Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-31
OUR BELT.
Where n Combination of Farming n
Grazing Insures Success.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
The debatable land between our arid and
humid regions has a mean width of about
200 miles and includes the central parts OF
North and South Dakota. and the western
Parts of Nebraska and Kansas. The soil Is
a rich, crown loan and few parts of the
country would be more productive If the re-
gion had a few more inches Of rain every
year. 1t was to these lands in Kansas and
Nebraska that many thousands of farmers
were lured, some twelve or fifteen years ago,
by two seasons of more than average rain
fall, resulting in excellent crops. They
fingered in this thirsty region for several
years till they had learned the bitter TACT
that dryness was its normal state and that
they must go elsewhere to make a living.
The hegira of drought sufferers from the two
states numbered over 200, 900 persons.
1t seemed as though this sub-arid region
might then revert to its former condition
when 1t was used only for stock ranges. But
those who remained there, or have since set
tied in the country, have been working Tor
years to see il they cannot save a considera-
BILE part OF the land for agriculture. 1t is to
their advantage that a good deal less water
is required for irrigation than in the more
arid regions to the west. The development
of irrigation in the sub-arid belt has been
particularly active in the last five years and
the whole country is interested in the efforts
now making to keep the central counties OF
the Dakotas and western Nebraska and Kan
sas available for farmers instead OF relaps-
ing wholly into grazing lands for range cat
tie.
In North and South Dakota the growth Of
irrigation has depended mainly upon the
boring of artesian wells. For some years
our geological survey has been studying
the water bearing formation known as the
Dakota sandstones, which extends under a
large part Of the two states and has already
yielded much wealth to the Dakotas through
the water derived from 1t. 1t is a vast
artesian basin and most biologists say 1t Is
replenished by the rivers that flow over the
formation and the rainfall on the mountains
and foothills that limit the basin to the
west. Prof. Whitney, however, writing in
1894, thought 1t probable that these a~rtesian
waters were stored at a former period of
time, when the precipitation was greater
than at present. However this may be, and
whether or not the supply Is liable to COM
plete exhaustion, there is no doubt Of Its
immense present utility. II the common
view as to the source of the waters Is cor
rect there Is no doubt that, properly hus-
banded, these artesian supplies will be a
perpetual, life-glving resource throughout a
large part, If not all Of the northern half of
our sub-arid belt.
These wells, now numbering 1,20O to 500,
as nearly as can be estimated from the
latest reports, afford the water supply for
many towns and for a great number Of farms.
Many townships have incurred debt to sink
the wells and farmers have combined for
the same purpose and shared the water
product. The depth of the wells varies, at
Yankton the water-bearing formation
being struck at 600 feet below the
surface, while at other places the wells are
1000 to 200 feet deep, and at jamestown,
N. D., the water supply comes from a depth
Of 800 feet. The extent of the formation
Is not yet clearly defined, at least in the
latest reports of the Geological survey, but
there is some reason to believe that it
stretches into Manitoba and Nebraska. The
largest number Of wells has been dug In the
southern counties of South Dakota and the
most favorable results of irrigation are OBJ
tained. Irrigated lands have yielded thirty
four bushels of wheat to the acre, corn
forty eight, oats seventy-three and potatoes
2l0, while on adjacent unwatered lands the
wheat yield was seven bushels, corn eight
and oats Twenty-Five. This is doubtless an
extreme case, but everywhere very profitable
results have come from irrigation. A well
costing $4,000 and watering a section of GAO
acres will pay for itself in a year.
There are some artesian wells in Nebraska
and Kansas, but the possibilities of water
winning by this method have not yet been
thoroughly investigated. In the sub-arld
belt Of both states the farmers are now &C.
cupying the lands near the. rivers and are
irrigating all the acreage for which they
have water. 1t is only four years since Ne
brasks organized it's first irrigation board.
and hardly any of the farms have been arti-
icially watered more than five years, but
several millions of acres thus far have been
reclaimed, and the success has been so
large that the Legislature organized an
irrigation bureau last winter with practical
and well equipped men to run 1t and an
adequate appropriation.
1t remains TO be seen how far the sub
arid belt may be made tenable for a farm
Ing population by irrigation. 1t Is evident
that the water supply from the rivers ia
available only for a small part of the land,
probably not more than an eighth OF H.
But as Nebraska and Kansas are showing
a combination OF farming and grazing is
mutually advantageous and may be made
to turn most OF the land to good account
1t is probable also that, even IL the artesian
waters OF the Dakotas are perennially re-
plenished, the drafts upon them may easily
become too large and very likely they will
not serve to water more than an eighth NJ
the land. 1t is fortunate that owing to the
sub-soil in these states the moisture ia go
we'll retained near the surface that thorough
irrigation is required only once In two years
to raise hne crops. and II the farmers can
water only an eighth OF their lands thew NAV
advantageously utilize the remainder in stock
grazing and their titled lands will SUNNY
the grain needed TO fatten their cattle ana
sheep for market.
Thus a combination OF farming and gro,-
ing seems to offer an inviting prospsct ,o-
the future OF the sub-arid belt. This viii
be a splendid result well worth working ,or
II only an eighth OF this region can he
turned into the best OF farm lands the ti,,ed
area will he far larger than Iowa. ono -,
our richest agricultural states. The direot
addition It will make TO the national wealth
will be felt throughout the land, to saw noth1
ing OF the impetus 1t will impart 10 -.
grazing interests that Will occupy IN. -.
malndar of thu rAsinn-