The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-03


| such great deficiencies sometimes. an6
yet that the average keeps we'll in the
I teens, and in some parts west Of the
! Tooth meridian exceeds twenty inches
indicates that some years there is a
much greater amount. Thus fourteen
years average at Dodge City. Kan
was fraction over twenty inches. bu;
the range in those years was from over
thirty-five to below eleven inches.
"1'he terms Semi-arid may be proper
| " allowed. then. to describe this region
and as the deficient years are more
numerous than those of excessive rain
fall. as matter Of time it may be CON
coded that the region IS more than half
arid. But this is more than ought to
| be said of the whole region. 1t will be
| mainly true west Of the Tooth meri-
dian, but east of the 99th neither as a
meter of time nor of area is il correct
10 say that il is semi-arid. Crops of
some kinds can there be had three
years in five with ordinary farming.
The agricultural experiment stations
are showing that some crops are better
than maize and wheat. and when the
lesson has been well learned the strip
between % and 100 will cease to be
considered as part Of the arid region ia
any sense. In this paper general ex-
pressions will not include anything east
of the 99th meridian, though to some
areas always, and to other areas some
times, the points made may be apple
able.
"The region under discussion in its
widest dimensions is, as already men
toned. nearly one-fifth of the area of
the United States. With our constant
ly increasing population it cannot be
seriously contemplated that this vast
area shall be used only for a precarious
pastoral industry, which viii be as dis
astrOusly affected by the irregular rain
fall as would agriculture. In 1850, and
again in 1894, cattle were driven over
one hundred miles to obtain the grass
due to local showers. The semi-arid
Il
race is here having a contest with the
forces of nature. The years of abund-
ant rainfall have shown that the soil.
in color and texture unlike the soils of
yielding as much as ffy-five bushels
of wheat to the acre on the 101st meri-
dian, and other crops in proportion, ac-
cOrding to length of season and the al
the issue of this contest is in no way
doubtful. The white man will win,
The road may be devious and strewn
with the fallen, but knowledge of the
conditions of the struggle and persever-
ance in its application will make the
victory sure, and that at no distant
date. The struggle may be considered
as having three parts:
IA. Acquisition of knowledge of the
conditions.
''b. Utilization of the favorable con-
ditiOns
&C. Circumvention or notification of
lIlc uAIdNOIdUle COuul tIOuS-
The first part of this paper is con-
fined to the topography of the region
under consideration, the Great Plains,
its general surface, variation and ele-
walton. The great mountain rivers,
and their tributaries, the plains rivers
SO named from having their sourse,
course and outlet on the plains, and the
general trend of all these streams to
the east with the general slope of the |
surface east by south. Mention is also |
made of the sand dunes, travellers Stor-
les OF which gave rise TO the popular |
belief in Great American Desert all |
of which is thus summarized: "The |
region under discussion is a vast roll |
ing plain, rising from its eastern ele- |
walton of less than two thousand feet |
to western attitudes of from five to |
seven thousand feet. Deeply trench |
ed by the great rivers and canyons Of |
the tributaries, the plains are varied by |
bad lands in different parts. and also |
By areas Of sand hills. The rainfall |
increasing eaSterly, it is only |
from twenty to twenty-five inches ilTI
the best parts, and in the drier regions |
drops to twelve or fourteen. The ir- |
regularity Of the rainfall is also great,
The average being everywhere largely |
and diminished. This ire |
yularity is also greatest where the |
average is least The soil is every
where fertile, and there are grasses
suited to the climatic conditions Can |
The reproach of aridity he removed !
from this region, or from any large
part of il? Can such region be made |
% support a dense population: Such
Ire the questions that confront us. An
affirmative answer will be factor in
he prosperity Of the whole country, a
blessing to the rising generation"
In the second division devoued 10 the
utilization of the favorable condl-
ions" the writer directs our attention
% the existence of numerous basin-like
iepressions. varying in extent from
,ver two acres 10 a thousand or more,
the haunts of the bison. and
low OF cattle. In wet seasons many of
heSe depreSSionS become lakes. They
ire conspicuous feature of northwest
,rn Nebraska and noticeable in Colo
ado. Kansas and Texas
Most of these basins have no surface
outlet for the waters that they NAV
lold in wet seasons, and some are OF
yreat size and have drainage channels
'unning into them. One, the most
noticeable. is that marked on the maps
Hear Scott CITY. Kan. fnro which the !