The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-01-14
There is a Limit.

There is Limit.
Thirty years ago man who at
tempted farming within what is
South Dakota was looked upon as
one who needed a guardianship
over his affairs. Twenty years
ago it was admitted that farming
could be made profitable in the
Sioux Valley, but anything west of
that was worthless for anything
except grass. Ten years ago, the
admission of a crop section were
extended to the Jim river country,
but the man beyond that district
was looked upon with sympathy.
Today crops are just as certain
anywhere east of the Missouri riv.
er, but the man who talks Of going
west of the river is told that he is
a fool. Ten years from now farm
ing operations will extend to the
westernmost boundaries of the
state, and these facts would now
be admitted all over the state if it
were not for selfish reasons on the
part of a portion of the population
of the state to prevent settlement
and development of the whole
state, and who feel that it is their
duty to knock two-t thirds of the
state as hard as they know how all
the time.-Pierre Capital Journal.
Thirteen years ago one OF the ar
guments advanced by Pierre in the
capital campaign was-to use the
exact wording-because:
Pierre is city OF more promise
today than was Kansas City In
1862 or Sioux City in 1878. The
opening to settlement of eleven
| million acres of rich land will in
duce at least 100000 people to set
tie upon these lands inside of two
years.
In two years In the ten years
immediately following this state
ment and marking the beginning
of the foolishness in locating the
capital so far away from the cen
ter of population, that part of the
eleven million acres directly con-
tributory to Pierre, comprising the
county of Stanley, an area nearly
as large as ten of the counties in
the eastern part of the state, gain
ed just 313 people-and part of
those, Indians; while the capital
city itself fell short nearly thous-
and people-in exact figures, 929,
and its county as whole, 1860.
The theory that the location of a
states seat of government on a
cattle range would draw immigra-
| ton that way and thus develop
the state as a whole, fell fiat, az
all such visionary ideas must, Il
exemplifed the old saying: YOU
can lead horse to water but you
can't make him drink. Following
the location of the capital at Pierre
immigration turned eastward rath
er than westward-and why2 Tht
subjoined extract from a recent is
sue of the Live Stock World an5
reproduced in the Fort Pierre
Stock Journal of Dec. 10 last ex
| plains the trouble in q few words
Nearly one third of the area o
the United States has insufflcien
rainfall for the best culture of th
ordinary crop plant. Considerabl
: tracts of land are already irrigated
t and much more will be artificial
q watered in the future; but ther
q must eventually remain enormou
areas doubtless nearly a fourth c
= the entire land surface of this coun
! try-which are doomed to renal
8 perpetually in their present arid 9
s semi arid condition for the war
i, Of an adequate supply of water fo
i irrigation. The total rainfall owe
! the landsslying between the loot
= and 120th principal meridians
J inadequate to irrigate more than
,e small fraction Of arabic lands, ],
matter how careful conserved an
nsed. Dry farming is then a n
- cessity, in order to utilize sue
lands where irrigation can new
b Ibe practiced.
er The Live Stock World then 60
ve on 70 SHOW how the grazing capa
ns lily Of such lands can be- increase
a, by intelligent rnanage agement al
III ii WAS this part of ile article
'r- course which promp ted fhs ~ Z
xas ,,ssSs i, Il xsass n "A