46 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL. No. 1019 



where lie has worked along the same lines with 

 results similar to those secured by Colonel 

 Thorpe in Minnesota. 



Government officials report that the cultiva- 

 ble land of the United States is capable of 

 producing sufficient food to supply a billion 

 people. If that is true why does the country 

 actually suffer because of the scarcity and 

 consequent high price of food. The main 

 reason is a lack of water due to waste. 



I shall now outline the new policy for which 

 there is an insistent demand from all parts 

 of the country. This new policy is based upon 

 the old and wise adage that an ounce of pre- 

 vention is worth more than a pound of cure. 

 The policy to which I refer is proposed by 

 TJ. S. Senator Francis H. Newlands and is 

 now before Congress as the ISTewlands Bill. 

 Briefly stated the main object of this bill is to 

 prevent the swelling of the rivers and the 

 waste of water during the period of freshets, 

 by the construction of reservoirs along the 

 source streams and also diversion canals for 

 irrigating purposes and for raising the under- 

 ground water level. 



The details of the plan are to be in accord- 

 ance with agreements between the federal and 

 state governments and such corporations and 

 individuals as may hold vested rights in the 

 matter. The watershed of every river and 

 stream will be protected. And it is proposed 

 that the work shall be done by the engineers 

 who have charge of the work at Panama. 



That the nation's supply of water is of vital 

 importance will be seen from the following 

 figures. The amount of water required by the 

 average soil for full productivity is 60 inches 

 each year. How far short of this required 

 amount the actual precipitation of rain and 

 melted snow is, will be seen from the reports 

 of the Weather Bureau. 



Weather Bureau experts divide the United 

 States into three districts. That portion lying 

 east of the states of Kansas and ^Nebraska is 

 called the eastern or humid section. In this 

 section the annual precipitation is about 48 

 inches, or four fifths of the amount required. 

 It is estimated that 30 per cent, of this 48-inch 

 precipitation is allowed to go to waste. The 



soil, therefore, receives benefit from only a 

 trifle more than half the amount needed. 



The next section comprises the states of 

 North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, 

 Oklahoma and Texas and is called the median 

 or sub-humid section. In this all-important 

 section the total average precipitation is only 

 30 inches. This amount is supplemented, we 

 are told, by natural sub-irrigation from the 

 mountainous country farther west. This sub- 

 irrigation does not average, however, more 

 than 5 inches. It will therefore be seen at a 

 glance that every drop of water falling in that 

 section should be utilized if possible. 



The third section is that part of the coun- 

 try lying west of the median states and is 

 called the westward or semi-arid section. The 

 rainfall here averages only about 12 inches, or 

 one fifth of required amount. Comment con- 

 cerning waste of water in this section is super- 

 fluous. 



Let me now quote from another official re- 

 port which clearly indicates the importance of 

 water. This report issued by the government, 

 after referring to the fact that growing plants 

 require nearly 1,000 times their weight of 

 water says: 



A pound of bread is the equivalent of two tons 

 of water used by the growing grain; and a pound 

 of beef the equivalent of 15 to 30 tons of water 

 consumed by the animal, both directly and indi- 

 rectly through feed. So that the adult person 

 who eats 200 pounds each of bread and meat in 

 the course of a year consumes something like one 

 ton of water for drink, 400 tons for bread and 

 4,000 tons for meat, making 4,401 tons of water 

 in all. 



The question of conserving the water supply 

 of the country is therefore second to none and 

 the federal government could do an immense 

 amount of good by publishing and conspicu- 

 ously displaying in every post office, raiboad 

 station and schooUiouse in the United States, 

 charts and photographs showing and explain- 

 ing the method of contouring and embank- 

 ment employed by Colonel Thorpe and Pro- 

 fessor Waite, and warning farmers, planters 

 and other landowners to conserve all precipi- 

 tation. 



The secretary of the National Keclamation 



