Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-04-18
LANDS IN THE ARID RE-
GION,

1RR1GABLE LANDS IN THE ARID RE-
GION.
Major J. H. Powelrs articles on "The
Irrigable Lands in the Arid Region"
now being published in the Century
Magazine are valuable, as coming from
an intelligent source and a good author
ity on a most interesting topic. The
statement that "nearly half of the lands
in the United States, exclusive of Alaska,
are arid" is a little startling at first, but
with the explanation that "by this char
a~cterization it is meant that the rainfall
is insufficient to fertilize crops from year
to year," over this vast area, the asser-
ton easily assumes the form of solid
fact. But the writer gives further relief
by another qualification that "arid lands
are not lands of famine and the sunny
sky is not a armament Of devastation"
And furthermore, conquered rivers are
better servants than wild clouds. Hence,
Major Powell estimates that
there are one billion acres of these arid
lands in the United States, of which one
hundred and twenty million acres can be
irrigated by available water supplies, and
that six million acres are already cult
waited through the agency of canals. The
descriptive geography of the arid regions
in the March article will interest and in
whoever reads it. A short extract
which relates to lands "near home" is
given.
"Along the hundredth meridian from
to Mexico, there is a zone of
land" For the benefit of the
reader who may not have a map at hand,
is stated that this meridian, so far as
Dakota is concerned, passes
through the eastern tier of townships
near their western boundary in Emmons
county and on its way north ~intersects
the western tier of townships in Kidder
crossing the Northern Pacific
railroad about thirty-six miles east of
Bismarck, and so on, separating Wells
on the east from Sheridan and
Church on the west and prolonging it.
self through Pierce and Rolette to the
parallel on Turtle mountain
in the northeasterly part of it's summit.
To continue the quotation: "Years ago.
when the writer first began Investigations
into the agricultural prospects of the far
west, he abandoned the designation
desert and adopted the term arid as
more properly characteristic of the coun-
try. For the n hundredth meridian
zone he first adopted the term 'sub-arid,'
but it gave great %offense, and the sug-
that irrigation was necessary to
it's successful cultivation, was received
with denial and ~denunciation, for at that
the advantage of artiicially sup
water to cultivated lands was
generally unknown. Seeing that the
;erm 'sub-arid' was a red flag to kindle
anger it was dropped and the term sub
1umid' was adopted; and now the hun
lredth meridian zone is generally known
Is the 'sub-humld' region. The average
which varies from year to year,
8 about eighteen inches on it's western
margin, and increases to twenty-four on
is eastern edge"
But a shortage in rainfall is not the
difficulty to contend with in Gull
this "sub-humid" zone or area
n North Dakota, and another short ex-
ract from Major Powells article tells
he story with which many are already
90 familiar. And for the benefit of a
'ookish weather savant, who insisted
within ear-shot few days ago that the
hot winds" came from the Gulf of Mex
co, this extract is emphasized-in your
mind. '"The winds, in their grand sys-
EN- of circulation from west to east,
limb the western slope of the Rocky
Mountains, and as they rise they are re-
ieved of pressure and lose their specific
leat, and at the same time discharge
heir moisture, and so the mountains are
covered with show. The winds thus
Tried roll down the eastern slope into
over attitudes, when the pressure in
'reases and they are heated again. But
low they are dry. Thus it is that hot, |
Try winds come now and then, and here |
md there, to devastate the sub-humid
ands, soaring the Vegetation and parch-
ng the soil. From causes not we'll
understood the rainfall often descends in
fierce torrents. So storms and ~sirocos
alternately play over the land. Here
climatic conditions prevail. In
of plenteous rain rich CROPS can
raised without irrigation. In seasons
Of drouth the ields.are desert. 1t is thus
that irrigation, not always a necessity, is
still an absolute condition of continued
prosperity"
The demand for a modification of the
tariff is 80 general in the western aeri-
cultural states that unless IL ia dona hv