The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-02-08
designed it, viz: Free range grazing
and stock raising.

designed it, VIZ: Free range grazing
and stock. raising.
We would therefore recommend the
cooperative or partnership plan of irri-
cation for thickly settled communities.
l, because it will tend to confine ex-
periments to favorable locations only
and reduce to the minimum the liabil-
tiles of failure, 2. he cause of the low
cost Of securing the same results of
water supply and of maintenance
as compared with individual irrigation
plants: 8, because it will distribute the
benefits OF irrigation throughout the
neighborbood.
We commend it as applicable to
sparsely settled distr cts because of
the social advantages it will confer,
irrigation and farming operations to
compact areas it will leave the remain
der of the country for grazing and
stock raising.
And, finally, we believe it to be the
most feasible plan for the repopulation
OF many of the counties in the western
and southwestern part of the state.
A Problem of the Future.
One of the problems of the future
for science to obtain, is how to solve
perfect atmospheric irrigation instead
OF, or, at least, in addition to, soil irri-
cation. For over a quarter of a cen
fury the irrigation problem has been
discussed and practical irrigation has
converted thousands of acres of dry
soil into wonderfully fertile gardens.
But now, when soil irrigation is
brought almost to perfection, it is an
nounced that atmospheric irrigation
is far more valuable, and if we would
ward off the sad effects Of dry wealth
er, 1T will be necessary for us to laden
the air with moisture instead of the
soil.
AS every one knows, the hot, dry
winds which sweep across our conti-
nent are hungry for moisture and they
dry up the soil and plants in their
course, so that the crops become
scorched and withered. In England
the winds sweep across the ocean and
are heavily laden with moisture. They
give moisture to soil and plants instead
OF taking it away from them. On this
continent, however, when we irrigate
the soil, we not only nave to supply
enough moisture for the plant but for
the thirsty winds also. Even when
the soil is full of moisture, a few days
of hot, dry winds will create havoc
with the crops. The winds rob the
plants of the moisture faster than
they can pump it up from the soil. The
result is that even soil irrigation is not
perfect, and crops thus supplied with
water may still be ruined by a severe
drouth.
In atmospheric irrigation the air is
supplied with moisture instead of the
soil n then the plants will draw
all they need from the moisture-laden
winds that sweep across them. Dry
winds sweeping across large bodies
OF water will take up quantities of
water, and then instead of iniuring
the growing crops they will give them
the drink they need.
In a small way we practice atmo.
spheric irrigation or moisture by stir
ring the soil, and drawing the moist
ure up from the springs below so the
hot winds can take it up. On the long
stretches of plains covered with thick,
compact sods Of grass. it is impossible
for the dry air to absorb the moisture
from the soil: but if this surface was
all stirred up and porous on the sur
face, the dry western winds that come
from them would contain much more
moisture ina at present. it Is fur
ther proposed to construct basins of
water at various points in the west,
where the winds can absorb the moist
ure. Undoubtedly the true way to
irrigate is from the atmosphere but
atmospheric irrigation may be as diff
cult to obtan on a large scale as the
professional r~ainnakers have found it
to obtain showers when they needed
them. But as it is now the dry winds
OF our continent get their supply of
moisture largely from the farmers
crops. much to their detriment, while
the true way is to find some means of
feeding these ever thirsty winds direct
from the lakes, rivers, oceans, or large
artificial observation-disclosures" in Ne
braska Farmer.