State Agricultural Society. 363 



SUPPLEMENTAKY EEPOET 



ON 



The Colorado Desert and its Surroundings. 



"W". S. Chapman, Esq.: 



Dear Sir: On examining the report of Mr. J. E. James, there seems 

 to be some points in relation to the Colorado desert, and its peculiarities, 

 which have not yet been touched upon at all, or not sufficiently elabo- 

 rated : 



The reclamation of this desert, so as to obviate the evil results 

 dependent on its presence and location, may be looked at in two ways: 

 we may destroy its desert character by submerging the land, and thus 

 replacing the desert by a lake, or chain of lakes, of large area, and, 

 consequently, of powerful climatic influence; or, we may clothe the 

 desert with vegetation by means of extended irrigation; and it becomes 

 an important question to decide whether the results from the latter mode 

 would be equivalent to those obtained by the former, and whether irriga- 

 tion is feasible; because, if it is, it would be evidently wiser policy to 

 retain the land, than to destroy it by submersion, although in its pres- 

 ent condition it is not only useless for all practical purposes, but a 

 positive injury to the country in its vicinity. Either course would 

 involve lai'ge expenditures of money, and the nature of the examina- 

 tion into the problems presented is of such a character as almost to 

 preclude the accomplishment of it by private means, even if such a 

 course were desirable, when the matter is one of public interest. 

 While you have accomplished much, there is vastly more to be done, 

 and the investigation will require resources and appliances which only 

 the Government has at its command. It may be well at the outset to 

 look first at the nature of the evils suffered by the surrounding country, 

 and inquire if they are traceable to the presence of this desert region, 

 and its high temperature. These are briefly, first, the prevalence of 

 what are known as "land storms;" second, of hot, desiccating winds; 

 and, third, by the deficient rainfalls. 



Fii'st — The continuance of the southeast winds for any lengthened 

 period invariably brings these "sand storms" through the Tehachape 

 and Tejon passes into the southern portion of the San Joaquin and 

 Tulare Valle3 r s, and through other passes to the southward into the 

 plains of Los Angeles. The winds derive the name of sand storms 

 from the large amount of sand and fine gravel which they hold in sus- 

 pension, and drive before them. This feature gives them an immense 

 destructive power aside from terrible desiccating properties. Their 

 erosive action is well illustrated in the Tejon or Tehachape pass (I do 



