LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 
U. S. Department of Agmoultubb, 
Office of Experiment Stations. 
Washington, I). C, June 16, 1002. 
Sir: I have the honor to .submit for publication a report on irriga- 
tion from Big Thompson River, Colorado, prepared under the direc- 
tion of Prof. Elwood Mead, expert in charge of irrigation investiga- 
tions, by John E. Field, assistant State engineer of that State. 
The farmers of northern Colorado have made a more complete use 
of their water supply than is made in any other part of the United 
States except California. This development has brought out many 
interesting features in the practical workings of the Colorado system 
of water laws. The report deals largely with the legal status of water 
rights in the Big Thompson Valley, and in the State of Colorado as a 
whole. 
Mr. Field's official connection with water administration in Colo- 
rado makes him especially well qualified to discuss this subject. It is 
through studies of this character that the people of Colorado and of 
the West can perfect their irrigation systems and secure the highest 
development of their resources. 
It is recommended that this report be published as a bulletin of this 
Office. 
Respectfully, A. C. True, 
Director. 
Hon. James Wilson, 
Secretary of Agriculture. 
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