Irrigation A Sketch Of Its History And Practice In Various Countries Classic Reprint

Author : United States Geological Survey
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9780332473765
Total Pages : 1028 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (737 download)

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Download or read book Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers Nos. 71-77, 1902-1903 (Classic Reprint) written by United States Geological Survey and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-12-13 with total page 1028 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers Nos. 71-77, 1902-1903 The practice of irrigation in Texas is Of considerable antiquity, especially in the western end of the State, along the Rio Grande, where the early Spanish conquerors established settlements, and their descendants, the Mexicans, have maintained possession of the soil for centuries. At San Antonio are ditches whose origin is lost in local tradition, having probably been built to carry water to the grounds surrounding the missions. It is only in comparatively recent years, however, that particular attention has been drawn to the matter, and the importance of the development Of the State through irrigation has been appreciated by the public. Already agriculture by means of an artificial supply of water is being practiced in nearly every portion of the State, the greatest increase in acreage being in the rice-growing districts in the southeastern quarter. The figures obtained at the Eleventh Census (1889) and Twelfth Census (1899) illustrate the rapid increase in acreage and the wide extent to which irrigation is now employed. For most of the land water is obtained by gravity systems of ditches that is to say, by means of channels through which the water flows from some source at a higher elevation. In many places, however, it is impos sible to bring water to the surface Of the ground in this way, and it must be lifted or pumped by some mechanical device. For this pur pose windmills are most commonly used. West of the one-hundredth meridian north of San Antonio the cattle country of Texas stretches almost unbroken for from 200 to 500 miles. To supply water for the ranches which do not border on or include a flowing stream the wind mill has become a most potent factor. In addition, a few localities, like oases, have everlasting springs that rise with surprising sudden. Ness either from the foothills or from the baked prairies. These are in nearly all cases utilized to convert the otherwise unproductive soil into crop-bearing farms. While the Old Mexican methods of irriga tion are still in use in many localities, with their consequent waste of water, they have been accompanied by few disappointments or heart burnings. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.