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Show I MAKING DESERT LANDS FIT FOR Mil! HAPPY HOMES ; l, Secretary Garfield Says Irrigation 'j; ' Work Has Advanced Far Enough 5' to Demonstrate Its Com- I ' , plete Success, f ' ' j Baltimore Secretary of tho In- I tcrlor Garfield, speaking of irrigation, I tiald In an intorvlow a fow days ago: "This work has advanced far enough to demonstrate absolutely Its succoss. Wo havo Boon fruits, vego- tablos, grain and everything elso It crowlnir on lands whoro nothing but II cactus ever grow boforo tho day of Irrigation. "Thoro aro 30,000,000 acres of thoso arid lards all told. We havo com pleted tho Irrigation work on 1,000,-f 1,000,-f 000 acres. "As noon ns they got tho water thoy aro as fcrtllo as any soil. "So far wo have worked chlolly on tho public .lands, although adjacent prlvato property will benefit. This E land Is turned over to Bottlers undor n homestead act, although tho old ICO-acro nllotmont Is not adhered to, Tho bIzo of tho lot Is determined by Its fortuity, twenty or forty acres In most cases. . "Tho settlors tako theso lots with tho understanding that thoy aro to pay back to tho govcrnmon tho cost of tho Irrigation Improvements In ten I nnnifal Installments boglnnlng ns soon R as tho water Is turned on. Thoy also J- I havo to pay tho cost of malntonanco, I which nmduntB to CO cents an aero. I Under this arrangemouc tho monoy 1 advanced by tho government will all be returned to It, and It can bo put B put again in othor territories until nil W tho arid lands havo been mado for- fl Jtllo." |
