F 591 .21 146 BANCROFT LIBRARY 0- THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MEMORIAL TO THE Congress of the United States FROM THE NATIONAL, IRRIGATION CONGRESS HELD AT Salt Lake City, September 15, 1 6 and 17, 1891 WITH APPENDICES. SALT LAKE CITY: PRESS OF THE IRRIGATION AGE. 1892. MEMORIAL TO THE Congress of the United States FROM THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION CONGRESS HELD AT Salt Lake City, September 15, 16 and 17, 1891 APPENDICES. SALT LAKE CITY: PRESS OF THE IRRIGATION AGE, 1892, MEMORIAL TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES x FROM THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION GONGRESS HELD AT Salt Lake City, September 15,16 and 17, 1891. To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress Assembled Your memorialists respresent that in pursu- ance of a call issued by the Hon. Arthur L. Thomas, Governor of Utah, for a convention "to consider matters pertaining to the recla- mation of the arid public lands of the West," the Irrigation Con- gress met at Salt Lake City on September 15, 1891, and remained in session for three days. There were delegates in attendance from the States of California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming, and the Terri- tories of Utah and New Mexico, and the body was in a notable degree representative of that large section of the Union to which the rainfall is inadequate for the purposes of agriculture. The sense of the Congress was embodied in the following res- olutions: Resolved, That this Congress is in favor of granting in trust, upon such conditions as shall serve the public interest, to the States and Territories needful of irrigation, all lands now a part of the public domain within such States and Territories, excepting mineral lands, for the purpose of developing irrigation, to render the lands now arid, fertile and capable of supporting a population. Resolved, That it is the sense of this convention that the com- mittee selected to prepare and present to Cnngress the memorial of this convention respecting public lands, should ask as a prelimi- nary to the cession of all the land in the Territories, in accordance with the resolutions of the convention, a liberal grant to said Ter- ritories and to the States to be formed therefrom, of the public lands to be devoted to public school purposes. WHEREAS, Large areas of arid lands and semi-arid lands, situ- ated upon the great plains in the Dakotas, Western Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, were settled upon in good faith' by home- seekers, under the supposition that they were entering agricultural lands, and WHKKKAS, The settlers upon such lands have expended much time and labor upon the same, and paid into the United .States Treasury therefor many millions of dollars, only to discover that irrigation, to a greater or less extent, is necessary in making homes for themselves thereon. Therefore, be it Resolved, That the representatives of all of the States and Territories directly concerned in irrigation, do hereby pledge their unwavering support to the just demands of such settlers, that the General Government shall donate at least a portion of the funds received from the sale of such lands toward the procurement of the means necessary for their irrigation. Resolved , That this Congress heartily endorse the irrigation work of the Agricultural Department of the National Govern- ment in the collection and dissemination of information, especially its admirable progress reports covering the whole field of irriga- tion development, and that it favors large appropriations for this work hereafter. It is submitted that the considerations in support of the request expressed in the first of the above resolutions are of a very cogent character. It is undeniably true that the General Government has nearly reached the limit of its capacity to provide homes for settlers upon the public domain. The tracts now remaining are almost wholly such as can not be sold or otherwise disposed of under the liberal provisions of our land laws. Referring to the area em- braced in the terms of the resolution, the condition is found to be that lands susceptible of irrigation at a practicable cost are occupied, and that those which arc still subject to entry can only be fitted for cultivation by systems of canals, reservoirs or artesian wells, in- volving expenditures quite beyond the resources of individual settlers. The topography and other physical conditions that must be overcome in the work of utilizing water for the purposes of agri- culture are not widely understood. The ultimate sources of the streams that provide the only available water supply are the snows that are deposited on the mountain tops and in the deep recesses of the canons. In the spring these snows melt rapidly and form raging torrents, that cut deep channels in their pathway*, Thus when they enter the