plans were also made for three small earthen reservoirs for use in connection with irrigation pumping plants. In addition to this, the feasibility of a larger irrigation project was investigated and a report made to the interested parties. A great many farms have been visited by the irrigation commissioner for the purpose of advising with the proprietors concerning irrigation plants which they propose to install; plants which they already have, the operation of which has been unsatisfactory, or plants which they wish to change, remodel_or enlarge. These visits have not often been made the subject of a written report, but much valuable assistance has been rendered in this manner. Hundreds of letters have been received asking for information regarding the cost of irrigation plants, the water supply in various localities, and the feasibility of irrigation in such localities. In connection with these inquiries it is worthy of note that the greatest number do not come from those counties having the largest irrigated acreage. Almost 80 per cent of the present irrigated land is in three western counties, but less than 8 per cent of the inquiries received have come from those counties. The reason for this may be partly explained by assuming that people living in these counties, where many of the farmers are irrigating, have a ready source of information and do not need to write to the irrigation commissioner for it. Be that as it may, the most noteworthy feature of it is the fact that the interest in irrigation is general and widespread. Legislatures in the past have been wont to act on the assumption that irrigation was applicable only to about the western third of the state. Many of our laws relating to the appropriation of water for irrigation contain such clauses as these: "In all that portion of the state of Kansas situated west of the ninety-ninth meridian, all natural waters, whether standing or running, and whether surface or subterranean, shall be devoted, first, to purposes of irrigation in aid of agriculture," or, "All waters flowing in subterranean channels and courses, or flowing or standing in subterranean sheets or lakes south of township 18 and west of the ninety-ninth meridian, shall belong and be appurtenant to the lands under which they flow or stand, and shall be devoted, first, to the irrigating of such lands." Notwithstanding this, nearly 50 per cent of the inquiries made to the irrigation commissioner have come from east of the ninetyninth meridian. The inquiries received have come generally from all parts of the state, irrespective of the boundaries of supposedly semiarid or more humid sections. They show an increasing and more general interest in irrigation, prompted, no doubt, either by an increasing need or a better appreciation of the value of irrigation. If there is an increasing need for irrigation the cause of it cannot be found in a decreasing rainfall or changing climatic conditions, for in the past two years Kansas has produced crops surpassing almost any previous year in value. The publication of information regarding the pumping of water for irrigation has beyond doubt created some interest. The increasing value of land and cost of labor is also doing much to stimulate an interest in irrigation. The farmer, having to make a larger investment in his crop, can take less risk of losing it by drought. If he can make his harvests more certain or his yields greater by irrigating he is interested in knowing how. The idea that the practice of irrigation would reflect on natural advantages of the country, or would decrease its value in the eyes of a home seeker, is giving away to a better appreciation of the value of irrigation. Communities which used to resent the implication that irrigation would be profitable there are beginning to look upon the possibility of irrigation as a real asset, and land which has within its reach a water supply sufficient for irrigation purposes is becoming the most valuable land in the state. The irrigated acreage in the older districts is being constantly increased by the addition of more pumping plants, but an analysis of the inquiries received shows that the greatest interest in irrigation development is outside of the older districts. Many localities in which little or no irrigating has been done, but which seem to have water supplies that offer opportunities for irrigation development, are becoming greatly interested in irrigation. The services of the irrigation commissioner are in the greatest demand in these newer districts and it is in them that the greatest service can be rendered. With the proper encouragement some of these localities have the possibility of developing into the most valuable irrigated districts of the state. Since the legislature authorized the expenditure of $2,500 per year to protect the rights and interests of the citizens of Kansas in their controversy with Colorado over the diversion of the waters of the Arkansas river in that state, the irrigation commissioner has made a somewhat exhaustive study of the water controversy. A report of this with his recommendations in the matter is made the subject of a subsequent chapter. PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION. A description of some of the most common types of irrigation pumping plants in Kansas, with estimated costs of construction, was published by the irrigation commissioner as the June quarterly report of the Board of Agriculture. Letters for information usually contain a multitude of questions, of which the following are examples: What kind of a plant is best suited to my locality? What kind of pump should I use? How large should it be? How many horsepower will it need to run it? What will it cost to install such a plant? To answer these inquiries in detail frequently requires a two-page letter. This publication answers such questions more fully than a letter can. It contains a description of five of the most commonly used types of pumping plants and explains the conditions for which each is particularly suited. It contains tables showing what size of the various types of pumps is required for any desired quantity of water, the number of horsepower needed to pump this water from various depths, and the estimated cost of such plants where either electricity or an engine is used for power, or where the plant is put in without power, as is sometimes the case where a farmer wishes to use his tractor for power. This is the only publication to be had