The Mena weekly star., 1910-01-20

with other plants, competition must b maintained and prices kept reasonable.
 Soils Must Be Conserved.
 Tn considering the conservation of thu natural resources of the country, the fea ture that transcends all others. including woods. waters, minerals, is the soil of thu country It is incumbent upon the gov ernment to foster by all available meant the resources of the country that produce the food of the people. To this end th' conservation of the soils of the country should be cared for with all means at th' governments disposal. Their productive bowers should have the attention of oul scientists that we may conserve the new soils. improve the old soils drain wei soils, ditch swamp soils. levee river over flow soils. grow trees on thin soils, pas. ture hillside soils. rotate crops on al soils, discover methods for cropping dry and soils, find grasses and legumes for III soils feed grains and mill feeds or he farms where they originate. that the soils from which they come may be en- riched
 work of the utmost importance to in- form and instruct the public on this chief branch of the conservation of our re- sources is being carried on successfully In the department of agriculture but It ought not to escape public attention that state action fin addition to that Of the de- partment of agriculture Gas for instance in the drainage of swamp iands) Is es- sential to the best treatment of the soils in the manner above Indicated.
 Homesteads and Dry Farming.
 The act by which. in semi-arid parts of the public domain, the area of the home stead has been enlarged from l60 to s2O acres has resulted most beneficially m the extension Of dry farming anc m the demonstration which has been made of the possibility, through a variation In the character and mode of culture, or raising substantial crops without the presence of such a supply of water as has been heretofore thought to be neces- sary for agriculture.
 But there are millions of acres Of com pletely arid land in the public domain which by the establishment of reservoirs for the storing of water and the irri- gation of the lands, may be made much more fruitful and productive than the best lands in a climate where the mols- ture comes from the clouds. Congress recognized the importance of this method of artificial distribution of water on the arid lands by the passage of the reclama- ton act. The proceeds of the public landa creates the fund to build the works needed to store and furnish the neces- sary water, and it was left to the secre- tary of the interior to determine what projects should be started among those suggested and 10 direct the reclamation service. with the funds at hand and through the engineers in It's employ, to construct the works.
 No one can visit the far west and the country of arid and semi-arid lands with IAfr nn1 et.at fu fc NFan If the most important methods of the con servation of our natural resources that the government has entered upon. It would appear that over 30 projects have been undertaken. and that few of these are likely to be unsuccessful be- of lack of water, or for other req sons, but generally the work which has been done has been well done. and many important engineering problems have been met and solved
 Funds Inadequate for Service.
 One of the difficulties which has arisen Is that too many projects in view of the available funds have been set on foot, The funds available under the reclamation statute are inadequate to complete these projects within d reasonable time And yet the projects have been begun; settlers have been invited to take up and. in many in- stances. have taken up. the public land within the projects. relying upon their prompt completion. The failure to complete the projects for their benefit is, in effect a breach of faith and leaves them In a most distressed con dition. urge that the nation ought to afford the means to lift them out oi the very desperate condition in whict they now are.
 Tbte canNitgou 1oao moi fp1foato n, excessive waste or any corruption or the part of the reclamation service. I only indicates m over-zealous desir. to extend the benefit of reclamation to as many acres and as many state as possible I recommend. therefore that authority be given to issue. no exceeding s30. .000, 900 of bonds iron time to time. as the secretary of tn interior shall find it necessary. tn proceeds to be applied to the comple tion of the projects already begun am their proper extension, and the bond running ten years or more to be takei up by the proceeds of returns to tn reclamation fund. which returns. a the years go on, will increase rapidl, In amount.
 There Is no doubt at all that l these bonds were to be allowed to rui ten years. the proceeds from the publ lan0S. together Witn tfle renltlS TO water furnished through the complete, enterprises, would quickly create sinking fund large enough to retir the bonds within the time specified. hope that. while the statute shall pro vide that these bonds are to be pail out of the reclamation fund. if will b drawn in such A way as to secure in terest at the lowest rate. and that tn credit of the United States will b pledged for their redemption.
 urge consideration of the recon mendations of the secretary of tn interior in his annual report fo amendments of the reclamation aci proposing other relief for settlers O. these projects.
 New Law Requisite.
 Respecting the comparatively smal timbered areas on the public domain no included in national forests because O their isolation or their special value fo agricultural or mineral purposes 1t is ap parent from the evils resulting by vir tue of the imperfections of existing law for the disposition of timber lands tha the acts of June 3. 1878. should be re pealed and a law enacted Cor tls dispo sition of tho tim at plalic ie. n | nds after the remneN of she timber | be subject to al lpf priatlon under th agricultural or mineral land laws
 What l have said is really an epitom of the recommendations of the secretar of the interior In respect to the futur conservation of the public domain in hi present annual report. He has give close attention to the problem of disposi ton of these lands under such condition as to invite the private capital necessar to their development on the one hand and the maintenance of the restriction necessary to prevent monopoly and abus from absolute ownership on the other These recommendations are incorporate in bills he has prepared. and they are a the disposition of the congress. earnest