316 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



There is no crying need for radical reform in the methods of dis- 

 posing of what are really agricultural lands. The present laws have 

 worked well. The enlarged homestead law has encouraged the success- 

 ful farming of lands in the semi-arid regions. Of course, the teachings 

 of the agricultural department as to how these sub-arid lands may be 

 treated and the soil preserved for useful culture are of the very essence 

 of conservation. Then conservation of agricultural lands is shown in 

 the reclamation of arid lands by irrigation, and I should devote a few 

 words to what the government has done and is doing in this regard. 



Reclamation 



By the reclamation act a fund has been created of the proceeds of 

 the public lands of the United States with which to construct works for 

 storing great bodies of water at proper altitudes, from which, by a 

 suitable system of canals and ditches, the water is to be distributed over 

 the arid and sub-arid lands of the government to be sold to settlers at a 

 price sufficient to pay for the improvements. Primarily, the projects 

 are and must be for the improvement of public lands. Incidentally, 

 where private land is also within the reach of the water supply, the 

 furnishing at cost or profit of this water to private owners by the gov- 

 ernment is held by the federal court of appeals not to be a usurpation of 

 power. But certainly this ought not to be done except from surplus 

 water, not needed for government land. 



About thirty projects have been set on foot distributed through the 

 public land states in accord with the statute, by which the allotments 

 from the reclamation fund are required to be as near as practicable in 

 proportion to the proceeds from the sale of the public lands in the 

 respective states. The total sum already accumulated in the reclama- 

 tion fund is $60,273,258.22, and of that all but $6,491,955.34 has been 

 expended. 



It became very clear to congress at its last session, from the state- 

 ments made by experts, that these thirty projects could not be promptly 

 completed with the balance remaining on hand or with the funds likely 

 to accrue in the near future. It was found, moreover, that there are 

 many settlers who have been led into taking up lands with the hope and 

 understanding of having water furnished in a short time, who are left 

 in a most distressing situation. I recommended to congress that au- 

 thority be given to the secretary of the interior to issue bonds in antici- 

 pation of the assured earnings by the projects, so that the projects, 

 worthy and feasible, might be promptly completed and the settlers 

 might be relieved from their present inconvenience and hardship. In 

 authorizing the issue of these bonds, congress limited the application 

 of their proceeds to those projects which a board of army engineers, to 

 be appointed by the president, should examine and determine to be 



