The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1902-05-22
WESTERN PUBLIC LANDS.


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A press bulletin has been issued by the
United States Geological Survey, edited
by Charles d. Walcott, which treats of
the photography of the western part of
the United States. The special paper
points out the good to be obtained by
the reclamation of the arid lands by
government action. A classification is
given of the lands of the West, and an es-
innate is made that within the arid and
semi-arid districts of the Western States
nearly 12O, 600, 900 acres are covered with
woodland, and, in addition, more than
5000 600 acres are covered with CONNER
cial timber; about 40, 900, 900 acres are
grazing land. Thus, as to the areas, the
grazing industry will probably always be
the greatest industrial pursuit. The bull
letin says the open range of the arid re-
gion may support one COW to every TWEEN
ty acres. The same land, watered. may
support ten cows to twenty acres, or, In
orchards, may support five persons to
twenty acres. The open range may sell
for fifty cents IN acre; watered. it nay
be worth $50 an acre, or, in orchards, $500
an acre. The grazing land has the great
est extent and the least value; the irri
gated lane the least extent and the great
est value.
"One-third of the United States ,exclu-
sive of Alaska and the outlying posses
sions, consists of vacant public lands.
These lands lie for the most part in
the arid region. and crops cannot be pro-
duced upon them nor settlers take then
up for homesteads until a sufficient water
supply has bee obtained; then crops are
abundant. 1t is for the interest of the
public at large to ia all of these good
agricultural lands utilized. Who shall
make their occupation by settlers posi-
ble?" asks Director Walcott.
! The answer must come from the law
makers of the country, and they must be
in possession of the facts in order to act
intelligently. The laws governing the dis
posal of public lands nave been drawn
almost wholly with reference to the lands
of the Ohio and the Mississippi valleys,
with their sufficient rainfall. This rec
tangular system of subdivision Of the
public lands has been found detrimental
to the best growth of the western two-
fifths of the United States because atten-
ton has been concentrated upon land ii
ties, whereas first thought should nave
been given to water rights, through which
alone the land has value. To remedy this
evil for the remaining public lands, and
TO gather the facts upon which intelligent
action can be based is a patriotic duty.
These facts pertain first of all to the
water supply and it's limitations. Irri-
cation, which concerns all citizens of the
United States and their children's chill
dren, is the key to the situation. 1t is
the duty of the highest citizenship to
provide a hundred homes for Independent,
farmers rather han to permit the land
TO be taken up as one or two great STOCK
ranches, controlled by non-residents an
furnishing employment to a few no.
madic herders.'
The bulletin says some of the actua
desert lands in the United States pro
duce nothing, even when watered, as, 70
example, the broad flats adjacent to tn,
Great Salt Lake In Utah, and the land
around the Humboldt, Carson and Wake
sinks, in Nevada. Others, like the Mo
have desert. near the Colorado river. II
southeastern California, produce large