From the figures quoted it is computed that the average number of settlers to a farm unit on the Boise project, where conditions were favorable, was 1.14, or slightly more than 1-truly a remarkable showing when it is considered that farms in general often go through many changes in ownership-and only 1.68 on the Minidoka project, where conditions were adverse.

Opponents to homestead and reclamation acts have argued that settlers take up their farms merely for speculation. Although no effort has been made to learn the changes on reclamation projects after title has been obtained, results indicate slight changes during the time of proving up.

Before the end of the period required for residence, settlers may relinquish their right and for money consideration pass on the farm unit. This can safely be done only when the relinquishment paper is filed simultaneously with another entry. Any such transaction may come under the notice of the project office if the settlers are known personally. Giving up an entry does not by any means indicate that the entryman has failed to make good on his farm. It may show quite the contrary-that he has succeeded so well that he is able to sell out his improved farm for a good figure. This kind of speculation can hardly be avoided.

Having seen how often along until water was

The first few years of the Reclamation Service were the most severe for the project settlers. Water was not available at this time, and under the law settlers could not be prevented from taking up land which might not receive water for years. it worked hardship for settlers to struggle ready, the service secured the passage of a law which prohibited the entering of farm units until the irrigating system is in operation, resulting unquestionably in even greater permanence of settlers on projects opened under these conditions.

The investigation has shown conclusively in connection with Federal projects that there is not the slightest basis for the statement so often and so loosely made that "throughout the newer parts of America at least three settlers in succession attempt to develop a farm before one succeeds.”

Irrigation and crop results, 1918.-The usual census of irrigation and crop results on the Government reclamation projects, as described in previous annual reports, was continued during the period covered by the present report. Obviously such information is not adapted to fiscal years, and the figures that follow are for the last growing season or calendar year, that of 1918. On the Salt River project, Arizona, where some crop is growing at all times of the year, a convenient period is taken as the agricultural year, from October 1 to September 30, which date approximately marks the transition from the heavy summer production to the winter crops. On that project operation and maintenance of the works built by the Government have been turned over to the Salt River Valley Water User's Association, and in the following statistics of crop production the figures for that project are gathered and furnished by the association. Similarly on the gravity unit of the Minidoka project, Idaho, the Minidoka irrigation district handles the operation and maintenance and has compiled the crop data. On the King Hill project, in the same State, the data are furnished by the King Hill irrigation district. The poor showing on this project is due to the bad condition of the canal system, which was built under private auspices. The United States has undertaken its reconstruction, and this work is under way, but not sufficiently advanced to insure a good water supply to the bulk of the project. The Government has not undertaken operation and maintenance on this project, which are handled by the district.

It will be noted that these reports do not give the total value of farm products in that they include nothing from farm animals. The project census does not cover the income from livestock or stock products, but it is known that large additional returns are realized from sales of animals, poultry, dairy products, wool, and honey.

It should also be noted that the crop reports by no means cover the entire area to which water is made available and delivered from the works built by the Reclamation Service. In general these statistics are limited to those areas for which the United States has built a complete system from the point of storage or diversion to the laterals serving each farm and where the Government is operating such works, thus employing a force of ditch riders in frequent touch with the irrigators. This provides a ready means of gathering census data of more than ordinary accuracy and at little or no extra expense, since the time for collecting these coincides with that when the water deliveries are dwindling in the fall and the ditch riders, while still required for occasional deliveries, have less onerous duties in connection with the operation and protection of the system.

In addition to the tracts covered by the crop reports, there is a large and growing area dependent in various degrees on the Government works for water supply through special contracts, mainly

under the Warren Act, calling for delivery of water in bulk from the reservoirs, or at various stages of distribution to the land. This large area is not covered by the crop reports nor included in the following statistics though comparable in the aggregate to the area thus reported. The following tabulations, therefore, are merely summaries of the crop reports obtained and are so entitled; they fail to give, possibly by 50 per cent, the total production made possible by the works built under the reclamation law.