valley they are far below the levels of the lands which they are to reclaim. The condition renders it necees- sary to fix the point of diversion far up the canon upon the rocky mountain sides, and to construct long canals and flumes to conduct the water at the required height to be delivered upon the successive benches that lie below. The waste of water before the season of irrigation commences is another potent factor of expense. In the spring the flow of water is the largest, for obvious reasons, and then vast volumes run to waste. Later, the supply decreases, and is the least when most needed for the nourishment of growing crops. To prevent this the only efficient remedy is to impound the water in large storage reservoirs, which can only be costructed at an enormous cost. It is not to be assumed that because the reclamation of the arid region involves the expenditure of large sums of money it is there- fore impracticable. On the contrary, it can be fully justified as a business enterprise. Compare the yield in agricultural products of lands cultivated with the aid of irrigation with the yield of lands that are watered by the natural rainfall, and the difference will be found from 50 to 100 per cent in favor of the former. Land that is now wholly unproductive, upon being provided with facilities for irrigatio^ immediately attains a value of from $10 to $50 an acre, the difference being due to location, accessibility to markets, and other manifest conditions. It may be questioned whether the country affords a more inviting field for the investment of cap- ital than that which is here presented. We feet warranted in assuming that the General Government will pursue no policy respecting the arid lands of the public domain that will not assist in their reclamation and the development of their possibilities in affording homes to settlers, increasing the food supply for the people and contributing to the general wealth. The question remains whether Congress will undertake the work by direct appropriations from the Treasury sufficient for the prompt construction of the required systems of irrigation. There has been some agitation of the subject for several years past, without fur- ther results than the appropriation of $350,000 and its expenditure in topographical surveys. It is not manifest that these have materially advanced the solution of the practical problems of irri- gation. At all events, the rate of progress forbids the hope of any substantial results within a reasonable period. So far as we can infer the disposition of the General Government from its previous action, the answer to the above question must be in the negative. NKITJIKIl IS IT CERTA I \ that it would be practicable for Congress to pass a general law that would operate justly and sufficiently upon all parts of the arid belt. Not only do the physical conditions vary in the different sections, but the laws governing the appropriation and use of water are radically different in adjoining States. Wyoming differs in both from Montana and Idaho, and Colorado from Utah and New Mexico; and yet it is of primary importance that legislation de- signed to promote the reclamation of these lands should recognize and adjust itself to all of these differences. The only alternative course seems to be that which is recom- mended in the resolutions of the Congress, viz.: "The granting in trust upon such conditions as shall serve the public interest, to the States and Territories, excepting mineral lands for the purpose of developing irrigation, to render the lands now arid fertile and capable of supporting a population." We feel assured that such action would be promptly followed by the inauguration and vigor- ous prosecution of enterprises for the reclamation of those lands, either by the States and Territories themselves, or through the 1 agency of municipalities erected for the purpose with power to borrow money upon the security of the works and the reclaimed lands. A precedent for the policy proposed is not wanting. Congress ceded to the States in the Mississippi valley and other sections of the Union the swamp lands within their respective limits. The purpose of this action was to insure their reclamation, and it found its support in the knowledge that a considerable expense would be involved in fitting them for cultivation. Such is the condition of the arid lands, with this difference, that THE PROBLEM OF RECLAMATION is infinitely more difficult than that of draining the swamp lands, and also that the swamp lands in any one State were of compara- tively little value and of so slight concern to the public that they were liable to maladministration ; whereas in the case of the arid lands, as soon as they come under the control of the State they will at once become the most prominent question in State poli- tics, and of so great and immediate importance to its citizens that their administration