THE CALL OF THE LAND 



Nevada, and Arizona, the southeast of Cali- 

 fornia, a large portion of New Mexico, and 

 parts of neighboring states." 



"The semi-arid zone is overrun by vast 

 herds of cattle, which would be even more 

 numerous did not the rigor of the climate 

 restrict their development. I frequently 

 heard it stated that in these parts of the 

 country the cultivation of cereals has been 

 pushed too far to the west. . . . Many 

 farms devoted to these products have had to 

 be abandoned." "That it (the western 

 division) holds any serious place in the 

 economic life of the United States is due 

 simply to the richness of its mines." "The 

 western half of the two Dakotas and no 

 small portion of Kansas and Texas are 

 almost unavailable for agricultural pur- 

 poses by reason of drouth." 



This remarkable book by Leroy-Beaulieu 

 nowhere hints of any advance possible to 

 agriculture in the semi-arid domain save by 

 irrigation. The author notes, of course, 

 that our agriculture everywhere, west and 

 east, could profitably be made more inten- 



