[1] For the determination of the proper unit for pasturage farms the writer has conferred with many persons living in the Rocky Mountain Region who have had experience. His own observations have been extensive, and for many years while conducting surveys and making long journeys through the Arid Region this question has been uppermost in his mind. He fears that this estimate will disappoint many of his western friends, who will think he has placed the minimum too low, but after making the most thorough examination of the subject possible he believes the amount to be sufficient for the best pasturage lands, especially such as are adjacent to the minor streams of the general drainage, and when these have been taken by actual settlers the size of the pasturage farms may be increased as experience proves necessary.
REGULAR DIVISION LINES FOR PASTURAGE FARMS NOT PRACTICABLE.
Many a brook which runs but a short distance will afford sufficient water for a number of pasturage farms; but if the lands are surveyed in regular tracts as square miles or townships, all the water sufficient for a number of pasturage farms may fall entirely within one division. If the lands are thus surveyed, only the divisions having water will be taken, and the farmer obtaining title to such a division or farm could practically occupy all the country adjacent by owning the water necessary to its use. For this reason divisional surveys should conform to the topography, and be so made as to give the greatest number of water fronts. For example, a brook carrying water sufficient for the irrigation of 200 acres of land might be made to serve for the irrigation of 20 acres to each of ten farms, and also supply the water for all the stock that could live on ten pasturage farms, and ten small farmers could have homes. But if the water was owned by one man, nine would be excluded from its benefits and nine-tenths of the land remain in the hands of the government.
FARM RESIDENCES SHOULD BE GROUPED.
These lands will maintain but a scanty population. The homes must necessarily be widely scattered from the fact that the farm unit must be large. That the inhabitants of these districts may have the benefits of the local social organizations of civilization—as schools, churches, etc., and the benefits of coöperation in the construction of roads, bridges, and other local improvements, it is essential that the residences should be grouped to the greatest possible extent. This may be practically accomplished by making the pasturage farms conform to topographic features in such manner as to give the greatest possible number of water fronts.
PASTURAGE LANDS CANNOT BE FENCED.
The great areas over which stock must roam to obtain subsistence usually prevents the practicability of fencing the lands. It will not pay to fence the pasturage fields, hence in many cases the lands must be occupied by herds roaming in common; for poor men coöperative pasturage is necessary, or communal regulations for the occupancy of the ground and for the division of the increase of the herds. Such communal regulations have already been devised in many parts of the country.
RECAPITULATION.
The Arid Region of the United States is more than four-tenths of the area of the entire country excluding Alaska.
In the Arid Region there are three classes of lands, namely, irrigable lands, timber lands, and pasturage lands.
IRRIGABLE LANDS.
Within the Arid Region agriculture is dependent upon irrigation.
The amount of irrigable land is but a small percentage of the whole area.
The chief development of irrigation depends upon the use of the large streams.
For the use of large streams coöperative labor or capital is necessary.
The small streams should not be made to serve lands so as to interfere with the use of the large streams.
Sites for reservoirs should be set apart, in order that no hinderance may be placed upon the increase of irrigation by the storage of water.
TIMBER LANDS.
The timber regions are on the elevated plateaus and mountains.
The timber regions constitute from 20 to 25 per cent. of the Arid Region.
The area of standing timber is much less than the timber region, as the forests have been partially destroyed by fire.
The timber regions cannot be used as farming lands; they are valuable for forests only.
To preserve the forests they must be protected from fire. This will be largely accomplished by removing the Indians.
The amount of timber used for economic purposes will be more than replaced by the natural growth.
In general the timber is too far from the agricultural lands to be owned and utilized directly by those who carry on farming by irrigation.
A division of labor is necessary, and special timber industries will be developed, and hence the timber lands must be controlled by lumbermen and woodmen.
PASTURAGE LANDS.
The grasses of the pasturage lands are scant, and the lands are of value only in large quantities.
The farm unit should not be less than 2,560 acres.
Pasturage farms need small tracts of irrigable land; hence the small streams of the general drainage system and the lone springs and streams should be reserved for such pasturage farms.
The division of these lands should be controlled by topographic features in such manner as to give the greatest number of water fronts to the pasturage farms.
Residences of the pasturage farms should be grouped, in order to secure the benefits of local social organizations, and coöperation in public improvements.
The pasturage lands will not usually be fenced, and hence herds must roam in common.
As the pasturage lands should have water fronts and irrigable tracts, and as the residences should be grouped, and as the lands cannot be economically fenced and must be kept in common, local communal regulations or coöperation is necessary.