Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-10-10
WINNING
4 THE DESERT
Robert Gauss. After Experiments
Extending Over IS Years, Has
Produced Seed Grain Which
Will Grow on Prairies.

Colorado has a Burbank In Robert
Gauss. After years Of experiments
he has won fame by developing grain
seed which will grow without irriga.
ton.
Robert Gauss Of Denver has ac-
complished such wonderful results In
developing grain seed that will grow
on the arid plains of the west with
out irrigation that he has attracted
the attention of the government ex-
perts and has had a flattering offer
to devote his entire time to the work
which means so much to the west.
For fifteen years Mr.. Gauss has
been carrying on his experiments and
has at last achieved results which he
hardly dared dream OF at first. He
now has n variety of wheat, oats, bar.
ley and rye which will give a remark
able yidld without irrigation other
than that of the regular rainfall on
the plains and his experiments with
corn lead him to believe that he has
almost succeeded there. which would
mean that the vast prairie land be-
tween the corn belt of Kansas, and
Nebraska and the Rocky. mountains,
where little but %sagebrush now grows,
may soon be waving with corn.
Robert Gauss, of Denver, long
known as an editorial writer, has be-
gun to distinguish himself in an en-
tirely new field.
For many years Mr.. Gauss has been
experimenting in the cultivation Of
seed wheat that will grow without IT.
rigation. He has been carrying on
this work In a small way on his prop
erty in Montclair, Sterling venue and
Montview boulevard. Last summer
NJ. A. Carleton, the cerealist Of the
United Sites department of agricul-
ture, came to Denver and visited Mr..
back to Washington with reports OF
the work that had been accomplished.
Recently negotiations have been OPEN
ed by the government by Mr.. Gauss.
in which he has been asked to give
up all his time to the breeding Of
plants, the results he has had being
SO satisfactory that the department
would like to have him continue on
a much larger scale-and on a. salary
that would permit his devoting his
best thought and enrgies to it. J,
The purpose Of these experiments Is
Ito adapt grains and other plant spe-
ciestO arid or semi-arid conditions, SO
that they will grow on the plains OF
Colorado without irrigation.
New Method Entirely.
1t has nothing to do with soil man
ipulation and should not be confused
In any way with the Campbell or any
Isimilar process Of cultivation. It II
Ipurely and distinctly investigation II
plant breeding and to acclimatizs
tplants from humid to arid conditions
II is based on the theory that a plant
which for any reason endures the
drought will transmit that power Of
drought resistance to its offspring.
Mr.. Carleton says Mr.. Gauss has
been doing work not only ID advance
Of any private experimenter known
to the government, but 1t has been In
advance Of that accomplished by the
government, but It has been In adj
vance Of that accomplished by the
government stations.
Seed is sown each year from those
plants which have attained the best
growth and produced the best results
In seeds. Notwithstanding their arid
environment and. Of course, there Il
no irrigation whatever employed on
this experiment farm and all the mois.
ture comes from the rainfall.
Mr.. Gauss began his experiment in
wheat breeding with the variety
known as Improved Fife, but It Is
now departed so much from the orr
ginal that 1t presents little or none
of the Fife appearance. He has sue.
ceeded in making 1t drought resistant
and has also been successful in pro
ducing other grains that have adapt
ed themselves to the conditions that
obtain on this plains Of the west.
How Experiments Were Made.
He has also been experimenting
with Pellissier. Khala-of which there
are two strains. each requiring a
Black Don. all durum wheats.
The soft wheats are Red Russian
obtained from the eastern part Of
Colorado and Fretes. which was orr
ginally brought from Algiers by the
wheats Mr.. Gauss Is developins
varieties of oats. rye and barley. He
has two kinds Of barley. one being the
ordinary beardless or st~ock.feedins
variety an DIT the other a %malt.variet,
known as Sala. said to rank amons
the best barleys of Germany.
In addition to grains his experiment.
include potatoes, sugar. beets. an,
this veal corn. The corn was IN,
Early Yellow Dent. procured for III,
experiment from Mr.. Wilson. Of Har
risburg. Colo. which Mr.. Wilson say
has grown In that locality for te,
wears without irrigation. In order 4
have a proper rotation of crops Mr.
Gauss is also trying to develop
variety of TTkestan alfalfa alon!
drought.resistant lines.
The splendid results already sec
ured from his experiments Of year
hv Mr.. Gauss would indicate tina
colorado has been entertaining
Burbank Of her own unawares and III,
government will soon secure his scr
vices in its department of plant breed
H. ~