352 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
of supply are too small to justify Government irrigation, even if they 
were public lands? 
Mr. Smrra. Yes, sir; we have no public lands in our State. 
Mr. Brooxs. What 1 want to bring out is that they are small enter- 
prises that do not justify irrigation on a large scale, but would abun- 
dantly justify the individual farmer doing itif he can do it intelligently ? 
Mr. SuitH. Yes, sir; that is the point. 
Mr. Bowir. He needs the experiment as a demonstration. 
Mr. Grarr. What did these experiments consist of that were had 
by the Department of Agriculture? 
Mr. Smiru. Those experiments can be explained better by Mr. © 
Mead, who, I believe, will appear before the committee after me. 
He can explain them more satisfactorily, more in detail, and I will 
leave that to him. 
Mr. Burzeson. I would be glad, Judge, if you would make a short 
statement to the committee about the ownership of public lands in 
Texas, and why it is that Texas will not benefit under the general 
irrigation law as passed. 
Mr. Surru. When Texas was admitted as a State into the Union 
she reserved all her public domain to herself. None of that went to 
the Government, and there never has been any Government land in 
the State of Texas. The general irrigation act, as 1 understand it, 
only applies to those States and Territories where there are public 
lands of the Government, so the Interior Department, which has 
that work in charge, will not enter the State of Texas or do any work 
in the State at all. 
Mr. Henry. Why would it not be the preliminary step for the 
State of Texas to enact legislation in the line of legislation that has 
been enacted by Congress, by providing for the sale of these lands and 
that the proceeds shall be applied to irrigation purposes? 
Mr. Burteson. Most of that land belongs to individuals. . 
My. Smiru. Most of it belongs to individuals, and the lands the 
State still owns belong to the school fund of the State and that fund 
can not be diverted to any other purpose. Those lands are being 
rapidly taken up by actual settlers at a nominal price. The lands are 
very cheap. 
The Cuatrman. How are these settlers supporting themselves! 
Mr. Smita. By farming and stock raising in connection with their 
farms. 
Mr. Burteson. And when they have the proper amount of rain, by 
making most abundant crops. 
Mr. Suirx. Yes; it is the most productive country on earth when 
they have the rain. 
The Cuarrman. Some years you have enough? 
Mr. Burteson. Sometimes. ; 
Mr. Lorimer. What is the crop in the irrigated country ? 
Mr. Smyrn. They have a variety of crops. They have corn and the 
lighter food stuffs, and cotton, grapes, and fruits. 
Mr. Lortmer. In the rainy season what will the soil produce to the 
acre of corn? 
Myr, Situ. Well, the corn crop is not grown as successfully as 
some other crops, but I have seen all the way from 35 to 60 bushels 
of corn raised to the acre. Under irrigation, I will say to the com- 
mittee, I have seen grown 2 bales of cotton to the acre; I have seen 6 
