34 BULLETIN 12-57. F. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGP.ICULTT: 
cause they do not touch the large i the problem, which relates 
to the development nns. They merely bring about sales: 
they do not provide the means i r making payments. 
Some land-developing agencies attempt to solve the problem by 
contracting to ^s for pure:, s - while the pnrcha£ rs 
remain in other occupations and there earn the = .irrying 
the load. This shifts the load, bnt it t; s Ive the problem, 
and has not had any considerable erl'eet in bringing succ— to i 
mat ion enter pris 3. 
The United States reclamation act attempts to solve the problem 
by relieving the land from the burden of interest on deferred pay- 
ments, and by deferring payments for longer and longer per: 
that is. by transferring a part of the burden from the settler on 
Beclamati d Service projects to the general public. This, again, is 
a mere shifting of the part of the burden represented by 
and takes no account of other charges against the land, which seem 
to be too heavy for the settlers to carry, even when relieved of 
interest. 
The State of California has attacked the problem from another 
angle. It does not attempt to lighten the burden, nor to shift it. 
but rather to put the land and the farmer in position to carry it. 
It bases its action on the theory that land is not put into 
promptly because of lack of capital and lack of experience on the 
part of settlers: it supplies t] aipital and attempts to make up for 
the lack of experience. Payment for the land and the reclamation 
works is spread over along I ~ fundi for improve- 
ments and equipment ai e - ie experience i 
lack is ] r in a measure by the employment of expert 
- rs at x] is . the sett'-: - rings ttlers to 
farm in a maimer approved by the authorities. 
The California settlements ::11 in the experimental stag - 
but their experieii shows certain things. On the first 
project, which is the sms ller, and was begun when there was a real 
demand for land, the entire acreag was bi _ into production 
within five years. On the second project, which was larger, and 
was undertaken when the demand for. Ian b I slackened, the 
farms are not being taken so promptly, although they have been 
sold much more rapidly than on reclamation projects generally. 
The very brief California experience seems to indS hat pro- 
viding capital for farm development aids very greatly in bringing 
the land into use promptly, but that this will e if 
reclamation works are over-built t< -aside ruble extent. The 
general agricultural situation has bee: Delusions 
should be drawn from the financial experience of the -ettlers on the 
State projects. 
THE FUTURE OF RECLAMATION. 
E sts have given a great deal of a< to the ] 
futr -ire of population o mailable for 
I action i 5, k and timber.' Their conclusions as to 
- 
tire. 