dealing with this important phase of irrigation pumping, and its publication has been the subject of much favorable comment from those interested in irrigation pumping plants. The irrigation commissioner now has in course of preparation a bulletin showing the effect of different quantities of irrigation upon the yields of a number of staple crops. This bulletin will present the results of five years' experiments at the Garden City Experiment Station, during which time the commissioner was superintendent of that station. CHAPTER II. STATE IRRIGATION PLANTS. Of the irrigation plants installed by the Board of Irrigation, Survey, Experiment and Demonstration, and the former irrigation commissioner, three were still in the possession of the state at the time the present commissioner assumed his duties. These plants are located at Modoc in Scott county, Selkirk in Wichita county, and Weskan in Wallace county. DESCRIPTION OF PLANTS. The irrigation plant at Modoc consists of an 80-horsepower Charter engine, an American turbine centrifugal pump, and three wells connected to the pump by a suction pipe laid through tunnels between the wells just above the water table. The wells have pits about five feet in diameter dug down to water, which is about 90 feet. Fourteen-inch galvanized well casing is used through the water-bearing material, which is about 40 feet thick. The capacity of this plant is about 1,000 gallons per minute. There are forty acres of land in this project, and improvements, exclusive of the pumping plant, consist of two small houses about 14 by 20 feet each, a shed 16 by 38 feet, and a well and windmill for domestic purposes. The Selkirk plant has a 70-horsepower Charter engine, an American turbine centrifugal pump, and seven wells connected to the pump by a suction pipe laid through tunnels between the wells. These wells, like those at Modoc, are dug down to water and have perforated well casing sunk through the water-bearing stratum. It is 108 feet to water and there is about 60 feet of water in the wells. This plant in its present condition furnishes about 550 gallons of water per minute. The farm consists of forty acres of land, which is well fenced. The only improvements on this project, outside of the irrigation pumping plant, are two camp shacks 16 by 20 feet and 10 by 30 feet, respectively, a shed 16 by 18 feet, and a well and windmill for domestic use. The irrigation plant at Weskan has a 100-horsepower, two-cylinder, vertical Fairbanks-Morse engine, a Layne-Bowler eight-stage deep-well turbine pump, and a well 26 inches in diameter and 240 feet deep. The depth to water at this plant is 108 feet. There are 160 acres in this farm, 80 acres of which are under cultivation and 80 acres still in grass. The improvements consist of a fairly good four-room house 26 by 26 feet, a bunk house 12 by 28 feet, a good barn 20 by 28 feet and high enough for a good hay loft, several small buildings, and a well and windmill for domestic purposes. There is considerable agricultural machinery, such as plows, harrows, mowers, etc., and some small tools at these plants. COST OF PLANTS. The cost of the wells, machinery, equipment and improvements, as near as could be determined by the state accountant and the present (10) commissioner, is $31,965, divided between the three plants as follows: At Modoc, $9,267; at Selkirk, $9,508; at Weskan, $13,190. These costs were obtained by taking the cost of such items as engines, pumps, equipment, etc., from the state vouchers, and where costs could not be obtained—as, for example, the cost of a building—an estimate was made of its value or probable cost. They do not represent the total cost of these projects, for it was impossible to obtain many of the labor items, nor do they in all cases represent the value of the property at this time, since the machinery has depreciated in value during its use. All of these plants cost considerably more than the amounts given above. This is especially true at the Weskan plant, where a well 240 feet deep and costing not less than $2,400 had to be abandoned because a suitable water supply was not obtained and where two pumps were discarded because they were unsuitable for the work. OPERATION UNDER PRESENT LAW. The present law requires that all existing irrigation plants owned by the state of Kansas and under the control of the irrigation commissioner shall be operated by lease. In accordance with this provision the former commissioner leased them to farmers in the spring of 1919 before the present commissioner was appointed. The same farmers leased them again for the season of 1920. This method of operating the farms has cost the state very little, but it has not resulted in any information of value regarding the feasibility of irrigation under conditions existing at these plants, and that was the object for which they were installed. The experience of the past two seasons has shown that it is impossible to get farmers to assume the necessary expense to operate these plants and carry on experiments the purpose of which is to determine whether or not irrigation can be profitably practiced under such conditions. It has convinced the irrigation commissioner that to continue to operate these farms by lease is merely a waste of time, and that the state should either provide the necessary funds to operate them as experiment and demonstration farms, or abandon the projects entirely and authorize the sale of the property. FUTURE OPERATION OF PLANTS. After a careful study of the situation the irrigation commissioner wishes to recommend that the projects at Modoc and Selkirk be abandoned and the property sold, and that the one at Weskan be operated by the state as an irrigation demonstration farm until such time as the desired information on the cost of pumping at this plant and the value of irrigation water can be secured. There is not enough land at either the Modoc or Selkirk plants to make an economically sized farm, nor are the buildings there sufficient for a resident farmer and the horses and machinery necessary to conduct the farm operations. Practically the same equipment is required for forty acres as for farms having a larger acreage. The Modoc plant is so close to the large acreage already irrigated by similar methods in Scott county that further experimentation there does not seem essential. The Selkirk plant is farther removed from the pumping districts, but in addition to the fact that he farm has no buildings, the irrigation |