THE UTILIZATION OF THE VACANT PUBLIC LANDS 53 



use of this elenient must be of paramount importance to secur- 

 ing title to the hind. 



If the waters of the perennial streams wiiich are wasted during 

 the winter months could ))e stored and reservoirs could be con- 

 structed to impound tiie storm waters, the area of territory sus- 

 ceptible of irrigation could be largely increased. As the irrigable 

 land is far in excess of the available water supply, the land to 

 l)e irrigated should also be selected with a view to tlie most eco- 

 noiuical use of the water, so that the available lands should be 

 irrigated and disposed of as agricultural hinds, and the reuiain- 

 ing lands be held for disposition for other uses. 



The imi)ortance of observing the strictest economy in the dis- 

 tribution of ^vater and the selection of lands is forcibly stated 

 in the minority report of the Special Committee appointed })y the 

 United States Senate in 1889 to consider the subject of the irriga- 

 tion aud reclamatiou of the arid lands. It says: 



" The irritable land? are limited in extent. The area of the arid region 

 which can be irrigated is a small fraction of the entire region. This arises 

 from the fact that all the waters that can be used are insufficient to serve 

 all the possible irrigable lands. It therefore becomes necessary to select 

 the lands to be redeemed. On the wisdom of this selection vast interests 

 depend. It is possible to irrigate lauds on the mountains and on the high 

 plateaus, but if the water is used there it cannot be used below, and these 

 elevated lands will not make the best homes for the people. The climate 

 there is rigorous, and the variety of agricultural products that can be 

 raised is limited, being chiefly hay and vegetables. To use the water on 

 such lands is largely to waste it, and to drive agriculture into the moun- 

 tains is to doom the people engaged therein to a dreary life in a subarctic 

 climate. It is therefoi-e manifestly to the interest of the greatest number 

 of i)eople that the agriculture of the arid lands should not be established 

 in the mountain regions. The valleys and plains below are warm, salu- 

 brious, and rich, the variety of agricultural products is great, and if the 

 waters are used on these lands they will give support to a prosperous 

 people." 



If this is the condition with which we are confronted with re- 

 gard to tlie vacant })ublic lands in the arid region, then it must 

 follow that these lands should not be disposed of until they have 

 been brought to an agricultural condition, if due regard be had 

 to the practical and economical disposition of then), and with a 

 view to deriving the greatest benefit for the state and nation. 



Tiiis may be accomplished in three ways : (1) by the construc- 

 tion of reservoirs and irrigating works and the adoption of an 

 irrigation svstem under the direction of the general government; 



