New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-04

report on the arid lands OF the west, ny Nuoi
| Powell, was laid before Congress yesterday Inc
topics discussed in this paper are the irrigation OIL
the farming lands the preservation OF the lores's
from fire. which Major Powell says is more destruc-
| tive to them than the demands of human industry
and the size and proper way of dsposng of the pas
| turage lands The report is long, but good aO-
stract of it's best features is presented below.
HOW TO REDEEM THE WILDERNESS.
THE ATTRACTIONS OF A FARMING LIFE ON THE
| PLAINS sTATED-A NEW SYSTEM AS 10 ihhi"A-
| TIoN, TIMBER, ETC., NEEDED.
| IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.I
| W,suyGToN. April 3-There was sent to Con-
cress. to-day, n very valuable report prepared by
Major J. w. Powell of the United States Geographi-
cal and Geological Survey of the Rocky Mountain
region on the LANDS of the arid region oil the
| United States"
After defining approximately the boundaries OF
those regions of territory that are supplied WIFI
| abundant rain fall the sub-humid. where the ram
| fall is from twenty to twenty-eight inches year.
and the arid regions where the rain-fe is less thh
| twenty inches, Major Powell says that the
arid or great Rocky Mountain region OF the Uhilcu
| States embraces something more than four-tentis
| of the whole country, excluding Alaska. In All
this region agriculture is only possible by irrIga-
ton and the irriabe tracts, even, are few and far
between In discussing the lands of the arid re-
piop therefore Major Powell divides the territory
in question into three great classes-the irrgable
lands along the borders of the streams the forest
lands of the mountains, and the pasturage lands
between.
IRRIGATION AND ITS FUTURE.
OF the advantages of irrigation, and the condi-
tons necessary to its success. Major Powell says:
There considerations that make irrigation at
ractve to the agrculturast Crops thus cultivated are
not subject to the vIcisstudes OF rainfall The farmer
fears drouGhts The immunity from drought aud
storm renders agricultural operations much more certain
than in regions OF greater humidity Again. the waters
cone down from the mountains and pateaus freighted
with fertizing materials derived from the dccaying
vegetation and soils Of the upper regions which are
spread by the flowing water the cultivated lands
II is probable that the benefits derived from this source
alone will be full compensation Tor the cost oil The pro-
Small streams can be taken out aud distributed by
individual enterprise, but cooperative labor. or aggfc
gated capital be employed IN taking out the larger
streams The diversion of large stream from Its chan
mel INTO a system Of canals demands large outlay OF
| Labor ana material To repay this all the waters
| taken ont must be used, aud large tracts OF
land thus become dependent upon u single cana.
| II is manifest that farmer depending upon
| great extent the small streams are ALREADY
employed. and hut comparatively small portion of the
| irrgtbe lands can be thus redeemed Hence the chef
future development oil Irlsioh mus come from ,ne ~
| OF the larger streams" Before many years all
the smaller throughout the entire region viii bc
occupied in serving the lands anu tneh an future nsNel
Opment viii depend the conditions above described
organization has been successful Outside Of Utah
there but two instances where has been tried but
Greeley, In the State OF Colorado TINS system has
| been eminently successful
Within the ARID region great deposits Of gold silver
| iron coal aud many other minerals found and the
rapid DEVELOPMENT of these mining industries viii de-
mand pari passii, a rapid development Of agriculture.
Thus all the LANDS that eau irrigated Will be required
for agricultural products necessary To supply The local
market created by the mines. For this purpose the
waters Of the non-grOwiug season will be stored,
| SON There are two methods OF storing the
4 Reservoirs
the sources OF the streams aud the waters held IA
canals into ponds within adjacent 10 ~ district
where irritation Is pracccd This latter method Will be
employed fret II Is already employed 10 some extent
where local Interests demand II ana favorable oplor
IL cannot be very definitely stated what extent rti
CATION he increased Dy the storage of water The
iaa y; aGch I GIeS'ef ,nr %a ,1 , ao nue.
tain districts falls ~ snow The great snow-banks are
Growing season. Then the streams are at fSod.,ic
! Many go dry after the SHOWS have been melted
/ during the irriguting time, much more water
than during the remainder Of the year. During the Fall
early summer they are very large 4 days How at
good time Se1lsr than MONTE n2w al low ysn
ally he important ana 1t would be wise 10 anticipate the
| pal reservoirs and larger ponds.
MORE TIMBER BURNED YEARLY THAN CUT.
Passing to the consideration OF the timber lands
| Major Powell continues:
Throughout the arid region timber OF value Il found
1 growing spontaneously on the hlEhtf pldtchhs anu
mountains These timber regions bounded above and
| below by lines which very irregular, due TO local
| conditions Above the upper line no timber grows
because Of the rgor Of the climate and below no timber
grows because OF aridIty Both the upper and
| lower lines descend In pa.sing from south
I to north. That is, the timber districts are
found at a altitude in the northern portion of the
and region than In the southern. The forests are chiefly
OF pine spruce aud fir but the pines are OF the principal
value. Below these timber regions on the lower slopes
OF mountains on the mcsas and hills. low scattered
forests often found. composed manly Of dwarfcd
| pines and cedars These stuned forests nave some
slight value for fuel ami even for fencing but the forests
OF principal value arc found IN the timber region ~
Primarily the growth Of timber depends climatic
| conditions, humidity and temperature Whore the tenn
Icrature higher, humidity must he greater and where
the temperature Ia lower humidity may DC les, These
two conditions restrict the forests to the highlands
above stated OF the two factors involved in the growth
| Importance The degree OF temperature affects thr
problem comparatively little, aud FOR most Of the pur-
poses Of Tins dscussOD may be neglected. For conYcn
fence all these upper regions where conditions OF temper
AZURE and humidity favorable 10 the grow IN OF tim
| ber may be called The lumber regOns.
Not all these high lands are alike covered with forests
timber This limitation is caused by fire Throughout
the timber regions Of all the arid land fires annually
here, now there; and this destruction il on scale
vast that the amount taken from the lands for III
cance The cause OF this great Destruction worthy
OF careful attentiou. The conditions under which
| these fires rage IRE climatic Where Tue ram
fall Is great ana extromc droughIs are nire-
| quent forests grow without much Interruption
| from fires. but between that degree OF humidity
necessary for their protection aud that smaller degree
necessary growth all lands swept bare hy fire To
extent which steadily Increases from the more hl'
mid TO the more arid districts until at a az forests
destroyed, though the humidity IL still sufficient Tor
| growth II immunity from fires were secured The
| amount OF mean annual rainfall necessary TO
| the growth OF forests, II protected from IRE,
| Is probably about the the amount
necessary for agricultural growth with irrigation az
any rate IL Is somewhere from 20 10 ~ Inches. All
timber growth below that amount is OF character SO
stunted to be OF little value, and the growth IL so
| AID hat he IA
tho time forest growth Ii 90
| or.a hat pn al nm ia