New-York tribune., 1877-07-21
IINSOIn punLIC LANDS.
GRAVE ERRORS IN RECENT sTATEMENTs-LAHGE oP-
PoRTuNrrIEs FoR AGRICULTURE IN THE NORTH

PonTtNrrIEs FOX AGRICULTURE IN THE NORTH
WEST
TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR: Having read in your paper your
report of an essay "The Public Domain by
Major Powell read before the National Academy OF Sci
ences at Washington quite recently, was Impressed
with the remarkable statements there made regardng
the quantity agricultural value Of the unsoid pdDhc
lands in United States First, he divides the whoe
of the United States into two parts, wcn ne uesie
mates as "humd" and arid" displaying the comparative
areas by coorod charts The humid portions as he puts
It, are those winch the rainfall is sufficient Tor the pur
poses of agicuture the arid those where it is not Ac-
coriing TO him the arid portions. excepting narrow
strip on the Pacific coast comprise all
the land west Of line drawn north and
south through the center OF Minnesota, east OF
Nebraska aud near OF the Indian Ter
rOry and Texas He says that within this ard region
there are localities great fertility in valleys watered
by streams but the where the fertility depends
directly upon the rainfall exceedingly few, and OF all
the unsod public lands In the humid region the only
portions available for agriculture are small proportion
of the Minnesota lands" The arid region he puts as III
Guiding 1,4s73OO square miles Of this some 100000
square miles he designates the "pasturage region,
the remainder being divided among what he terms the
mountain region, desert lands bad lands timber lands
caifon and lava region, and on OF the pasturagc
region he says that while III its present condition tS
entirely vaueess, "it is entirely unit Tor use as
farming lands" He " eliminates by saying All lhc
good public fit for settlement are sold There Is
not left unsod whole United states OF land which
poor man could turn into farm enough to make one
average county in Wisconsin"
line OF the Northern Pacific Railroad alone within
the limits OF the grant TO that road and entirely WITHIN the
limits Of The Majors arid regon section of country
only opened to settlement within the past five years,
thore is now population Of some 10000 people ana
cultivated area at least 10000 acres. Other parts OF
Western Minnesota equally well populated ana III the
same proportion are demonstrating the fertility OF the
coun ~ The part Of the country thus included takes In
tie western half OF Minnesota ana portion OF the east
ern part OF Dakota II is IN what suppose me MAJOR
calls the "pasturagc" region. Within these limits alOhc
there il population OF ovef 10000 people ana
cultivated area of least 100000 acres, from when IN
the year c76 produced 5000 600 bushels OF wheat
10000 bushels Of corn, 3,OOOOOO bushels OF oaH,
$4,000 bushels Of potatoes and other crops IN eqa
proportion. ,.. =, 49,, s.. ,-
Now thos, facts 10 prove that practical farmers W
aciual occupancy and cultivation, have demonstrated
that "a very considerable part of this arid resei ue-
clarod by Major Powell as entirely unit for use rs
farming lands" is fact uneXcellcd for agric tura p'-
poses; and If wide Of the mark IN other oca-
ties in this section Of his ana region no reahcc
whatever can be placed upon any OF his statements as 10
the agricultural vaiuc Oiany country.
ST. Paul, July 4, 1877. JAMES H. POWER