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The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 9
The Wiggins System of Sub-irrigation
Plans and Purposes of the Inventor
TO TUB PUDLIC: ' Tho Improved Magnolia Fig loto
In putting In my mib-lrrlgatlon I or blocks I soil on tho small paymont
nrninnt. nt irnrminctnu. In LaSallo nlan. and with tho purchase money,
County, Toxas, It is my purpose to I Improve tho property. If the buyer
concontrato my onorgy and means at
ono spot for a period of llvo or six
yours In ordor to demonstrate and
establish tho uso of my systom of
Hydraulic Sub-Irrigation as a prac
tical and fcasiblo mothod for re
claiming tho arid and semi-arid
lands of tho country by tho uso of
sheet or surfaco well wators. 'To do
this it bocamo noccssary for mo to
buy a largo tract of land desirably
locatod as to soil and climato with
plonty of good wator to mako it a
success, and whilo engaged In tho
dovolopmon't work, establish a train
ing school for a special education of
young men in tho knowlodgo of sub
irrigating land.
My plans aro to colonizo theso
lands In. small tracts, sub-divide it
Into flvo, ton and forty acre tracts,
improving and laying a largo portion
to tiling under my systom; planting
and cultivating it for a period of
years undor rontal contracts and de
veloping its possibilities and oarn
ing powor undor a scientific appli
cation of wator.
To this ond I have sub-divided tho
four quartor sections laying noxt to,
and adjoining tho townslto of Parm
lngton in blocks of ton acres each,
with stroots around each block.
Those blocks aro divided into forty
lots of ono-quartor aero oach in
anticipation of tho growth of tho
town when thoy may become dosir
ablo residonco property. Those ton
aero blocks I am planting to Mag
nolia Figs, Grapos and other fruits,
also small winter garden truck. Tho
romalning portion of the land I am
offering for salo unimprovod on easy
torms in tracts to suit tho buyer,
giving him tho right to uso my sys
tem of sub-irrigation without royal
ties, but installed undor my super
vision at their own oxponso.
mWTEM
docs not wish to llvo on, or culti
vate the land himself, I rent it for
a porlod of years at certain fixed
cash rents. Tho Magnolia Fig
Orchards pay tho largest rents of
any other fruit, and is tho only pro
duct that I can afford to stand be
hind and guarantee tho rents for,
during tho period of years, sinco by
preserving tho fruit, I eliminato all
olomonts of risk In shipping and
marketing.
Whero tho buyer becomes a settler,
and cultivates his own land, tho Pre
serving Company will enter into a
contract to buy his figs at 3c per
pound for a period of five, or more
years. Tho land is in one solid
block, situated on tho Asherton &
Gulf It. It., ono hundred miles south
of tho city of San Antonio, which is
tho largest city in tho state.
It is my purpose to Sub-Irrigato
and plant ono thousand acres in
Magnolia Figs, and build a Preserv
ing Plant on the ground to handle
tho fruit in connection, put in a can
ning and ico plant, and subsequently
orect an electric power plant for
pumping wator from the surface
wolls, lighting tho farm homes and
tho city of Farmington. By this I
hope to reduce tho cost of pumping
to a minimum, and In connection
with my systom of water works
through my sub-Irrigation tilo, glvo
to tho suburban farmer tho comforts
of city life, making tho country place
bocomo more attractive and in
greater domand.
Money Invested in these lands and
Magnolia Fig Farms, will prove the
most profltablo Investment In South
Toxas, both in earnings, and In the
increased value as a development of
tho surrounding country takes place.
Since beginning this project, moro
than a year ago, I havo accomplished
a great deal in tho way of develop
ment, having spent over $ 2 5, 00 0.00.
There is now moro than seven hun
dred acres cleared and fenced, lands
all planted and laid out in blocks and
streets, a larger number of wells
down, ro-lnforced cemont wator
tanks, a good number of houses built
for tenants, and several ten aero
plants nearlng completion, with some
already improved with tho system.
During tho last year I have raised
my own nursery stock of Magnolia
Fig trees, and have experimented
with other fruits and products. This
past year I broke the state record
in tho growth and production of
Magnolia Fig cuttings and one year
old trees from nursery stock. Tho
cutting is a limb from a tree, and
cut into six-inch lengths, and planted
the same as grape cuttingB. From
17,000 of these cuttings I produced
nursery stock from five to seven feet
In height, maturing as many as 67
figs to one cutting. This fruit was
preserved, the same as from .older
trees. They will average about four
teen figs to the pound, and sell on
the market at 3c per pound. T pro
duced matured, ripe Kuraquats from
nursery stock planted tho last week
in February, a growth of seven
months, when this fruit is not sup
posed to bear under three years from
planting. What caused this unusual
result, was the constant, continuous
slow feed of moisture all through
the growing season, keeping the
ground at the same temperature, and
the plant constantly growing. Where
the plant depends on the natural
rainfall, or water from surface irri
gation, the water is fed at intervals
causing a spasmodic growth; the
plant doing well when freshly sup
plied, but as tho moisture evaporates,
the vigorous growth of the plant 1b
checked, and in many cases becomes
almost dormant before a new supply
of water is had. With my system
of snb-lrrigation, I avoid this condi
tion, which is its especial advantage.