Summary of 1918 crop reports, by projects.1

Data

¡Excluding substantial areas (private canals) to which water is furnished under the Warren Act. are for calendar year (irrigation season) except on Salt River project data are for corresponding "agricultural year," October, 1917, to November, 1918.

2 Area Reclamation Service was prepared to supply water.

a Irrigated crops. Excludes small areas on few projects cropped by dry farming.

4 Includes so-called "dry lands" given right to rent water temporarily on account of ample storage. Includes about 5,000 acres within town sites, about 11,000 acres reported "vacant" and probably largely pastured, and over 5,000 acres of "home tracts" including house lots, etc.

• Irrigable acreage includes New York Canal, Nampa-Meridian, and Pioneer district lands served project water. Irrigated acreage here reported is limited to area served full water supply, excluding vested right lands given partial service.

7 Poor results on this project are due to condition of canal system, which was built under private auspices. The United States has undertaken its reconstruction; operation and maintenance are handled by the settlers through an irrigation district.

$ Crop reports covered an additional area of 3,119 acres cropped by dry farming, producing crops worth $21.619, or $6.93 per acre.

9 Above figures are for 187 irrigated farms, which included small tracts farmed without irrigation. In addition, crop reports covered 7 farms operated without irrigation, on which 109 acres yielded crops worth $1,998 or $18.33 per acre.

19 Crop report covered an additional area of 5,345 acres dry-farmed, producing crops worth $60,886, or $11.39 per acre.

11 New lands, first year of irrigation.

12 For crops in full production, excluding 9,662 acres of wild-grass pasture and 3,081 acres otherwise not in full production. For all crops, $39.30.

However, a summary of. the crop reports received gives some impressive figures of the values that have been secured from the desert lands by the provision of irrigation water. The following table summarizes the reports by projects, and it will be noticed that for several of these the crop values produced average over $100 per acre. These averages are for all farms and all crops in the large tracts covered by the census, including the least successful with the most successful irrigators, and averaging with banner crops those of low yield or any of entire failure due to pests or other causes. The average returns per acre therefore are an index for a large area in each case, and far greater results are secured by many of the most skilled and successful settlers.

For all projects the crop reports show a gross value of over $66,000,000, or an average of $63.60 for each of the 1,050,000 acres cropped. These reports covered an irrigated acreage of 1,119,000 and 1,600,000 acres that were irrigable, i. e., for which the works were ready to supply water. This does not, however, indicate a failure to utilize 500,000 acres and the water ready for it as shown in the preceding discussion.

For the Salt River project, Arizona, the Water Users' Association reported a total crop value of over $18,000,000. Under the contract by which the association assumed the operation and maintenance of the works and agreed to reimburse the United States for their construction, the amount fixed for the latter purpose is approximately $10,279,000. Thus the crop value in a single year is more than 150 per cent of the construction cost the association is to repay to the United States over a period of 20 years, and most of which will be supplied by power profits from the project works.

On some of the other projects the development has reached the stage where the annual crop value is comparable to the total cost of building the irrigation works. The Minidoka project, Idaho, which cost about $5,700,000, yielded crops in 1918 worth $5,160,000. Prior to the Government work the project was entirely sagebrush desert. The Yakima project, Washington, costing to date about $10,000,000, yielded crops worth $9,733,000 in 1918.

In the following table the crop reports are summarized by crops and comparison with similar tabulations for previous years shows relatively small changes in the general character and relative importance of the crops grown. Alfalfa continues as the great basic crop, occupying 40 per cent of the crop area and furnishing one-third of the total crop value. Wheat advanced from 12 per cent in 1917 to 16 per cent of total crop area reported in 1918. The acreage in cotton on the southwestern projects doubled. Eight million bushels of

grain, a like amount of vegetables and truck, 165,000,000 pounds of fruit, and 267,000 tons of sugar beets were harvested from the lands covered by the crop reports. But over half the crop area was devoted to hay and forage crops, largely converted to animal products by feeding on the projects.

Summary of crop reports on reclamation projects in 1918.

1 This figure does not represent average value of pasture for a year or season, as considerable areas pastured were also harvested and are included in the duplicate area.

140922°-INT 1919-VOL 1-10