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Nature has indulged in her wildest freaks, and where forces of the volcano, the earthquake, and the erosiveren zeitling a manjayan, structive power of glacier, river, lake, and mountaine valeys, a have combined to make ruins grander and more impre those of all the wars which have taken place, since was inhabited by man.

Yet these desolations are not sufficiently extensiv section to make a very large desert, certainly American Desert." One of the districts which t of the present year are most persistently des "Great American Desert" is the western half eastern half of Nevada. Yet of this very

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undoubted authority says, in the autumn of 12 LATAN RILASTOqean sakany "The farmers here have developed some Testes 20 g ture-new in this region at least. There isntatens and horses

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porti Truls are comparatively plenty and cheap, Sulmore ands.ve on this point is the testimony of Gall C. Fremoat the present Governeral Arian act, al investigation and a comparison of its present can w what it was when he visited it thirty years que tat most of Arizona is arable, that its ramal ags: ***s to twenty-four inches (this too was wri

vast tracts of 'desert lands,' or lande
the stream that they can never
wheat was sown upon small
valueless soil. A tolerably
moisture or unusual rain,
land are being put under ·
as twenty bushels of wh
alluvial soils formed by
The pamphlet issue
while commending th
irrigation, which is
without it, says ve
Salt Lake in that

"The wester alternation of

arable or g 3,000 to

larger a

ments. Skul of

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had been much less than usual for five yeas to the writer about Christmas, 1879, he stated th in the midst of an unprecedented rain stor A reary two weeks, had raised the rivers to An inded much of the country), that the c en raised by the Indians were very hear natare time in August, 1879, 200 tons of San Francisco, where it brought $ ad but most of the Indian tribes w 12720 s surely cannot be a wholly deser

mosa, anthomazica "y" proved that the “Gital se my vody from us as we try to Novorod, hoe doce, as in other empires A RUGS Aag or quite rainles

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THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT. WIRAL AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTS.

53

Concerning the other States and Territoriultivation, though they majmber, millions of charge of being desert lands, we offer the follmetals; and that in theserowing kinds, as and most credible testimony. The Surveyor host wonderful phenomena con the alkaline

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ady increased 11. But only

Di and the
Dakota,

CHAPTER III.

Indian

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of Utah says: "Notwithstanding the opinion of myDING IN MINERAL WEALTH-PRODUCTION OF able our lands arid, desert, and worthless' these same TALS, ETC.-FORESTS-GRASSES-ROOT CRO0proper tillage produce forty to fifty bushels of wit

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ates and Territories abound in mineral ritories and all the States except Minnesota, equal to any other State of Terriory is quisas have either gold or silver mines or both, The Surveyor-General of Nevada means certain that even these will prove to be lands, alfalfa, the cereals and all eguale it is to be hoped they may; for agricultural a surer and better avenue to the prosperity of one of the great stock-raiding Statslation, than the richest mines of the precious The Surveyor-Geneal of golden grain of these States is a better possession

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1 mines of California or Colorado, or the silver of fontana.

would not underrate the vast mineral wealth of this Empire. It is possible, though not at all certain, that he Peruvian mines or those of Mexico may have more e deposits of gold or silver than are already opened, or to be discovered in the Great West; but the production e of them has been as great, in so short a period, as that r mines, and we have just arrived at a stage of progress, n our production may be almost indefinitely increased. ring the first ten years after the discovery of gold and silver California, and the West, it is difficult to estimate with accuracy he production of the precious metals there; but Professor Rossiter W. Raymond, who has devoted much time and study to the problem, names, as the result of his inquiries, a sum total of gold and silver which, by adding the production of 1878 and 1879, gives an aggregate for the Great West for the thirty years ending

Nature has indultruth than these notions. While it is true that forces of the vol which we are describing is mainly a grazing structive powerso true that it abounds in fertile valleys, and rich have combinerge extent, which are as well watered and fertile as those of allation. Its rivers are without exception formed from was inhabihey are as clear as any crystal, and furnish water Yet that is almost limitless."

sectionona alone remains of the possible deserts of this western Amen; yet the Surveyor-General of this Territory tells us that of valleys of its rivers and streams are irrigable, and that when "rigated they yield immense crops; while the hills and plains furnish abundant and nutritious pasturage, and stock-raising is a profitable pursuit ; that the Territory furnishes more grain, flour, bacon, lard, butter, cattle, mules and horses than are needed for home consumption, and that considerable quantities of all are exported. Fruits are comparatively plenty and cheap.

