Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-14
Does 1t Pay to lrrigate?

tue SOIL Without artificial wafer supply
but the above question is rot intended Il
apply TO that kind of coun ry. Does II
pay to arrange for irrigation in q country
Of uncertain rainfall; that is, in coun-
try vi ich may be favored with ample
rainfall in the season when needed, and
then AGAIN may not. There are broad
regions carrying this peculiar character
mud the only thing working against put
ting them under q system of irrigation
lee in the fact that there may possibly
come ram enough 10 enable the people
20 get their crops through the season
reasonably well without resort to arti-
nclal water supply. The hang-back Is
not on what will be, but on what may
be. The farmers hopes for best success
IN such a region are simply hopes founded
upon more or less of uncertainty. When
a mechanic lays off job of work he well
knows, il he has the required skill aud
the necessary financial ability that be will
be able TO carry IL through in exact con-
formity 10 the original plans, but not so
with the farmer in the region of uucer
Iain rainfall. IL the rams happen 10
come exactly as his plans would have
them come ne will get TO the completion
all right, but If, on the other hand, those
runs. " ultI lO Humdu power cdu cOu-
troll, happen not 10 come, he stands a
iirSt-class chance of coming out ut the
little eud of the horn, as We say.
This question OF irrigation in regions OF
Incertnin rainfall is now justly claiming
Il good deal of attention, and even
productive Kansas is about having il
forced upon her that irrigation arrange
neuts would pay, and that there is
absolutely Io safety for her farmers
without It.
President Stewart of the Kansas swine
breeders association says the uncer-
taintv of the corn crop, on account of
possible drouthsr is rapidly driving the
people of his state ont OF the hog bust
ness. There were three years of partial
corn failure from drOuth, which, with
.hr cholera that had preceded it, played
sad havoc with the hog interests. Then
there came on for 1859 Il season of extra
ordinary plenty. The hushaudmen who
hud sown In faith and hops reaped
harvest so abundant, so overwhelming,
20 burdensome as il were. that like the
disciples. when they took the miraculous
draft of fishes, they knew not what TO do
%ith II. TIE hogs that might have con-
sumed it were not there to do the con-
suming. Everybo was more than sat-
isiied with the crop, and no one seemed
e. think for IL moment that another fail
are might turn up in 1890. so. since
there were not hogs enough 70 take the
great crop. it was simply allowed to go
10 waste. Why keep it over, seemed TO
lie their reasoning, since we shall have il
repeated in 1890? 1t was sold for q song
20 any one who would buy. Spectators
bought II ut that kind of price, shipped
IN I,iunia hu1 nQpn7arf.
ured into the highest proof whisky thut
ever flowed from the still. So cheap
was the material that there was no
call for cutting down the proof. And,
Furthermore. the farfler of Kansas read
his mortgage 10y the light of his blazing
corn. y blind tramp traversiug the
couLtry could be guided 10 q farm house
by his nasal apDendage as he suuffed the
odor of burning corn. even as the trained
war horse snuifeth the battle from afar.
But here is tho old drouth again for
1880 worse than ever, and. as conse-
queDce, Kansas is finding herself the
home OF IL set of most extremely pnnicky
farmers, who nre spending most of their |
valuable time cursing Kansas. Once !
again the great hog crop started in anew |
last yer with such n blast of trumpets is
gone for the great crop of 1891, should |
that great crop happen TO come.
Aud just over yonder in the san Luis !
valley, of Colorado, where all the lands |
are under "a system OF irrigation, sit the |
people looking towards Kansas with |
thumb 10 the nose and fingers expanded.
They are MI rolling in fairness. If 1t /
rains with them let il rain on us long as
!: pleases to do soft II don't want TO
rain. why, just lie, it don't. Whether II
10. - 4 -. oil
10 Them Gnvway-.hey are all solid for
the heaviest crop, every season, that
the earth can produce, regardless alike
20 whether or not 1.-the clouds roll by
Corn production in Kansas, under ex-
listing systems. reminds Mr.. Stewart, In
the light of last years feast and this
years famine, of an episode IN lis army
life. The commaLd to which he be-
longed was undergoing a tobacco famine, |
but was living on daily anticipation of !
luNuriating i'll natural lenf or dog-leg
when stanton and Lexington should
fall into their hands. Well, the lissful
moment arrived, and he played hop
scotch with il himself on the streets of
Staunton, though 10 ustr of the weed.
The boys fairly loaded themselves down
with tobacco. They got so much that
they didn't know what 10 do with It, so
in the after march they pelted each
other in Il playful kind of way with 81
Tlugs, tramping them under feet 6s they
passed along. They seemed to think
that from that hour on the whole world
" ould be composed of tobacco. But
there came q sad day of reckoning. Two
weeks had scarcely dragged along ere
every tobacco chewer in the Command
cave few long headed chaps who car
ried kuap-sacks-were besieging the
sutler and paying the fabulous prices
eutailed by their prodigality. That's
now the farmers are in Kansas to-day.
The corn that they oufidently expected
for the next year didn Z materlaliZe.
And as to the hogs: Last year anything
that wore brisiles was looked upon as q
mine of wealth, and the lSsmand for
stock continued unprecedented until the
absence of rain this year ruined all pros
poets of O crop. Then the exodus 10 the
stock yards began. Stock hogs, animals
half fat and breeding sows made up the
procession.
The breeder of tboroughbreds looks
with grave misCiviugs on this condition
n ttings--it presnges no good for him.
IN many places he must follow the ex-
ample OF his neighbors or nerve himself
n tba ,asl If ppn