36 AGRICULTURE ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE 



put down as the " Great American Desert." This 

 included nearly all the country between the Rocky 

 Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. That desert has 

 now shrunk to small areas in Utah and Nevada, because 

 it has been found that what used to be called desert 



FIG. 15 a. How water changes the barren sage country to orchards and 



fertile fields. 



land is in most cases good land which does not get rain 

 enough for the growth of crops. The greater part of 

 the desert soils, instead of being poor, need only water to 

 give splendid crops. Figure 15 a is a good example of 

 how water changes the barren sage-brush country into 

 orchards and fertile lands. 