will be conducted under the surveillance of a deeply concerned people, who will permit of no chicanery. In principle, the cession of the swamp lands to the States affords a precedent for such action as we are seeking at the hands of your honorable body. The importance of our pastoral interests makes it necessary that provision be made for the protection and utilization of the grazing land in connection with the contiguous irrigable areas. To the grazing lands as distinguished from the agricultural lands be- long- those vast areas of elevated table and bench lands and the high rolling divides which lie upon the summits and along the slopes of the watersheds; and they comprise 'three-fourths of the arid do- main. They never can be made the self-supporting habitation of man, because they are too elevated and too vast in extent to be ir- rigated ; but they furnish a valuable complement to the lands re- claimed, the first supplying the summer's, and the second the win- ter's food supply. Adequate provision for securing possession or management of these lands, for the sole purpose to which they are adapted, has NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED by Congress; and the question is of such magnitude and import- ance in connection with the subject of farming by irrigation in the region where grazing lands abound, that a great impetus will be given to irrigation if such States as may see fit to adopt that policy are placed in a position to encourage settlement by attaching to the land capab'e of being reclaimed a larger contiguous tract of grazing land. It will make more valuable the irrigable areas and supply the settler with an important source of income by adding the business of stock raising to that of the farmer. No mention is made in the resolutions of the Congress of the preservation of the forests, but the subject is too inti- mately associated with that of irrigation to be divorced. The coniferous trees, such as constitute the timber growth on the mountains and elevated plateaus of the West, are exceedingly in- flammable, and when fire is once communicated to them a vast destruction of value ensues. The loss from this cause measured by the stumpage value of the timber alone may be estimated, without extravagance, at $100,000,000 per year. The Federal Goverment has made some efforts to arrest this destruction, but wholly without success. It is from the States, or local agencies created by the States* that protection must be sought. To the settlers the PRESERVATION OF THE FORESTS is a matter of grave importance. They are dependent upon them for fuel, fencing and building materials, but this is by no means the limit of their interest. The forests on the mountain tops are the chief conservators of the water that is to irrigate the valleys below. With their destruction the reclamation of the arid Ipnds ceases to be a problem and becomes an impossibility. An efficient and just system of preserving the forests from destruction by fire and applying them, under proper restrictions, to the use of the set- tiers, cannot be otherwise provided and administered than by the States. The second of the above resolutions addresses itself to a sub- ject that cannot fail to commend itself to your favorable considera- tion. It is inconceivable that Congress will make any disposition of the public domain without first securing to the Territories their endowment for the support of public schools. The arbitrary se- lection by law of the sections dedicated to this purpose operates as a great injustice to the Territories in the arid region. By far the greater number of the school sections are located on mountain tops >r other places where they cannot be cultivated, and it follows that nothing can be realized from their sale. The liberal policies of the Government, dating from the passage of the great ordinance of 1787, in all that pertains to the education of our youth forbids the thought that any discrimination will be exercised against the newer portions of the Union, or that they shall be less than equal sharers in its bounty. The petition embodied in the resolution is simply an appeal for justice. THE CONDITION OF SETTLERS on lands within the semi-arid belt was felt to call urgently for re- lief at your hands. Thousands of people have settled within this area in reliance upon the assurance officially extended by the Gov- ernment that they were "agricultural," which was naturally pre- sumed to mean that they were capable of producing crops by the usual method of agriculture. They have found that the rainfall is highly uncertain in quantity and seasonableness, and that year after year the labors which they have bestowed upon their fields have been expended in vain. The consequences have been most deplorable. Without fault on their own part, acting only upon the impulse that has been the chief factor in expanding the do- main of civilization, they now