The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-03-22

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81 multltaudinous rrribes isIpreakins diner
2 lan1uages and Organised into small
bodies polite, there renamed for settle.
ment onlythe ard lands, and they could
not De settled BY savage men. Then.
gradually the deserts were penetrated
by men willing to forego the abundance
OF the sea. the pleasures Of the chase
and the Injuries Of the forests and plain
that they might obtain peace even with
toll. With the rude tools OF savagery
and early barbarism it vas impossible
to conquer nature IN her strength. Men
could not clear forests and could not
subdue the rank vegetation of prairies
and savannas. They could put water
upon desert lands then they could fell
trees. They could control springs gush-
ing from q rock on the edge of a desert
more easily than they could destroy the
vigorous plants Of the humid region.
They foond it easier to control water
than forest growth; and so the first ef-
forts made to conquer the soil resulted
in transforming deserts.
Agriculture was at first petty. While
yet the study of history began with the
study OF Egypt, it vas supposed that
agriculture began IN the utilization Of
the floods OF the Nile and the imitation
OF this flooding in other regions; and
this was believed for many centuries.
But modern aichaologic investigation
has overturned this theore. 1t teaches
us that while agriculture began in dry
climates whers she soil he'd to be fertil-
lied a~rtltically, it began not on the great
rivers, but on the smaller streams that
could be controlled, especially by the
springs, brooks and creeks, and that
later 1T spread into the flood plains Of
great rivers; that it really had it's origin
not out in the desert, but on its borders,
where desert, prairie and forest contends
tor dominion; and the man having
learned ia this petty manner to culti-
waite little patches Of gram, gradually
pushed into the desert until he reached
the great rivers OF mud, where he found
conditions that enabled him to redeem
larger stretches OF land by the use of
annual floods as they retired. Such is
certainly it's history on the Western
continent, and there are facts that lead
to the conclusion that this history was
paralleled in the Oriental world.
On the discovery Of this continent the
latin invaders first found arid land in
Mexico, Peru, and the southwestern
portion OF the United States; on a lar.
ger scale Germanlc people found humid
lands further to the north. Ths Latin
peoples from arid lands settled again
on arid lands and discovered native
people engaged in irrigation, as they
themselves had done in the countries
from which they came. The Germanic
peoples found much less agriculture,
only a few petty patches here and there
the art itself borrowed from the arid
lands; but they found vast stretches OF
forest and prairie that stretches of for
est and prairie that could be cultivated
without artificial irrigation, and they
brought with them the industries OF
humid lands from which they come. In
the United States it wasnot known to
people by practical observation until
we acquired the deserts of the southwest
from Mexico. where we found the Indian
engaged IN tilllng the Loil by the use OF
waters OF springs and creeks, and the
Mexican engaged in agriculture by the
use Of the muddy rivers. Under these
conditions in late years we have been
made acquainted with the most ancient
civilized industries Of the world. In the
primevel form it was found as practiced
by the Indians; in a latter form as it
was practiced by the Mexicans-the for
mer using the petty waters, the latter
using the torpid rivers.
In India irrigation was practiced for
many centuries by utilizing small
streams and great rivers. AS popula-
ton increased, a new system for the
storage Of water was developed. In
that land a rainy season prevails. when
great quantities of water are precipl-
tated; but during the season Of growing
crops the is dry. Under these conditions
the people learned to store the storm
waters in little reservoirs G. constructed by