186 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



April) 



probable cost of the fuel for a given 

 pumping plant. 



Crude oil burned under steam boil- 

 ers is an ideal fuel when its cost is not 

 too high, and the small gas engine in 

 its many forms and types is one of 

 the best means of obtaining power for 

 irrigation in units up to as high as 

 3O-horse power. The possibilities of 

 utilizing in an economical way any 

 kind of fuel available for pump en- 

 gines are deemed worthy of considera- 

 tion by the engineers of the Reclama- 

 tion Service. 



Estimates of probable costs of pow- 

 er and pumping plants necessitate a 

 knowledge of all the factors peculiar 

 to each project ; for instance, the duty 

 of water, materials for construction 

 which can be secured locally, the char- 

 acter of the water to be pumped and 

 of the ground on which the plant is to 

 be built, the type of plant peculiarly 

 suited to the various conditions, etc. 

 On projects where oil, coal or other 

 fuel furnishes the power for pumping, 

 it has been suggested that each water 

 user be required to pay for the amount 

 of water actually delivered to him, 

 since the operating expenses will de- 

 pend so largely upon the quantity of 

 water pumped. This would tend to 

 foster economy in the use of water 

 and the annual expenses of the water- 

 user could be adjusted from year to 

 year to correspond with the varying 

 quantities used, depending upon 

 whether the season is wet or dry. A 

 minimum annual payment per share 

 would cover the fixed charges for 

 keeping up the plant. 



"Want Nevada Underground Waters 

 Investigated. 



Governor Sparks, of Nevada, has 

 transmitted an assembly memorial and 

 joint resolution through the Secretary 

 of the Interior to the Director of the 

 Geological Survey, relative to Federal 

 aid in the development of artesian 

 and subterranean sources of water 

 supply in Nevada. 



The memorial recites that there are 

 several million acres of land within 

 the State of Nevada, at present lying 



idle, uninhabited, and of no assessable 

 value, the general government esti- 

 mating this area at 20,000,000 acres of 

 agricultural lands and 30,000,000 acres 

 of grazing lands, with only a small por- 

 tion of the same under cultivation or 

 occupied for grazing purposes, owing 

 to the absence of water. A supply of 

 water for irrigating purposes would 

 render these lands very attractive, and 

 situated as they are in a favorable cli- 

 mate, with soil susceptible of the high- 

 est cultivation, would greatly in- 

 crease the population of the State and 

 become a source of revenue to the- 

 Government. 



The memorialists believe that an 

 abundance of water can be obtained 

 to reclaim large tracts of the arid lands 

 within the confines of the State, but- 

 owing to the fact that the title of these- 

 lands rests in the general Govern- 

 ment, private capital cannot be secured 

 to undertake the work. It is therefore- 

 asked that the sum of $500,000 be ex- 

 pended under such rules and regula- 

 tions as the Secretary of the Interior 

 may adopt in order to inaugurate- 

 measures for the development of a 

 system of artesian and subterranean 

 water supplies within the State. 



The department recognizes that to 

 no State in the great arid West is the 

 subject of water supply and its conser- 

 vation of greater import than to Ne- 

 vada. With the gradual narrowing of 

 the unoccupied lands of the public do- 

 main, the reclamation of even a small 

 percentage of the millions of acres of 

 land of inexhaustible fertility located 

 in this State, becomes a question of 

 paramount importance to the nation. 



It is further recognized that with a. 

 guaranteed and sufficient supply of 

 water no other State, with the excep- 

 tion of California, could equal Nevada 

 in the variety of agricultural products- 

 or the certainty of generous harvests. 



The water system of a State is an 

 object of interesting study, and it is 

 promised that Nevada will be the field' 

 for a very thorough and comprehen- 

 sive investigation on the part of the 

 experts of the Geological Survey. The- 