find themselves and their families confronted with actual destitution. The Government sold to them the lands that they occupy at no less prices and upon no other terms than such as obtained in more favored localities; and it has received into its treasury not less than $12,000,000 as the pur- IO chase price. We submit that the circumstances eloquently support their prayer for relief, and that the Government may most prop- erly dedicate a portion of the money which they have themselves contributed to the work of developing and applying the water supply in such a manner as to make these lands habitable and productive. And your memorialists, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc. ALEX. C. BOTKIX, Chairman, Montana, A. D. FOOTE, Secretary, Idaho, C. C. WRIGHT, California, FRANK BOND, Wyoming, J. H. ABBOTT, Nebraska, J. H. HAMILTON, Oregon, C. W. IRISH, Nevada, PL ATT ROGERS, Colorado, \V. II. KING, Utah, J. II. THOMAS, Washington, D. II. WK.NC.K u, Xew Mexico, Of tJie Committee on Memorial. APPiNDIX. CALIFORNIA. In California and other States laws have been enacted provid- ing for the formation of irrigation districts which, in their quasi- municipal character, arc empowered to construct works and supply water for irrigation to the lands constituting the district, and to this end are given authority to issue and sell bonds, and levy and collect assessments in payment thereof. By this means the landowners are able to co-operate and to ac- quire a water supply which becomes a perpetual appurtenance to the land, at no greater expense than the actual cost of construc- tion. The system works well wherever the title to the lands is held in fee simple by the occupants, but there are large areas of arid lands in California and elsewhere where this system is being oper- ated where a considerable portion of an area, which otherwise might thus be successfully operated, cannot be brought under this system, because assessments for raising the necessary revenues can- not be made a charge against the portion, the title to which is yet in the Government. We respectfully suggest that if a statute were enacted by Con- gress providing that where Government lands, including such as may have been filed upon under the laws, are included within irri- gation districts, formed under the laws of the State, a pro rata charge, per acre, should become a lien on these lands, to be paid by the person who shall acquire title from the Government, that it would result in great benefit, and in the reclamation of vast areas which will not be reached by any other means for many years to come. In many localities in California, and doubtless in other 12 States having laws similar to the California district law, new com- munities, composed partly of homestead and pre-emption claims, are unable to successfully operate a system for the development of their lands, because lands, to which the title in fee simple has not been acquired by the occupant, cannot be subjected to the Hen of the bonds which may be issued by the district. Speaking particularly of the conditions existing in California, there would be great public benefit in a statute which would en- able a district of this character to make a valid lew of assessments against lands so held, if not against lands upon which no filing has yet been made. While the lien would be inoperative as against the Govern- ment, it would be possible to make such a provision MS would ren- der assessments so levied, ;i charge to be paid by the person who should eventually acquire the title. If Congress should make the cession of public lands prayed for in the above memorial this feature of the subject would, of course, be dealt with by the various States and Territories inter- ested. If not, relief in line with the above suggestions would be of material benefit in California and other States similarly situ- ated. IDAHO. The total area of Idaho is 86,294 square miles, or 55,228,160 acres, classified as follows: CLASS. Acres. Agricultural lands 16,000 ooo Forest lands Grazing lands 2O OOO OOO Broken, lava and mountainous lands 8 ooo ooo Lakes and rivers .... 1,228 160 Total 55,228 160 IRRIGATION AREAS AND RESERVOIR CAPACITIES. DRAINAGE SYSTEMS. Area now irrigated, acres. f Area irri- gated when canal systems now under construction are complet- ed, acres.f Area irri- gable at a cost of less than $10 per acre, includ- ing storage, acres, t Storage reservoir ca- pacities, acre -feet. Kails river 8,000 IO,OOO l8o,OOO * 5OO,OOO N^orth Kork Snake river 10,000 75,OOO 8o,OOO S2OO.OOO Teton river 25,000 8o,OOO 2O,OOO 5O,OOO Lost River countrv 9,000 9,OOO 325,000 5,OOO South Fork Snake river 8,000 8,OOO 35,OOO *2,OOO,OOO Main Snake river north side 8000 3O,OOO *I, 2 5O,OOO Main Snake river, south side. . Rock, Rait and Marsh creeks. The \Vood rivers 45,ooo 16,000 10,000 450,000 l6,OOO IO,OOO *4 50,000 65,000 30,000 j| 200,000 30,000 2CO,OOO Mountain llome ' . . 