Norwich bulletin., 1910-01-15

 tate crops on all soils, discover meth
 ods for cropping dry land soils. find
 grasses and 4egumes for all soils, feed grains and mill feeds on the farms where they originate that the soils
 from which they come may be en-
 riched.
 Department of AsricuIture's Good Work
 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 success
 fully in the department of agriculture,
 but it ought not to escape public at tention that state action in addition to that of the department of agriculture as, for instance. in the drainage of swamp lands-is essential to the best treatment of the soils in the manner above indicated.
 The act by which in semiarid parts of the public domain the area of the homestead has been enlarged from 16O to 320 acres has resulted most benefl- cially in the extension of ''dry farm ing' and in the demonstration which has been made of the possibility through a variation in the character
  stantial crops without the presence of such supply of water as has been heretofore thought to be necessary for agriculture
 But there are millions of acres of completely arid land in the public do main which by the establishment of reservoirs for the storing of water and the irrigation of the lands may be made much more fruitful and produc- tive than the best lands in a climate where the moisture comes from the clouds. Congress recognized the i'm portance of this method of artificial distribution of water on the arid lands by. the passage of the reclamation act The proceeds of the public lands ere ate the fund to build the works need ed to store and furnish the necessary water, and it was left to the secretary of the interior to determine what prof ects should be selected among those suggested and to direct the reclama- tion service, with the funds at hand and through the engineers in its em- ploy, to construct the works.
 No one can visit the far west and the country of arid and semiarid lands without being convinced that this is one of the most important methods of the conservation of our natural re- sources that the government has enter ed upon. It would appear that over thirty projects have been undertaken and that a few of these are likely to be unsuccessful because of lack of water or for other reasons, but gen eraIly the work which has been done
  tant engineering problems have been met and solved.
 Government Should Help Settlers.
 One of the difficulties which have arisen is that too many projects in view of the availa ble funds have been set on foot The funds available under the reclaimation statute are inadequate to complete these projects within time. And yet the projects have been begun. Settlers have been invited to take up and in many fn- stances Lave taken up the public land within the projects, relying upon their prompt completion. The failure to complete the projects for their bene- it is, in effect, a breach of faith and caves them in a most distressed con lition. l urge that the nation ought to afford the means to lift them out 1f the very desperate condition in which they now are. This condition )r any corruption on the part of the reclamation service.
 It only indicates an overzealous de 1 sire to extend the benefit of recIama- l ion 10 as many acres and as many 1 states as possible. I recommend, there fore, that authority be given to issue 1 not exceeding $20.OOO.OO0 of bonds | from time to time, as the secretary of l ,he interior shall find it necessary, the l to be applied to the compile 1 ion of the projects already begun and l heir proper extension and the bonds | running ten years or more, to be taken | ID by the proceeds of returns to the | fund, which returns as | he years go on will increase rapidly | II amount
 There is no doubt at all that if these | ponds were to be allowed to run ten l years the proceeds from the public 1 ands. together with the rentals for | water furnished through the complet- | d enterprises, would quickly create a | sinking fund large enough to retire the | ponds within the time specified | nope that, while the statute shall pro- | 7ide that these bonds are to be paid | ,ut of the reclamation fund, it will be | lrawn in such a way as to secure in- crest at the lowest rate and that the | ,redit of the United States will be | pledged for their redemption
 urge consideration of the recom- of the secretary of the in erior in his annual report for amend nents of the reclamation act, prOpos ng other relief for settlers on these 'rojects-
 Respecting the comparatively small areas on the public domain lot included in national forests be- ause of their isolation or their spe- ial value for agricultural or mineral it is apparent from the evils by virtue of the imperfec- ions of existing laws for the disposf- ion of timber lands that the acts of une 8, 1878. should be repealed and aw enacted for the disposition of the imber at public sale. the lands after he removal of the timber to be sub ect to appropriation under the az