Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-06-26

lief from fraud until its denials
resulted in bloodshed should not
last long in any civilized country.
The Region Between the Missouri Riv-
er and the Rocky Mountains. Its
Change of Climate and Pro-
ducts.
Editorial Correspondence by E. NJ. Carl
Between the Missouri River and
the Rocky Mountains there is a tract
of country about FIVE times as large
as the state of Iowa. Thirty years
ago the western portion of this re-
gion was quite arid, and the semi
arid line extended eastward almost
to the river. Since then the climate,
so far as moisture is concerned, has
greatly changed. The semi.arid
line now is about midway between
the river and the mountains.
This region for the most part is
a level prairie, rising gradually from
an elevation of about 1000 feet above
the sea level on the eastern side, to
an average elevation of nearly 1000
feet at the mountain foothills.
Thirty years ago the greater part
of the country for 400 miles to the
eastward from the Rocky Mountains
was treeless and inhabited by but
few white people. At that time it
was border land between the red
men and the advancing line of civ
ilization. Its browning defect was
lack of moisture, and while lack of
moisture is still it's greatest defect,
the change in that respect is little
less than marvellous. The writer has
crossed and re-crossed this country
a number of times during the past
thirty years, and has personally wit
messed the change, and had ample
opportunities to study the causes
which have brought it about. The
change of conditions was aptly H.
Illustrated by gentleman who has
lived in Loveland, Colorado, for
twenty years or more. He told me
when he first settled in that place he
could go out and roll over in his
> yard every morning in the year
without soiling his clothes; that he
frequently made note of that fact in
letters by him to his friends in the
: east, but no such thing was possible
on but few mornings during recent
years.
+ At least three causes have con.
tributed to this increase of moisture
During the winter months extern
: sive snow storms prevail in the
mountains; and while some of this
9 snow melts slowly during the en-
2 tire summer, and some that falls
i far upon the mountain sides doel
: not melt for many summers, tn
greater part of it melts rapidly witt
J. the return Of spring, and before tn,
y advent Of the white man the waite
q from this melted snow flowed rapid
q ly down these gently sloping prai
ries. During these spring flood
: there was prodigal waste Of waite
ina country that was PRACTICAL,
v valueless for want of water AS sool
as the white men took. possession Q
1.-THE country they commenced tn
work of impounding this water j
s. The spring,tiiuefor irrigating pun
. poses later on in the season. Fo
d more than "a score of years that wor
e has progressed with increasing Wig
oEl and flate years the FEEDER,
- Governmentshas lent its aid to vas
/ [irrigating projects. While larg
quantities of water still escape III
r. used, each years work decreases til
n. volume, and before many years a
the water from the mountains ma
,, be used to change the adjacent de
he erts into fruitful fields.
xt Irrigation is probably entitled
an a first place among the agenci,
~ which have wrought the change
!, climate in the country to the llas
re ward from the Rocky Mountain
he but in my judgment artesian vel
are a close second. An abundan
~ Of artesian water underlies consi
~ cradle part of these prairies, whis
q were formerly arid or semi-arid.
,g the state Of South Dakotaalone the
lie are probably tens of thousands of q
he tesian wells, each one of which
constantly pouring out stream
water. The flow from some of the
pc wells is sufficient to form and mai
tain good sized pond or sma
lake.
es There is no doubt but what
% rigation and artesian wells ha
VI done their part, but there are son
= who contend that the groves of til
nc Der, which have stood up on the
u prairies since the advent of Il
white men, have done more than q
CO other agencies combined to increa
q the rainfall and change the china,
In one sense, this claim may be ,
on right. The timber may attract Il
~ rain, but without the irrigatil
NC bitches and artesian wells in Il
vi first instance there would not
10 many trees.
VI In my first letter ! said that viii
% out in this western country wou
as s try and learn something about d
=, farming. Well, did try, and
~, near as | could find out dry farmil
does fairly we'll when the rainfall
re- fairly good, but not otherwise.
requires two years to produce CIR
he by the dry farming process. Du
le- ing the spring and summer of t
III first season the soil is generous
he. cultivated In that way a dust null
is produced, which tends to ke
is some moisture in the soil. In t