18,000 l8,OOO 400,000 i?2O,OOO Goose and Salmon creeks. . . 25,000 25,000 450,000 200,OOO Bruneau river Boise river 12,000 3OOOO 22,000 37;,ooo 250,000 1 371; ,000 50,000 t2 CO.OOO Pavette river 2O,OOO 160,000 1760,000 1250,000 Weiser river I2,OOO 12,000 t75,ooo IOO,OOO Salmon river IO,OOO 10,000 600,000 6OO,OOO Bear river 2 1 , t;oo 21,500 61,500 4575,000 Totals 287,500 1,331, SOO 4,QO6,COO 4,78O,OOO * Shown by U. S. irrigation surveys. + Areas from II. S. land surveys. : From private surveys. Estimated. l| Estimated on Blackfoot and Portneuf rivers. The State should own the forest lands and hold them, that it mav preserve the forests thereon from destruction and the water supply from becoming intermittent and useless. The State should own the grazing- lands and hold them that they may be made valuable and that the revenues from them may be available to pay the expense of protecting the forests. The State should own the irrigable lands, that it may obtain a revenue from their sale with which to so regulate and distribute the water supplv for their irrigation as to produce the greatest benefit to the commonwealth and to the individual i THE FORESTS. Idaho has about ten million acres of forest lands. These are of great value for their natural products alone, and should be pro- tected from devastation on that account. For the conservation and regulation of the water supply, however, they are of far greater value to the State. H No system of reservoirs, however costly, can so well regulate the flow of its great rivers and hold their waters back for irriga- tion late in the summer as the forests do now. Under the care of the General Government the forests of this State are being destroyed with terrible rapidity, and there appears no hope of change in this policy. This State, if it owned these forests, would establish a system of mounted patrols which would prevent the fires from destroying and the timber cutters from doing injury. Such a system would cost about $75? P er annum. A portion of this sum would be repaid to the State by a tax on the timber cut, and the remainder from the rentals of the pasture lands. THE GRAZING LANDS. There are about twenty million acres of land in Idaho reported as grazing lands. These now are of no direct benefit to the Gen- eral Government and cannot be sold, because, under the land laws, no one can acquire over 160 acres, and such a small area is of no value. Under State ownership they would be leased on long terms in tracts not exceeding 5,000 acres each for two cents per acre per annum. With the security of tenure thus given, stockmen would fence their holdings, develop water on them sufficient for stock and domestic use and make them extremely valuable as adjuncts to their irrigated hay lands, using the pastures for their summer and the hav lands for their winter feeding. The revenue from the grazing lauds thus rented would be suf- ficient for the administration and protection of both pastures and forests. In irrigation, a very unstable, though valuable element is.spread abroad over the land in open channels and must be divided equally amongst hundreds of individuals. The obtaining of this water at the proper time is often the sole condition between plenty and poverty to hundreds of families. It is an absolute necessity that the water supply be controlled and regulated by the State to prevent terrible oppression and hardship. Proper control and regulation is difficult and intricate, requir- ing men of ability and special training and a large expenditure of money. It is not reasonable to tax the other industries of the '5 commonwealth for the direct use and benefit of these irritable O lands, therefore the State should own these lands, that it may sell them at such a price as will pav for the extraordinary expense which their peculiar conditions -require. The State would establish a commission or board of waters, lands and forests, whose duties would be to protect the forests from fire, secure proper cutting of timber and collect the revenue there- from ; allot and rent the pastures and collect the rentals ; control and regulate the water supply, that no waste, oppression or monopoly shall injure the people, and conduct the sale of the irri- gable lands in such a manner as may advance the interests of the commonwealth. This board would thus control the greatest of all State affairs and would be held responsible for their proper admin- istration. Each citizen of the State would have an intimate personal in- terest in its proceedings and would watch it as if it were his own. The shape of his pocketbook would often be affected by their work. Is it probable that corruption could creep in where there were so many interested eves upon the watch? It would seem like questioning the ability of our people to govern themselves, to question their ability to administer the waters, lands and forests upon which their