Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-21
WILL DISCUSS DRY FARMING
Ven from All Over Country to Attend
Denver Congress
NtBRAsKAIo SEND HUNDRED DELEGATES
Projects of vast Importance 60 Entire
Country May Result from Two
Days Session Thursday
and Friday.

When the Transmissouri Dry Farming
Congress is called to order in Denver next
Thursday morning. January "a the roster
of delegates will contain the name OF al
most every man in America who is an
authority on agricultural subjects. No
convention ever held in. the west has at
tracted such widespread interest and en-
thusiasm as is now attending this. and
the indications are that projects Of vast
Importance, not only to the west, but TO
the prosperity of the entire country, will
result from the two days session.
No less than twelve experts from the
Department of Agriculture at Washington
will be present. Every governor west Of
the Missouri river will either be present in
person or by special representative. Every
agricultural college and state university
in the sixteen states that were included in
the call sent out by Governor Mcdonald of
Colorado will have its men on the ground,
and in addition there will be present hun
dreds Of plain farmers from all parts of
the west, men who have successfully prac-
ticed dry land agriculture on their own
farms for decades and who have evolved
for themselves methods for the successful
handling of land in the semi-arid districts.
The Importance of the new movement
which will be brought to a head in the
Dry Farming Congress next week, cannot
be overestmated. But one acre in ten of
farm land in the whole country west of the
9Sth meridian can ever be irrigated, and
the remainder must. because OF slight
rainfall, look for its redemption entirely
to some method of scientific agriculture.
Within the last decade the spread of the
so-called Campbell system, more commonly
known as dry farming" has convinced
the thinking men of the country that in
some such means as this lies the agricul-
tural salvation of the west and II is now
proposed to start a broad interstate move
ment, in which every state affected shall
take part to further develop these soil
culture systems and bring them to the at
tention of the world at large.
Experts to he Present.
At the meeting next week IT is expected
that a permanent organization will be eff
fected which shall carry on the work to
be outlined for the future development and
settlement of the semi-arid west. Among
| the notable experts to be present are Gift
| ford Pinchot, United States forester; Mark
| Carleton, United States cerealist, who in
| troduced durum wheat into America e.
| c. Chilcott, in charge of all government
| dry farm work in the country; Elwood
Mead, chief of the bureau of irrigation
. and drainage Investigations; T. H. Kear-
| ney of the bureau Of plant industry, who
| introduced the date palm into Arizona
| AID thereby opened a new and most profit
| able industry; DIR. l.. ]. Briggs, physicist
Of the bureau of soils; Carl F. Rellerman
soil bacteriologist, and w. T. Swingle OF
the division of plant life history. all OF
| Washington; George T. Nicholson, third
vice president, and Wesley Merritt. indus
! trial commissioner Of the Santa Fe sysem
| Secretary Coburn OF the Kansas State
| Board of Agriculture; E. A. Burnett, e
| q. Montgomery and W. P. Snyder of the
| University Of Nebraska; Prof. p. c.
Holden, the noted corn expert of Iowa
Governor Frank Frantz of Oklahoma
Governor Hagerman OF New Mexico; Gov.
ernor Brooks OF Wyoming; Governor Cut.
Ter of Utah: Prof H w. Campbell OF
Lincoln, Neb.; Editor John Fields Of Okla.
homa city; Colonel William Irish of sar
Francisco; e. ]. wickson, dean of the
University of California, and a score Of
other men of national note on agriculture
subjects. No such array of men who know
has ever been gathered together in the
| west, even at session OF the Nationa
Irrigation congress.
Nebraska to Send Hundred.
Representation at the congress will bt
by appointment. Nebraska, Kansas, Okla.
homa and the Dakotas, the most eastern
states included in the call, have twenty
delegates each, appointed by the governor
Each city of the first class is entitled tc
ten delegates and each county to a similar
number to be appointed by the county com
missioners- Reports already received al
| Denver from Nebraska and Kansas show
that not less than 100 delegates will b.
present from each of those states, while
nearly as many will come from Oklahoma
The total attendance Is expected to ex.
coed 1000 persons. A universal railroad
rate of one fare for the round trip, en-.
couraging a large attendance.