Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-04-30
MAY CULTIVATE ARID LANDS.


n~ne Wl1As@a frxzxmzt@n-
Farming without frTissrian has
been carried On successfully la Colo
RADIO and 1 believe q may BE made
preazahle.- said Ex-Governor Job A
Cooper. who Is one Of the important
capitalists and cattle ralsers q the
state. The secret Of successful farm
ing On arid land Is deep plowlnS and
Internal culture / believe that the
time Is coming when all the eastern
part OF the state. much Of which =
now desert. win be under cultivation
and VIII support 4 large population.
Irrigation for most OF eastern Colo
RADIO i generally believed 70 be out Of
the question | think the problem OF
reeiaiming II must be solved by deep
blowing.
The trouble with eastern Colorado Is
not lack Of precipitation In the arid
region OF Colorado. Kansas and Ne
braska. the mean annual rainfall il
twenty inches. nearly all OF which
comes between March Isl and October
fsr. the growing seaS0n- Evaporation
soon robs the soil OF shis moisture: the
problem Is TO conserve il.
First turn over the surface 10 n
depth OF eight inches or 50 and then
use another plow. reaching eight below
the first The second plow does not
turn over the earth. but stirs l. up.
This gives a depth OF loOsened soil OF
about sixteen inches as a reservoir for
moisture. Then the surface Is broken
up tine. 10 almost dust by close har-
row. The dust prevents evaporation,
and the ground underneath remains
moist throughout the season
Il am interested in the Wayside
ranch above Littleton- We have over
loo acres planted in grain, which we
grow without irrigation Dennis Shee-
d. has also made a success Of dry
farming on the divide On sixty acres
we grew thirty bushels Of corn 10 the
acre Under irrigation thirty-fiye or
forty bushels Is considered \ good crop.
Thirty acres planted in bald barley
yielded twenTy-eight bushels 10 the
acre. while forty bushels Is a good
crop on irrigated land 1 know that
good crops OF corn. rye. barley and
fruit can be produced on so-called arid
land without irrigation
The outlook for the cattle business
Is remarkably good. The business i
gradually drifting into the hands Of
small farmers who keep punches Of
fifty 70 sixty cattle. and think II prob
able that there are more cattle in Colo
RADIO now than in the time OF the open
ranges. and the number win increase
rapidly.
Vow believe thar eastern Colorado
viii be populated by small stock breed
ers- There Is enough water In that
section 10 water stock and by subsoil-
ing the farmers can produce plenty OF
food for fattening their cattle. Bald
barley Is excellent feed, and a. I said
Colorado land without irrigation viii
produce twenty-eight bushels to the
acre
1T seems to me that there Is a rea-
sonable hope Of retaining the great
arid plains east Of Us. After the first
year the work Of farming on this sys-
TEN would be easier A farmer could
in a few years have a pleasant home
with orchards garden. fields OF grain
and bunch Of good Durham cattle
Durhams are the best aII-around cattle
for the small farmer. They are fair
mixers. good mothers and excellent on
the block. / believe eastern Colorado
win yet be divided up into small
ranches and that IL will support a
large population Of contented and pros
porous farmers. RepubII-
can.