The Greeley tribune., 1905-07-27
SUCCESSFUL
CORY FARMING" TEN YEARS
WITHOUT A BREAK
A 16o-Acre Tract Near Cheyenne
Wells Productive Without
Irrigation--0ther Farms
in Neighborhood.


A notable illustration Of dry farm
ing by the Campbell process OF cul-
tivation is to be seen at Cheyenne
Wells, railway division point
seventeen miles west of the Kansas
line and III miles from Denver
The town stands on a divide be-
tween the Arkansas and kaw rivers,
and of itself is OF little interest. but
not far from the railway station is
a model farm of 100 acres, owned
by the Union Pacific railroad COM
pany and operated by J. 3. Robert
son, from which ten successive crops
OF wheat. rye. oats, potatoes, vege-
tables. berries and fruits have been
harvested without water. There is
lovely little orchard at the place,
with apples, pears, plums and cher
ries. a windbreak of shade trees,
protecting the house, of elm, ash
and horsechestnut trees, all growing
we'll. There is no water on the
premises, not even we'll or cistern.
The supply for domestic use is piped
down from the railway tank.
The railway eating house and Sec
tion foreman's home, are both sur
rounded by groups of fine, healthy
trees, and several are growing in the
school house yard without the use of
water.
This farm is maintained for the
purpose of convincing land buyers
that this is an agricultural country.
and to demonstrate to the farmers in
the neighborhood how they can Sc
cure profitable crops without irriga-
tion. Mr.. Robertson, the farmer,
grows twenty-five bushels OF wheat
to the acre and thirty bushels of rye,
year after year. without irrigation.
He cultivates it something after the
Campbell plan, leaving the top soil
loose and pulverized so that the rain
can soak in and do as much good as
possible. Mr.. Robertson has kept a
record fol ten years and says there
is no increase in the rainfall and no
change in the climate. The mini
mum for ten years has been thirteen
inches and the maximum twenty
inches, with an average Of fifteen
inches, mostly between April and
October. In contradiction Of the
theory that the rainfall has been in
creased by the plowing Of the
ground, Mr.. Robertson says that
there was a heavier precipitation
during the first two years he kept
his record than there ever has been
since.
Cheyenne Wells is q cattle town, q
county seat, with population OF
about 400, a jail with one prisoner,
. school house and a Methodist
church. The cattlemen. are trying
to discourage farming.pr They want
the ranges. They had free grass
here until short time, ago. and
have been put to great deal o.
trouble by the fencing. Therefore
they run down the model farm.
They say it is freak and that no.
body but Mr.. Robertson could grow
cabbages or anything else. There
are several similar farms in the
neighborhood, however, sufficient tx
prove that crops can be grown with
out irrigation provided they are cul
tiyated properly and the soil is kept
loose and mellow, SO that what littl'
moisture there is can get down u
the roots Of the plants and will no
run of the surface.
The greater part of the land IL
this locality is held in large tract
by private parties who have pur
chased it from the railroad company
W. w. Gurley, general counsel o
the traction companies in Chicago
with S. w. Worthy, has a tract O
1000 acres. A. n. Mitchen of Chi
cago has 30, COO acres, and the follow
ing are also large owners:
Acres
g. n. wilkins, Creston, Iowa. 90
Selover 4 Bates, St. Paul -........... %, 90
Lincoln Land company, St. Paul. 25. 90
J.J. Carnahan, Bushton, Ill 90
Q. Gregory, Cottonwood Falls, Kan $500
Al. Mckenzie, Groton, s. D........ .25, 90
Texas Investment company, Colo
RADIO Spring. ......................15,OO 90
o. &. Bowers, Cleveland, Ohio %, 90
Hearn Il Goodwin, Deepwater Mo $1,000
And there are several other larg,
owners also.
On every one of the farms wher,
the Campbell system has beer
adopted good crops have been regu.
larly grown, without more thar
ordinary help: but it requires more
than ordinary care and labor. james
Nance, an expert, who has recently
visited the Pomeroy farm near Hill
City, reports that he found 100 acres
of yEhpat 40 acres of corn % acres