The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1909-11-19
Pacific Dairy Rebieqv Publishes Splendid
oAnicle on Dairy Condition
Of SVevada.

our ideas of Nevada hinge largely
upon what the genius that the pens
of these and other celebrities have
conveyed to the outside world.
The overland traveller heaves a
sigh of relief, washes the alkali out
of his throat and thanks God that
he is out of Nevada. But in our
idea of Nevada we forget that it is
of immense area, three times the
size of the great state of New York
and third only to Texas and Cali
fornia in point of area.
In such big state there is room
for all the mentioned detractions
and for many good things besides,
and the latter is attracting the
attention OF the home maker and
the man of business enterprise.
The fact is that lying up nearer to
the mountains where drainage has
carried the alkali from the land
into the lower desert levels. just as
alkali has been removed from all
lands, except that in most cases it
is drained into the sea instead of
being intercepted by mountains as
in case of much of the area of Ne
vada, and it is this lack of drain
age that gives us the desert. But
Nevada is not all desert as We have
already said. Up near the noun
tains the Valleys are free from
alkali, are we'll drained, have a
rich soil and an abundance of
water for irrigation that has been
in many instances utilized at lit
tie expense but to great advantage.
Even before the Comstock and
other rich ore bodies were struck
in Nevada these fine agricultural
sectionsshad been located by the
farm prospector and their value
appreciated sufficiently to result in
their having been populated years
ago. Lying along the western
edge of the Sierra mountain range
are a number of these valleys,
which, while at one time isolated,
are now in touch with the world
through railroad transportation
and their products are factor in
many markets. Chief among these
are Carson, Mason and Smith
valleys. These valleys have a
special interest in view of the fact
that they have been developed ex-
tensively and they are among the
important dairy sections OF the
coast states. Their soil is espec-
tally adapted to the growing of
alfalfa, which, although it does not
yield as literally as in the longer
growing season of California, is
very nutritious and goes father in
feeding value than the product
under more rapid growth. In ad-
dition to fine class of soil these
mountain valleys, on account of
their altitude, are favored with an
exhilaratidg climate and it has
been often said that the farmer
who locates under these favorable
conditions is there to stay.
Among the settlers who were at
tracted to the Nevada valleys in
pioneer days were many Germans
and these sturdy farmers are the
backbone of the enterprise that
developed these valleys into almost
model farming communities, their
substantial buildings, well kept
farms and personal integrity re-
minding one strongly of the farm
ing communities OF the Pennsyl-
vania "Dutch." When the super
ior agricultural conditions of these
valleys first attracted the settlers
there was one great drawback,
nancy transportation. They
were far removed from railroads,
haaf cattle which could be driven |