Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-06-24
on and on to the west until to-day all
the region east Of the Rocky noun
tasns is fairly well settled.

~Sss>s
tasns is fairly well settled.
We we'll remember the hardships
that were endured by the hardy
pioneers who frs, tried their for.
tunes in western Kansas and Ne
braska. eastern Colorado and the
Dakotas. and we know that the pri-
vations which they suffered have
given those states black eyes that
have required years in which to
heal, and many people in the east
ern states have come to the conclu-
sion that hardship and privation will
forever prove to be stock in trade
in those states. and as a result of
these false notions the development
of this region has been retarded.
1t has been an accepted theory for
many years that farming west of
the hundredth meridian must al
ways prove failure unless irriga-
tion can be employed But men
who are informed concerning past
and present conditions in this semi
arid region know that the western
limit of successful farming has ad /
vanced year by year. and to-day
much of this region, which was once
considered worthless, is producing
fairly good crops without irrigation;
and the prospect for still better
crops in years to come is favorable.
The secret of this great change in
the productiveness of this vast re-
gion lies in the fact that men have
continued to farm until the soil has
been brought into condition where
it will respond to their tillage.
During the first years of settle
ment in this semi-arid belt, which
was an experimental period. the
drought was the great drawback.
and many people came to the con
clusion that it would always be am
annual occurrence. But it has been
proven that conditions have changed,
inasmuch as the country is now able
to produce crops where few years
ago it utterly failed. At the pres
ent day we have many theories re-
garding the cause Of this change.
Some men argue that cultivating
the soil has induced an increase of
rainfall. That theory is positively
wrong. The rainfall of any coun-
iiy depending entirely upon natural
climatic conditions which involve al
titude, latitude and prevailing
winds, cannot be influenced by the
cultivation of the soil. So it is seen
at once that this change in condi-
tion in the semi-arid belt is not due
to change of climate altogether.
In all the semi-arid parts of our
western states the wild sod is very
firm and solid, and in its unbroken
state it is almost impossible for
water to penetrate it. in case Of
rain, before it runs off. Therefore,
nearly all the moisture that falls in
those prairie regions is wasted by
rapid drainage, and. when we add
to this the fact of a high altitude in
which we are sure to encounter
bright sunshine and some wind, we
realize that complete evaporation
during the warmer months is GER
tain under the circumstances.
The breaking of the sod and the
cultivation of the soil has not
changed the climate. We get just
as much moisture after bringing a
region under cultivation as before,
and no more. But the breaking of
the wild sod is like lifting the cover
from great reservoir. 1t simply
gives the soil chance to absorb the
water that would otherwise be
wasted.
Upon these facts it is safe to con-
clude that when all the land in this
region that is fit for cultivation is
broken up. SO as to store the larger
percentage of water that falls upon
it, the danger Of drought will be
largely eliminated.
Primarily speaking, cultivation of
the soil does not change the virgin
climate of any country. 1t does not
induce an increase Of rainfall; but
it does enable the earth to absorb the
moisture that falls upon it, conserv-
ing it for future needs; and in that
way it modifies the climate to the
extent of causing slower evapora-
tion than would otherwise ensue.
And, when men succeed in conserv-
ing the moisture of region in that
way, it will be possible to make it
profitable for agricultural pursuits.
1t is not to be presumed that the
semi-arid portions of the country
will ever become as productive as
the more humid parts. unless irri-
CATION can be employed, and that is
not yet possible in all parts. But it
is fact that thorough blowing and
continuous cultivation of the soil