I also find under my system, T can
save one-fifth of the land or more,
for the cultivation of the Bermuda
Onion or garden truck, and mature
the onion before gathering, thus pre
venting its perishable condition, or
loss while shipping to tho market.
This extra production each year will
moro than pay for tho installatio
of my systom, as the farmer can
mako from $50 to $150 more per
aero each year.
Under my system I do not hav
to chase the water all over th
ground to see that it is all wet; I
do not have to level off my land for
the same reason; I prevent tho bak-"
ing and crusting of the earth with
consequent injury to the plant, by
keeping a dry mulch always on the
surface and my soil is always in fine
condition enabling mo to cultivate
much moro land at less expense.
If the reader would like to invest
in a highly improved, well cared for
Magnolia Fig Orchard, and receive
rents that amount to 20 per cent in
terest on his investment per annum,
I can sell him such an orchard and
guarantee him his rents. Ho can
buy these orchards in lots or in
acres desirably located.
If the reader would like to move
south to the Coast Country so as to
be able to get away from the cold
winters of the north, or to raise
garden vegetables and citrus fruits,
he can find no better spot to make
his home. On a small tract of land
ho can make an independent living;
cultivated with my system of sub
irrigation, besides in a few years lay
away a neat little fortune.
If the reader has a son that he
would like to start out in life in the
coming industry Buch aa my system
of sub-irrigation will build up in
the reclamation of the many mil
lions of acres of un-reclaimed gov
ernment lands, and the already occu
pied semi-arid lands, a course of
Btudy at Farmington on sub-irrigar
tion will fit him for a field of acti
vity that no other vocation can give.
I solicit investments and corres
pondence from all my readers.
Respectfully,
JNO. L. WIGGINS,
211 SwearingeB Building,
San Antonio, Texas.
SUB-IRRIGATED FIG ORCHARDS
in La aaue bounty, 1 exas, Better Than Insurance, Stocks and Bonds
sorvlng Company will, during flvo yean, pay you bai in renta th m?, e m?nthlJr Payments and the Farmington Power and Pre-
with 160 Magnolia Pig Trees planted to the aero, whfcl win product S9S0 "J?!?" "nd d"T V you a Uhl7 developed property.
Do you .enow a,y oUlcr SAPB to wMch ZZZZoT" " " "
The Preserving Company's Showing
First Year. ,
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
Fifth Year
Figs
38.40
168.00
336.00
720.00
960.00
Truck
$160.00
200.00
200.00
Total
$2,222.40 $560.00
Total
Pay You
Rent
198.40
868.00
536.00
720.00
960.00
$2,782.40
$ 40.00
60.00
80.00
100.00
120.00
$400.00
Cos Profit
$ 158.40
808.00
456.00
620.00
840.00
$2,382.40
Table of Fig Production
T?m. v Lbs. per Tree
Fifth Year...,..T 200 to 400
First Year 8 to 10
Second Year sk fn a
Third Year 70 to 150 Sixth Ycar ...r...250 to 600
x-ouru! xoar 150 to 200 Seventh Year. 350 to
1000
For Illustrate Booklet.. tH. Production .f Maxell. FI
and Otaer Product, 0&rtxm
owearmgen iSldg., San Antonio, Texas
The Testimony of an Eye Witness
5 k & Fort Worth, TeSs010' ToX Sept- 2Gth- "
slUoitJdta eomSw WthTs SaTVR? a v4Bl$Jf 7our Farmington propo
F1 and GrwSSSK 2?Fr5o ffi iVefttthota a" eXprt
ana expreaa my congratulauSna an n, iiH11 lt 1idue you to write
Farmington, Toauur""uiauns. on tho results you have obtained at
aSTBfiEe?h.Sf wit?imlWent7.th?usa,ncd A? cuttlnes were planted
hkprtenci hhJ i iSrH convlncln& Mr. pVazlor 6f that fact m
nsth ittilluTl JKoritT of th! ??OVnh f 8Uch gnltudo in tS
Blac fort In heiKht and tSSiJa 2 cuttings measured between five and
cutting. ThU SSt w, bXlErthr0.1117 'Sl? RZ on "
being- Lccomn,1jr t aItI??. l9?-1 ech may see for thftTnnni murZ
u UOM. BeCUOn. - mm M
ay accom
Wlahinjc
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