The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-04-11
P0PULATING THE GREAT PLAINS.
Government TO Pump the Arkansas Under
flow. Letter from Guy E. Mitchell.

disastrous attempt of years back
to inhabIt and farm these semi.
desert prarieS lends much inter
est to the first government irri-
cation works to be located in the
Great PLAIN region-the Garden
City project. Contracts will be
let IN May aud the work willdoubt-
less be completed in time for lr-
nigation in the spring of 1907,
Unusual interest attaches to
this project not alone because 1t
Is the first which involves pump.
ing from underground sources
but because 1T is believed that It's
successful operation will usher
IN a new era for the Great Plains.
The Importance of this project is
more fully realized when 1T Is re-
membered that the division of the
United States known as the Great
Plains comprises 100000 square
miles or over one-quarter of the
total area of the whole country.
Over vast portion of this region
the settlers are few and far apart.
1t is the "short-grass" country
and is to-day furnishing forage
and grazing for great herds and
hocks. West of the Tooth merldl-
an the climate belongs to the
semi-arid region and general
far inlng without irrigation Is not
successful except in years of un-
usual and timely rainfall. The
history of this section has been
marked by a umber of disas-
trous failures, most of which re-
suited from lack of knowledge
oil the climatic oscillation and
from a fever of speculation in
western mortgages.
During a cycle of wet years
agriculture was extended far
across the plains, the movement
being greatly facilitated by com
panies formed to place loans and
take mortgages on real estate.
The East was the treasury from
which the funds were drawn.
During the continuance of sever
al years of ample rainfall the pro.
fits of these loan agencies were
great and prudence was thrown
to the winds. A series Of dry
years and the conseq uent failure
of crops forced the settlers to
abandon their farms and whole
countries were practically depop-
uated To-day here and there
on the plains and deserted sod
house or the more substantial
dwelling are framed against
level landscape, lonesome remind
ers of the pioneers failure. Oc-
caslonally the remains of dozens
structures mark the site of what
was once prosperous town or
county seat, but what is now only
the haunt of the coyote or the
gaunt gray wolf. Mortgages were
foreclosed and the makers of
loans became burdened with large
areas OF land practically valueless.
Attempts were made to construct
irrigation works to insure crops
but the results as rule were not
successful and the stockholders
lost their investment.
Some of the pioneers tenacious
ly hung on to their homes and
when the bitches failed, they sunk
wells and irrigated small tracts
from windmills. TheYields from
these small bitches were phenom.
email and sufficed to tide many of
the farmers over the years of
drought. Farms of 10 and 20
acres in gardens and orchards
and irrigated from wells now
support whole families in com.
fort. Systematic irrigation of
this kind not only embraces in.
tensiJe cultivation, small farms
and orchards, but it increases
and speciallzes production, call.
ing into play the educated brain
and the trained hand and massing
the cultivators into highly organ.
lied comm unities.
The well IN Kansas mas been
most potent factor in establishing
a number of the best communi-
ties IN the State. These facts are
reclted to explain why the Garden
! MA. l.. =