NEVADA 



4135 



NEVADA 



in farms covered only 752,117 acres, the aver- 

 age farm being 1,009 acres in size. Ranches 

 containing from 50,000 to 100,000 acres of arid 

 land are devoted to grazing, which is the most 

 important branch of the agricultural industry. 

 and the valleys are sometimes overrun with 

 wild horses. In January, 1916, the live stock 

 of the state, as estimated by the United S; 

 Bureau of Agriculture, comprised 25,000 milch 

 cows; 472,000 other cattle; 1,532,000 sheep; 77,- 

 000 horses; 3.000 mules; 40,000 swine. The in- 

 come from dairy products is nearly $1,000,000 

 annually. 



Recent agricultural improvements are doing 

 much to overcome the lizard-hiding sagebrush, 

 and the soil when reclaimed is well adapted to 

 the raising of forage crops, cereals, vegetables 

 and fruits. Although Nevada does not rank 

 high among the states in the total amount of 

 any of these crops, intensive cultivation in the 

 irrigated districts produces a large crop per acre. 

 With an average yield for ten years of over 

 thirty 'bushels, Nevada ranks first among the 

 states in the production of spring wheat per 

 acre, but only fourteenth in the total amount 

 produced. In winter wheat the yield is twenty- 

 live bushels per acre, exceeded only by five 

 states, all of which practice irrigation, but in 

 total production Nevada's rank is only thirty- 

 eight. Elko is the banner county of the state. 

 The chief crops are hay and forage, about 

 800,000 tons; potatoes, 2,000,000 bushels ; wheat, 

 1,500,000 bushels; oats, 650,000 bushels; barley, 

 600,000 bushels. The production of hay and for- 

 age increased fifty per cent between 1909 and 

 1914, and the output of potatoes in 1915 was 

 nearly three times the crop of the first year 

 named. In l><>th irritated and unirrigated sec- 



- apples and other orchard fruits, grapes, 

 raspberries, loganberries, gooseberries, strau- 



les and currants are cultivated. In 1907 

 and 1908 a plague of Carson field mice greatly 

 L-' <1 th. crops; the state agricultural sta- 

 is M inlying methods for preventing and de- 

 stroying such pests. The public lands are open 

 to settlement free of charge except for payment 

 for dran water. Nevada ranks 



among the states in ' of its public 



land* 



Irrigation. In 1910, 93.3 per cent of the im- 

 rms was artificially watered 



land, i.nd tli. ,| miles of 



! urigat- 



liatrictfl are along tin- Humlu.ldt |{i\i. m 

 tin- 'i 1 YY.lkrr 



is, and at the foot of the mountains along 



the western border. Near the mouths of desert 

 canyons a few intermittent streams furnish some 

 water for irrigation. In 1902 work was begun 

 by the government on the famous Truckee-Car- 

 son systems, to reclaim 200,000 acres of desert 

 land. A canal thirty-one miles long, diverting 

 the Truckee River into the channel of the Car- 

 son, was completed in 1905. The total cost of 

 the project is estimated at $9,000,000. Irrigat- 

 ing plants are supplying water at a cost of about 

 $12,188,750. The work is superintended by the 

 State Bureau of Industry, Agriculture and Irri- 

 gation. 



Minerals. Nevada is above all a metal-pro- 

 ducing state. In fact, its existence as a state 

 is chiefly due to the wealth of its deposits of 

 gold and silver. One of the richest mineral 

 belts in the world extends along the California 

 border and beyond the Colorado River into 

 Arizona. The development of Nevada's mines 

 began in 1860, with the discovery of the Corn- 

 stock Lode, rich in gold and silver. Bet\ 

 1869 and 1879 the Sutro tunnel, four miles in 

 length, extending through a mountain and into 

 the interior of the mine, was built. This is 

 valuable for scientific as well as commercial 

 purposes. The total product of gold taken from 

 this lode between 1860 and 1890 was valued at 

 $340,000,000. After 1890 the vein was practi- 

 cally exhausted, but in 1900 rich discoveries 

 were made at Tonopah, Goldfield and other 

 places in Esmeralda, Nye and Lincoln counties. 

 Since that date Nevada has been one of the 

 leading states in the production of gold and sil- 

 ver. It ranks fourth among the states in the 

 production of gold, and since 1910 has been 

 first in the output of silver. In 1910 its gold 

 production reached a value of $18,873,700, but 

 has been steadily declining since then. Its sil- 

 ver has been above $7,000,000 in value since 

 1911. Copper, one of the most valuable prod- 

 ucts of the state, was not important until 1908; 

 in 1915 the value of the copper product was 

 $14,859345. Lead, zinc, graphite, quicksilver, 

 tungsten, sulphur, salt, iron ore, platinum and 

 mineral waters are also produced. The total 

 value of the mineral products of the .state is 

 u.-ually nearly $40,000,000. 



Manufactures. With tl on of New 



;co and Wyoming. ' '' -' im- 



portant if the slates in manufacturing. This is 

 due to the predominance of mining interests 

 and to the i mccs between its scat- 



There &1 than 



200 manufacturing estal.li- 



11 about 4,000 persons. The total \al 



