Rocky Mountain husbandman., 1880-05-13
A CROP FOR ARID LANDS.

Among the variety of seeds sent out by
the Commissioner of AylicuIture there ha>
been sent about 100 bushels of seed of
"Egyptian' or Rice Corn" to various
places III the West for cultivation upon al.ih
lands. AS we have before stated. The State
Board Of Agriculture Of Kansas has now
called attention to this cereal. which it states
can be grown without irrigal ion upon tile
vast arid fields of the far West. aud it is
spoken Of in glowing terms rs promising to
solve difficulty Vt the greatest magnitude
III respect to the future settlement of the
country. The New York Tines in quoting
from this report, says, that the especial value
Of the grain is in its power OF resisting
drou'h. We clip from the article referred
TO an account If the properties Of the cereal:
The kernels grow in d tuft like thar on tile
Top of sorghum. Each one is something
smaller and rounder than a grain Of wheat.
aud is enclosed in Il shock or independent
capsule. Tie berry can be eaten ground
into flour or cracked like wheat. or whole
like rice, or used generally like any other
cereal. The meal resembles that of Indian
corn, and in color is intermediate between
the yellow and white varieties. A chemical
lat, dcxtrine and sugar which produce heat
and fat in the animal organization. compares
tavorably with that of. Indian corn, Wheat.
rye and oats; and in its conten's of tlesi,
forming albumenoids it surpasses all Indian
corns. and ranks with wheat, rye and oats.
The small per centage Of celulose, or nearly
non-nuritiouS woody fiber. is very remark
able. The stalk makes as good fodder AZ
corn does, and Il few acres will furnish a
family with fodder for Il Winter--a consider
alton Of tie first Importance iii that treeess
country"
From New Mexico to the British line,''
to quote again, "there are tens Of thou
sands OF square miles-50O.O .OO0, 900 acres
according to a reliable eslimale-Which 1t
was thought nothing but an expensive sys-
TEN OF artesan wells could reclaim to any
better use than paStnrage, and now comes
this African plant to furnish food and fuel to
this Vast country, besides crops forexport,
whose value it may yet be impossible to ex-
press in sure figures"
In the light OF this wonderful prospect,
the far West takes upon itself quite another
aspect. Congress has already in hand
project tor giving away, comparatively
speaking, immense tracts of these lands,
may some day be worth thousands of mil
lions of dollars, and be the support of mil
liyns Of souls. The Public Lands Commis-
sion, viewing them rs useless, has recon-
mended their sale In tracts of any size to
suit purchasers. This would mean owner
slip by few and speculation out of the
many. 1t should not be DONE II there is |
even the possibility OF making the arid West
4 vast harvest field, and in the light of these
well substantiated facts it seems possible,
then, the small owners, the industrious of
all classes, should be invited there under a
wise and liberal patronage and protection,
and encouraged by system of leasehol(ls |
Or small rents, be given the chance to be-
,ofae independent, and to win all possibili |
ties from the native soil.-Faamer's Reu;e,0.
---------a.
IHE past winter was very severe one in
Europe, doing great damage to trees, vines,
etc. In Belgium the horticullurists report
very dishearting condition of things. One
says that in his locality, pears, peaches,
olums, apricots and grape vines exist only
Ii carcasses; and another that pear trees
ire dead to the roots, as are also many nut
rees.