IRRIGATION 
to the state, and in turn patented to the 
settler when he has complied with the 
provisions of the law. The construction 
company is paid a fixed sum for the wa- 
ter, the enterprise is under the supervi- 
sion of the state authorities and the water 
users have charge of the canals for main- 
tenance. 
What Carey Act Lands Are and How 
Title Is Obtained Thereto 
Under the operations of this act the 
federal government turns over to the 
states such land as they may desire to 
procure for reclamation from time to 
time. 
When this land is turned over to the 
state for reclamation it enters into a 
contract with some company to construct 
an irrigation system and sell water 
rights therein to the settlers at a price 
fixed by the state contract and upon the 
terms therein specified. Upon the mak- 
ing of a contract the irrigation company 
proceeds to construct the irrigation sys- 
tem under the general supervision of the 
state engineer and subject to his approval 
and direction from time to time. When 
the construction of the system is ad- 
vanced to such a state that water can be 
delivered or will shortly be delivered the 
state opens the lands to settlement, sell- 
ing the land at fifty cents per acre to all 
entrymen who purchase water rights of 
the irrigation company at the price fixed 
in the state contract. Thus it will be 
seen that the enterprise from its incep- 
tion to the final turning over of the sys- 
tem is subject to state inspection and 
supervision—with a consequent assurance 
not only as to the feasibility of the orig- 
inal undertaking, but also as to the meth- 
od by which the irrigation system is con- 
structed and finally completed. 
The procuring of title to these lands 
is simple and comparatively inexpensive 
and is free from the difficulties and long- 
residence requirements of the homestead 
and government reclamation laws. 
Only thirty days’ residence is required 
before final proofs may be made. As soon 
as an entry is made, the entryman can, if 
he wishes, at once begin the improve- 
ment of his land by doing his clearing, 
1167 
plowing, etc., and if, when water is ready 
for delivery, he has one-eighth of his 
holding under cultivation (that is, seeded 
and ready for irrigation), and then begins 
actually irrigating that one-eighth, he 
may at once give notice of intention to 
make final proof, by publication in a 
newspaper published in the county in 
which the land is situated for four weeks 
immediately preceding the date set for 
making final proof, during all of which 
time he must reside on the land, and if 
married, he must establish his home with 
his family. In this way, title can be se- 
cured with only about thirty days’ resi- 
dence. 
It will be seen from the foregoing that 
the term of residence and the length of 
time required for proving up is largely 
optional with the settler. He may put 
one-eighth of his land under cultivation 
and have it ready for irrigation as soon 
as water is delivered. He may then turn 
the water onto this one-eighth and imme- 
diately begin publishing his four weeks’ 
notice of intention to prove up and at the 
expiration of that period may make final 
proof, thus making his final proofs in 
about thirty days. On the contrary, if he 
does not care to make his final proofs at 
once, he may continue cultivation and 
residence and not prove up until the end 
of the three years’ period allowed by the 
statute. Of course, the great advantage 
of proving up in the shortest possible pe- 
riod is that it relieves one of the neces- 
sity of continued residence on the land 
and enables him to perfect his title im- 
mediately. 
Questions Answered Regarding the 
Carey Act 
Land and water rights under the Carey 
act are assignable both before and after 
proof. 
Married women can not file on lands 
under the Carey act, but widows may. 
One person may file for another under 
power of attorney. 
It is not necessary to visit the land 
before filing. 
Within one year after notification that 
water is ready for delivery the settler 
must cultivate one-sixteenth of the entry; 
