58 FOREST RESERVES IN IDAHO. 



Agriculture, mining, and lumbering are the most important of 

 Idaho's permanent industries. Upon their continued prosperity 

 depends that of almost every other interest. Agi-iculture in at least 

 tAvo-thirds of Idaho means irrigation farming. Its relation to forest 

 protection is peculiarly intimate, because the great proportion of 

 cultivable land lies in an arid belt which, even more than in most arid 

 States, has an insufficient system of streams and reservoir sites to 

 draw upon. In many States the reclamation of desert land depends 

 upon canal projects, which, although expensive, are perfectly feasil)le 

 because there are large streams from which to draw. Southern Idaho 

 has few streams which have not already shown doubtful adequacy. 

 Not only is it extremel}' difficult to find any unimproved land which 

 has a satisfactory water right, but the old settled districts constantly 

 feel an increasing shortage. These are the conditions now ; the future 

 will certainly bring more claimants, and unless something is done to 

 protect the streams, it will bring a smaller supply of water to meet 

 the increasing demand. Reservoir storage Avill help, but the Eecla- 

 mation Service asserts of practically every project it has in hand that 

 success depends upon sustained forest storage also. 



The following figures show the extent and importance of the inter-- 

 ests dependent upon irrigation : 



According to the T^velfth Census (1900), the 602,568 acres of irri- 

 gated land in Idaho was 42.6 per cent of its total improved land. Of 

 the total number of farms, those irrigated constituted 52.6 23er cent. 

 The value of all land in the irrigated farms was $21,850,185 ; the value 

 of the buildings thereon, $4,338,425, and the investment in canals and 

 ditches, $5,120,399; making a capital represented by irrigation farm- 

 ing, exclusive of stock, implements, crops, etc., of $31,308,959. The 

 average of all irrigated land was $31.25 per acre, while that of the 

 best, suitable for growing fruit, ranges from $60 to $500 per acre. 

 The value of irrigated crops in 1899, the latest year for which figures 

 could be given, was $5,440,962. 



Nearly all of this land Avould be comparatively valueless without 

 irrigation, and Avith irrigation a similar Aalue can be giA^en a great 

 portion of the now valueless area of the State. In the decade betAveen 

 1890 and 1900 irrigation increased the improA^ed area in Idaho by 

 37.6 per cent, and added OA^er $12,000,000 to its farming Avealth. 

 Future dcA^elopment in greater proportion is limited not by available 

 land, but almost solely by available w^ater suppty, Avhich can ncA^er be 

 ]:>rovided by reservoir storage unless assisted to the greatest possible 

 degree by forest storage. And the lands coA^ered by the aboA^e statis- 

 tics lie almost Avholly on streams rising in the proposed forest reserves 

 recommended by the Department of Agriculture. 



Hitherto, except in a few localities, the A^arious destructiA'e agencies 

 haA^e not pushed back into the mountains far enough to denude the 

 Avatersheds and perceptibly affect the flow of the streams, therefore 

 the water users, Avhile suffering from shortage already, liaA^e not 

 learned the lesson of forest protection through experiencing the dimi- 

 nution of supply which folloAvs destruction of the forest. They 

 realize fully the obstacle to further development of arid lands, but 

 base their calculations on the present stream flow without considering 

 the even more serious possibility of the jiresent supply being 

 diminished. It is for these reasons that the water-using classes of 



