40 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 
THE SECOND RECLAMATION OF THE DESERT. 
BY R. A. HART.* 
(Abstract). 
The importance of agriculture and the necessity of 
making every acre of land produce its highest economic 
return have been brought forcibly to our attention by the 
great war. 
We, of the West, are concerned particularly with 
agriculture based on irrigation. 
We have come to think of irrigation as being a guar- 
anty of crop production and generally are acquainted 
with its benevolent aspects. Most of us are unaware of 
the fact that the unrestrained use of irrigation water is 
a potent factor in the reduction of crop returns and in 
the actual deterioration of lands. As a matter of fact, 
an alarming proportion of the lands that have been 
brought under irrigation are now unproductive to a 
greater or lesser extent. | 
Irrigation results in the water-logging and mineral- 
ization of the soil of the arid region. The accumulation 
of alkaline salts is the result of a high water-table and 
the only effective remedy is underdrainage followed by 
proper cultivation and irrigation. Drainage lowers the 
water table and prevents its fluctuation within the root 
zone, while the subsequent treatment provides for the 
leaching out of the soluble salts. 
The reclamation of lands injured by irrigation is both 
feasible and economical and makes possible an important 
contribution to war needs. 
*Senior Drainage Engineer, Oftice of Public Roads and Rural 
Engineering, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
