The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-01-01
Edited by F. Walden

to good man in Connecticut, so here
is what he says: THE querist thinks
Of buying Government land in the
Far West; land under irrigation, Ell
Their by government or private enter
prise, with the idea of making money
by the increase of the value OF the
land. On the face of it, and with the
prospect of making money only IN
view, this might possibly be wise
thing to do. if the man and his family
are prepared to give up for years all
social intercourse, never to go to
theatre or lecture, to be deprived or
church or school, to wade through
endless mud when it rains, and equ
ally endless dust when it is dry; to be
miles from the nearest doctor or drug
store; to have fresh meat to eat only
when they kill it and dress it them
selves; to look out from day to day
on the same fiat, monotonous prospect,
until mind and heart are so sick and
weary of it all that no amount OF dol
lars won can compensate for all the
things of which one is deprived"
Then this good man reinforces this
picture by making a lengthy quota
ton from John Burroughs. But what
did John Burroughs know about the
country? He made a trip across the
country on flying excursion train.
Now, if a man has never learned that
no country can be properly described
by going through on an express train,
then he is to be pittied. That the de-
scription of Mr.. Burroughs might fit
somewhere l will not undertake to
deny, but that it gives one true idea
of the irrigated countries where
have been, and they are many, is far
from the truth But l want to give
this good Connecticut mans contrast
when he shows up the good points of
Connecticut's rural districts: LET the
man of middle age who thinks of go
ing into the country, contrast the
above with life in New England, with
church and school everywhere, with
cultivated society, with access to lee
ture and concert, with the doctor at
the end of your telephone wire; with
butchers cart and bakers wagon
daily visitants, with instant markets
for everything produced. No cyclone
cellar necessary to escape with life
from tornado, no necessity to depend
on blocked railroad for fuel, or freeze
| have lived in this section of our
great country for twenty years, and
now own two farms in the Yakima
valley which comprises the largest
area of irrigated land north of Cali
rural free delivery, telephone, both
local and long distance, schools,
churches, and doctors Eat the end
of the telephone WIRE" delivery wag-
ons running about all over the coun-
try. The fact is, irrigated countries
are densely populated and every con-
venience mentioned above soon finds
its way into such countries. Our
houses are painted, generally two sto
ries high, our yards covered with blue
grass and kept fresh by irrigation,
we have shade trees and drives as
beautiful as | ever saw in Connecti-
cut. Trolly lines are now located and
building is now going on and soon
will be in operation Our markets are
first class. The people are prosper
GUS: one half of all the homes con-
tain pianos, others, organs and phonO-
graphs. | am familiar with the irri-
gated sections of our western country
including Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Mon
tana. Oregon and Washington and
British Columbia. I have never been
in California, but if some of it's irri-
gated sections are not veritable para
discs then the Ananiases are not all
dead. No doubt but the man who
wrote this doleful account meant well
but it is easy for man to be mis-
taken when he undertakes to de-
scribe what he has not seen or seen
only from a railroad train dashing
through the country.
l have nothing to say against Con-
necticut. 1t is the home of my people.
My ancestors, nine generations back,
in 1871 came into the Connecticut