The morning call., 1890-12-22
OPPONENTS OFF IRRIGATION.

The Massachusetts, Agricultural Society
has memorialized Congress against the ap-
preparation of public money for irrigation in
the West, on the ground that there is plenty
of land which can be farmed in the older
States without artificial fertilization.
Throughout New England farms which
were formerly productive are now practi-
cally derelict, their owners in many in
stances having removed to newer and richer
lands in the river valleys Of the center of
tie continent The same thing is true Of
Virginia, Maryland, other border States,
and even to some extent of New York and
Pennsylvania. 1t will be time enough, say
these Massachusetts, agriculturists, to spend
national money ON retaining arid plains
west OF the Mississippi when there is no
land in the East that farmer can take up
and cultivate at profit.
The partial abandonment of farms in
New England and several Eastern States is
really remarkable phenomenon. Farm
land III Massachusetts,, New Hampshire,
Vermont and Northern New York is in
many cases worth less money than it was
fifty years ago. We published a few months
ago an account of a hamlet in Vermont
which was in reality deserted village.
Most of its people had moved West, and
new settlers had not stepped in to take
their places. The phenomenon, though
singular, Is easily explained For fifty years
young men proposing to follow the calling
OF farmers, and immigrants coming from
Europe with the like intent, have been
offered the alternative of exploiting ey-
hausted soils, which were never rich and
which now will produce only small crops
without the use Of fertilizers, or of settling
in new region. where deep alluvium
renders manure unnecessary and careful
cultivation will insure 4 yield double The
average in the East. They have naturally
elected the latter course. They have done
so IN such numbers that the old homesteads
have In many instances been abandoned.
and fields which formerly gave fine crops
are now overrun with weeds and Trees.
Before the war the migration was checked
by the expense of marketing Western crops.
The farmer in GeneSee Valley could get
more for his wheat than the settler in the
Platte Valley. But the development of the
railroad system has equallZed transI orta-
ton, and annihilated distance; so that now
the wheat-grower i'll Minnesota gets almost
as much per buShel as his rival in PennSyl-
yania.
The Massachusetts farmers now hold that
1t would be better to try TO attract settlers
10 the abandoned lands in the East than to
spend money IL retaining ard lands in the
west. suppose We avoid controversy tor
the moment, and admit that our Eastern
friends are right. How are settlers to be in
duce6 to locate in Vermont and Massa-
chuSeits? Farming In those States is not
an alluring pursuit.. The soil will produce
little or nothing without manure, and it
will produce nothing which cannot be dupli-
Gated at very low prices in the West. Even
II land can be bought for trifle, the net
gain from cropping it will hardly support
family. And the only way in which it can
be made more productive is by adopting
system OF high farming, and growing moth
ing but concentrated produce, which will
command fancy prices. That costs great
deal of money, aud will hardly tempt the
average settler from Europe OF the average
American youth who is looking for home
stead.
The question of irrigation should not be
viewed from sectional standpoint. What
Massachusetts ought TO consider is not
whether 1t also contains land which is empty
from other causes, but whether the recIanIa-
ton OF unproductlve land west of the rivers
and the consequent increase of the food
supply OF the country would not be bene-
III TO the whole country, including MaSsa-
chusetts. III ii would not, the Massachu-
sets farmers are right in antagonizing
irrigation bills with projects for the resur-
rection of Eastern farms; but il it would,
they ought to support these bills, as meas
ureS which are calculated TO advantage the
whole republic. of which Massachusetts is
no Insignificant section.