THE RECLAMATION OF THE WEST. 835 



The ii'rit>able land is being- utilized thi'ouo-h individual or corporate 

 enterprise, and through the reclamation law. The forested areas are 

 being* protected by the activities of the Bureau of Forestry, but there 

 remain the great tracts of grazing lands whose proper handling and 

 control is still a matter of doubt. 



A thorough knowledge of the location, extent, and capabilities of 

 this vast grazing- area uuist be had, and on the basis of this knowledge 

 wise statesmanship must be shown in either holding- this land perpet- 

 ually, under suitable regulations, as an open conuuons for grazing- or 

 of disposing of it to individuals in such a way as to form permanent 

 settlements and to create the largest numl)er of homes. The grazing 

 IDroblem is the third and last of the great puldic land questions, the 

 one which is still unsolved, and which, when satisfactorily settled, 

 will lead to increased prosperity for the entire countr3\ 



THE RECLAMATION FUND. 



The reclamation fund comes from the disposal of lands in 13 States 

 and 3 Territories, and the amount is widely different in the different 

 States. The law jjrovides that so far as practicaljle the amount shall 

 be spent in the State where it originates, but in fact the available 

 funds are almost always inversely apportioned to the needs of any 

 one State. 



From Nevada, the Stat* having the largest opportunity for develop- 

 ment, the amount of money is rei)resented by a small amount, while 

 from North Dakota there has come an enormous fund. In the latter 

 State there is little possibility of general development l)y irrigation 

 because of the dithculty of linding irrigable lands and an adequate 

 water supply. North Dakota and Oregon and Oklahoma have large 

 funds. In Oklahoma, with its subhumid climate, there is little need 

 of irrigation, and in fact it is almost impossible to find any reclamation 

 project of considerable luagnitude in that Territory. 



PRESENT RECLAMATION WORK. 



Examinations leading- to construction are being- carried on widely. 

 At the points where dams may be erected for water storage the 

 foundations must be studied, and for this purpose diamond drills are 

 used to ascertain the character of the l)ed rock. ^Vork of construction 

 has been begun in two localities — one in Nevada and the other in 

 Arizona. In Nevada the work in hand is that on a canal to take water 

 from Truckee River into lower Carson i-eservoir site. Lake Tahoe, 

 at the head of the Tr-ackee lliver, is the highest large lake in the 

 United States and in many r(>spv:'cts is an ideal reservoir site, and its 

 waters, if wisely used, will go far to promote the prosperity of Nevada. 



