Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-31
they may have discovered, they will be doing
service to the fruit industry and the State.
The Arid Region of the United States

The report of Major J. w. Powell, in
charge of the Geological and Geographical
Survey of the Rocky Mountain region, TO the
Secretary of the Interior, and published by
order of Congress, is a very valuable contri-
button to the knowledge of that part of the
United States territory embraced in what is
termed the arid Region" of the United
States. This region is bounded generally as
follows: On the east by the Tooth meridian,
on the west by the Cascade range of noun
tains in Oregon and Sierra Nevada further
south on the north by the British Posses
sions, and on the south by Mexico. This re-
gion embraces four-tenths of the whole terri
tory of the United States, is but very
sparsely peopled, and has in no part of it an
average rainfall equal to 20 inches, the aver
age generally being considerably less than
that amount. Experience has shown that
where the annual rainfall is much less than
20 inches it is not wise to risk much in the
way of agriculture without some means of
artificial irrigation. The exceptions to this
proposition are where the lands border con-
stant-fowing rivers and sipage assists to fur
nish moisture. In all this vast region, en-
bracing, as we said before, about four tenths
Of the whole territory of the United States,
successful agriculture cannot be conducted
without irrigation. Indeed, only III very
small portion of this region can agriculture
be prosecuted at all, because but small por
oar he % ,.-aJ br,, o1J now
ton is along the rivers. The high mountain
regions are too cold for agricultural
operations, and these elevated por-
tons are covered with forests. Be-
tween the low, irrigable lands and the
high timber lands is wide belt of country
hills, valleys and mountain slopes, upon
which timber will not grow, and which can
not be cultivated because not irrigable, but
upon which annually grows more or less
grass of various kinds. This belt must be
utilized, and now is utilized to considerable
extent as pasture lands. The timber belts
high upon the mountains of this region will
always be valuable for timber for mining, for
building purposes in the pasture belts and on
the irrigable sections still lower down. The
pasture belts can only be valuable in large
sections, as the product will always be too
light to sustain much stock on any small area.
The irrigable belts can only be properly de-
veloped by the investment of large capital
furnished by wealthy individuals, by the
union and cooperation of small owners, and
a concentration of interests and means with
which to build irrigation canals and works
Major Powell truly and aptly remarks, the
redemption of this arid region involves engi-
neering problems requiring for their solution
the greatest skill" No other portion of the
country, and no other people, are so immedi-
ately interested in the redemption of this vast
region and the peopling of the same, as
the Pacific coast and the people thereof.
The settlement and development of this coun-
try will bring up new questions as to the dis
position of the public lands, the modes of
designating boundary lines between private
owners, the riparian rights on natural streams,
the diversion of the waters from their natural
sources, and many other matters of interest.
1t is indeed a new and interesting country,
with new and interesting natural conditions,
the development of which will require the APP
plication of new and interesting engineering,
political and social problems