228 
GREAT BASIN PROBLEMS 
plant control, in composition, growth and development, by varying 
the application of water. 
In competition with the world, the possibility of controlling the 
application of water to plants, will be the first concern. Here is 
not only a fundamental research problem of the Great Basin, but 
also one of the most fascinating fields of research in pure science. 
A rational art of irrigation must be built upon the results of inves¬ 
tigations in various domains of science. 
It must be borne in mind, however, that at the best, the avail¬ 
able water of the Great Basin will irrigate hardly one-tenth of all 
the lands. The remaining nine-tenths must also be used. Where 
the rainfall is above 12 inches, dry-farming, or farming in an arid 
country without irrigation, may be possible. The practice of dry¬ 
farming rests upon scientific law. Much is yet needed in the way 
of study, before the practice of dry-farming will be firmly estab¬ 
lished in the Great Basin. We need only remember that about one- 
half of the earth’s surface lies under a rainfall of less than 20 
inches and most of this area under 15 inches to conceive of the 
tremendous world importance of this research problem of the 
Great Basin. 
Concurrent with the examination of these research prob¬ 
lems the Great Basin presents problems for the engineer, of 
a type different from the traditional problems of the build¬ 
er. Drainage for alkali becomes a problem of chemistry 
and physics quite as much as of laying tiles. The building of an 
irrigation dam carries with it the digging of canals, and a system 
of water distribution under which peaceful and prosperous com¬ 
munity life may be developed. Among the research problems of 
the Great Basin, those of the engineers are not the least. The 
utilization of the Colorado River outside the Great Basin, now 
under discussion, is a type of the problems which the Great Basin 
presents to the engineer, who must be prophet, engineer, and expert 
in community building. 
While hundreds of millions of dollars worth of metals, coal and 
other valuable minerals have been taken out of the Great Basin, 
the mining industry is only in its beginning. The future of mining 
in the Great Basin depends on extensive scientific research. Meth¬ 
ods must be devised for the economical recovery of metals from 
low-grade ores, and from ores essentially different from those for 
