quietly and without much ado embraced areas of the public domain once thought value- 

 less within the domain of opportunity for settlement. Moreover it is a question whether 

 the settler on the portion of public domain remaining unappropriated has not opportunities 

 fully equal, if not better, than the Western pioneers of half a century ago. The landless 

 of to-day overlook the fact that those early pioneers, while they unquestionably had the 

 choice of lands easiest of cultivation, were yet heavily handicapped by distance to trans- 

 portation lines and absence of social and educational opportunities. The twentieth 

 century settler need not go beyond easy access to transportation lines, and ordinarily will 

 find in the arid West, more particularly in Nevada, that he can procure land capable of 

 reclamation and of producing, under irrigation, bountiful crops within close proximity 

 to railroads, schools, churches, social opportunities and local as well as general markets. 

 But the handicap of the first pioneer settlers, which is here obviated, is exchanged for 

 another of a different character the necessity of providing water for irrigation. 



The Four Factors of Agriculture. 



There are three factors which are essential to successful agriculture, in addition 

 to the fourth which is the human factor of plowing, planting, and harvesting, namely: 

 climate, with respect to the mean and extreme range of temperature of the seasons; soil, 

 with respect to the constituents required for plant life, and humidity, with respect to the 

 moisture necessary to grow crops. The latter factor in the arid region must be supplied 

 by irrigation. It was once thought that Nature could not be improved upon by any 

 artificial means of supplementing a natural deficiency of humidity. But that belief has 

 been overthrown by the comparative results of the fruitfulness of like soils: in the one 

 instance dependent on the uncertainties of rainfall, and in the other on moisture 

 within the control of the agriculturist, to be given his crops when needed and withheld 

 when not. Farmers who have had experience under both conditions are substantially 

 unanimous in their preference of irrigation over rainfall. It is contended that not only 

 is there a greater certainty of harvest, but that, other conditions being equal, equivalent 

 lands will grow larger crops under skilful irrigation than with rainfall. 



We have stated that Nevada, contrary to prevailing opinion, holds the promise of a 

 great agricultural future. On what ground is this outlook based? The answer is: On 

 climate, soil and irrigation; the conservation of the surface and subsurface waters 

 of the State to supplement the deficiency of climatic humidity. 



THE CLIMATE OF NEVADA 



Nevada has a range of climate greater than any other state or territory, with the 

 single exception of California. Its northern boundary is the same as that of Pennsylvania, 

 its southern boundary is on the same parallel as the northern boundary of Mississippi, 

 Alabama and Georgia. It wedges Southern California from Arizona on the south; and 

 north, it adjoins Oregon and Idaho. Southern Nevada is semi-tropical, almost frostless, 

 and with a growing season of over nine months' duration. Northern Nevada has a 

 climate with moderate winters, temperate summers and a five-months' normal growing 

 season from the middle of April to October. The elevations of its valleys are not 

 extreme from 3,000 to 5,500 feet in the northern and central parts of the State, and 

 from 2,000 to 4,000 feet in southern Nevada. These altitudes are lower than many 

 of the most fertile valleys of the other intermontane states. 



Separating these valleys, one from another, are mountain ranges, some of great and 

 others of moderate elevation, with a general north and south trend. These have a modify- 

 ing effect upon meteorological conditions, tending to cause the precipitation of moisture 

 on the high peaks and ranges rather than in the valleys and to temper the intense heat 

 of summer in the latter with cooling winds from the mountains. The atmosphere is clear, 

 healthful and invigorating. The absence of humidity during the summer months causes 

 the earth, after sunset, to radiate its heat into space, with the result that even in southern 

 Nevada the nights are comfortable. Between June first and the beginning of October, in 



