Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-14

~
Dry farming Is Just now exciting
widespread ,nterest throughout the
whole OF the arid or semirsrid Sec
tions Of The west. The matter IL OF
more importance TO no community
than 10 Las Vegas, and considerable
agitation on the matter has been go
iAg q hare for some time. As relat.
"a BY the Optic, the petition which
ms recently ~pTersented 10 the grant
trustees for the donation Of . conside
rahls tract Of land for experimental
purposes ives not granted, not, how
aver from any spirit Of hostility 10
Tho idea, but because the proposition
- submitted was mot In such shape
- 70 meet with the approval OF the
board. There 10 unquestionably q dis
position on the part Of the board 10
do whatever they believe to be far
and Just to promote the project 70
thorousAly demonstrate the feasibility
u dsy farming In THE locality and the
matep vii be further considered.
Among the mOs enthusiastic advo'
Gates u the feasibility ri dry farming
Il W. n. Comstock. Who has practi-
colly demonstrated the theory through
several successive seasons and who
Knows exactly whereof he speaks. In
response 10 the request Of the Optic.
NJ. Comstock has contributed the fol'
lowing expression Of hts views on the
proposition:
believe dry farming ID the most
important proposition to which the
peop)e 0f this locality can direct their
sttsaton today. n the citjsens Of
La vegas viii take hold Of this mat
~ md 1--WE those who are leading the
noysment their active support. ~
can have tpe work underway IN thir-
" days. II has been stated that $1,000
Goes ont u this community daily
~ TIE necesaities OF life. II will take
about $4,000 In subscriptions 70
otock. ana ! donation Of q reasonable
among u land from the grant. to
put ! company on It's feet 70 that u
can carry on . demonstration Of the
feasibility Of dry farming on q prop
~ scale. When II Is considered what
the proposition will mean u Las We.
IA. this ID d small. layout indeed.
me citisens Of Las Vegas have
ccntributed literally to the driving
park, the n. N. C. "A, the public libra.
~. and i score Of other projects, All
rod, and to be found In any Ike go
ahead town, 80 to, the United States
government proposition to put ten
thousand acres under ditch Is all right
X ii ever gets further than q Nero
proposition. vet, II II ever becomes 9
reality It only emphasizes the. fact
that the balance Of our three hundred
thousand acres. that can not pc dis-
counted Id any country, Ia practically
worthless II irrigation Is an absolute
necessity. The sovarnment pHCposs
tfbn will not add one single dollar
u the value III the balance Ok the
grsnt, while on the other hand, the
ny farming proposition, u It proves
! success, will enhance the value Of
every 7 Of tilable land from a.
most nothing 10 ten dollars per acre,
and, instead OK being u burden Will
become d source Of revenue that VIII
reduce our taxes. build U bridges,
our public highways, u school nous
~ and i thousand and one other
things, that will be for the beneft ot
the people residing on the grant.
There N not q citizen In Las Vegas
but admits this. but question Il :
few of them, IN the hurry and hustle
IL business life. have given the cues
ton the attention that II deserves.
who has not heard OF the Campbell
system or dry farming, yet who can
ten ! single place where the system
has been carried out. Why not organ
ise a association and cal II the Las
Vegas Dry-Farming association. -
has been suggested. Let the subject
Ia veil written up from week to week
as the work progresses. and have the
article published In both English and
6parish papers ~ the territory, and
In such agricultural papers ~ the
Rural New Yorker, Iowa Homestead,
sMd Practical Farmer. papers which
reach hundreds of thousands Of the
very bert .claxs Of farmers In the land.
and this h the one great thing that
W lack In this country-farmers.
The professional man and the skilled