THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



363 



THE GREATEST NEED OF ARID AHERICA. 



By Samuel Fortier Office of Experiment Stations, U. S. Department of Agriculture (Delivered Before 

 the National Irrigation Congress at Sacramento, California, September 4, 1907.) 



Opinions will differ as to what constitutes the great- 

 est need of arid America at the presnt time. The nu- 

 merous wants of every new, sparsely settled region are 

 not readily supplied. When the region embraces two- 

 fifths of the area of the United States and holds within 

 its confines the destiny of fourteen young commonwealths 

 its needs are multiplied many times. The remedies pro- 

 posed are as varied as the conditions and obstacles. Bet- 

 ter and cheaper transportation is one man's remedy, 

 more capital to develop our resources is another's, while 

 a third is in favor of .establishing manufactories. Mam- 

 favor the further construction of irrigation canals and 

 storage reservoirs and the preservation of the forests as 

 the best means of benefiting the West. 



While these and others that might be named are 

 destined to play an important part during the next few 

 years, none is deserving of a first place. In my humble 

 opinion none of these are so important as the establish- 



Prof. Samuel Fortier. 



ment of prosperous rural homes in the sparsely settled 

 irrigation districts of this country. When one reviews 

 the conditions which exist in the West today he is forced 

 to the conclusion that our greatest need is to obtain a 

 sufficient number of desirable white settlers and to as- 

 sist them to such an extent that they will be able to over- 

 come the difficulties peculiar to a new farm and to es- 

 tablish happy and prosperous homes. 



In the brir>f time at my disposal I shall try to con- 

 vince you that the West has reached that stage in its 

 irrigation development when a large number of indus- 

 trious settlers are an absolute necessity if success is to be 

 attained. I shall endeavor to convince you that the 

 rapid construction of irrigation works during the past 



few years is likely to progress far ia advance of the 

 actual settlement of the lands reclaimed and that unless 

 settlement follows closely after construction much money 

 will be lost in the maintenance of these works. Since, 

 also, the main object of all irrigation works is to render 

 the soil productive and since the presence and labor of 

 farmers are necessary to accomplish this end, it will be 

 my endeavor to point out ways and means of assisting 

 the farmer in this most important task. 



LANDS OPEN FOR SETTLEMENT. 



It is sixty years since Americans first began the 

 practice of irrigation. Their efforts in that time have 

 resulted in the settlement and cultivation under irriga- 

 tion of something like eleven million acres. Of this 

 total about ten million acres are to be found in the arid 

 states and territories. The conversion of so large an 

 area of barren sands into productive farms and orchards 

 and the establishment of the many industries which 

 these fields and orchards foster and maintain has not 

 proceeded with any great degree of regularity. There 

 have been decades when little progress was made and 

 these have been followed by periods of the wildest expan- 

 sion. In no period of the past has such progress been 

 made in the construction of irrigation works as has 

 followed the passage of the Eeclamation Act of 1902. 

 At no other like period in the history of the West has 

 so large an area been thrown open, for settlement. This 

 is shown by the following figures : 



Two or three weeks ago I sent requests to a large 

 number of state engineers, canal superintendents, land 

 commissioners and others for the piirpose of ascertaining 

 with some degree of accuracy the extent of unimproved 

 lands provided with water rights which would be open 

 for settlement in 1908. The most conservative of the 

 estimates received from nine Western States and terri- 

 tories are as follows: 



Reclamation projects 1,100,000 acres 



Carey Act projects 975,000 acres 



District organizations 400,000 acres 



Private enterprises 1,300,000 acres 



Colorado, Montana, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma 

 and Texas are not included in the above estimates. It 

 is, therefore, no exaggeration to state that there will be 

 five million acres ready for the plows of the new settlers 

 before this Congress meets again. This means 100,000 

 families, number half a million people, and half a mil- 

 lion more will be needed to occupy the towns, and vil- 

 lages that will he created and to carry on the many in- 

 dustries which, five million acres of intensively cultivated 

 land is certain to develop and to foster. 



It would not be so difficult to secure a million people 

 if all were permitted to come without reference to means, 

 credentials or color. The indolent and shiftless beings 

 who crowd the unhealthv tenements of eastern cities 

 might be induced to migrate, but only a small per- 

 centage of these have strength of either mind or body 

 to become successful farmers. The large majority of 

 this class would retard rather than advance the interests 

 of western communities. 