Still more conclusive on this point is the testimony of MajorGeneral J. C. Frémont, the present Governor of Arizona. From actual investigation and a comparison of its present condition with what it was when he visited it thirty years ago, he declares that most of Arizona is arable, that its rainfall ranges from fifteen inches to twenty-four inches (this too was written when the rainfall had been much less than usual for five years; in a letter to the writer about Christmas, 1879, he stated that they were then in the midst of an unprecedented rain storm which had lasted for nearly two weeks, had raised the rivers to a great height and had flooded much of the country), that the crops of wheat even when raised by the Indians were very heavy, the Maricopas sending at one time in August, 1879, 200 tons of wheat of the best quality to San Francisco, where it brought $2.22 the hundred pounds, and that most of the Indian tribes were subsisting by agriculture. This surely cannot be a wholly desert land.

But while it is almost mathematically proved that the "Great American Desert" is a myth, receding from us as we try to approach it, it is not to be denied that here, as in other empires, there are some desert lands, treeless, though not quite rainless:

MINERAL AND VEGETABLE PRODICTS.

53

often incapable of cultivation, though they mamber, millions of or in the precious metals; and that in theserowing kinds, as found some of the most wonderful phenomena con the alkaline

CHAPTER III.

ady increased 11. But only

Di and the

Dakota,

Indian

imber

THE WHOLE REGION ABOUNDING IN MINERAL WEALTH-PRODUCTION OFable AND SILVER, OTHER METALS, ETC.-FORESTS-GRASSES-ROOT CRO.. FRUITS VINICULTURE.

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MOST of these States and Territories abound in mineral wealth. All the Territories and all the States except Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas have either gold or silver mines or both, and it is by no means certain that even these will prove to be exceptions, though it is to be hoped they may; for agricultural products furnish a surer and better avenue to the prosperity of the entire population, than the richest mines of the precious metals. The golden grain of these States is a better possession than the gold mines of California or Colorado, or the silver of Nevada or Montana.

Yet we would not underrate the vast mineral wealth of this Western Empire. It is possible, though not at all certain, that some of the Peruvian mines or those of Mexico may have more extensive deposits of gold or silver than are already opened, or are yet to be discovered in the Great West; but the production of none of them has been as great, in so short a period, as that of our mines, and we have just arrived at a stage of progress, when our production may be almost indefinitely increased. During the first ten years after the discovery of gold and silver in California, and the West, it is difficult to estimate with accuracy the production of the precious metals there; but Professor Rossiter W. Raymond, who has devoted much time and study to the problem, names, as the result of his inquiries, a sum total of gold and silver which, by adding the production of 1878 and 1879, gives an aggregate for the Great West for the thirty years ending

The

Nature has indu$1,947,055,834, almost two billions of the precious forces of the vosingular coincidence these are very nearly the structive poweproduct of the ten principal items of our agriculture have combine 1879. That product was $1,904,480,659. those of all of the Sutro tunnel in Nevada, which will make deep was inhabiacticable, in those hitherto productive lodes, and the

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Yet thies of carbonate ores of silver and chlorides or horn sectionin Utah, in the San Juan and Gunnison districts and elseAmere, on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, new and extensive deposits of both gold and silver in the "Black Hills, in Utah and in Montana, and the increasing annual production of bullion, warrant the belief that we are just entering upon a new era in the production of the precious metals, which will far exceed that of the combined production of the Pacific States and Australia, twenty-five years ago.

But our mineral productions in our Western Empire are by no means confined to gold and silver. Quicksilver, which is an absolute necessity for gold mining the world over, is more abundant in California, Nevada and Arizona than anywhere else in the world, and though, in the past, tedious litigation has prevented the mines from yielding their full product, yet not only has the large demand for our own mines been supplied, but we have exported millions of flasks to other countries. Nickel, platinum, and in vast quantities, copper, lead, iron and zinc, are among the products of this young empire; and coal of all qualities is scattered in localities where it is most needed.

Portions of this Western Empire are lacking in forest growths. The vast prairies and plains east of the Rocky Mountains had been so often burned over by the Indians, either carelessly or to promote the growth of the grasses, on which the buffalo, their principal game, fed, that though in times long ago they were covered with heavy forests, they seemed to have lost their ability to sustain any large amount of timber. Only near the banks of streams was there any considerable growth of trees, and these, in some sections, only the comparatively worthless cottonwood. But this deficiency will soon pass away. Encouraged by the Timber culture act of Congress, and by the desire to produce

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