livlihood depends. UTAH. The people of Utah are heartily in favor, of the proposition to cede the arid public lands to the States and Territories. They see in it an opportunity to vastly increase Utah's capabilities for the support of population and to make substantial provision for the support of an American public school system. The time has come when the need of a radical change in the manner of handling the arid public lands is keenly felt, as a necessity in the development of Utah. In Utah the recent Federal census shows that in the purely agricultural counties, with some exceptions, the growth has been very slow. The truth is that Utah, rich as she is in all that can make a State great and prosperous, has been sending away thous- ands of her people to the more sparsely settled States and Territo- ries. The hive has been swarming for many years. In the case of the great West, the western ocean has been reached and the i6 tide of immigration has been turned back in search of new fields, and these new fields have been found in the arable lands of the arid region which onlv wait for water to make them habitable for man. Passing to the question of the support of the public schools, it is hardly necessary to say that the Government has always taken a deep interest in the education of its people. I is course in this respect has illumined one of the brightest pages in our national history. It has given in support of the puublic schools an area of land greater than many empires in extent. The benign influence of this generous grant has been felt by every State admitted to the Union since the passage of the ordinance of 1787. Under the provisions of this great ordinance and of later ln\vs, sections 16 and 36 of every section of land in the great tract of territory north and west of the Ohio was reserved for the schools of the States thereafter to be formed out of said territnrv. In what are known geographically as the Western States, the arbitrary selection of the lands by law did not effect their value, but as to the States and Territories of the arid region it has rendered them practically val- ueless, because of natural conditions which cannot.be changed nor removed. A statement of the case of Utah will serve to bring this fact out more clearlv. In this Territory the tillable lands a v c found in the valleys, and form but a small proportion of the whole. The majority of the school sections are found on the mountain tops and sides, and in places where they can not be cultivated. Where they are found in the valleys the title has mostly passed to settlers. The land office was not opened in Utah until March, 1889, and the lands in the valleys had been largely taken up 1>\ settlers before that time. The few reserved school sections remaining in the valleys are, with but two or three exceptions, of nominal value. Consequently, so far as Utah is concerned, and this is probably true in a greater or less degree of all the States and Territories in the arid region, the endowment which it was intended by the Government to be given to the public schools is lost. Such action, then, should be taken by the\ general Government as . will place the States and Territories of the arid region on an equality with the other Stales and Terri- tories that have been able to reali/e more fully from the bounty of the Government. In speaking of the cause of public schools, reference is made more especially to Utah. The situation of the States and Territories in the arid region differs materially with respect to" the size of the streams, the extent of the land which cari be irrigated under improved methods for saving and using the water, and the provisions made or attainable for their school sys- tems. Consequently the relative importance of the purposes for which the lands may be donated differ materially, and what may be a suitable donation for one State or Territory may require con- siderable modification in another in order to adapt it to the greatest needs and confer the greatest benefits upon the people. It is for this reason that the people of Utah favor .the ceding of the lands* It mav also be remarked that the question of preserving the great grazing ranges, which now furnish nutricious food for hun- dreds of thousands of cattle and sheep, is one of transcendant importance. The people of all the country are interested in pre- serving this important source of food supply. Under the present conditions these lands are rapidly depreciating in value. If these lands could be sold in tracts of limited area, under carefully-guarded provisions of law, their value would be greatly increased and they would become, as they ought to be now, a source of revenue to the States and Territories in which they are situated. There are several ways in which the water supply can be developed, if these problems be left with the States. In many places artesian wells may be developed, in other places