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44 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 
(2) Representative cotton from the different commercial grades of - 
the several cotton markets ; E 
(3) Cotton from different stages in various processes of manu-— 
facture. 
The examination related to the length, fineness, strength, and 
elasticity, upon all of which the value of the staple depends. There 
have been some $5,000 already expended in this examination, and 
I am assured that $7,500 more will complete it. In view of the 
importance of this investigation, both to the producer and to the con-. 
sumer of this great staple, it seems that the money already expended 
ought to have some return, and inasmuch as the total expense would 
be insignificant when compared with the results, I renew my recom- 
mendation of last year for authority and means to complete the work. 
IRRIGATION. 
Among the documents that have been prepared by the Depart- 
ment and printed directly by Congress is one on ‘‘irrigation,” which 
has been completed during the present administration. This report, 
although fairly complete in itself, is principally suggestive of more 
comprehensive treatment of the subject in the future, as projected 
works are completed and more general extension of irrigation sys- 
‘tems have been accomplished. The present work is already attract- 
ing wide-spread attention in those sections of our country where irri- 
gation is relied upon. 
Such extension, it is well understood, is limited by the amount of 
water available. It is true that as the cultivated soil receives. the 
precipitation, however small the quantity, that formerly flowed over 
the impacted surface without penetration, the amount of irrigation 
necessary is lessened, and the application of water by irrigation 
further modifies the chemical and hydroscopic character of the seed- 
bed until less and less moisture is annually required. It is a reason- 
able supposition that ultimately some portion of the area now useless 
without irrigation may be productive with only the usual rain-fall, 
which has proved insufiicient heretofore. At leastit may be expected 
that certain plants which thrive with minimum supplies of moisture 
may be cultivated successfully without irrigation in favorable loca- 
tions, as the result of soil ameliorations by cultivation with tempo- 
rary irrigation. Thus the ultimate extension of available tillage or 
meadow, through the labor of man and the bounty of nature, is difii- 
cult to foretell, and will doubtless greatly exceed the popular esti- 
mate. Then the adaptation of plants to these areas, so greatly mod- 
ified in their capabilities, will offer a wide field for selection of 
profitable crops and for the successful introduction of many plants 
now unknown to our agriculture or grown to a limited extent. 
When available supplies of water are exhausted there is still a re- 
source that should command the early consideration of Congress— 
; 
y 
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