Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-01-30
Discussion Of
Homestead Bills
Increase Of DRY Farming"
Area Promises More Hope
for Residents Of Arid Re-
gion.

Whether Gao acres ~ a homestead
shall Jake the place OF 100 acres Is
4 question which Is being discussed
before the public lands committees Of
the senate and house. Statements
have been made showing that q
square mile In not too much TO allow
q man In certaiR states OF the west
and that 100 acres is too little. An
interesting argument WAS made last
Friday before the house committee by
representative Mondeli, Of wyoming,
chairman of the house irrigation CON-.
mittce. in which he took decided
ground against any hasty legislation
on this subject,
Congress passed a law On this cues
ton last session including the land OF
western Nebraska" He said with
the understanding that u would be In
the nature Of an experiment, After
n fair trial there, and n careful In
yestigniion OF It's results, II may DO
wise-may be wise ! say-~to enact
similar legislation for other limited
localities: bur TO forthwith apply iho
plan 10 great areas Of the west ai# this
lime, would b. q dangerous thins.
The Nebraska law has been IN no
u u demonstration as yet"
Mr.. Mondeil stated that he had made
four or five long railroad trips through
out this part Of Nebraska and he had
observed no Indication u settlement
under this Law. He saw no new
houses nor no evidence Of Increased
population. He admitted that there
are vast areas ~ the west which can
eventually be classified az grazing
lands solely, irredeemafie beyond any
process Of irrigation, better farming
methods or through the introduction
OF new arid land crops. but he said.
tive are In 40 condition ut this time
and will not be for many years, 10 In
t~olligentiy classify all those lands,
There Is d great advance being made
on the desert today. by which newIy
discovered crops and methods OF ctil'
ture are constantly making productive
and win reclaim millions Of acres
which a few years ago were supposed
10 be absolutely unfit for crop grow
lng. ii would be Il serious mistake 10
condemn any Of these lands which
will, M agricultural science progresses
more and more. become suitable for
homes. 10 Indefinite stock grazing
Az an illustration, he stated that In
HIS own county OF Weston. lying I'm.
mehIately west ~ the South Dakota
line. some twelve years ago a start
was made by himself and friends TO
grow grain without irrigation, These
agricultural operations were looked
upon hy the COW boys az a great Joke.
The section was a Cow country" and
dry land farming, well there was not
even a question that II would succeed.
Now d quarter ~ a million bushels Of
grain aud $4,000 bushels OF vegetables
are produced annualiy-wheat yield.
Ing from eighteen to twenty-five bush.
els per aere~~and IN Crook county TO
the north. aud also west Of the South
Dakota line the crop production With.
out irrigation II much more In the
northern half of Weston county.
twelve years ago nm almost unhroken
range. there IN O An average "
bet weeu Two and three farms on every
square mile. "rhis.' he said. shows
the advance We have made In twelve
years. Why have We any eason TO
believe that We will not make ais great
an additional advance In the coming
twelve years and bring lands under
cultivation which are now looked npon
as worthless for farming
1T II not" he said, that there Il q
change In climate. but a change ia the
class Of farmers; not a change In tbs
soil but In the class OF the crop,
grown. A considerable portion of tbit
land included In these $40 acres home
stead bills win be found during IA,
coming decade or 50 TO b. suitable 70
so called dry farming considerable
will be irrigated In small individual
patches by damning c%onlces. etc, an.
n considerable portion by private II
rigation systems.
I'VE are but upon the fringe of III
agricultural development Of the erca
west. We win, II VT proceed careful
ly In our land policy. ultimately Gu
tiyate as much land by these DR.
farm methods as through irrlgatiol
For every million or ten million acr,
we reclaim through irrigation In n
west We viii have a million or ten mi
lion acres producing profitahiy Wit
out irrigation"