storage reservoirs built, and in others the construction of large works will bring out upon the land water from the rivers, such as the Green and Grand in Utah, and the Snake in Idaho. The area of land of unsurpassed fertility that could by these means be rendered avail- able would furnish comfortable and happy homes for a mighty population. There are few places more inviting than the well- cultivated valleys of the West, and the Government can render its people no greater service than to assist in a material wav in reclaiming every acre possible. The policy of the Government has been not to regard the lands as a source of profit, but as lands held in trust for the common good. It has pursued the generous policy of aiding in the settlement of the lands, and has regarded, the question of revenue to be derived from the Hale as a minor consideration. We believe the message which the people of the arid region desire to send to the Congress of the United States is, give us the necessary aid and " we will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys," and make the West the u crowning land" of our country. i8 MONTHLY BULLETIN OF THE UTAH .WEATHER SERVICE, IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRI- CULTURE WEATHER BUREAU. DECEMBF:R, 1891. General Conditions of Pressure and Temperature. The at- mospheric pressure was considerably above the average. Low- pressure areas affected the Territory on the 1st, /{th, 9th, zoth to 2 ist, 23d to 24th, and a noteworthy one on the 3oth. In this storm the barometer fell below 29.5 inches. It was an off-shoot or "secondary" of the storm that on the zyth prostrated with its severity the telegraph wires in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. "Highs," or anticyclones, passed over Utah on the 3d, 5th to 8th, loth to 19th, 22(1, 2^th to 26th, and one appeared on the 3 1 st. The one on the i5th had a central pressure of 30.65 inches. The one on the 251)1 and 26th \\ as central over Colorado on the 25th. It came from the I British provinces and brought with it the lowest temperatures of the month and clearing weather, which, ho\\ ever, only lasted a day or two. The cold spell was general over Nevada, Utah and Colorado, as well as adjoining States. Temperature . - Throughout the Territory the month seems to have been colder than the usual December; probably in most localities it was from 4 to 6 degrees colder. At Salt Lake City the records show it to have been 6 degrees lower than the normal December, and the coldest December since 1876. The warmest dav throughout the Territory was the ist, with- out exception, and the coldest dav was the 2=^th, for all localities except the extreme eastern part, where the lowest temperature occurred on the 26th. The coldest region was the plateau of the central part of Utah, comprising portions of Utah, Juab, San Pete, Sevier and Millard counties. The general mean tempera- ture averaged from 17 stations was 26 degrees. The highest mean temperature: was 35.9 degrees at St. George. The lowest mean reported was 21.2 degrees at Nephi. At St. George and Nephi also occurred the highest and lowest tempera- tures respectivelv, viz.: highest, 7 1 degrees on the ist at St. George, and 19 degrees below zero on the 25th at Xcphi; an ex- treme range of 90 degrees for the month. The greatest local monthly range was 69 degrees at Cisco, Grand county; the least monthly range was 41 degrees at Snowville, Box Elder county. Precipitation. The month was characterized by abundant snowfall. The average amount of rain and melted snow at the different stations was 1.42 inches. The depth of snowfall ranged from i to 34 inches, and perhaps it was even greater in localities which did not report. Xephi reported 34 inches for the month, w r ith 10 inches remaining unmelted at the end of the month; Ogden, 32 inches; Grouse Creek, 31 inches, with 13 remaining unmelted; Provo reported 29 inches; Levan, 22 inches, with 9 remaining unmelted; Salt Lake, 21, with 3 left unmelted; Losee, 15, with 8 unmelted; Snowville, 17, with 14 unmelted; other sta- tions had less amounts. State of Weather. Over the greater part of the Territory the month was unusually cloudy and stormy; more than half of the days were regarded as cloudy. The sunshine was but 36 per cent, of the possible amount. Days with rain varied from 2 to 15 at the different stations. The snowfall for December in the vicinity of Salt Lake was as much as had fallen in the entire previous season. Accumulating in the mountains as it is now doing, it will undoubtedly prove very beneficial, assuring an ample water supply for the ensuing growing season; and it is reasonnble to conjecture that unusually large crops will be raised in 1892, other conditions being favorable. METEOROLOGICAL DATA DECEMBER, 189!. TEMPER ATU R K. PUKC UMTATION. . (Rain and snow.) q ~3 O o STATIONS. COUNTIES. B & >, ji If 1|- a '. ~ jii OHS'KV'KS S c j~ !H "2 o '" "5 "5 p 2 tjS ^ ' 4 ~ l C if.. bt.r 2 u 1- 1 | |r i c 1 c *-* 1 "bio u ? 