Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-05-25
our IRRIGATED LANDS.

An article on Irrigated soil which
recently appeared In the News showed
thai for every acre Of land subdued by
that means In the trans. NJ lsslssippi
region there were 247 acres not 20 utll-
lied, the cultivated area being thus
about two.hiths Of one per cent OF the
whole. II should DO considered, how
ever, that only very small percent
age Of II Ia uudor the best crcum-
stances susce tl5le Of cultivation even
were irrigation feasible In all cnsee,
there being 70 many high, rocky m NJ.
taius and hills and elevated plateaus
deeply corduroyod by toTentlne
streams. Leaving these cut 1t has
been estimated that there are In all
about 0,OOO,00O aores OF lands which
with water would produce crops. II
this be- the case, then the area Irrigated
In the census year was less than six.
tenths Of one per cent Of tho arabic
lands Of the arid region. All Of the
vacant public lands OF the United
States have been estimated by officials
OF the general land Office o. amounting
to 58S,0Ol, 900 acrcs. OF this amount
the arid rcsions as above defined con.
tain nearly $40, 100000 acres, or about
95 per cent. Taking tho area OF the
arid region az s3.3l2,OOO acres, and
the vacant public lands In this as 5i2,.
900, 900 acres, II appears that there are
3li ,Si2, 900 acres In the hands OF indi.
vlJusls, corporations or otherwise be-
yond the immediate control OF the
general government. or this vast
body OF land the area irrigated formed
a tribe over one per cent, or for every
aero irrigated there are nearly one
hundred acre., In the hands OF owners
private or corporate, upon which water
was not used for the cultivation OF
crops.
The comparison Of the areas having
been made, It becomes interesting to
note tho relation between the entire
farm area aud the amount Of land
irrigated. IL has been estimated that
the total farm area in the arid region
was Ia round numbers little less than
IL 100000 acres, aud In the absence OF
definite figures this quantity will be
used. II this IN the ease, then the
farm area formed about IL per cent OF
the land disposed OF in one form or
another by the general government;
also, the area Irrigated was only s.73
per cent VI the land owned by farm
ere. Coming down 10 stlll smaller
figures. and taking the lands owned by
the irrigators, including pasture lands
and all other portions going to make
up farm, II hRs been ssoertained that
the total area was l7,l90,9g5 acres.
Thus the area irrigated was only
2O.72 per cent Of the total extent Of
these farms, which, rs above stated, ARE
irrigated In whole or part.
This brings US to the average value
OF the lrrlgaleu JANUS Including build.
ings and other improvements, which
we are advised was found 10 range
from 1910 per acre, In Wyoming, up
to $3.50 por acre, In California, the
mean for the whole arid regiol being
$50 2s. This, when applied to the
total area irrigated, gives total value
OF 1896, 500, 600. The average value OF
products ranged from sS,g5, In Wyo-
ming, up to $40 per acre, IN California,
the average for the whole arid region
being slisD per acre. At this rate tho
products Of the census year amounted
to $50, 057, 900, considerably over halt
the value Of the precious metals pro.
duced during the same ycnr.