Evening star., 1914-07-27
CONQUEST OF THE DESERT.
uI.-The Final Results.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

The reclamation of thousands of acres
OF desert land is not merely a matter
of local interest. 1t is directly bene'
fitting the entire nation, eventually
adding millions of dollars to the natura
resources of the country. Agriculturally
it will aid in the developing of othe'
heretofore neglected lands because man.
OF the methods being demonstrated here
may be applied with less difficulty in less
arid localities.
Industrially. the transformation of tht
desert increases the work of the country
ing the army of the unemployed. which
is now a national menace. While it re-
quires capital to develop large areas
of land. many excellent chances are
being afforded each year for the man Of
small means to secure home for hi:
family I'm this reclaimed desert. Irrigated
land may be leased for term of years
when 1t cannot be purchased outright
or II may be farmed on equal shares
with the owners, who supply all needed
equipment
Sociologically. the utilization of the
desert Is important for number of rea-
sons. One Is the employment given tC
the Indians, who are now the wards of
the government. The Indian is facing
the problem of adjusting himself to mod
ern conditions. Most of his land has
been wrested from him. and with it his
only means of obtaining a livelihood.
The Indians upon the reservations do
not enjoy being idle pensioners even upon
the white men who have taken their
land. Yet no means have been at hand
by which they could be self-supporting.
Contrary to many representations the
Indians are not all idle. vicious and lazy
save as they have been forced to be by
the invasion OF the white men.
y
Many of the Indians now living in
the southwest were educated in gov
ern mept schools.
Many Indians They returned TO
Well Educated. their s IL raonnsa,,ona homes IN
to find no employment awaiting them.
The reclamation of the desert is chang
ing this condition and providing them
with work for which they will be paid
good wages within easy reach OF their
homes. 1t is believed that the Indians
are less likely to be affected by organ
lied labor conditions than any other
class of workers. They will insist upon
fair compensation In the beginning.
but according to the experience of those
who are already employing them they
stand by their agreement.
The Indian naturally appreciates the
value Of water conservation better than
the white man because he has zen
turies he was able to raise crops of
maize. beans and other food upon arid
ground where the white man could pro-
duce nothing. When no, other grclE
food was available the old squaw has
always been able to supply a few
onions and green herbs to her family
by planting a little plot directly under
her ola or water jar which hung sus-
pended back of her wigwam. The laily
drippings Of moisture which percolat ed
to water this little plot and not drop
was wasted.
The large fields now being cultivated
by. means Of irrigation in the desert
Some Of the older Indians believe that
the mighty one who imprisoned the
spirit Of the Santa Cruz river as a pun
ishrnent for prehistoric wars has been
now bringing out the water. They are
more than willing that tfeir children
should share in the resultant pros
perity.
farm labor, but they have proved eager
to add to their
Old Men Help incomes by
to Clear the Land. 80 .he land
from the mesquite brush. Which must pt
removed before any crops can be pisi'-
ed. These dwarf, scrubby little trees
and bushes have roots beneath the
ground larger than the growths above
Their removal is q tedious process. After
the tops are cut off the stumps have 10
be taken out of the ground. For this
purpose :ian, stump pullers, such as are
used to clear the stu,nps from large
tirnher tracts III the east, are called
into play.
These stumps. as well as the tops. are
turned over to the Indians. who are
glad to take them away. They cut them
up for frewood and haul them into
the town. where they are sold by the
vagouload. Such wood brings from 81
to 81 a load, and is in great demand be-
cause of the general scarcity OF fuel
in the southwest. At Tucson alone
thousands of dollars have been earned
by the Indians in the last three years
from selling this wood. AS the fields
become cleared this revenue will cease.
In. It's place will come certain classes OF
work connected with cultfvatinS the
crows The Indians are proving especially
valuable in watching the irrigation
bitches and guarding against washouts
along the edges OF the dirt bitches.
Another sociological effect of desert
reclamation Is in the class of people who
are coming to take up homes in the
newly developed land. One large cor
rorafion last year brought out forty
t,errnan families and provided homes for
them. Most of these families had chill
,Iren. so within three months a mode!
schoolhouse was erected and another
school added to the small list of rural
schools in that country. This year as
many more families are expected and
another schoolhouse Will be needed. The
work upon reclaimed desert lands calls
for settled, steady men with families.
who will have permanent interest in
their crops The hobo has no place in
the Industrial system of the new west.
Only the steadfast trained worker is fit
ted to work with the improved equip
ment provided.
= ::
A different class Of men is also re-
auired to take charge of these new in
dustries. Many of
Trained Scientists these are trained
Needed in West. peers Of the hirb-
es, standing. chemists who have taken
degrees in the leading European and