18 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



hints she threw out to us on every side. The waving fields of wild 

 oats were a prophecy of the abundant grain crops of to-day; and in 

 the scattered trees along the lines of the water courses, she told us 

 that with man's aid and patient labor the broad, desolate plains 

 might be decked with trees and dotted with pleasant homes. 



Slowly and with patient steps the farmer learned to accord his 

 ways to hers. Much of the old wisdom had to be unlearned and a 

 world of new experience took its place. But, to-day the farming pro- 

 duct alone of California is far greater than her yield of precious 

 metals in the palmiest days of her mining interests. 



Our sturdy farmers have wrought these changes by themselves, 

 without aid, hint, or suggestion from the National Department of 

 Agriculture. They feel now that with this immense showing of 

 results they are strong enough to demand some recognition from the 

 Department, and they plead in justification of their claim the radi- 

 cally different character of farming, resulting from climatic pecul- 

 iarities extending over nearly half the area of the United States. 



The Committee on Agriculture in the present Congress, in accord- 

 ance with my request, supported by such arguments as I was able to 

 offer, and by the action of the State Grange of California, inserted in 

 their* appropriation bill the following clause : " For the purpose of 

 enabling the Commissioner of Agriculture to procure data touching 

 the agricultural needs of the arid region of the United States, five 

 thousand dollars." This was meant rather as an entering wedge to 

 lead to greater results if the experiment was successful. Some fun 

 was indulged in at my expense at the time of its passage, but the 

 language was carefully chosen to avoid geographical or sectional jeal- 

 ousies, and yet include the most salient points of our agriculture on 

 this coast. 



Major J. W. Powell, in his able " Report on the Lands of the Arid 

 Regions of the United States," says, " the arid region begins about 

 midway in the great plains and extends across the Rocky Mountains 

 to the Pacific Ocean," which includes roughly that portion of our 

 country where the annual rainfall is less than twenty inches, which 

 amount he deems necessary for uniformly successful agriculture from 

 season to season. From this region he excepts western Washington, 

 western Oregon, and northwestern California. You will observe that 

 this definition includes most of the State of California as a region 

 where the rainfall is deficient, and a region to be largely benefited by 

 irrigation, even where it does not absolutely require it, and where, in 

 short, the agriculture is seriously modified by these climatic con- 

 ditions. 



This is no time to discuss the problems of farming under such 

 conditions, but I may be pardoned for pointing out some of the pecul- 

 iarities of the arid regions. 



First we notice the greater presence of what we call "alkali" in the 

 soil, "a name," says Professor Hilgard, "used to designate any soil 

 containing such unusual quantities of soluble salts as to allow them 

 to become visible on the surface during the dry season, as a dry crust 

 or efflorescence." The best methods of handling these soils, unknown 

 in the lands of bountiful rains, may well form a problem for the 

 consideration of our special bureau. 



Another marked feature of this region is the lack of timber, which 

 is found in very scant supply on the higher ranges of mountains. 



Here in California our people have spent millions of dollars experi- 



