﻿308 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  belt 
  of 
  debatable 
  land, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  width 
  of 
  perhaps 
  two 
  degrees 
  of 
  lon- 
  

   gitude. 
  In 
  favorable 
  seasons 
  this 
  belt 
  may 
  be 
  cultivated 
  without 
  irri- 
  

   gation, 
  white 
  in 
  dry 
  seasons 
  the 
  whole 
  area 
  may 
  require 
  artificial 
  water- 
  

   ing. 
  This 
  belt 
  traverses 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  Dakota, 
  gradually 
  moving 
  

   westward 
  as 
  it 
  nears 
  the 
  southern 
  border. 
  It 
  passes 
  across 
  Nebraska 
  

   nearly 
  in 
  its 
  center, 
  and 
  continues 
  nearly 
  due 
  south, 
  crossing 
  Kansas 
  

   slightly 
  west 
  of 
  its 
  middle 
  line. 
  It 
  crosses 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  Indian 
  

   Territory, 
  and 
  in 
  Southern 
  Texas 
  gradually 
  trends 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  

   reaching 
  the 
  Rio 
  Grande 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  its 
  mouth. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  arid 
  region 
  must 
  be 
  excepted 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  Washing- 
  

   ton 
  Territory, 
  especially 
  the 
  western 
  portion, 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  Oregon 
  lying 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Cascade 
  Eange, 
  and 
  the 
  northern 
  half 
  of 
  California 
  lying 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada. 
  Within 
  the 
  region 
  thus 
  excepted 
  the 
  rainfall 
  

   is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  insure 
  crops. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  area 
  designated 
  as 
  "arid" 
  there 
  are 
  small 
  districts 
  which, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  conformation 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  topography, 
  enjoy 
  sufficient 
  rain- 
  

   fall 
  for 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  agriculture. 
  But 
  these 
  cases 
  are 
  too 
  few 
  and 
  lim- 
  

   ited 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  in 
  this 
  connection. 
  

  

  Here, 
  then, 
  is 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  1,400,000 
  square 
  miles, 
  or 
  nearly 
  one-half 
  the 
  

   area 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  Alaska, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  important 
  industry 
  

   of 
  agriculture 
  is 
  dependent 
  entirely 
  upon 
  irrigation. 
  Without 
  water 
  the 
  

   land 
  is 
  of 
  value 
  only 
  for 
  its 
  sparse 
  covering 
  of 
  grasses 
  ; 
  is 
  useful 
  only 
  to 
  

   the 
  stock-raiser; 
  its 
  productive 
  capacity 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  about 
  one-hun- 
  

   dredth. 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  irrigation, 
  therefore, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  paramount 
  im- 
  

   portance, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  future 
  of 
  nearly 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  depends 
  

   in 
  a 
  great 
  measure 
  upon 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  State 
  and 
  national 
  im- 
  

   portance. 
  Throughout 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  

   arable 
  laud 
  is 
  purely 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  available 
  for 
  

   irrigation. 
  The 
  area 
  of 
  land 
  suitably 
  situated 
  in 
  other 
  respects 
  for 
  agri- 
  

   culture 
  is 
  several 
  times 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  supplied 
  with 
  water. 
  Proba- 
  

   bly 
  not 
  a 
  hundredth 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  flows 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  of 
  

   the 
  West 
  need 
  run 
  to 
  waste 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  land 
  fit 
  for 
  receiving 
  it 
  ; 
  while, 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that, 
  using 
  all 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  its 
  utmost 
  

   capacity 
  in 
  irrigation, 
  not 
  one-fifth 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  which 
  is 
  suitably 
  situated 
  

   for 
  it 
  can 
  ever 
  be 
  irrigated. 
  

  

  It 
  becomes, 
  then, 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  water 
  rather 
  than 
  of 
  land. 
  Of 
  the 
  two 
  

   the 
  former 
  is 
  all-important; 
  the 
  latter 
  has 
  the 
  smallest 
  actual 
  value. 
  

   Without 
  water 
  the 
  land 
  cannot 
  be 
  given 
  away 
  ; 
  with 
  it, 
  it 
  becomes 
  as 
  

   valuable 
  as 
  the 
  rich 
  prairies 
  of 
  Iowa. 
  The 
  measure 
  of 
  success 
  already 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  the 
  endeavors 
  to 
  reclaim 
  the 
  Arkansas 
  Valley 
  to 
  profitable 
  

   agriculture, 
  as 
  the 
  Hon. 
  F. 
  G. 
  Adams 
  has 
  shown 
  in 
  a 
  recent 
  paper 
  before 
  

   the 
  Kansas 
  Academy 
  of 
  Science, 
  is 
  a 
  sufficient 
  warrant 
  for 
  much 
  more 
  

   careful 
  surveys 
  by 
  the 
  government 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  valleys 
  of 
  our 
  Western 
  

   plains 
  with 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  increased 
  irrigation. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  which 
  urgently 
  require 
  the 
  

   protection 
  and 
  assistance 
  of 
  the 
  national 
  government 
  for 
  their 
  agricul- 
  

  

  