Las Vegas free press. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1891-1???, 1892-03-12
The cEssIoN OF ArID LANDS.


of arid lands in the United States
has reported Representative Ian
hams bill for the reclamation of
arid lands and ceding such lands to
the different states and territories.
The committee makes two reports.
The majority is presented by Mr..
Lanham; the minority bears the
signatures of John L. Brett and
Jerry Simpson.
The majority report sets forth
that the vacant public domain of the
Unitod States, exclusive of Alaska,
the Cherokee strip and some other
Indian lands, is estimated by the re-
port of the commissioner of the
general land office at 570,664,6S3
acres, surveyed and unsurveyed, in
approximately equal proportions.
The principal amount of this land is
embraced in what is known as the
arid land region west of the 97th
meridian of longitude. According
to the estimate of the government Of
ticials, the arid regions include the
.semi.arid plains, embracing 100000
square miles OF this about one
fourth lies in the great plains region
east of the Rocky mountains; an
other quarter is embraced in the
Rocky mountain belt, not more than
one-third of which is arabic; three
eighths lies in the great basin and
plains region between the Rocky
mountains and the Sierra Nevada,
abont one-half of which is arabic,
while the remaining one-eighth, ly-
ing in the ranges of the Sierras, is in
the main rocky and incapable of cul-
tivation. 1t is estimated that about
one-fourth of the arid region is com
posed of rocky or mountainous mar
able land. Official geological survey
ors express the opinion that 100000
600 acres in this region can be re-
deemed by irrigation.
Mr.. Newell, as,shOwn in the CEN
sus bulletins, estimates that 10000
acres are now irrigated in the semi
humid plains region, and that about
100000 acres are irrigated in the
arid regions proper. 1t can not be
stated with accuracy what amount of
irrigable lands yet remains unre-
claimed. The greater part Of the
land proposed by the bill to he ceded
in its present condition is of little
pr 5tical value. Irrigation in the
United States by white men began
in Utah in lS47. Crops were raised
by irrigation in the census year end.
ing June 80, 1890, on $685..
ALB acres, or 4ll.6S square
miles, a trife over $40 of per cent
Of the entire area of the territory.
The aggregate number Of farms was
l0,757. OF these 9,724, or about
depended on irrigation,
the remaining one tenth being either
stock ranches or farms in the north
,rn end of the territory, where the :.
climate is less arid. irrigated
arms in Utah are small, being an
lverage of from twenty to thirty
Icres each. The bill reserves the j.,
mineral lands to the United States, -
tut forests and timber land are in "
iluded in the cession. The lands p
which will be ceded, if the bill be- ~
omes law, will amount to sos, l4l,- .
AZ acres, less whatever number of =
ores may have been taken up since :,
he estimate published in the report -
( the commissioner, dated Sept. 90, "
SOL, and deducting also the mineral a.
lnds, which are distributed as fol- -
)ws: ~
Arizona 55,o6l ,OO5. acres; Califor-
Ia, $50, 299, 400; Colorado, AZ, l07 ,O3O; tn
iaho, os,7sl, 1851; Kansas, 797 1913; to
Iontana, 1882, 100; Nebraska, IL pli