14 



DRY FARMING IN THE GREAT BASIN. 



In the southwestern part of Utah, in Iron and Washington counties, 

 dry farming is still in the experimental stage, but there are several 

 valleys in these counties where success seems assured if proper meth- 

 ods are followed. In the southeastern part of the State, in San Juan 

 County, there is a high plateau extending eastward into Colorado 

 which probably contains a million acres of arable land adapted to 

 dry farming. (See PI. II, fig. 2.) This part of the State is difficult 

 of access and is at present but little known. 



In addition to the localities mentioned, there are many others in 



Utah and western Colorado where dry 

 farming is, or may be, successfully car- 

 ried on, at least supplementary to irri- 

 gation, if not independently. 



THE UTAH ARID EX- 

 PERIMENT FARMS. 



1 u/A/r/i I 



' The importance or 



dry farming as a 

 factor in the devel- 

 oi^ment of the Stats 

 of Utah has been 

 recognized by the 

 people of that State 

 to the extent that 

 the legislature has 

 ni'ade direct appro- 

 priations to estab- 

 lish and maintain 

 experiment farms 

 for working out sci- 

 entifically the best 

 methods of tillage 

 and rotation and for 

 testing crops and varieties to find those best suited to local conditions. 

 Six such farms have been established in representative parts of the 

 State ; their approximate locations are shown on the sketch map, figure 

 2. These farms were provided for by an act of the Utah legislature 

 approved March 6, 1903. Each of them contains 40 acres of land, is 

 equipped with the necessary farm machinery, and is well fenced, but 

 has no other improvements. The work is directed by the officers of 

 the State Agricultural Experiment Station at Logan. Utah, while 

 each farm is under the direct charge of a local superintendent. All 



L.:v:_.l._L._.i._..^=£:l 



fiG. 2.— Sketch map of Utah, showing the irrigated areas according 

 to the census of 1900 and the location of arid experiment farms. 



103 



