Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-01-15
try, the feature that transcends all
others, including woods, waters,

to foster bly, all available means the
resources of the country that pro-
duct the food of the people. To this
end the conservation of the soils OF
the country should be cared for with
all means at the governments dis
posal. Their productive powers
should have the attention of our
scientists that we may conserve the
new soils, improve the old soils,
drain wet soils, ditch swamp soils,
levee river soils, grow trees on thin
soils, pasture hillside soils, rotate
crops, on all soils, discover methods
for cropping dry land soils, find
grasses and legumes for all soils
feed grain and mill-feeds on the
farms where they originate, that the
soils from which they come may be
enriched.
A work of the utmost importance
to inform and instruct the public on
this chief branch Of the conservation
of our resources is being carried on
successfully in the department of
agriculture but it ought not to es-
cape public attention than state acr
ton in addition to that st the de-
partment Of agriculture Gas Cor in
stance in the drainage of swamp
lands), is essential to the best treat
ment of the soils in the manner
above Indicated.
The act by which, in semi-arid
parts of the public domain the area
of the homestead has been enlarged
from 100 to 800 acres has resulted
most beneficially in the extension of
"dry.farming," and in the demon
stration which has Deen made of the
possibility, through a variation in
the character and mode of culture,
of raising substantial crops without
the presence of such a supply Of
water as has been heretofore thought
to be necessary for agriculture.
But there are millions of acres of
completely arid lana in the public
domain, which, by the establishment
of reservoirs for the storing of water
and the irrigation of the lands, may
be made much more fruitful and
productive than the best lands in
climate where the moisture comes
from the clouds. Congress recognize
ed the Importance OF this method
of artificial distribution of water on
arid lands by the passage of the re.
clamation act. The proceeds of the
public lands creates a fund to build
the works needed, to store and fur
nish the necessary water, and it was
left to the secretary of the interior
to determine what projects should
be selected among those suggested,
and to direct reclamation service,
with the funds at hand and through
the engineers in it's employ, to con-
struct the works.
No one can visit the far west and
the country of arid and semi-arid
lands without being convinced that
this is one of the most important
methods of the conservation of our
national resources, that the govern.
ment has entered upon. 1t would
appear that thirty projects have been
undertaken, and that a few of these
are likely to be unsuccessful because
of the lack of water, or for other
reasons, but generally the work
which has been done has been we'll
done and many important engineer
ing problems have been met and
solved.
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 avail
able under the reclamation statute
are inadequate to complete these
projects, within a reasonable time.
And yet the project has been begun;
settlers have been invited to take up
and in many instances, have taken
up, the public land within the pro.
jects, relying upon their prompt
completion. The failure to complete
the projects for their benefit is, in
effect, breach of faith and leaves
them in most distressing condi-
ton. I urge that the nation ought
to accord the means to lift them out
of the very desperate condition in
which they now are. This condi-
ton does not indicate any excessive
waste or any corruption on the part
of reclamation service. It only in
dicates an over jealous desire to
extend the benefit of reclamation to
as many acres and as many states
as possible. recommend, there.
fore that authority be given to issue
not exceeding $4,000, 900 of bonds