THE REVOLUTION ON THE PLAINS 



that on which the wonderful agricultural industry of 

 Utah has been developed. 



The Dakotas are comparatively well watered by surface 

 streams, but they flow in deep channels, and the uniform 

 slope of the land to the eastward is only about one foot 

 to the mile. Under these conditions it is not practicable 

 to divert the flow by gravity canals, though it is some- 

 times done with the aid of pumping machinery. But 

 the Dakotas rejoice in the possession of great artesian 

 basins and of some of the largest flowing wells in the 

 world. Many of them are one thousand feet in depth, 

 and some of them furnish the remarkable flow of four 

 thousand gallons per minute. Over sixteen hundred 

 artesian wells were reported in these two States as early 

 as 1891, and the number has constantly increased. The 

 irrigation sentiment has been well organized and has re- 

 sulted in the provision of progressive legislation. 



Texas was also a severe sufferer from drought through- 

 out the western part of its vast territory. The greater 

 portion of it is well watered by rivers, by large perennial 

 springs, and by artesian wells second only to those of 

 Dakota. Here the people have also responded with high 

 public spirit to the appeals of the irrigation champions, 

 and the new era in the industrial life of the State is well 

 under way. 



The actual amount of land that may be reclaimed and 

 cultivated in the semi-arid region furnishes no measure 

 of the value of irrigation to this vast district. By en- 

 abling thousands to engage in farming, irrigation has 

 made it possible to use the surrounding plains as the t 

 pasture for great numbers of beef cattle. In many in- 

 stances small herds are owned by the farmers themselves, 



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