﻿NATIONAL 
  EFFORTS 
  AT 
  HOME 
  MAKING 
  — 
  NEWELL. 
  527 
  

  

  the 
  house 
  and 
  the 
  procurement 
  of 
  the 
  comforts 
  necessary 
  for 
  a 
  

  

  family. 
  

  

  Cost 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  works.— 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  works 
  of 
  reclamation 
  must 
  

   necessarily 
  be 
  limited 
  by 
  their 
  ultimate 
  productive 
  value, 
  and 
  must 
  

   be 
  kept 
  within 
  such 
  limit 
  if 
  reclamation 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  continued 
  indefi- 
  

   nitely. 
  This 
  value 
  is 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  ability 
  of 
  the 
  landowners 
  to 
  

   produce 
  and 
  market 
  crops 
  at 
  a 
  profit. 
  Thus 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  the 
  prac- 
  

   ticable 
  cost 
  of 
  reclamation 
  is 
  one 
  not 
  merely 
  of 
  climate 
  and 
  soil, 
  but, 
  

   more 
  than 
  this, 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  factors 
  of 
  transportation, 
  markets, 
  

   skill, 
  and 
  thrift. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  cost, 
  taking 
  the 
  

   country 
  at 
  large, 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  as 
  being 
  approximately 
  $100 
  an 
  acre 
  

   of 
  land 
  actually 
  benefited. 
  This 
  is 
  merely 
  a 
  convenient 
  unit 
  for 
  

   measuring 
  the 
  relative 
  cost 
  of 
  such 
  enterprises 
  and 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  

   fixed 
  nor 
  is 
  it 
  an 
  infallible 
  guide. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  reclamation 
  as 
  actually 
  developed 
  has 
  been 
  larger 
  

   than 
  anticipated. 
  It 
  was 
  assumed 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  way 
  when 
  the 
  re- 
  

   clamation 
  act 
  was 
  passed 
  in 
  1902 
  that 
  considerable 
  results 
  could 
  be 
  

   had 
  at, 
  say, 
  $30 
  per 
  acre. 
  Ten 
  years 
  later 
  the 
  limit 
  was 
  put 
  at 
  about 
  

   $60 
  an 
  acre, 
  and 
  20 
  years 
  after 
  at 
  about 
  $90 
  per 
  acre. 
  Under 
  excep- 
  

   tional 
  conditions, 
  such 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  southern 
  California, 
  and 
  with 
  

   high-grade 
  fruits, 
  a 
  cost 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  dollars 
  an 
  acre 
  is 
  prac- 
  

   ticable, 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  extreme, 
  in 
  Montana, 
  $50 
  an 
  acre 
  may 
  be 
  

   a 
  large 
  sum. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  drainage 
  alone 
  $20 
  to 
  $30 
  an 
  acre 
  may 
  

   be 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  fair 
  standard. 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  for 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   farmer 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  unwise 
  to 
  incur 
  expenditures 
  above 
  those 
  which 
  

   have 
  been 
  quoted, 
  but 
  they 
  serve 
  merely 
  as 
  an 
  indication 
  as 
  to 
  

   what 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  or 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  discussion. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  the 
  allowable 
  cost 
  or 
  possible 
  value 
  of 
  reclamation 
  

   works, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  borne 
  in 
  mind 
  that 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  be 
  reclaimed 
  has 
  

   in 
  itself 
  practically 
  no 
  value 
  because 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  dependable 
  produc- 
  

   tivity 
  until 
  certain 
  obstacles 
  have 
  been 
  removed 
  by 
  reclamation. 
  

   The 
  land 
  is 
  worth 
  only 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  reclamation 
  plus 
  the 
  other 
  pro- 
  

   ductive 
  improvements 
  put 
  upon 
  it. 
  If 
  these 
  improvements 
  consist 
  

   merely 
  of 
  an 
  expensive 
  house, 
  barn, 
  or 
  other 
  equipment, 
  not 
  abso- 
  

   lutely 
  necessary 
  for 
  adding 
  to 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  the 
  soil, 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   penditures 
  on 
  these 
  partly 
  used 
  improvements 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  considered 
  

   as 
  adding 
  to 
  the 
  real 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  land. 
  Because 
  of 
  failure 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   tinguish 
  between 
  real 
  productive 
  values 
  and 
  those 
  things 
  which 
  are 
  

   desirable 
  but 
  not 
  productive, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  much 
  disappointment 
  

   in 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  investments 
  of 
  this 
  kind. 
  

  

  Geographical 
  changes.— 
  -The 
  work 
  of 
  reclamation 
  brings 
  about 
  

   notable 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  commercial 
  and 
  political 
  geography 
  of 
  a 
  

   region. 
  It 
  alters 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  degree 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  a 
  country 
  

   and 
  its 
  cultural 
  condition 
  by 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  large 
  reservoirs 
  or 
  

  

  