The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1906-10-04

under the so-called Campbell sys-
tenn, is the coming salvation of the
west. II means that every foot of the
prairie land of Montana can be made
to raise bountiful crops of grain
without the placing Of a single drop
OF water upon 1t, other than the wat
or that falls from the sky. It is a
cinch, and under it every foot of
land In tho state which can be plowed
can be made to raise bountiful crops.
! have seen the proposition worked
out to successful finish, and ! am
as convened of what l say as that the
sun shines.
This is the statement of Joseph
A. Baker of Hollywood, Chouteau
county, Mont, one Of the best known
old-time stockmen and land owners
Of the state, says a Montana report.
Mr.. Baker has jUst returned from
Denver, where he went to make
thorough Investigation OF the system
of dry land farming being carried
ON there, and he returns absolutely
convinced of its efficiency.
ut means the saving Of the west, y
says Mr.. Baker, land under 1t an
entirely new system of farming will
step in to help fill the granaries of
the nation with wheat for the world.
Under IL almost every foot of land in
Cascade county, In Chouteau OF that
state, will become ,tillable and pro-
ducing. This may seem a broad
statement, but 1t Is fact beyond dis
pute, just the snmo. Wherever there
Il 12 inches of moisture during the
year the proposition will work, and
Montana has shown more than IA in
chea for the past "a years.
'aThe system takes work, but 1t
produces results, and IL cinch. II
d simply the mulching system scien-
tltlcaily developed. BY 1t the mois
ture IL retained In the land. That is
all there Is to 1t. II will mean that
the entire country now deemed arid,
will be cut up In s0-acre tracts, and
homes by the thousands located where
there ID now but waste land. The
dry land system Of farming solves the
only problem which has stood in the
way OF this condition coming about.
81 went to Denver principally TO
look into the matter of raising alfal-
IN under the dry land system. II,
however, Is not as applicable to that
form OF cultivation, for the reason
that alfalfa IL permanent crop and
can not stand the stirring which must
be given 1t from year TO year. ] saw
near Denver an orchard Of 1000 trees
set on the worst looking soil ever
saw In my life-gravel, adobe and
sand. Yet under the dry land system
tho crop is OF The heaviest in the state
Of Colorado--and that ON land which
was considered absolutely worthless
until the dry land system was tried
upon 1t. The same with grains.
Forty bushels to the acre, ON land
that grasshopper would starve upon
before the dry land system came In,
IL the record for wheat and the sam Q
IL true Of other crops,
''It Is wonderful, and one must see
II to believe. have seen II, and
60 home to put tho dry land system
into effect on my Highwood land
which has heretofore been considered
by me as nothing but poor grazing
land. l have had 20 acres In for
some time past, but j did not under.
stand 1t thoroughly, and my trip to
Denver was to learn, by seeing the
system in practical operation.
Estimates Of the amount Of land
that can be reclaimed by irrigation
vary all the way from $1,000, 900
acres up to 1875, 900, 900 acres, with
the weight of authoritative opinion de-
cldedly favoring the lower figure.
Yet II one per cent Of tho money now
being expended for irrigation works
were made available for the education
OF the people who ought to be inter
ested in dry farming, It is probable
that 500, 900, 900 acres of land--par-
haps more than that--could be re-
claimed from Its present unproduc-
tive and comparatively worthless
state Just as rapidly us settlers could
be- taken TO II.
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