208 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TERRITORIES. 



tions, and always ready to assist me in every possible way, and to them 

 T am indebted for much of the information contained in my report on 

 that Territory. And I am glad to say that so far as I was able to test 

 this information by personal observations, I found it generally quite 

 correct, their great desire being not to exaggerate, but simply to get the 

 facts in regard to their section of country before the world. I would be 

 glad to mention the names of those who took special pains to assist me, 

 but as I cannot mention all I hesitate to mention any, but I cannot 

 refrain from naming Governor Potts, Colonel Wheeler, marshal of the 

 district. Colonel Sanders, the editors of the papers of Helena and Deer 

 Lodge, Major Forbes, Mr. Granville Stuart, and others, some of whom 

 are mentioned in my report. 



From Montana I returned to Corinne, in Utah, with Professor Allen, 

 who had joined me at Helena. From Corinne I proceeded to California, 

 in order to see what progress ha.d been made here in the method of irrir 

 gating lands. I desired especially to learn what was being done in the 

 way of lifting water. A visit to the suburbs of Sacramento, Oakland, 

 and San Francisco soon gave me all the information on the subject thab 

 was to be obtained, as no statistics in regard to this important horti- 

 cultural agency appear to have been collected. The wind-mill appears 

 to be nearly the only power used for the purpose of lifting water, and 

 as the quantity raised by each is small it is apparent that these cannot 

 be profitably used for field crops, especially where they compete with 

 the products of rain-moistened regions. But as auxiliaries to horticul- 

 ture they are valuable, wherever the water is to be found in quantity at 

 a short distance from the surface ; and there are probably many ijoints in 

 the Territories into which your survey has extended where they could 

 be used with profit. 1 ajipend a short account of San Jos6 Valley, fur- 

 nished by Professor Allen, as it contains some very interesting matter. 

 Although California is justly celebrated for its fruits, wheat, &c., yet I 

 was quite disappointed at the appearance of the agricultural districts 

 visited, though this was owing in part to the very dry season ; but I am 

 convinced that the agricultural resources of this great State will never 

 be properly develoj)ed until a more thorough system of irrigation is 

 adopted. Although the annual rain-fall is considerable, yet it is not 

 distributed through the growing season in such a manner as to do away 

 with the necessity for irrigation. 



I was surprised to learn no hard wood fit for wheelwright purposes, 

 and agricultural and other machinery, was to be found on the Pacific 

 coast. Visiting the wagon and other shoi)s in San Francisco where 

 hard wood is used, to ascertain where they i)rocured it, I was surprised 

 to learn that this is brought from the Atlantic States. I subsequently 

 found the same fact mentioned in the report of the president of the 

 State board of agriculture of California for 1868-'09. I had ascertained 

 this was the fact in regard to the Territories of the Eocky Mountain 

 region, but was not aware before that it was the case in regard to the 

 Pacific coast. It may perhaps, without exaggeration, be said that 

 proper timber for a wagon cannot be found in the United States west 

 of the one hundredth meridian. As this places the States and Territo- 

 ries of the Pacific slope under considerable disadvantage in this respect, 

 it seems to me that the General Government ought to take some steps 

 to remedy the defect as far as possible. Hard wood will grow in these 

 sections, as is evident from the experiments made, but it will probably 

 be valueless for the purposes mentioned unless freely watered by irriga- 

 tion. Would it not be well to establish in California an experimental 

 farm and garden under the Agricultural Department? The conditions 



