Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-04

| struction Of agriculture that is approaching
with sure and steady step, 1 must. on the
approach of tree planting time, continue 70
| discuss the Importance of natures groves,
| so long as l am engaged in discussing the
| weather.
The tendencies of cultivatipg the soil are
| in the direction of destroying the climate
| by decreasing the rainfall. and no instance
can be cited when this has not been the re-
suit. The Kansas state university has
been teaching the reverse of this. Land
Spectators were largely interested in dis
posing of land on the western plains, and
hence the theory promulgated from the
state university that, because Of the cult
walton OF the soil In Kansas and Nebras ka,
the rain belt was moving westward at the
average rate of ten miles year. This was
most pernicious fallacy, for it induced
thousands of men with their families to
invest the whole of their small means in
lands on the Western plains. Many of
these were old soldiers of the Union army,
who, having failed in business, took claims
on those barren uplanJs of the Western
plains, believing the statements of that
great institution of learning, that cultiva-
ton of the soil on these bleak prairies, or
rather deserts, would insure sufficient rain
fall to mature good crops. know of thou
sands Of good people, of quite limited
means, who were misleG and ruined by
crease rainfall, and the Kansas state uni
versity deserves to be reprimanded by
public sentiment for permitting one of its
leading professors to propagate such
theory.
Since this theory was first given out, the
uplands of the Western plains have been
twice depopulated by great drouths and
hot winds and this condition of affairs must
continue in the future unless remedied by
rational means
The rain belts do progress westward on
the Western plains, periodically, and have
done so since before white man set foot
upon the hardy buffalo grass, but these
rain belts, with equal periodicity, have re-
ceded eastward, leaving vegetation to perish
in the excessive heat. These GIBBS and flows
in the depth of the atmosphere that over
lies the plains are caused by external infiu-
ences, and they will return as long as the
moon reyolves around the earth and the
planets around the sun.
But there has been an improvement in
the climates of Kansas and Nebraska in
their eastern portions. Why that improve
mentl Not because of cultivation, for that
will decrease the rainfall in any country,
but because the prairie fires have been kept |
out and trees have been permitted to grow.
Millions of trees have been cultivated in
the eastern parts of Kansas and Nebraska |
and now there are millions of trees there. |
hundreds thirty years ago, and these trees |
have improved the climates of the countries |
as they have done in all countries |
and IN ali the ages past. The same means |
will improve the upland plains that lie in |
the Panhandle of Texas, in Eastern Colo
RADIO and Wyoming, in the Dakotas, in the |
Indian Territory and in Western Kansas
and Nebraska.
Every part of the country that lies be-
tween the Rocky mountains and the Ale
ghanies is, or should DE, greatly interested |
in destroying the aridity of the country
mentioned above and restoring it to its an
Gent fertility, for the ar1dity of that coun-
try is the cause of nine-tenths of the drouths
that damage the states lying in the great |
central valleys. If the country known as
The Western plains was restored 10 its an
3ient and natural amount of rainfall there
would not be half of the destructiveness in
he drouths of the other mid-continent
states.
To effect this, viii require tree planting
ind irrigation on large scale; so large that
t can never be easily accomplished, except
1t the expense and under the general man
lgement of the national government
The congress expressed its belief in the
heory am advocating when it enacted the
imber claim laws. BY these any person
'ould obtain title to government land by
a certain portion of it in trees
This was intended, principally, for the
Western plains, but it is failure because
he tree culture has been neglected, as it
lways has been and always will be when
eft to private enterprise.
There must be irrigation to some extent,
specially on the higher lands of the plains,
'efore trees viii live through these period
cal drouths, and as two-thirds OF the tut
re population of the nation will be greatly
in the country that
5 damaged by the drouths originating
n these arid plains, the nation should give
i'd both to irrigation and to tree planting
4 the arid districts.
This letter is devoted to the discussion of
rouths in the great central valley, but it
ril open the way for like discussion of
rouths in the Eastern Atlantic and West
m Pacific states. w. T. FOSTER.