boring Stat?s, i* would seem as though we had an adequate foundation for 

 rapid growth. .Hut for various causes we have never got beyond the- 

 formation. The evidences of growth are largely absent. 



AREA OF CULTIVATED LAND. 



One can travel, or could last summer, over every mile of operated rail- 

 way in the state, a distance of over one thousand miles, without seeug a 

 field of wheat. The census report of 1890 says Uhat this county, with its 

 million dollar investment in irrigation works, managed t/> grow thirty-nine 

 acres of wheat. Albany county grew six acres and Carbon county fifty-six 

 acres. The three most populous counties combined grew one hundred and 

 one acres. In all this great State with its sixty-three million acres of 

 laud only 19,000 acres were cultivated, about one per cent of the land 

 under ditches. In the light of facts like these it is not surprising that 

 our agricultural standing is Jow; that our modest exhibit at Chicago sub- 

 jected us to the charge of having had to go out of the State to procure it. 

 One could not remain m that exhibit a day without hearing expressions of 

 surprise and amazed conjecture as to whereabouts in the State it was 

 produced. 



I speak of this becsuse of the contrast to the reception accorded the 

 exhibits of adjoining States. While Colorado's magnificent display of farm 

 products was a constant subject and commendation it occasioned no 

 surprise because it was m accrrd with popular anticipation, and the same- 

 was true of the superb collection of cereals from Montana, but when the 

 report went around that Wyoming wheat had scored the highest percentage 

 of any in the building there was a general agreement that the tate was 

 traveling outside its class. The same result occurred a few years ago when 

 Wyoming won the first prize in a national potato contest. The winner of 

 the second prize demanded an investigation and wrote to the journal con- 

 ducting the (M)utcst that the result showed fraud on its face because any one 

 who knew anything of Wyoming knew it had no farmers and no farms. 



I could consume all the time that 1 sball tax your patience with similar 

 illustrations, showing that our actual agricultural production is small and 

 our reputation poor. 



I think, however, that enough hrs been said on this unpleasant feature 

 of irrigation development in this State. It has only been referred to as a 

 prelude to a discussion of the causes for this condition of affairs. Why is 

 it that with equal natural advantage?, with as ready access to home seekers, 

 this State has fallen so far behind its neighbors in population and agricul- 

 tural development? Why is it that the census of 1890 shows that Colorado 

 cultivated under irrigation, two hundred and sixty-tive thousand acres [of 

 laud, Utah one hundred and fifteen thousand acres, Montana seventy-five 

 thousand acres, while Wyoming dragged along at the tail of the procession, 

 with only nineteen thousand acres. This result has not been due to 

 superiori y in natural conditions. It has been due in part to lack of orgau*- 

 ization and Jack of interest in securing emigrants, but in a greater part to 

 unfavorable legislative conditions, which have stood as a bar to success 

 wherever organization and effort have been put forth. 



Heforo entering upon an explanation of these factors I wish to state 

 that the reclamation and seitlemeut of an arid State requires agencies and 

 aids not required in the settlement of states Ime Kansas and Nebraska. 



