212 TKANS. OF THE N. Y. ACAD. OF SCIENCES. [jUNE 9, 1890. 



Two reports are before the United States Senate Committee 

 on the Irrigation and Eeclamation of Arid Lands. One sets 

 forth that the total area of the United States, exclusive of 

 Alaska, is a little more than 3,000,000 square miles, and that 

 one-third of it must have artificial irrigation to insure regular 

 annual crops. This arid land is situated on either side of that 

 already under irrigation. 



In my opinion the permanency of a change in our climate 

 depends entirely upon the action taken in further irrigation. If 

 the lands in the Northwest are first irrigated, the effect will be 

 to have a continuance of our storm tracks over the higher lati- 

 tudes ; on the other hand, should the Southwest lands be first 

 reclaimed, the storms would assume their former course and a 

 greater number would pass off the coast south of New York, 

 thus drawing down upon us the cold waves as in former years. 

 Audit is my belief that we will continue in the same climatic 

 condition until the entire Western plains are under a complete 

 system of irrigation. 



At the conclusion of this paper, it was announced that the 

 Academy would adjourn until the first Monday in October. 



