358 Forestry Quarterly. 



serration of the forest resources, thus assuring timber and lumber 

 supplies for centuries to come. 



"Five billions of dollars is an enormous sum, but it is no more 

 than is actually required to carry out the gigantic scheme in de- 

 veloping millions of acres of lands in various parts of the United 

 States now absolutely worthless," said Mr. Hooker in explaining 

 the plan. "Congress will not be asked to appropriate a penny. 

 The returns from the improvements would pay off the bonds. 

 The government would simply act as a banker, as it does now for 

 the various irrigation projects. The bond issue would provide 

 ample funds as required to carry out the work in the several di- 

 visions, at the same time giving the best possible collateral to those 

 investing in these securities. 



"Government figures bear out the statement that there is enough 

 good land overflowed in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Nebraska, 

 Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi to make an area 

 as large as the state of Missouri, or more than 44,000,000 acres, 

 while in the eastern, central, and western states there is more 

 than as much more, or about 100,000,000 acres in all. At a con- 

 servative estimate of $25 an acre, the sale of this reclaimed land 

 would justify the expenditure of $2,500,000,000, or 150 per cent, 

 more than is required to drain it. This land would support from 

 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 population. 



"Approximately 40,000 acres of lands in western and south- 

 western states are adapted to irrigation, which, if reclaimed at an 

 average cost of $25 an acre, would be worth not less than $200 

 an acre or a total of $8,000,000,000, and provide homes for more 

 than 8,000,000 persons. The economic value of irrigation cannot 

 be measured in dollars and cents, but crops of from $500 to $1,000 

 an acre are not rare in the irrigated districts. There are already 

 14,000,000 acres under irrigation and the Reclamation Service esti- 

 mates it will have reclaimed 2,000,000 acres, at a cost not exceed- 

 ing $70,000,000, before the close of 191 1. 



"The construction and improvement of the deep waterways re- 

 quired to provide better and cheaper transportation facilities is, 

 I believe, a 100 per cent, investment, from the fact that two-thirds 

 of the bulky freight could be shipped by water routes, at a cost 

 to the shipper of not more than one-sixth of the present rail rates. 

 The importance of this becomes apparent when it is remembered 

 that the food question is becoming a world problem. 



