River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-09-21
ossEaTgo NEVADA.
Citizens of the Silver State Now TIL q
Arid Farming Landa

Citizens of the Silver state Now TIL rts
Arid Farming Lands.
Nevada is the only state IL the union
that has decreased in wealth aud popu-
lation during the last decade. and.
considering her reputation as part of
the great American desert" few per-
sons would suspect that she could hope
to arrest the fading out process by be-
coming, hkeCalifornia. an agricultural
state. So long as Nevada was the great
siiver-producing region in the world
few OF her inhabitants troubled them
selves about the future of her arid soil.
She produced more than $40, 600. 600 of
gold and silver in 1873. BY 1850 her pro-
duction was reduced to Sl7,SO0. 600, and
by 1889 to So 6Gv.0O0 The census of
1890 showed that she had lost more than
26 per cent of her population in ten
years. Her assessed wealth had greatly
decreased, and in almost eve.,y material
respe9' she is poorer than when she en-
tereo the union in ls6e. Her population
of 80. 600 was 10000 below the popula-
ton of a congress district.
So long as Nevada was regarded SIM
ply as great silver mine her arid soil
was esteemed useless Tor agricultural
purposes A few river valleys were
productive. but enormous almost rain
less areas grew nothing but sagebrush.
When the mines began 10 lessen their
output the Chinese, those Bedouins OF
the west, began to eraigrate to newer
mining districts along with miners,
prospectors and all sorts of loosely
attached persons Some men who had
the instinct of local attachment advo-
Gated irrigation of the arid soil and for
years il was tried with success on small
areas. Nevada has now about J. 400
farms. and of these about 1900 are
irrigated in whole or in part
Il has been found that the pro-
duce per acre of corn. wheat. oats,
balirl. tyotaturs anu hay grown upon
irrigated lands in Nevada is much
above the average of such products
throughout the country, as a whole.
and higher than in many states OF
much reputed fertility. Nevada stands
among the ten or twelve highest states
in the production of potatoes per acre
planted. and half dozen states east OF
the Alleghenies are below her in tho
average production of wheat per acre.
The cost of irrigation in Nevada is
lower titan IN seNefat oNDef aria feglOu
of the west, and the variety of climate
in the state makes possible remark
able variety of vegetable products.
Nevada's area of mors than 100. 600
square miles extends from about the
parallel that runs through Spartans-
burg. s c., to that which runs through
Hartford. CT Oranges and other sub
tropical fruits flourish in the southern
triangle with the so-cciled Mojave
desert on one side and the Colorado
river on the other.
Nevada cuts little or no figure as yet
in the aggregate of the eountry's agri-
/ cultural products, but she has demon
strated her ability to grow crops wher-
/ ever the land can be irrigated When
/ she shall really undertake to become
an agricultural state. she viii have one
+ advantage over some pew agricultural
I regions in possessing a railway system,
an inheritance from the days when she
/ outstripped all the rest of the country
! in her output of silver.--N. Y. Sun.