1 "rt g >, "" ^^ i " g a s Q 3 Q * ^ Q Beaver.. Beaver Graff Castle Gate Emery Kuler Cisco .... Graml 22.8 63 ISt .LO" 26th 69" 1.90 ii H o 4 Jeffers Deseret Green River. . . . Millard Hmerv 26.2 3-4 60 55 ISt i 4 th ~5 -7 25th 2''-.th O.2I 0.15 4 2 o o o K Rogers, Am'erman Grouse Creek. Box Elder 2.90 j j ii I 13 Cooke Lake Park Davis 26 i 51 ISt -7 25th 58" 1-49 s o Blumel Levan Juab 21.5 44 ISt -6 25th SO 2-75 I 22^ 1% 9 Brown Logan Cache Walker Losee Garfield 22.3 '60' ISt _^ 25th 67 I 5O ' 5' 15 O 's" Caffull Moab Grand 27.8 65 ISt -i i/ 26th 6\y o'.Si o 2 Crouse Mt. Carmel Kane 26.4 57- ist 1-6 2 5th 63 1.07 4 10.7 o 4 Monon Nephi Juab 21 .2 43 ISt -'9 25th 62 12 2 10 May Ogden . . Weber 28.4 3.01 8 32 Crossman Park City Summit Ferguson Parowan . Iron 2s 4 57 ISt __^ 25th 62 i . 13 12 "1 2 6 Matheson Provo Utah 9 ? 5 29 Alarlin Richfield . Sevier 23. 2 59 ISt A 25th 63 O " " 12 2 _ Hales Scofield Emerv Soldiers' Summit Utah " _ Snowville . . Box p:ider 24.5 45 ISt A 25th ti 2.aS - O 17 4 14 Robbins St. George Stockton Washington Tooele Salt Lake 35-9 7' 5 1 ISt ISt S o 25th 25th 63 Si" 0.40 0.50 2.19 2 2 IS Trace 3-2 21 o 3 Pymm Hughes Salisbury Salt Lake City 2O NOTES BY OBSERVERS. Cisco. Thunder storm on the ist. Grouse Creek. Very heavy wind on the 3oth; several per- sons lost theK way in the blinding storm. Losee. Prevailing wind NW, moderate. From 23d to close of month colder than common; seven below zero 25th; 3Oth snowed hard all clay. Ground not covered much of the time un- til the 3oth. Levan. A heavy storm passed over at 8:30 p. m. on ist, ac- companied by thunder and lightning and high wind, moving from NW to SE. D esc ret. Considerable thunder on ist between 7 and 8 p. m. Wind heavy on 3oth from SW. There has not been snow enough to lay on the ground more than three or four hours at a time. Paroivan. Barometer verv low on evening of 29th. Heavy south wind next day and an inch of snow at night. The month has been colder and more snow than common for December. Good for winter grain. Moab. Thunder storm ist, 7 p. m. First snow on 4th, y 2 inch. Nephi. First half of month hard on crops. GEO. N. SALISBURY, Director. SALT LAKE CITY, January j_\ iS^j. WASHINGTON. UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE, \ NORTH YAKIMA, WASHINGTON, August 28, 1891. j HON. J. H. THOMAS, North Yakima, Washington: Dear Sir Referring to your letter of August 29, 1891, re- questing an estimate of the number of acres of desert land in our district, we have the honor to report by a rough estimate that there are 4,515,840. This includes the desert lands of the Yakima In- dian reservation. Trusting that your visit to Salt Lake will be both pleasant and profitable to yourself, as well as the State of Washington, I remain, yours truly, W. H. HARE, Receiver* 21 UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE, WATERVILLE, WASH. HON. J. H. THOMAS, North Yakima, Washington: Dear Sir Your letter of the 29th ult., asking for an estimate as to the number of acres of desert land in this land district has been received. I find it difficult to make anything like a correct estimate. Taking that portion of the land district that has been surveyed and the settlement of which can be ascertained, I find that there are a number of townships that are unsettled, and the Assessor of this county states that the land is desert in character. There are some sixteen of such townships, or an approximate of 368,000 acres. I believe this is as nearly as can be told. Yours very respectfully, J. C. LAWRENCE, Register. UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE, ) SPOKANE FALLS, WASH., August 31, 1891. \ HON, J. II. THOMAS, North Yakima, Washington: Sir deferring to yours of August 29, '91, I have to say that none of the lands in this land district have been returned by the surveyors as being desert land. There is no doubt that a million acres of this district would be the better if it could be irrigated, but as to the desert land I must report "None." Yours respectfully, A. W. STRONG, Register. UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE, ) VANCOUVER, WASH., August 3!, 1891. j Respectfully returned to writer I do not believe that there is any land in this district properly classed as desert land. In Klick- itat County there is much land requiring irrigation when it is in- tended to farm same, but I am informed that all this land makes excellent pasturage, and when fenced in small tracts is very valua- ble for grazing. Desert land entries have been made at this office. I invitfe your attention to the Dunbar's indorsement, however. J. M. GEOGHEGAN, Register. GOLDENDALE, WASH., September 2, 1891. There i~> product is hay, and one to six hundred if the irrigated product is potatoes. GAYLAMOUNT PAMPHLET BINDER Monufocturad by GAYLORD BROS. Inc SyrocuM, N.Y Stockton, Col If.