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34 WATER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA. . ? CH APTER V. UTILIZATION OF THE STATE’S WATERS. Only one-half of the wide expanse of California contributes much to ? the waters of its streams. The other half, lower in altitude and more even of surface, is favorably disposed for occupancy by man, and its populated sections need water in order that their industrial expansion may continue and their communal civilization progress steadily onward. The production of food, the generation of power, and the supply of water for domestic use, in the drier half of the state, are largely depend­ent upon the waters of the streams which have their source in the more elevated regions. The farmer relies upon the streams during the warm, dry summers for supplementary moisture to mature his crops and upon their hydro-electric energy to pump his irrigation waters. The electric energy, generated by the waters of the streams as they descend the mountains’ slopes, furnishes power and illumination to the industrial centers, and light and heat and means of operating many conveniences, to the entire social state. But most o f all, the cities, towns, and villages, the pleasures and comforts of their congregated peoples, require these waters in abundance for drinking and household purposes. The expansion of all these benefits to include larger popula­tions, demands increased supplies of water for the future with uninter­rupted service in purity and plenty, at all times of the year, and m ail successive years alike. . „ n ,. The vital importance of water in the economic development ol Cali­fornia is succinctly shown in the history of the State’s production. By 1920, with but three per cent of all the people in the entire United States residing within California’s borders, this state, eighteenth in the area of land farmed, was fifth in position among the states of the Union in value of farm crops; and while in the eighth position in value ot manufactures, was second in the installed capacity of water wheels tor the hydro-generation of electric current. Since 1920, this state has advanced from fifth to fourth(1) among the states of the Union m value of agricultural products. _ _ . The advance to so favorable a comparison in agricultural output with the other forty-seven states of the Union, has been made without any increase in the total area in improved farms. In fact, thirty-uve years have elapsed since the aggregate area in improved farms in Calitornia has increased. Although there are twenty-three million acres or land susceptible of agriculture within the state’s borders, the enlargemen of the area tilled ceased when but half of the total had been brought under cultivation. As a result of the unprofitable farming conditions obtaining on the remaining millions of acres, the area under cultivation did not further enlarge; the experience of the practical farmer limited the total area cultivated to but half the agricultural lands. Borne a>Statistics of California State Department of Agriculture show that this state was exceeded in value of agricultural products by Texas, Iowa and Illinois. WATER RESOURCES OF CALIFORNIA. 35 additional areas having inadequate natural moisture have since been added to the total area of improved farms by developing accessory water supplies, but the abandonment of other areas previously farmed has compensated in their summation so that the total acreage in im­proved farms has remained practically unchanged for thirty-five years. This limit to the area in improved farms was reached in the year 1885. Prior to this year, the tilled area had expanded in leaps and bounds from the great impetus to farming enterprises that followed the world wide movement to this state after the discovery of gold at the midway point of the last century. This enlargement of the farmed area continued at a rapid rate for a third of a century, then slacken­ing, it ceased about 1885. With less than 12,000,000 acres cultivated, all of the state’s agricul­tural area with sufficient natural moisture to mature a profitable crop had been brought into use. Since 1885, the state has had no additional area that could be profitably utilized for agriculture in its natural con­dition, so that in response to the continuing favorable market for agri­cultural products, a more intensive farming of the land already under cultivation has been in progress. All through these thirty-five years, the demand for products of California’s agriculturists has never ceased ®to increase at an accelerated rate.' California, favorably sit­uated, its fertile agricultural soils producing to capacity under condi­tions of dry farming, required only that additional water be applied to these lands to multiply their yield. The practical farmer, answer­ing to the ever-enlarging market for his products, increased the yield .of many acres by supplementing the soil’s natural moisture with water applied through irrigation. In this way the state has continued, through the last thirty-five years, to respond to the constantly increas­ing demand for its farm products, and in this way the potent possibil­ities o f California’s farm lands are being invoked to a yield greater in value than in any other state of the Union. The utility of the state’s waters in augmenting the yield of its agri­cultural lands and the demands of the future, may best; be ascertained through an investigation of the use of water in the past. The quan­tity of accessory water needed for growing crops to an harvestable maturity, may best be derived from the results of experience and prac­tice, California’s lands, deficient in natural moisture during the grow­ing season of agricultural plants, have received varying quantities of water. The amounts applied on the sundry tracts in the divers locali­ties, differ widely with all the circumstances and conditions affecting the use of water. The application to different fields has varied greatly even for like crops, for not only do the quantities of water used vary with the incentive for their economic application, but the amounts that are dissipated in the process of irrigation change greatly with contin­gent circumstances, and even the actual quantity necessary for absorp­tion by the root systems of the plants, is conditional. These circumstances and conditions necessitating the application of more or less accessory water, are so vast in number, changing with every variation in soil, crop, and preparation for spreading water, that on small tracts of land, the effect of one may predominate, but on greater areas they tend to neutralize in effect. For this reason the average use of water on very large areas approaches like figures, while the use on small tracts within these large areas, may take wide numer-