stated that the arid and semi-arid lands of the United States are
one-half as large as all our domain, except Alaska. It is estimated
that good homes, fit for 75,000,000 to 150,000,000 people, could be made
by irrigation. This system is yet in its infancy. In a few years
hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested in making our desert
lands “blossom as the rose,” but like all other enterprises, first on
the field will be the first in fortune.