82 



ELEMENTARY SCIENCE 



seem the most desirable places. The land which is made 

 fertile by such works is then sold to settlers. 



Between 1902 and 1915 more than three million acres 

 were reclaimed by the government by irrigation. Plans 

 have been completed and part of the work done to reclaim 

 thirty million more. In 1914 homesteaders of seven hun- 



FIG. 35. The same sort of land as in Fig. 34 after irrigation. After U. S. Rec- 

 lamation Bureau. 



dred thousand acres of this land got average crop returns 

 of twenty-five dollars per acre. The average cost of the 

 perpetual water-right is forty dollars per acre, the home- 

 steader being given twenty years in which to pay this in 

 instalments without interest. Complete information con- 

 cerning the Reclamation Service may be obtained by writ- 

 ing to the United States Geological Survey at Washington. 

 Why is it called the Reclamation Service and not the 

 Irrigation Service? This is because it does not reclaim 



