Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-03-30
FARMER DECLARES GENERAL
CULTIVATION or SOIL MAKES
COUNTRY PRODUCTIVE.
THE ONE life TOPIC
Judge c. v. Long Declares Subject
Of Dry Farming Methods
Especial corresonIenceJ }
French. n, NJ, March q

French. ~ NJ, March y.
Editor Optic: The best laid plans
- mice and men gang aft aglee:" SD
said Bobby Burns. and he knew what
he said. He evidently had In his pro-
pheuc minds eye the Santa Fe ia
1907. At all events what he said Is
true as applied to this great system
and its :jme schedule.
Finding 1t important To reach San
Ia Rosa court on Thursday morning.
and wanting to avoid the dust storms
raging, incident TO a seventy mile
trip by stage across the country. |
planned to leave the Meadow City on
No. s ami catch the train for Tucum-
carl at II O'Clock According to
schedule rates would have O wait OF
about four hours at French, but
there Is many slip between the
cup and the lip" No. 3. east bound.
is scheduled to leave Las Vegas at
l:25 p. m. Counting this train about
four hours behind. and | would get
nights sleep at home. avoid the trip
across the country. and via French
and Tucumcari make Santa Rosa.
But, alas for human calculations; No.
s ran late. and here am. stranded at
French, enjoying a fine view OF the
Rocky Mountains to the west. and
as the high wind howls about the
section house and great bodies OF
dust whirl about In the air, can
congratulate myself that | am not
eating dirt on the stage line en- route
to Santa Rosa. That trip In good
weather Is delightful. but in the
winds OF March, with eyes and mouth
and whiskers full Of dust the trip Is
among the blessings to be avoided.
In troubles there are always others.
So I find 1t here with passengers
awaiting outgoing trains. Mine host
of the section house Is a good natur.
ed Dutchman. who tells me he tried
dry farming for eighteen years In
Ellis county, Kansas. His success
may be estimated from the fact that
he reached New Mexico. after such
an experience, with wagon and
family and six head of horses: never
theless, he believes all this country
will become a farming region. To use
his own words: Yes, tried farm
ing In western Kansas. near Hays
City, Ellis county. When | landed
there eighteen years ago the country
was being settled, but every alter
nate section was railroad land and
could not be bought or taken. AT
first only occasional quarters wer"
settled on. As long as the country
was in that condition nothing could
be done, But when each quarter was
settled upon, and the soil broken up
in all directions the production began
to increase and crops were better.
Flowing and cultivating the soil
seemed to change conditions and we
began to raise forage crops for stock.
kafffr corn. milo maize, cane and the
like. and later people began to raise
grain, corn, oats and wheat. ] LEFT
that county and moved farther west,
and two years ago went back to Ell
lis county and supposed would be
at home: but I was greatly surpris-
ed. didn't know the county. There
were good houses and barns and
growing trees and the land was pro-
ducing good crops OF corn. wheat and
alfalfa. Farms were worth $50 to
$50 per acre. II was a surprise to
see such a change. It all resulted
from settlement AMI cultivation.
Where there are only few settlers
the land does not do so well. but
when the whole country is settled
upon and cultivated, the ground
holds the rains better and the eoun-
try becomes productive. This Is
the substance of the story OF farm
er from the dry plains of western
Kansas
As I write, nearby Is a young man
from Nebraska, just 90 years old. and
making start in life. He is return
ing from Roy, where he has filed on a
homestead and Is en- route TO Ne.