Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1909-01-06
WARNING ABOUT ARID LAND.
Possible Disaster Confronting Land
Hungry Homeseekers.

Galveston Tribune.
Chicago M. Dec. 30.-ln a discus
sion of recent investigation into the
agricultural resources of the country
William Il. curtis. under a Washing
ton date. in the Record Herald has
this to say:
These Investigations have disclosed
some facts which should be made
known to the public, and will doubt
less appear in official form with off
cial sanction very soon. For exam
pie. It Is thought necessary to warn
land.hungry people who are taking
up homesteads and buying small farms
in the semi-aid regions of Western
Kansas Eastern Colorado. Wyoming,
Utah and other states that dry farm
ing Is a very critical proposition. u is
also considered important that home
seekers should know that many mil
lion acres of our arid land can never
be irrigated under any circumstances
because of lack of water. and that the
prevention OF waste OF water Is one
of the most important duties OF the
American people
"One of the ablest agricultural eN-
perts in this country, who has recent
ly made an investigation of the con
ditions in the 'dry-farming section
on the slopes of the Rocky mountains,
says:
i have been a pretty thorough
student of what is known as dry
/ farming, and have urged farmers.
when moving into the semi.arid sec
! tons. say west of the ninety-ninth me
ridian. to purchase nothing less than
one or two section, and TO combine
stock-growing with dry farming, and
not to undertake 1t at all except with
enough cash capital to carry them
through a period of three years.
lover most of the territory west of
the ninety.ninth meridian there has
been 80 per cent of rainfall above the
normal for the last three years. The
soil Is rich, most of 1t at least. Some
of It is very easily titled; some of 1t
Is Of adobe formation, which Is Il hard
soil to manage and should never be
plowed at all. The whole country,
from the national boundary to and in.
Guiding the Panhandle of Texas, has
been exploited for the last three or
four years by companies more or less
closely affiliated with the railroads
who have purchased their land grants
and have proclaimed far and wide the
doctrine that rain follows the pillow
that the east is moving west, and they
are selling these lands, pleading that
a hoemstead can be secured alongside
at from Sc to $40 an acre. They se
cure about third payment down
which is about the original cost OF the
land, and take mortgages running at
per cent interest for the balance.
If normal rainfall should return
a calamity would strike this whole
area, from the ninety.ninth meridian
TO the one hundred and third merid
ian, the whole length of the country
that would be greater than the ca
lamity that struck Western Kansas
and Nebraska in the sos. In fact.
believe that the whole agricultural
population outside of the irrigation
districts would be driven back two
hundred miles, bankrupt and hopeless
The mortgages will be foreclosed on
these lands and they will be convert
ed into great ranches and the grasses
allowed to reseed themselves, which
they will do in the course of probably
ten, fifteen or twenty years.