New-York tribune., 1876-01-22
THE BARREN LANDS
LETTER FROM GEN. w. B. HAzEN.

HAVE EXAMINED THE COUNTRY.
70 tks Bd,tor or The Trtbuns.
SIR: The foliowE Eg are a fcw of the many items OF
evidence that have recently to my notice, con"
frminS my repeated statements that the country
living between 1909 West longitude and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, all tn. way from Mexico t. the
British Possessions land far into these Possess0nsl
is in an agricultural scnse practically vaucess ex-
ccpt in few exceptional cases. where water can he
used for irrigation; aid that with this process
not than acre in many hundreds upon Ihe
average can be made available on account or the
scarcity of water The following is an extract ron
the report of Major-Gcn G. X. Warren. written more
than twenty years ago. after having been engaseu
for thrco years in making recOnuoisances OF tna'
country as an officer OF the u. 5. TopogfophicaI En-
gineers:
not nIeh Inferior corresponding portions Of KAN
sas and Texas. there Is no dsulslns Ae Iact I1a %
portion OF ia irrecallnibe desert IN ot Lt.io
wood and cultivAtsble lands only along me stttams
Ie reasons arc: hlsI insult lent rains second want Oi
prOper constituents OF soil; third severity OF ue IOu
cod Winters and The shOrness o. Shui'ois i@Oui'' @
MIGHT he nsme,the occasional visits Of erassloppcis
They often i the air ike shower of rain or the snVhe
OF paie fire The hight Of their nght g may "a % ne 1r m
errod the fac OF her being seen @ gh IN i enc x %
from peak Of the Rocky Mountains. S'OO oe apoN' %
the surrounding plain and 1l5o2 zee, apoVs Kim ,e Of
rilroad tram.
MIR. Edwin A. Curley, gentleman of culture ana
rare faculties of observation has written most eA
haustive book upon the resources and cap"'''o' u
Nebraska In this page 26O, he says:
Some wears ago tho g9th meridian Wa gwen A. oe @
vest IN limit OF the profitable growth OF ceicas wtou
irrigation More reetntly tae balance % Ii & V1 sud sono
settlers moi disp peleve in iinagnlTy ih.s haye
pishcd lar stwsrd Of tnis boundary That tor ths
present there is limit Is certain, Olt our ua1
Tor accurately fixing 1t II waning ,....rCoI II
The following eXtrIct is from letter ol Coi H.
* Marrow Of the army, best known to the country
by his most excellent report last year upon affairs in
Upper Louisiana Speaking of my discussion upon
This subject published by Robert Black n Co. OF
Cincinnati "Our Barren Lands" he says;
lam 80 delighted with the trathful manner in which
eTdnce in peseyePGg 10 tc the facts the face OF
The great influence OF parties Interested III haVhg ohtr
that cannot withoid tie expression Of ny thaHas 10
YOU for tho performance ot great public duty wa9
1870 aud made 1t my special duty, by personal m7Pe
facts to gain information upOn tis subject witn view
TO establish Reservation for the AssinndDoihe dl o,nc.
flrm convection that the country is worthless for aKr
culture, and must remain sG uti some sto' a. a.,
change takes lace thrOuSh "HcH '"o i"" "'' 80 -
creased manifold
During the past Summer met Capt Crozer of the
Canadian Mounted Service, recently stationed III
that country about 100 mos due north OF Fort len
ton. lie informed mo that in crossing from fort
Garry almost due west tn his station, h lOund no
running water after leaving Rat River, suiaH
.tream 60 miles west of Red River, till he reached
This route is across the entire brea lth OF the soced
"Great International Wheat Garden" OF Northern
Pacific Railroad nosorie,y. He pronounced the
ronntry worthless The following is the substance
of report made by Gen. Edward Hatch Of the army
from Fort CLARK. Texas, n point near the lOOth
meridian who was directed TO select a suitable
place for q reservation and the settlement of the
Seminole negroes recently returned from Mexico:
After long anu careful search and cation, am
No
TClture in tldS Vic1ty.
| have been authorized to publish the following
extract from letter from ex-CiOv. Jacobs OF hen
lucky. Being q near relation by marriage OF Gcn.
Fremont, he accompanied the General on one OF I5
overland expeditions setting out from Independence,
Mo-. gaining at that time his impressions Of the
country herein given.
Iroceiyed Gen Hazens pamphlet and read It with
great deal OF pleasure. can onsy spoik 0 lhat pHtoh
uf the country Travelled over - yeIrs ago We h"d
magnificent eoE ty Ot sOhic three of 10, -hu.eI l-
oi here and tere ic. tie spo ~ was h''ei w I,e & Too
of the sierra Nevads Mountains womb s.N iIdl ueI
Hazsns situate tle country isa very jns one GnG
without more IA II. 1t can never come un aSise.di
country no1,cI oy me 'in'-S 81 tIe i."" uaA .. ol
take that with good many grains o! atn$ln,t' s.i5 very
part OF the country (NorthcTn Dak0tel Uail-ise
1be following extract is from tAc writings Of
most intelligent and obServant gentleman, who haa
during the past season travelled over the Union
Pacific Railroad. Speaking OF the country, he says:
value Of these lands, psrticui@Iy Of those lying
estimate, ut very low ore saw nom jn GesciL
Nelra4Ga ani upuc III all the long distance through
Southern Wyoming 10 iDVlto INC dEieu' 'lLmt % W.
Granger. dObted wAetLer any sens.pc 'ei.neg cou"
he hired to settle them The exceptions were 40 i."
aud limited thti care LOt 10 give any Ni"e q" "cuI
Blrrcuncss Is writcH upon thcn b. tEe iIn o' Gud,
and haad Cf man en- rtSiOIc tdeu 20 le.ty th,d
Bile for farming Interest f1i no" COS ,Hr 'tiiny
represent heH 10 larlnrIsf Read cicG a. st'. "ol-
cast the laud lcsentng them as non 90 ihnlf
soil - ~ feet deep. easy cultivated, and 90 mex
hausiblo fertility. Ills representation, a. da4 ahie 20
ID
as fraudulent and deserving OF cu"D itOn as e'H i'
that OF rODbng the Governmehl oi millions 0i money
The reports IN the Office of tho General Land Com
missioner ~ Washington show that the surveyor
General OF New-Mexico and Arizona estimates that
not to exceed one in seventy can be cultivated
ia those Territories and that cultivation is synOny-
nous with irrgablo" la Colorado. the various sur
Voyorstieneral have placed their esuaits irom ono
mere IN thirty 10 in sixty, whilc Sir ~ {. Meek
efs letters would appear 10 put II somewhere
within these Limits. The grazing interests here are,
However much more valuable than the agricultural,
a fact just dawning upon the Greeley colony. The
arabic lands OF Utah correspond in quantity very
nearly to that of Now-Mexico, while the report of
Gen John DAY. Survey0T-GeneIal. places those Of
that state as one acre in sixty. The proportion OF
arabic land in Montana and Idaho Is somewhat
greater than in the other middle Territories, but the
same necessity for irrigation exists in all of them
alike as well i'll the western alf of Texas, Indian
Territory Kansas and Nebraska. The eastern por-
ton of Dakota, including the Valley of the Red
River of the North is most excellent. and requires
no artificial irrigation. The pastoral interests are
valuable all over this region.
Much has been said Of the agricultural
advantages Of the Black Hills, but Prof
Jenney's expedition reports that ON the 1lth
of juno they encountered snow-storn
NJ