Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-08-02
HI FARM.
Irrigation Eseans Diversified Farm,
fnp and IadonanGaouf EannaoEa

Irrigation ssenns Diversified Farm.
ing and Independent Farmers.
The climate of the western half Of
the United States takes its chief char
acteristic from its aridity or dryness.
The heat Of its southern summers and
the cold of its northern winters are
alike tempered and mitigated by lack
of humidity. Neither the humid heat
which prostrates nor the humid cold
which pe%netrates to the marrow is
known in the arid region. The western
mountains and valleys are a recognized
natural sanitarium where thousands of
inValids are sent each year by physi-
clans to regain their health.
The hundreds Of streams which fall
from the 10000 foot level of the Rocky
mountain range to the 1000 foot to
5000 foot level of the plain at their
base are destined to turn more wheels
Of industry than have yet been har-
messed west Of the Mississippi river.
Back of the irrigated lands are the
grazing lands, of which there are prob
ably not less than 400, 100000 acres.
AilGo law DCSu llC uOAlIudul
factor of the pioneer life of many of
the arid CONFERENCE.-The, and they are
destined, under proper management, to
always constitute the great nursery Of
cattle, sheep and horses.
We irrigated farm has back OF It the
mine. the furnace and factory, and the
civilization Of western America cannot
fail to have a prosperous and varied
Industrial life. Here there can be no
one sided development. no community
exclusively devoted to the production
of corn, wheat or cotton. to manufac-
lures or to. commerce. The farm, the
stock ranch, the, lumber camp, the
mine, the factory and the store are des-
tined to grow up and flourish side r.
side, each drawing support from ant
furnishing s~ustenance to the others. z
Where land can only be cultivated by
means of the artificial application of
water, and where that water is not un
der speculative. control, it is owned il
small holdings. This is so because irri.
cation intensifes the product of the
land and so demands much labor. 1t is
q kind of labor which can not profta-
bly, be left to hired hands. The result
is a multitude of small proprietors
working for themselves. This fact is
strikingly illustrated in southern Cali
fornia- Here the farms are small and
almost exclusively occupied by their
owners But the great wheat ranches
in other parts of the state, notably in
ire Sacramento valley, depend chiefly
upon hired laborers. who make no
homes of their own.
Irrigation lends itself naturally to Dis
yersified farming and tends to make
population self sufficient within itself.
Although in certain localities, especial
" those where the climate is favorable
to raisins and oranges, the contrary
has sometimes been true, the tendency
OF irrigation as a whole has been to
discourage the production OF single
crops and make families independent
by producingstiae variety of things they
consume. This tendency is steadily
gaining ground. The diversified farm
Ing which irrigation both permits and
encourages Will be an important ele-
ment in contributing TO the independ-
ence OF the people who shall inhabit
the arid region OF the futnre.-Efxpert
Elwood Mead In Year Book for 1900.