336 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



which contained sharp criticism of the administration. 



Interest in Thursday's session centered around 

 Luther Burbank, "the wizard of California." Mr. Bur- 

 bank chose as his subject the cactus and made the pre- 

 diction that the thornless variety would become the 

 great fodder of the arid regions. 



He told the congress of his experiments in trying 

 to produce a thornless cactus. He had all but succeed- 

 ed, he said, a lack of the nutrition desired being the 

 only obstacle to be overcome. He predicted that this 

 thornless cactus would become the great fodder of the 

 arid region, for all kinds of stock relish it and fatten 

 quickly. About 200 tons can be grown per acre, an ex- 

 traordinary output compared with other kinds of feed. 

 The development of the high nutrition is being assidu- 

 ously pursued by Burbank and the grazing men will 

 soon have some important news from the wizard. 



A delegate asked Burbank if he had a secret of de- 

 veloping plant life and if the secret would die with him. 

 Burbank replied that he has no secret and that he is 

 always glad to assist others. 



The first address of the day was that of E. A. 

 Sterling, chief forester for the Pennsylvania Eailroad 

 Company. He delivered an interesting talk on "For- 

 estry and the Railroads." 



The relation of range products to the water supply 

 was the subject of A. F. Potter, chief inspector of graz- 

 ing of the United States Forest Service. 



Another event of the session was an address by F. 

 William Rane, forester of Massachusetts, who spoke on 

 "State Forestry and Forest Administration." 



After four days of addresses and discussion, the 

 congress Friday took up the big work of the gathering, 

 when the report of the committee on resolutions was 

 submitted by its chairman, ex-Gov. George G. Pardee, 

 was adopted. 



There is an endorsement of the policy of President 

 Roosevelt and his administration in connection with the 

 policy of reclamation, irrigation, forest preservation and 

 conservation of resources. The departments having the 

 big work in hand are endorsed. There is a recommenda- 

 tion that the government only charge enough for timber 

 cut from forest reserves to pay for maintenance of the 

 Forest Service. 



Congress is asked to pass a law providing for the 

 preservation of the Calaveras big trees by the exchange 

 of her timber land for them. The Irrigation Congress 

 is asked to make every effort to have the seventeenth 

 session of the congress held in Washington, at the same 

 time the national congress is in session, and provides 

 for a committee of five to promote the matter. Pro- 

 tection is also asked for the beet sugar industry and aid 

 for the work of irrigation, reclamation, preservation 

 and conservation. 



The only resolution objecting to administration 

 ideas is one protesting against further enactment of leg- 

 islation favoring Philippine sugar to the injury of the 

 beet sugar industry in America. 



The following officers were elected: President, J. 

 C. Goudy, former congressman, Denver; first vice pres- 

 ident, George E. Barstow, Barstow, Tex.; second vice 

 president, Judge John E. Raker, Modoc county, Cal. ; 

 third vice president, William E. Straine, Mantana; 

 secretary, B. A. Fowler, Phoenix, Ariz. 



The gentlemen named are all men of high standing 

 and will perform their duties in a creditable manner. 



The next place of meeting will be Albuquerque, N. 

 M. 



There were accredited delegates to the congress 

 from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceanica, North and South 

 and Central America, Hawaii and the Philippines. 



NOTES OF THE CONGRESS. 



The delegates of the Fifteenth National Irrigation 

 Congress are to be congratulated on their selection of 

 both President and Secretary. 



Judge Gowdy, the newly elected President,' whose 

 home is in Denver and who is one of the best known 

 men in his state, has large irrigation interests, and with 

 his partner, Mr. Geo. Twitchell, conducts one of the 

 leading law offices in Colorado. Judge Gowdy, person- 

 ally, is a delightful man to meet, and his work prior to 

 and during the Fifteenth Congress will result in great 

 good to the West generally. 



Mr. B. A. Fowler, who was elected Secretary, is a 

 man of fine attainments and a good executive, who 

 also has had large experience in irrigation lines, having 

 filled the positon of president of the Leading Water 

 Users' Association in the Salt River Valley in Arizona. 

 Mr. Fowler has some decided ideas as to the conduct of 

 the congress, and was instrumental in having a resolu- 

 tion passed which makes the President and Secretary 

 of the congress ex-officio members of the Executive 

 Committee. 



Considerable complaint was heard during the Fif- 

 teenth Congress at the manner in which the program 

 was shaped up, and many openly criticised the officials 

 for giving so much time to the department heads and 

 their assistants from Washington, which in a sense elim- 

 inated discussions by delegates who had no official 

 standing other than that of a regularly appointed dele- 

 gate. It is our impression that this error will be cor- 

 rected at the time of the next congress, as Messrs. 

 Gowdy and Fowler no doubt realize that the arrange- 

 ment cf the program for the Fifteenth Congress was 

 very unsatisfactory to many in attendance. It must not 

 be understood that THE IRRIGATION AGE is in any 

 sense criticising the gentlemen who took part in the 

 congress; the error was evidently on the part of those 

 who shaped up the program; in fact, the program was 

 arranged almost entirely by the local committee at 

 Sacramento; this is now recognized as a serious mis- 

 take on the part of many of the delegates. It was un- 

 derstood that the department heads from Washington 

 ar^l their assistants were all to be fully recognized in the 

 congress and given ample opportunity to exploit the 

 work carried on by the Reclamation Service and the 

 Forestry Bureau, and at the meeting of the Executive 

 Committee held in Chicago some three months prior to 

 the date of the congress, Mr. Beard, chairman of the 

 Executive Committee, was instructed by those in at- 

 tendance to so shape up the program as to carry out 

 these views. It was not expected, however, that he 

 would give 80 or 90 per cent of the time to the govern- 

 ment officials to the exclusion of delegates who were 

 visiting the congress with complaints or papers which 

 would have been highly interesting to those in attend- 

 ance if they had been permitted to deliver them. 



This matter is mentioned simply with a view to 

 suggest some means of correcting that error in the 

 future, and it is the impression of the writer that the 

 program for the congresses in the future should be pre- 

 pared directly under the supervision of the President 

 and Secretary, and that they should be consulted at all 



