Naturally, not the whole of the vast area just discussed could be
brought under cultivation, even under the most favorable conditions
of rainfall. A very large portion of the territory in question is
mountainous and often of so rugged a nature that to farm it would be
an impossibility. It must not be forgotten, however, that some of
the best dry-farm lands of the West are found in the small mountain
valleys, which usually are pockets of most fertile soil, under a
good supply of rainfall. The foothills of the mountains are almost
invariably excellent dry-farm lands. Newell estimates that
195,000,000 acres of land in the arid to sub-humid sections are
covered with a more or less dense growth of timber. This timbered
area roughly represents the mountainous and therefore the nonarable
portions of land. The same authority estimates that the desert-like
lands cover an area of 70,000,000 acres. Making the most liberal
estimates for mountainous and desert-like lands, at least one half
of the whole area, or about 600,000,000 acres, is arable land which
by proper methods may be reclaimed for agricultural purposes.
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