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In this connection we call attention to thc expm'ience of our country in various completed reclamation projects throughout the land and point out that it is not sufficient mercly to place the men upon the land; we therefore urge upon those in authority, that lands which may be reclaimed by any' of the meth- ods above suggestcd should be b,rought to a point where the scttler going upon them can immediately enter upon actual farming with a promise of results at the end of the first season of his occupancy. He should be offered lands ready fo plant and equipped with the 'neces- sary buildings, .implemc.nts and live stock to make it a going concer~, all of thcse to be paid for on long-time deferred payments bearing a low rate of interest. LANDS PREPARED As representing States lying within the arid'.region of thc West, we call attention to the fact that in such region there are vast areas Of land which only need the application of available waler to make them productive and capable of supporting hun, .dreds' of thousands of'inhabitants. As an illustration of this condition, we call attention to the great drainage basin of the Colorado River, in which there are in excess of 3,000,000 acres which can be reclaimed by the construction of rese.r- voirs for the conservation of the flood waters of the stream, which would do away with flood damages on the lower reaches of the river and bring into productivity an empire which in its richness would rival thc lands of the far-famed delta of the Nile; an empire which when fully developed' would ,l).dd to the .wealth of the country by 'a variety of c,rops ranging from those of the North Temp,erate Zone to those semi-tropical produc!.s of Arizona and California, COLORADO RIVER BASIN In the treatment of projects such as are to be found on the Colorado Rivcr and its tribntaries, those in authority should bear in mind that the st,ream should be treated ,as a whole in order that the greatest duty of its waters will be obtained. ~ . Thc history of il'l'igation throughout the world has shown that the greatest duty of water is had by first using it upon the ,upper reaches of the stream and continuing the use pro- gressively downward. in.' other words, "the water should first be captured and used while it is young," for it can then be recaptured as it returns from the perform- ance 01' its duties and thus be used over and over again. BEST USE AT. HEAD. WATERS -3-