Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-09-10
TO HARNESS
THE MISSOURI
Prophetic Words 81 Major !. ".
Powell 70 People of Worth
Dakota.
QUESTION
1000 YEARS OLD
Wealth eT an Empire Which
Races by In streams 10 br
saved for the Home
Builder.

MiNoT. n u. sept DTwsniy
fiye years ago. Major !. ". powell
ne greatest American lrriga.ion au
thority, tod no people a North Da
kosa. I'll their constitutional consen,
tion. sprDs plain faehs about thla semi.
arid section which they were then
10Th ID beilese. but which have 1inee
proven only too srgc. He told them
that n me western portion n the
State they wouid have III depend upon
irfigatlon and that liz the eastern part
they could gfus good crops with nal.
Ural rainfall; but thst iii me middle
pprtion m entire dependence upon
rainfall must ultimately bring disaa.
ter that they would have 4 ssaIcs uf
year Nhen there would he abundant
cropE. and Then ~ 4 number 81 yaars
there would hp seanf rainfall, when
crops would fall and disaster and dis.
enlargement would ogertako thotug.
aiads Of people up and down The
temperature OF agriculture would rise
and fall with the scaaons-tne loan
years and The fat. You WILL he
haid, hug to yourselves The deiuslon
that tho climate Iii changing. This
question u 1000 years old. Nothing
that q VI do viii change Inc
climate. There " almost enough rain.
fall. but one year and another you
need 4 little mnre than you Kat. II
II Towing paN yon IN yotr rivera
These words seem truly prophetic
ms tho history of the Dahotas Il VI.
viewed. back rs years. Tho loan
years camo and the fat years2~thc
years when there waa plenty III rain.
and The soil produced a~hundnntiy. ana
the cycle OF lean years came. when
Tho farmers watched ii vain far tho
frnctifylng rainfall and their crops
burned 70 4 brown and d crisp and
finally they abandoned their homes
by hundreds and BY thousands.
For throc years In succession dur
ing that period, | Was told. land which
before and vince yielded 20 bushels
wheat per acre, produced but Two
poor bushels, while thouannds On acrm
were never even harvested
4 Waste o. Wealth.
And the wealth Of an empire 4 70.
ing by In Tho rivers AZ Major PoweIl
stated flowing u~sele~siy 10 the ocean |
iha y apparent enough 10 anyone
Visiting the country. How Is III tho
water onto the land Ii the question.
For The very reason that dry farming
may succeed. but little interest ms
pen taken ~ Irrigation hui the
farmers Of North Dakota nre awaken.
They ar realizing that II il
'alse pride which pruclaims that Il
iration y BOT needed. fot Win I'LL
'atlon thee viii have 4 safo and snre
TOP and one sastlg more productive.
me h1siheks Y ~. INV heglantn.
2 80 TINT small fatrns intensl,e,
nltiyaifd ana mode u produce he
maximum sleld castahats fgBeh M,
: re grosih and assaiialnn ii tha
tate than ~ iarst raue
'Fmfd ~ villa ny iana
The Foreefal misss0tJ.
a certain western senatof. n
oakroom conversation oa irrigation !.
q winter. stated 4 Is his belisf ,hgt I.
= MiAsouI could w damned /.
y points and III "a alsd wa,ess {
ved fcr irrigation This sta.s nsl :
= from the far far vest gpr, nA ]
ngs are easily possible. MI. Mis- E
~ IL . vast yellow glai. It fiows
orah North Dakota, cscA IL i
tJls . titanic mil race. o
ong sWimne. inay ,.er. d
z tf0i himself. and BE- swept y
q stream - fat AZ a man ran run ~
flood. when The Rocky Mountain be
~ are melting # III the einba~ii. an
4 q power Il not destruction. se
ing 10 tawny name " r sweeps ~
4 mIilions ~ ioes n earth. IA
Ink ont new channels and bHild u
~ new lands miles IN extent lita
2 day, L may he paVxlble NJ put ~ ~
great aani . couple q milen Aide dru