Mohave County miner., 1900-07-21

stored waters of its winters shall have
painted green the rainless summers of
the plains, then will the world marvel
at the magnitude and variety of its
products, the uninterrupted abundance
of its harvests, and the ceaseIess fer.
tility of its soil. 1t is something such
picture AS this that Mr.. Smythe
paints of the future of what he calls
the arid West, and this golden here
after he says will be largely due to the
very aridity which now invites the gen
eral condemnation of so large pro.
portion of its lands.
This aridity he regards-and his es-
innate is sustained by others--as
conspicuous and lasting blessing "The
land which the casual traveller, speak
ing out of the depths of his ignorance,
pronounces worthless" he says, "is in
reality rich and durable beyond that
of the most favored districts In the
humid region. 1t is the marvel of every
eastern farmer who comes in contact
with it." 1t is conceded that certain
arid districts-and they probably in
clude the sagebrush lands of Nevada
are the richest spots ON the face of the
globe, and from Professor Hilgard is
borrowed the striking opinion that the
extraordinary fertility that marks the
valley of the Nile is due to a quality
inherent in aridity itself. The expla-
nation is that the valuable ingredients
of the soil which are soluble have been
washed out of the land in humid re-
gions by the rains of centuries, while
during all that time these productive
elements have been accumulating in
the arid areas. "And there they lie
now," it is contended, "like an mex
hsustible bank account on which the
plant life of the future may draw at
will without danger Of protest" The
chemical process that created this
lasting fertility goes on repeating it.
self, and year after year restoring to
the soil the elements yielded by it to
the growth of vegetation. This Is true
of the arid and semi-arid lands of all
countries. They are endless blessings,
wherever they are, to the people who
possess and know how TO utilize them
through artificial irrigation, under
which their products become as abun.
dant as they are permanent and re,
liable.
But in connection with the unde.
veloped wealth and ultimate redemp'
tion of the arid areas of the world, and
specifically in the United States, Mr.
Smythe has roseate dream of the so.
cial and moral betterment of man. He
says: fortunate beyond all other
parts of the United States in its eli
mate and in the SURPRISING wealth OF
its forests, its quarries and its mines
Western America is yet more favored
in another element of its physica
foundation. This is the substantial
aridity that prevails throughout III
vast proportions. Nature frequentl,
conceals her raw materials of great
: ness, alike in man and in countries
: until time and opportunity are ripe
In the aridity of the west we shall fiDt
the true key to its future institutions
Climate may produce a healthy race
and mineral resources may enrich 1t
; but the natural conditions which de
termine the character Of social ant
industrial organization and mould tb'
habits and customs of man are th'
! potent influences which shape civiliza
, ton" These considerations lead ou
enthusiast to the arbitrary conclusion
that cooperation is necessary in irri
CATION, and that the tendency in irri
gated areas will be toward small hold
, ings, cooperative industry and syste
: matte socialism. Neither experience
r nor the trend of business enterpris,
! fayors any such conclusion, but rathe
that the great irrigating projects OF th'
: future will be mainly promoted by ac
, cumulated capital seeking safe invest
ment. However, be this as it may
. Happy 10 the insurance that the arit
: West is destined to become alike thu
sanitarium and the industrial glory O
: the Republic, we can afford to let th'
social phase of the problem rest.-Sar
! Francisco Chronicle.