THE PROGRESS OF WESTERN AMERICA. 



49 



or who are able to 

 float securities, put 

 themselves at the head 

 of such enterprises. 

 The ideal irrigation 

 president should be a 

 well-rounded man of 

 practical experience, 

 possessing a good de- 

 gree of knowledge 

 about all the depart- 

 ments of the business. 

 He need not necessa- 

 rily be an engineer, but 

 he 'ought to have a 

 good comprehension 

 of what is required in 

 that department. He 

 need not be a practical 

 irrigator, but he should 

 understand something 

 about the soil with 

 which he is dealing, 

 the crops and markets, 

 and the methods of 

 irrigation and cultiva- 

 tion. He need not be 

 an accomplished pro- 

 moter, but he ought to 

 be capable of meeting 

 his stockholders or 

 bondholders on terms 

 of equality. In short, 

 their irrigation presi- 

 dent should be a man 

 of first-class parts, 

 possessing a good gen- 

 eral knowledge of all 

 the factors that enter 

 into his business, from 

 the time when the first 

 survey is made for a 

 new canal to the time 

 when the colonist 

 builds his home on the 

 land under that line. 

 There is no more at- 

 tractive opening in 

 this country to-day 

 than what we may call 

 for want of a better 

 term, irrigation admin- 

 istration. There is a 

 crying need for men who will make a study of every 

 phase of the business from the stand-point of the 

 responsible administrator. Such men will surely be 

 evolved in time, but may we not hope that the pro- 



ROCK CUT ON THE LINE OF THE BEAR RIVER SYSTEM IN UTAH. 



cess of evolution can be stimulated? The subject is 

 certainly worthy of the attention of bright yo ing men 

 who are disposed to make a place for themselves in 

 the domain of large affairs. 



