The daily gazette., 1875-04-22
sour Barren Lands"

We have before referred to the OBJ
servations of General Haven, U. s. A,
going to show that in some of our new
Western States there can be 'no gen
eral agriculture, owing to the INSULT
cheney of the rainfall" Gen. Custer,
If ths same service, has replied to the
views of General HaZen, and in answer
to Gen. Custer, Gen. Hazen has issued
pamphlet entitled "Our Barren
Lands" to show that from the Tooth
meridian to tho Sierra Nevada range,
over the whole breadth of the country
from the British possessions to Mexico,
The above proposition is true. General
Iazen pamphlet is mainly directed,
however, against the Northern Pacific
Railroad, in support of his own origi-
nal criticism of that project, and in
reply to Gen. Clusters answer to him
General IIazen relies implicitly on the
observations of rain fall which have
been taken at the governments posts in
this region with great accuracy for
many years. These observations show
that while the rainfall tluctuates
greatly for different years, for periods
of ten years it does not vary substan-
TALLY and does not exceed II or 10 in
ches, against 80 and 40 in the Eastern
States. The years 1872 and 1873 were
very exceptional, giving rainfall of
| 204 inches, and it was in the latter year
| that General Custer found the country
blooming with verdure. The cores
pondents and civilians who accompa-
| MED Gen Custer from Bismarck to the
| Black Hills, testify to the barrcnness
of the intervening country, though
Gen. HaZen says that if Gen, Custer
found grass enough for his mules over
| one bivouac, he reported the country
rich in grass, not with intent to falsify,
but out of enthusiasm"
General Clusters experience of a
| single favorable year certainly cannot
balance General Hazen's of many
years. In 1874 all attempts at farming
around Bismarck failed, as General
Hazen shows by reports from the men
who put in crops; it was only by the
| greatest effort that two thousand tons
of hay could be got within fifteen
miles for the supply of Fort A, Lincoln,
and one thousand tons more had TO be
brought up the Missouri by steamer.
Tree culture is equally hopeless, ac-
cording to General Hazen, and in short
all agriculture is futile between the
Red river and the Rory mountains
without irrigation, and there is no
water with which to irrgate
1t is certainly a serious proposition
which Gen. Hazen seeks to establish,
as it covers all the parks, plains and
valleys of Colorado. New Mexico,
Montana and Utah, with population
of over half million, raising more
food by far than they can eat.
Irrigation has in some locations nearly
exhausted the waters at its command.
Gen. Hazen says that the average rair'
fall of the whole region for periods oil
Iyears together is less than one-third oil
that of the average of the Easton agri
cultural States, and he despairs of any
rain bearing clouds reaching that arel
from either ocean.
1t seems to be the opinion of the in
telligent observers that, while the be
ginnings of agriculture in the regior
referred TO may gradually Introduce
climatic changes which will provide
for its own increase, and while Gen
Hazen may have underrated the agri
cultural capacity of the interior plain
, and basius, from the Missouri to til,
Rocky Mountains there is probably
barren belt. and that for some time t
. come it will be better not to push emi
grafton too far from a market, and L
cultivate more Glossy the area now oc
cupied by sclf-supporting popuia
ton.