Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-03-29
NOT A DESERT.
Figures and Statistics Show that
the American Desert no
Longer Exists.
The New Bill for the Admission
of Montana-A Promising
Outlook.
NO MORE A DESERT.

Gradual Disappesrznoo Of that Portion Of
north America known as the Great Amer
lean Desert.
The Great American Desert and
the buffalo are vanishing together.
What Was a wilderness generation
ago ID now made to blossom like the
ruse as the emIgrant farmer redeems II
from u state of nature. The buffalo
viii soon become as extinct rs the
mammoth unless our government
strictly preserves the fow specimens
It'll lett of the TO. Amsrlcanus. We
eau more readily dispense with the
buffalo, UicIuresqus though he Is, as
feature of the wild western landscape,
II the vast plnius from which lie was
driven to his death are converted in.
u golden wheat fields.
The "GreaI American DESERT of the
old maps may be roughly described as
u region bounded by the Roxy
Mountains Oh the west, tue Missouri
river Oh the east aud Canada On tue
north, while southwardly II extended
even 10 the Rio Graude. As Central
Africa was indicated on charts rot
many years ago Uy the word "uuex
plor.d," and It's savage state symbol.
lied by elephants aud lions, 90 the
buffalo once served Hs the enolsn oi
the Little known inferior Of this coun-
try. There Is no more astounding
proof Of growth Of thus republic tnan
tue fact that mIdlle aged men now
living have seen the cOniues Of thIs
supposed desert shrink almost 10
nothingness, while the buffalo no
longer exists rs It's type ~ iu the
imagination Of map makers. The desert
has thus maryellously contracted,
simply because IL 10 not what we
should call desert, save ia compsra-
lively few spots. The old theories
aDous Its steriiity have all turned out
wrong. Ii Was supposed that, be-
CAUSE for tbe most part treeless, IL had
NO rain fsll. Or n certain small
quantity of rain WAS granted 10 1t, tho
it Was assumed that this WAS INSULT
cient Tor farming purposes. There
fore, at its best estate, the "Grea.
American Desert could serve only H.
pasture grounds for cattle and sheep
ss originally 1t had served for millions
of bulialoes.
Experience has proved this theory
OF a treeless waste aud IA rainlesss area
to be al mistake. There is a melan-
choly want OF trees ou the western
plains, hut their absence does not
perpetusts drou'h anywhere. Aud
small though the annual precipitation
OF rain may be in some places, the
pioneer has yet to iind the spot (bar.
ring alksll lands aud pure sand
palchesl where the heavens deny hinl
water Tor the raising OF grain and veg
etables.
A writer in Science has set himself
to answer the question, as the rain
fall iacreasing upon the plaius?'
After a careful Inspection of all the
available data, be is of the opinion
that there has been no increase of rain
fall on the plains since they began Il
be settled up by farmers. They hav,
planted many trees, IL Is true, but no
enough to satisfy the theory whicl
associates forests with moisture. Th,
truth IL, Bs the writer shows, tha
the prevalent idea about the amount
Of rainfall necessary for farming oper
sllons Was erroneous. As the piouee
have tested the capabilities the of soil II
their western march, they have dis
covered that rain fall of twenty In
ches years is not the iudispeusabl
minimum. They can get along win
ten, and 1t remains to be seen /
even less will not answer. They hay
found that, however slight the rain,
fall may be. IL can be greatly eucour
aged by cultivation. When tie plain
are plowed and borrowed the rail-
sinks into the ground aud its eyapor.
ton ls prevented by the crops, who.
roots II feeds. The improved condi
tions which western people suppose :,
have been brought about by increase,
, rainfall are merely due TO the bette
, conservation OF the rain they get.
General Greely, the chief signal ON
Ger, has ably discussed this subject II
a paper lately read before the Wash
ington Philosophical Society, lie de
clares that no part OF the west cal
!. now positively be declared rainles'
The area In which the rainfall ht
been popularity supposed to he le'
than fifteen iuches has been reduce
by million of square milrs since III
{. census map OF 1850 was prepared. Ii