Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-14
NEBRASKA YESTERDAY, NOW
State offers New and Better 0ppor-
tunities for Home Builders.
". P. SNYDER POINTS THEM OUT
Says Ma Coming Nod Intends to
stay and with Conditions Bet
ter Than Twenty Years Ago
HaN bright Future.

Families are coming into western Ne
braska, almost as rapidly as they came
from 1880 to $780, z said w. p. Snyder, su-
perintendent Of the experimental station
at North Platte, in speaking at the corn
exposition. Mr.. Snyder compared the con-
ditlons as they formerly existed and as
they are today.
Are the people now coming In to remain
and build permanent homes, and to develop
the country, or are hey to be driven
out as were the early settlers7 A COM
parison of the conditions then and now
may assist In answering this question.
The rainfall is regarded by climatolO-
gists and by many farmers, as fixed
for all times, varying from time to time
above or below the normal, but keeping
the average of a long series Of years near
the normal. The soil is the same as 1t was
twenty years ago-rich in plant food. easily
titled, and capable of storing a large guam
tity of water. The climatic conditions
have remained the same, but all other
conditions have changed.
Old R~anchman.
When the people came in during the
eighties, there were only a few old resi-
dents in the country. These were ranch
men living along the streams and depend
ing on free range and live stock for a
living. They were not farming any. They
did not want the prairie broken up. The
settlement Of the country meant the end
of their ranching days. Every phase Of the
settlement seemed to them to be against
their interests. Naturally, they did not be-
lleve this to be a farming country and
bent all their energy toward dlsoouraglnR
the homesteader. We do not blame the
~ranchman. He believed that farming
would bring failure not only to himself.
but to the newcomer. Nor did his success
tend to encourage the man who came into
the country to grow crops. The ranch
man owned the only signs of success that
the country had to offer. His success was
due to raising stock and against filling the
soil. Nothing in the history of the couHtSy
lent encouragement to the man behind the
pillow. But all this has changed.
PIOw Drives Out Herds.
THE large herds have been driven out
by the pillow, the disc and the harrow.
Where there was once a ranch that sup
ported one family, now there are several
families supported by a combination OF
stock and crops. Where there was one
home, now there are several. The fac
that these have replaced the old ranch
AAN0NS = " NAAC Nv " 1 a. NAAhN IAC NbAh
try will support homes founded on proper
methods OF farming; that where one steel
was grown without filling the soil, severa
can be grown by growing crops on part Of
the land; that people are succeeding or
limited areas Of land; that the country Il
all right when 1t is settled by 'drouth-re'
~sistant' people and farmers who have som'
capital and can last through a drouth-
farmers who will not become discouraged
farmers who know, how and are not afrait
to farm right,
Markets and Prices.
1.-THE distance to market and the price;
received for produce and the manner o.
marketing have changed to favor the pres
ent day farmer. When 1 came to western
Nebraska the farfhers in our locality wer,
hauling corn thirty-five miles and getting
IA cents per bushei for it. The price o
other crops were low, Now these sam,
; farmers haul their corn to the elevator tel
miles and get from so to 50 cents pc
, bushel. or dellYer It to a neighbor who 4
feeding cattle and hogs, or more. often, fee
{ 1t to their own stock and thereby increas
3 the selling price still more: The number o
fat stock, cattle, hogs and sheep shippe.
, from western points has been increasinl
rapidly. This has, brought the market 70
a grain to the farmers granary. Man.
= farmers after growing a good wheat croI
were obliged to sell 1t for 50 cents pc
bushel. Wheat now brings from Is cent
. to 81 per bushel, and If fed to hogs, vii
+. bring more. A yield Of five to ten busheI
Of grain was considered a failure wheI
prices were low, Five. bushels of corn
: worth only 70 cents, might not be wort
' taking care of, while the same yield wheI
2 mouth 60 IN unturhf ha nnnGiInrnA uA-
n while. Many fields of wheat which wer
not harvested during the days Of. loy
prices would now be harvested with profit
Change In Dairy Methods.
1.-THE change in dairy methods and mar
kets alone afford much encouragement
The only way to market dairy products !
the early day, was to make butter and Sc,
A 1t to the local grocer. There were n
4 facilities for making good butter in tn
summer time and there was no milk 1
the winter. AS a result of this, butter wa
e of q poor quality and very low In prlc,
t Now the farmer has a hand separator an
can get cash for his cream at any shiI
n ping point. The farmer who finds that hi
d crops are short can turn to milking cow
: and make expenses, or he can milk enoug
cows all the time to pay household en-
t penses. Many farmers are going int
d~airying rather strongly; some even build
ing siIos. This will decrease the acreag
e necessary to support a family.
d With the presumption that the climat
remains always the same. and no on
g claims that 1t will grow more unfavorabl
thar the normal, a survey Of the change
Q which have taken place during the las
twenty years in other matters a~ffectin
d the farmer, seems to indicate a steady dc
v%elopment and promise well for the II
u ture. The attitude of the old residents
= favorable to farming, Their success ind
Gates that Others can succeed. There
now a knowledge of climatic condition
> and a knowledge Of how TO deal with II
~unfavorable features Of the climate.
There are in the country suitable varI,
ties Of grain and forage plants. There al
also a few trees that nave proven the
ability to dot the landscape with patcht
q Of green.D'The country is equipped wit
fairly suitable machinery and with pow
to draw It. The markets are such thu
even a small crop means a living. Thei
is both money and work in all parts
the country. The man coming in, Is brini
ing with him considerable capital. He ii