REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 



XCV 



of irrigation works. Such an expenditure will enhance the value of 

 the remaining lands, open up larger areas to settlement, and add to the 

 material wealth of the country in a much larger measure than will the 

 retention of these lands by the Government in their present condition. 

 The leasing value of the grazing lands has been demonstrated in a 

 number of arid States. When Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and 

 Idaho were admitted to the Union, a condition was attached to the 

 donation of State lands which prevented their sale for less than $10 

 an acre. This was a prohibitive price, as the adjoining areas of pub- 

 lic land could be acquired for nothing under the homestead act. 

 Hence the only way a revenue could be derived was through their 

 rental. As the greater part of these lands are comprised in sections 16 

 and 36 and only represent the value of pasture lands, they afford a 

 fair indication of the rental possibilities of the grazing areas. The 

 following table shows what has been done by several States in this 

 matter, and is a significant indication of what is being lost through 

 lack of management of the public lands of this character: 



Summary showing results of leasing State lands in some of the arid States. 



1 Total receipts for biennium ending November 30, 1900, for interest, rentals, bonus, etc., were 

 $782,975.65. 



In addition to these State rentals, the Union Pacific Railway in 1900 

 rented 428,800 acres in Wyoming and 667,520 acres in Colorado, and 

 the Northern Pacific Railway leased over 1,000,000 acres at rentals 

 varying from 2 to 7 cents per acre. 



CONCLUSIONS REACHED. 



During the past summer and preceding summers I have given much 

 time to a personal investigation and study of the land and water prob- 

 lems of the West, and have reached the following conclusions regard- 

 ing them: 



(1) That private enterprise will have to be supplemented by public 

 aid in the construction of certain classes of irrigation works if we are 

 to secure the largest development of Western agriculture. 



