Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-03
OUR COUNTRY'S GREATNESS
Fostered and Aided by Natural and
Artificial Water Supply.
Maj. Powell Talks to the Geographic
SOciety-Rain Making and It's I'M
pOrtance-Next Meeting.

1.-The Water Supply of the United States
was the subject of a very interesting lee
ture by Maj. J. w. Powell at the special
meeting of the National Geographic Soci-
ETY. at Geographic Hall, In the builders ex-
change, last evening. The audience was
a small but appreciative one and before
Maj. Powell appeared President Hubbard
expressed his regret that so few had at
tended what he considered the most inter-
esting meeting of the season.
OF the several many-colored charts ar
ranged about the platform Maj. Powell
first referred to that illustrating the mean
aiiiIdaI la.H IAN IA lncaes, wHlcn showed
how the natural irrigation, most excessive
in Florida, where the average fall is eighty
inches annually, gradually decreased in a
northwesterly direction to the Rocky noun
tains, in whose valley, in some places there
is mean annual rain fall Of from none to
ten inches. In the west, he said the farmer
is dependent upon artificial irrigation from
streams and wells and all industry Is found
clustered about the rivers. the arid regions
being deserted by n an and beast by means
of another chart Ii was shown that the
western lands still held by the government
comprise a belt almost Identical with the
arid region that the central section, only
lately improved. in soil conceded with the
semi-humid belt, and that the great agri-
cultural portion of the country was almost
identical with the rainy region in the east.
Maj. Powell explained how the physical
characteristics of the country had influenced
1t politically and how irregularly nature mad
diffused industry.
Natures Methods.
map of the western half of the United
States illustrated that line drawn along
the 18th meridian divided the country into
the dryfarming section in the west, and
the naturally irrigated section in the east,
practically making an equal division Of ter
rtory. The most striking computation
was put into chart of proportions OF inn
proved land to total area. The table gave
the following list of states and few for
eign countries: Denmark (seventy-six per
cent?. Illinois. Iowa, Ohio, Great Britain,
Delaware. Maryland, New York, Kentucky.
Vermont, Missouri, Connecticut Kansas,
New Jersey, Rhode Island, Virginia Ten
nessee, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New
Hampshire. West Virginia, Wisconsin. South
Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, North Caro-
lima, District of Columbia about twenty
six per cent cultivated), Alabama, Mime
sofa. The United States, as a whole (ifteen
per cent?, Arkansas. Maine, Louisiana, Cali
fornia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, flori-
da. Colorado. Oklahoma, Canada, Idaho.
Utah. Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, New
Mexico and Arizona, the last of which only
has very small fraction Of one per cent
of it's territory cultivated.
Major Powell considered Southern Califor-
mia the greatest agricultural spot on earth,
and pictured its gardens and orchards,
abundant with natures sweetest fruits.
Artificial Rain.
The late experiments in rain making. he
believes, promise, upon the event Of their
success. to be the most valuable achiev-
ment of science. You may grind glass,
bricks or granite, and irrigate them" he
said, land you will get good crops. Ex-
tensive agriculture is to be developed
through irrigation of arid lands as well as
humid lands
He further stated that a strange meta
morphosis is taking place in society; that
there is a wailing because the people are
deserving the country for the city. But the
modern means of transportation make 1t
possible for men to work in the cities and
live in the suburbs. The cities are spread
ing out but not to the detriment of agri-
culture, since statistics show that in the
United States. and all over the world, the
average of gardens and farms is greater
than that of twenty years ago.
In conclusion, II was shown that in his
tory agriculture has been the agency of
improvement, and that directly by the cul-
tivation OF the soil the tribes of old be-
came aggregated into nations. and that irri-
cation. by artificial means where We have
not been blessed with water by nature will
make our great country the greatest of
all in the scale of improved proportions.
The next meeting of the society will also
National Rifles Armory when Secretary
Herbert will preside, and Gen. Greedy, Com
modore Melville, Capt. Shepherd, Senator
Perkins and Mr.. Robert Stein will talk on
The Proposed Exploration of Enesmere
Land"