Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-06-13
The Semi Arid Lands.

mT. f. u. DuTucS Vi ruItCAcll, .. IL, 10
out in long article in opposition to ir-
rigation, the daming of the streams, and
proclaiming against the sinking of artes-
ian wells. He ia the first we have
heard Of to take this absurd position,
and II 1t were to be decided by the
multiplicity of words he might hope to
gain his point, but unfortunately for him
such is not the case. How q man can
stand up and declare that there are no
semi arid lands in South Dakota, that
artesian wells are folly, and irrigation
is needless, is to say tho least, surpris-
ing. The evidence is all against him
and we do not believe we can find a
farmer in the state whose residence
dates back as far as 1885 who will agree
with him. We do not know Mr.. Barnes
and are not informed as to bis trade,
profession or occupation, but from the
nature of his argument We should pre-
sumo that he was real estate agent or
at any rate had more land than he
could afford to pay taxes on and was
anxious to sell out. Or else he lives in
q small circumscribed district which
from local causes or climatic exceptions
gets more rain fall than the rest of the
state and is incapable OF looking beyond
his immediate surroundings.
We who dwell up in the Black Hills
might talk in that way if we chose to
indulge in such narrow views, rs it is
estimated that the timbered portion of
the Hills receive Ave times as much
rainfall as the valleys, and even the
foot hills by which we are surrounded.
But that does not justify US who wish to
be truthful and fair in making the
statement that the whole state, no, nor
the whole of Custer county gets all the
water that is needed for successful farm
ing, for as matter of fact we know that
it don't get half enough. We are will
ing to acknowledge of course that there
have been certain exceptional years (few
and far between) when unusual rain falls
have occurred when the farmers in many
portions of the state have reaped bou1-
tiful harvest but such is not the rule. A
farmer cannot afford to raise a half
crop this year, quarter of crop next
year, and full crop once in five years.
To farm at a profit he must raise good
crop every year. This cry against frri.
cation is not new to us. We remember
when in the early settlement Of the
Hills when many of the residents of the
towns in the foot hills would become
offended If one should hint at the fact
that the country needed irrigation. A
few years however were sufficient to lift
the scales from their eyes. When they
saw the farmers who had settled all over
the valley lands year after year desert
ing their homes, and moving away, be-
cause they had been dried out, they
were all willing to acknowledge that "it
would be blessed thing if we had
little more water" There are millions
of acres in South Dakota, rich and roll
ing, as fair and inviting as ever the eye
of man rested upon which never feel
the pressure of the farmers foot and are
given over to the cattle and the cattle
man, because without irrigation they will
not yield crop.
Now If the gentleman we have referred
to will take the pains to look around he
cannot fail to see that all this is true. If
he wishes to see whatirrigation has done
for similar lands in other parts of tn Q
west, let him travel over the states of
Montana, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nevada,
New Mexico and Arizona. In these
states they never pretend to farm unless
they can irrigate, and they do not aban-
don their homes on that account, but
they stay and grow rich on their irrigat-
ed farms. Truly they have made the
desert blossom as the rose and by dam
ing their streams and wetting their land
they have converted the arid waste into
q paradise, which can hardly be bought
for love or money. 1t behooves the peo-
Pile Of South Dakota with one mind and
one accord to 60 and DO likewise. Do
not fear that the talk of irrigation will
discourage immigration. 1t will encour-
sge it, for there is nothing like failure
10 discourage immigration, and there is