1902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



475 



and the business of the country adjusted 

 to that fact, with a rapidly increasing 

 population to be fed, with a shortage in 

 the corn crop affecting nearly every cit- 

 izen in the republic, we have come to 

 problems which require the very best 

 training and the most careful thought 

 for their solution. There must be the 

 same large grasp of the situation that 

 the English have had in their irrigation 

 projects, which will double the amount 

 of arable land in Egypt, and which will 

 accomplish more to relieve poverty in 

 that country than has ever been done in 

 all its history. 



A careful study of the situation indi- 

 cates that the colleges and universities 

 have an important part to play in this 

 national undertaking. The people as 

 a whole know very little about the 

 matter. The nation has been interested 

 in questions which relate to the tariff, 

 the creation of harbors, foreign com- 

 merce, and domestic manufacturing, and 

 thus far have left this matter alone, until 

 it is now demanding consideration. This 

 makes it necessary that the irrigation of 

 our large area of arid land should receive 

 the most intelligent and scientific con- 

 sideration. It is not a matter of parti- 

 san politics, but one which requires 

 special training and careful study of the 

 whole problem and all that is involved 

 in it. For this reason the time has come 

 when our colleges and scientific schools 

 should give the subject serious con- 

 sideration. 



COURSES ON IRRIGATION. 



It is important that our colleges should 

 offer courses of lectures treating the 

 subject of irrigation, including a study 

 of all the arid districts in the United 

 States, the problem of water supply, 

 and the great watersheds and reser- 

 voir sites ; the relation of forests to 

 irrigation ; the demand for cultivation 



of these lands growing out of economic 

 conditions. Especially should such op- 

 portunities be offered to those who plan 

 to enter public life. Every student 

 coming out of American colleges should 

 at least have an opportunity to learn 

 about these matters. 



Irrigation on such a scale as is neces- 

 sitated by the conditions which exist in 

 America requires great engineering skill 

 as well as accurate scientific knowledge 

 of the matters connected with successful 

 farming under these conditions. There 

 must be a knowledge of soils and their 

 chemical changes, their enrichment by 

 irrigation, the varying amount of water 

 required for various crops, the matter of 

 surface and sub-irrigation, the use of 

 wells, the special farm products adapted 

 to the various soils and under the vary- 

 ing climatic conditions. While much of 

 this comes b}' practical experience, much 

 must be done by means or careful scien- 

 tific observation and study. Courses 

 bearing upon all these should be offered 

 in our colleges, and especially in those 

 institutions situated in this section of 

 the United States. 



It would be well if, in addition to the 

 work done in the law schools, the gen- 

 eral principles of irrigation law were 

 taught in the college department of po- 

 litical science. 



The success of the whole irrigation 

 scheme as a national movement will de- 

 pend more than anything else upon the 

 conservation, protection, and use of the 

 water supply. Ultimately all the water 

 in the arid section must be saved and 

 used for agriculture. The accomplish- 

 ment of this and the protection and de- 

 velopment of our forests will demand 

 well-equipped and specially trained en- 

 gineers of the highest type. For these 

 reasons our colleges must offer " irriga- 

 tion engineering" courses, which shall 

 be even better known than the ' ' mining 

 engineering ' ' courses. 



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