Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-17
SURE CROPS FROM DRY LAND
Revolution in Farming Methods in the
Subhumid Belt of the West.
CHANGE IN MANNER OF CULTIVATION
A simple Inexpensive Means of Pre-
venting the Destruction of Crops
by Drouth-The Campbell
Method.
CHANGE IN MANNER OF CULTIVATION

One is quite apt. judging from the utter
unces of the political press, to imagine the
railways and farmers always arrayed aga!ns;
each other in stern battle for supremacy
That this is not always the case Is evidenced
by the remarkable work in agricultural edu-
cation which is being prosecuted by several
of the great railway lines which traverse the
subhumid belt, in which is situated large
portions of the Dakotas. Nebraska, Kansas,
Oklahoma, Texas and several other states.
In this semi-arid region the rainfall is so
soanty as to make farming by ordinary
methods a most precarious business, crop
failures as often as seven years in ten being
the record in some localities. These fall
ures result. not from any defect in the fer
tilty of the soil. but from drouth. During
the early SOS succession of moist seasons
gave these prairies the reputation of the
farmers paradise The railway trains
groaned under the loads of outgoing produce
and incoming immigrants. The townsite
boomer" and real estate and loan agent
nourished apace. Millions of dollars from
Europe and our own eastern states were in
vested here in the belief that in these new
commonwealth the history OF Iowa and llli-
noIs was to be repeated.
Just one thing prevented the fruition Of
these hopes-the climate. After few years
of tlllage the soil became less fitted to retain
moisture. This fact, coupled with a rather
drler type OF weather, brought ruin to the
subhumid belt The railways gradually came
10 run light, infrequent and Improbable
trains; the farmers left the country in great
numbers. and those who remained main
tanned losing fight against the odds OF
seanty rainfall and hot winds. IL seemed
that the country was doomed TO revert again
to the state of a sparsely settled region, ex-
clusiyely devoted to stock raising.
But now come these western railway lines
with the great grain companies OF Mime
apolls as their allies, and Joining hands with
the drouth- stricken settler enter upon a
crusade against the drouth under the lead
ership of a philosopher named II. w Camp
bell a resident of Sioux city. Ia. For a
year or 50 pest the papers have contained
references to the Campbell method" OF
farming In the dry belt, and the model
farms operated under II, Recently popular
interest has been revived from the announce
ment through the newspapers of the fact
that the enlightened management of the
Il. a. NJ. railway had established chain OF
model farms extending from Hastings. Neb.
10 oherlin, Kan, TO be operated under the
Campbell method next year. A sketch OF
the Campbell method cannot fail TO inter
est the general reader and especially that
numerous class east and west who have
made investments In the subhumid belt.
DIsCovERER OF THE NEAy METHOD.
Hardy w. Campbell settled near Aberdeen
s. d., during the boom" times OF the early
SOS. lie was by turns land agent. hote
keeper and farmer. and In all Of these oc
equations suffered from the drouths, as die