The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-11-29

Nothing better illustrates the populau
tendency to build large gensralisstiou
upon . slender basis Of fact than the
prevailing assumption among . good
many people In Dakota that the DEF.
eient rainfall Of the last tive ysars IL q
permanent climatic characteristic si
that region. Asa matter Of fact, this
assumption 10 based almost wholly On
the experience Of the present year IN q
few eeuatiss Of North and Sseth Da.
kota. Last year the whole state asarly
matursd n o the best wheat crops
ever knows-ths result VI abundast
rainfalls. But II was stricken In North
caketa with q unprecedented early
frost. and II would be quite q, Logical 10
infer from this isolated fact that wheat
could not be grows In that region on
account Of the shortness Of the season,
though In has bssn grown without inter.
ruptien fer over seventy years In the
more nertherly latitudss Of M~aaitsSa,
o. to assume tAss the rare oceursses Of
. dry sasen at the end Of long series
Of seasons Of ample rainfall 10 evidence
Of an arid climate. The people Of North
Dakota hays themselves done nusA TO
give currency 70 this false and Injurious
Impression BY lsyisE tee much stress on
the necessity Of . general system Of irri-
CATION. In fact Dakota Ass Ne more
need Of artificial irrigation than Ninns.
soto. Wisconsin OF New England. All
sections Of the eonntry are exposed 70
periodical drsutAs % well o. to period
ieal extremes Of temperature.
The facts publishsd yesterday In the
Pioneer Press prove csnsluglvsly the
exceptional character Of The present. dry
season IN shstwe Dakstas. The meteor.
logical Statistics Of that ssgisn sAsw
that the average rainfall 10 amply sum.
siens for Tho abundant production q
ssResls for which they are celebrated
throughout the vsrld: The Bismarck
record for ten years shows . p~rssiDita.
ton n.ssly % great % that Of - Paul.
The 81. Vincent record shows - aver
age rainfall ample for the most prolific
vegetation. The whole character Of the
vegetation Of the two Daketas givss svi.
deAce that 1t has rain enough sad al
ways has had raia enough 10 insure
their high rank a. agricultural states.
Yet some people out there are talking 90
il the only salvation Of North Dakota 10
to subject il generally to such treatment
~ the French have been applying to
South Algeria and the caravan reuts
sersss the Sahara TO fimbus.ss. A few
counties in North Daksts snd . fewi In
South Dakota have suffered severely. Il
10 true. from dry weather during sad
s%sccssdins the growing period. Mime.
ssta and the rest Of the Dskesa barely
escaped . like calamity; but IL is the
height Of sbsurditY 10 make these rare
and exceptional occurrences the basis of
the broad assumption that the slimste 10
growing permanently drier.
The trsth 10 that nearly svery habit.
able country in the verld. % nsteyelogi.
cal statistics show. Ne matter how pre-
fuse its ordinary and average rainfall, 10
subject to the ss-occurense, generally at
long intervals. Of phenomsaally dry and
vet seasons, and that the two Daketas
have no Eors than the usual share al
lotted to other states. The average
rainfall 10 somewhat less there than In
Minnesota. as in Minnesota is less
than in Iowa or New England. But the
average measures Of precipitation are
sufficient for bouAtitsl crops, - seventy
odd years Of cultivation In Nanitsba-a
drier and colder climate than the sppe
RED river vslleY-havs proved; and
these measures, both Of heat and mois
tare. are As constant in the tive Dakotas
as in Minnesota, Wisconsin and New
England. Irrigation would bea good
thing in North Dakota IS IL would be q
good thing in Kansas OF Nebraska, a. q
provision against the rare occurrence Of
dry seasons. but il 10 Ne more necessary
In the Daketas than In Nebraska OF
Minnesota 10 insure the prosperous arri-
cultural development ofthose now slater
or the permanency Of the position they
have achieved rs the granary Of the
world. 4 better thing than artificial IL.
rigation for North Dakota would be the
general cultivation Of trees.