The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1890-04-22
IRRIGATION IN NEBRASKA
An Effort Being Made to Or
ganize q Company for
that Purpose.
Farmers In Many Localities Bscoua.
ing Discouraged and Deserving
Their Homesteads.
A Knoity Legal euestion---can q
Woman Protect Herself Against
a Slanderous Husband

LiAcoLN. Nehs. Apfis FL
w. ID. wildman, or ouibertsoa. Ii In
Lincoln seeking to organize aa irrigation
company for the country that can be
reached from the Frenchman river. In
conversation regarding hts sehenls he said:
Western Nebraska, In her ambition TO
become great. has oserreachad herself.
Farmers have gone into the arid piains.
aud because II rained occasionally they
have asserted that these il moisture
enough 10 the gronad for the s,fcdaction
Of aeser-failing crops. The idea of ahe
Great American Desert has been laughed
TO scofh, and In q sense justly, bnt the
fact exists Just the same that western
Nebraska, Kansas and Coloradc know
more of fsilnre than OF never falling
drops. aud that IN many localities
farmers have become discouraged and de-
serted their homssteads, prs-emptions and
tree-claims. There is bnt one reascnsfor
this, viz: Lack of rainfall In the face
of hope this truth has been forced upon
as. The soil OF western Nebraska is all
right, and with sufficient moisture the
beautiful praisies would not only be pro-
dactive but source Of profit TO the toiiss
and produces, and the farms of the western
part OF the stake would soon rival those of
the east. II need hardly be said that the
soil of our portion Of the state ia light aud
that wina storms often do sad work. This
fact Was illustrated not long since in Han
ner, Deuel. and Kimhal counties. and
Gov. Thayer was called upon 20
beg for seed, that the farmers might
again soy and piant their zelda.
II Is an old saying, and good one,
too, that He who makes two blades or
grass grow where one grew before is pub
lie benefaetor, aud the same il equally
true Of one who can make our so sailed
desert blossom as the rose. This can De
done by irrigation and 1 propose 10 sea
what can do toward interesting the public
Ia work that has become necessity IL
western Nebraska cyer amounts 50 anything
In an agricultural sense. visit 20 Gree
lev, COL, will convince the most skeptieal
what irrigation viii DO. Twenty years ago
that country was an arid, trealees, gsassIess
plain. Sage bushes and caetns, with the
aaSsA5nqszfdAl>rss sisnasspss4r :. As.sasssAfl4s
of the heritage. But The hand OF enter
prise tapped this apparently sterile plain,
and the water from creeks and rivers was
controlled so that when moisture WAS
naetea il could bo had without wasting
energy praying for rain. That country
blossoms to-day as none other 10 the west,
and what irrigation has done for Greeley y
win do for western Nebraska. The only
thing that stands In the way OF immediate
success IL the necessary capital. In this
connection ! wish TO say that Greeley
farmers assert that they would not change
acre Cor acre with any one IN any country
who depends upon rain for the production
| of crops. II will take no fabulous amount
| 10 die the necessary canals and ditches for
| irrigation. and with water properly con-
| trolIed the winds may blow and the droutn
| come, but Nebraska will grow ahe SELL
| sustaining crop. II seems TO ms that there
,g a chance here for Manderson, Paddock
| Dorsey. Connell and Dawes to do some
thing that will truly benefit their constitu-
4 sucy. believe that az apprnp aatlon
can be secured from the national govern
| ment for such experiments In irrigation q
may be deemed necessary at this time.
The vest has Just as much right to draw
on the national crib as the east for th'
means 10 push needed public improve
ments. and think Il but right that on
n representaiiyes he asked TO extend help
inQ hand. The country tributary TO th
Frenchman ought 10 be irrigated and tn
same thing can be said OF other sections o.
ths state. n possible shali interest pri
vate capitalists 10 this need and push .
experiment that I have every conhdenc
| win demonstrate the correctness Of m
ideas. The time has come for wester
| Nebraska to irrigate wherever possib Q.