Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1877-05-17

= 0Un PvDxEe LAnDs.-At the recent
meeting zeis the Naaienals Acadeny of
Scienee = Waehington. Major Powell
read Z very Interesting paper on the
Public Domsin., The following ex-
trscf u given BY tie New Yeti In
4Qns: xwss f9ilaF assF nscsn9.wrT
!; He divided the whole srse Of the un-
ned States into two parts, Which he des.
i9nated % hudIid and ard. The humid
Postious ass thoss in which the rainfall
. ssfkeisst fne the Purposss of agrieaE
tnre;. H. sesid = thossS xkare i = ~.
Except . narrow strip, on the Pacific
coast, the arid portion comprises all the
land west Of line drawn through the
centres of Minnesota, east Of Nebraska,
and near the centres Of Kansas, Indian
Territory and Texas. The arid portion
nearly equals in area the humid portion.
Within the arid region there are locsli-
ties Of great fertility, in valleys watered
by streams; but the instances where the
fertility depends directly upon rainfall
are exceedingly few. Wherever there
are streams in this region the fertility
can be much extended by irrigation.
The unsold public lands in the humid
region are almost wholly undesirable
property. In Florida there are g.
0OO, 900 acres Of this sort, including the
vast swamps OF the Everglades. In
Alabama there are 1900, 900, in Lou
isiana, 5000, 900; in Mississippi, 8, ,S75,-
600; these are chiefly on the coast line,
and are salt marshes. In Arkansas the
5000, 900 acres of public lands are most
ly mountain region; in Michigan there
are 1;OOO,O 900 acres Of swamp and bar
rem pine lands, and similarly objection
able features characterize 5,O0O,O 900
acres IN Wisconsin, SOC, 900 in Iowa
much of the 8 to 10 million in Mime
sota, and about 1000, 900 in Washing
ton Territory. OfaN the public lands
left unsola in the humid region tie oni,,
portions araiiable for agriculture are
a small proportion Of the Minnesota
lands.
The arid region of the United States
extends over 1,4S7, ,3S7 square miles; OF
this nearly 700, 900 square miles may be
called a pasturage region: 80, 900 q
mountain region: 125, 900 desert lands:
the "bad lands" nearly 100, 900: timber
lands ard plateau region, each about
$4,000; canon and lava regions together.
about 100, 900. The irrigable lands are
about per cent. of the whole; that is,
those that are practically irrigable from
streams by the processes now in use
|Abetter system ofirrigation would large
ly extend this area. In the great pas
turage region" of TOO. 900 square miles
water is scarce. 1t may perhaps be OBJ
tanned hereafter by digging artesian
wells. Even in its present condition
this "pasturage" area is by no means
valueless, though entirely unfit for use
as farming land.
Government sections of 160 acres that
do not contain water are practically, OF
at all events comparatively, worthless.
All the good public lands fit for settle
ment are sold. There Is not left uasola
in tie whole United States, of land uhich
poor man could turn into a farm,
enough to make one areraye county in
Wisconsin,. The exception to this state
ment. if il is open to any, nav perhaps
be found IN Texas or Indian Territory:
elsewhere il is true. The homestead
plan can only be applied in the pastur-
age area after being so modified as to
include very much larger space than
now to homestead, and to provide for
the abutment Of some portion, in each
instance, upon q stream where focks
can be watered.