The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-06
COUNTRY is BOOMING
UNDER "BOOK-FARMING'

A lot OF explanations have been Of
fered Of the marvellous success of Ed
ward II. Hartman in making himself a
railroad king. Really. It is easy. Har-
riman understands the art OF synchron-
izing.
Hartman grabbed the Union Pacific
at the same time when alfalfa arrived.
Hartman probably didn't know about
alfalfa when he did Il. He just had
luck. Alfalfa made the Union Pacific
country; the country made the Union
Pacific; the Union Pacific made HaTri-
man rich, and Hartman. rich. reached
for everything in sight.
Riding over the Union Pacific from
Omaha TO Denver after a lapse Of ten
years. II is almost impossible 90 realize
that the country is The same Ten years
ago prairie dog towns jostled the sod
ShantieS Of the plainsmeE FOR right OF
way along the tracks. Today you see a
prairie dogs nole as a curiosity. and a
sod shanty, booming in sight. huTTies all
the people TO the side Of the sleeping
car TO note the strange manifestation.
The prairie dog is gone. and the sod
shanty has given way TO good modern
farm houses. each being Intimately as
ISOLATED with a huge red barn such as
adorns every quarter-Sect1on IN Illinois
or Iowa.
The buffalo OF forty years ago gave
way to the great droves OF lOng-EoTned
cattle. lean and bOny and razor-backed
In turn. the long-horned steer has
passed on, and the mlld-Tna nnered bOSSy
OF Polled Angus. Shorthorn. Hereford
and Holstein extraction las aiken his
place The aristOCratiC Irvine Of today
/ wadcs around IN alfalfa up 20 her knees
and is as sleek as a man with an option
on a mining BONANZA
! EverywE ere are new towns. They ge
/ the railroad company TO run in :
switch. then they build R big red bricl
/ school house. then iolks come and builC
| lures, with baths, hot water, ana cleo
/ trio light connections. The roofs FL
| lOok new and blonde. telling Of thei1
I recent origin. Everything IS built o.
I lumber. and It's small wonder that thes'
| people want the tariff reduced or some
/ thing else done that VIII make lumbei
! PeopIe who come 70 these TlaIns now
/ adays 20 settle don't do Il on faith
/ n pair Of shOestrings. a yoke Of oxen
! and seven children as available capital
! That was the old way Nowadays the,
! come IN Puilmans. with their pianos an
| iron beds following by freight, and viii
| New York exchange. issued by som
| country bank in Indiana or Iowa, j
I their pockets They don't come wit
! any notion OF starving. and they don
/ try 10 farm as they did back East
/ They have read the bulletins Of tn
Department Of Agriculture. and knO7
| what they can and what they can
| raise and how 10 do and how not Z
! try 10 do it. They do lot OF wha
| twenty years ago would have been con
! ternptuously called ''bCok-farnins''
| and get rich at IT.
| The way the financial crisis has al
fected the West IS fearsome- II
| keeps up, I don't know what I'll do.
said a banker from North Dakota II
lives in a town which within eigt
years has crowded out the jackrabb
and the prairie dog You see. I use
the time and keep safe. Now 7 hav
s. bout $4,000 Of cash on hand and can
| use it. Nobody Will take e, and Il
in an awful scrape-"