290 National Geographic Magazine. 



southern part of the State, is held at values ranging from |500 to 

 $5000. Such a little stream has changed hands at 15000, and not 

 at boom prices either. In the interior prices are much less, being 

 from about a quarter to a tenth of those in the far southern part 

 of the State. 



Fully one fourth of the United States requires irrigation. 

 When I say that, I mean that fully one fourth the tillable area 

 of our country requires irrigation, in order to support such a 

 population as, for instance, Indiana has. The irrigated regions 

 of Italy support populations of from 250 to 300 people to the 

 square mile ; of south France, from 150 to 250 people to the square 

 mile ; of southeast Spain, from 200 to 300, When we have 50 to 

 100 to the square mile in an agricultural region we think we have 

 a great population. 



The great interior valley of California will not support, with- 

 out irrigation, an average of more than 15 to 20 people per 

 square mile. Irrigate it and it will support as many as any other 

 portion of the country — reasonably it will support 200 to the 

 square mile. I have no doubt that the population will run up to 

 ten or twelve millions in that one valley, and there are regions 

 over this country from the Mississippi to the Pacific, millions of 

 acres, that can be made to support a teeming population by the 

 artificial application of water. And why has it not been done 

 before ? Simply for the reason that there is a lack of knowledge 

 of what can be done and a lack of organization and capital to 

 carry out the enterprises. 



The government has recently placed at the disposal of the 

 United States Geological Survey an appropriation for the inves- 

 tigation of this subject, to ascertain how irrigation can be secured, 

 the cost of irrigation works, and point out the means for irriga- 

 tion, in the arid regions. It is one of the wisest things Congress 

 ever did ; wise in the time and in the subject. The time will 

 soon come when the question would have been forced upon the 

 country, and the wisdom of preparing for that time cannot be 

 too highly commended. 



