Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-11-16


ious position geographically in rcla
ton to agriculture. The eastern pol
tlon OF the state has sufficient rainfall
for agricultural purposes; the western
part has insufficient rainfall, and the
western portion is. practically, Who'll
ly dependent upon irrigation In the
western portion, all dependence upon
rain viii ultimately bring disaster to
the people. They are not willing yet,
good many of them to admit it. but the
study of the physical conditions which
prevail in this country and the ap-
plication of the knowledge which has
been given to mankind through the
study of the same problems in Eur
ope and Asia and Africa, all prove
this one fact-that in the western DOR
ton OF this state they will have to
forever depend en- artificial irrigation
for agriculture. In the eastern portion
they may depend upon the storms
that come from the heavens. and
there's middle belt between the two
regions which is of very great inter
est. They will soon learn in the wes-
tern portion to depend upon irrigation
and provide themselves with agencies
for the artificial fructifying of the soil
with water In the eastern part the,-
Will depend on the rainfall, and in the
middle portion they will have a series
of years wher they will have abund
ant crops: then for two or three years
they will have less rainfall, and there
VIII be failure of crops and disaster
Will come on thousands of people, who
will become discouraged and will
leave. Up and down the temperature
of agriculture VIII rise and fall with
the seasons in this manner and the
only practical way to do is to look
the thing squarely in the face and re-
member that in middle Dakota agri.
culture will always be liable to meet
with failure unless you provide
against It. That is the history of all
those that live on the border between
the :.umid and the arid lands. Year!
will come of abundance, and year!
will come of disaster, and between tn.
two the people will be prosperou!
and unprosperous, and the thing t.
do is to look the question squarely ir
the face and provide for this and To-
all years. You hug to yourselves tn,
delusion that the climate Is changing
This question is four thousand year.
old. Nothing that man can do will
change the climate. A long succession
OF years will give you the sam,
amount of rainfall that any other sue
cession Of the same length will Civ,
you. The settlement of the country
the population of the country, tn,
planting Of the country, the cultivation
of trees. the building of railroads
all these matters will have no influ
ence upon your climate. You may a
well not hope for any improvement
in this direction. There is almos
rainfall enough for your purpose, bu
one year and another you need
little more than you get. 1t is flow
ing past you in the rivers. Storm
come and spread over the land, and tn,
water runs off into the rivers and /
carried into the waters of the Gr'
of Mexico There are waters rolling
by you which are quite ample to re
deem your land and you must saw
those waters. I say It from the stand
point of the history of all such lands
Civilization was born in arid lands
Taking the world at large most of tn
agriculture of the world has depende
j, on irrigation for more than 400
years. The largest populations hav
depended upon irrigation, so it is a
old problem, and it has been solve
, time and again, so that it may b
said that there is nothing to learn
, All you have to do is to learn the les
/ sons already taught by history, an
that 1t is that in these lands you hav
T to depend on placing the water on tn
{ soil, and when you have once learne
to do that you are in no unfavorabl
! condition. In the humid regions tn
T storms come, and the fields receiv
, the gentle.shower, but frequently jus
before the harvest a great storm dey
: astates it all. In this arid region
/. you depend on artificial irrigation