﻿314 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  per 
  cent, 
  can 
  be 
  irrigated. 
  Of 
  the 
  arid 
  portions 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  and 
  Kansas, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  make 
  an 
  estimate, 
  as 
  the 
  rainfall 
  will 
  undoubtedly 
  aid 
  very 
  materially, 
  and 
  the 
  line 
  

   of 
  the 
  arid 
  region 
  moves 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west 
  over 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance, 
  from 
  one 
  year 
  

   to 
  another. 
  If 
  entirely 
  dependent 
  upon 
  irrigation 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  small, 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  

   few 
  small 
  streams, 
  and 
  the 
  large 
  ones 
  would 
  be 
  quite 
  fully 
  used 
  in 
  Colorado. 
  

  

  Of 
  Western 
  Texas 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  proportion 
  can 
  be 
  cultivated, 
  probably 
  not 
  more 
  

   than 
  3 
  per 
  cent., 
  as 
  the 
  whole 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  Staked 
  Plains 
  is 
  irredeemable. 
  

  

  Tabulating 
  the 
  above 
  figures, 
  we 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  following 
  results, 
  as 
  the 
  possible 
  

   arable 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  arid 
  region 
  : 
  

  

  ARABLE 
  LAND. 
  

  

  Per 
  

  

  cent. 
  

  

  Square 
  

   miles. 
  

  

  Colorado 
  

  

  Utah 
  

  

  California 
  

  

  New 
  Mexico 
  '. 
  

  

  Arizona 
  

  

  "Wyoming 
  

  

  Montana 
  

  

  Idaho 
  

  

  Nevada 
  

  

  Oregon 
  

  

  Dakota 
  

  

  Texas 
  

  

  Total 
  of 
  irrigable 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  arid 
  region 
  

  

  10,460 
  

   5,070 
  

  

  20, 
  000 
  

   6,060 
  

   5,465 
  

   9,780 
  

  

  11, 
  500 
  

   6,040 
  

   3,360 
  

   3,000 
  

   5,000 
  

   3,750 
  

  

  6. 
  4 
  89, 
  475 
  

  

  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  about 
  one 
  acre' 
  in 
  sixteen 
  can 
  be 
  redeemed. 
  

  

  The 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  actual 
  cultivation 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  States 
  and 
  Terri- 
  

   tories 
  is 
  estimated 
  at 
  8,000,000 
  of 
  acres. 
  Of 
  this 
  fully 
  one-half 
  is 
  in 
  California, 
  and 
  

   of 
  this 
  area 
  of 
  4,000,000 
  of 
  acres, 
  nine-tenths 
  is 
  cultivated 
  without 
  irrigation, 
  leaving 
  

   400,000 
  acres, 
  or 
  625 
  square 
  miles, 
  as 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  under 
  irri- 
  

   gation. 
  The 
  last 
  are 
  the 
  figures 
  for 
  1879, 
  from 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  engineer. 
  Of 
  

   the 
  remaining 
  4,000,000 
  of 
  acres, 
  about 
  1,000,000 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Oregon 
  and 
  the 
  

   Territory 
  of 
  Washington, 
  and 
  of 
  that 
  portion 
  in 
  Oregon 
  nearly 
  all 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  Willamette 
  

   and 
  other 
  valleys, 
  where 
  the 
  abundant 
  rainfall 
  precludes 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  irrigation. 
  

   There 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  irrigation 
  in 
  this 
  State. 
  

  

  The 
  lands 
  under 
  cultivation 
  in 
  Eastern 
  Dakota, 
  in 
  the 
  Red 
  River 
  Valley, 
  and 
  the 
  

   valleys 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  Dakota, 
  Big 
  Sioux, 
  and 
  other 
  streams 
  in 
  the 
  southeastern 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  Territory, 
  maybe 
  estimated 
  at 
  1,000,000 
  acres 
  more. 
  In 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Dakota 
  

   irrigation 
  is 
  not 
  needed. 
  The 
  remaining 
  2,000,000 
  acres, 
  or 
  3,125 
  square 
  miles, 
  are 
  

   distributed 
  among 
  the 
  remaining 
  States 
  and 
  Territories 
  in 
  about 
  the 
  following 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  : 
  

  

  Per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Colorado 
  30 
  

  

  Utah 
  20 
  

  

  New 
  Mexico 
  20 
  

  

  Montana 
  10 
  

  

  Idaho 
  6 
  

  

  Nevada 
  6 
  

  

  Arizona 
  3 
  

  

  Dakota 
  (arid 
  portion) 
  2 
  

  

  Wyoming 
  2 
  

  

  Texas 
  (arid 
  portion) 
  1 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  these 
  are 
  but 
  very 
  rough 
  estimates 
  made 
  in 
  default 
  of 
  

   any 
  definite 
  information 
  upon 
  the 
  subject. 
  

  

  Out 
  of 
  a 
  possible 
  arable 
  area, 
  then, 
  of 
  nearly 
  90,000 
  square 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  arid 
  region, 
  

   there 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  an 
  extent 
  of 
  but 
  3,750 
  square 
  miles 
  under 
  actual 
  cultivation 
  — 
  a 
  pro- 
  

  

  