Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-02-23
A Duty TO NEw MEXICO.

The converting OF the Transmits
souri, Dry Farming congress Ia Chey-
onnc. wyoming. today should call to
the minds Of tho legislators at Santa
re that they have a duty to perform
10 the agricultural industry Of New
Mexico that should not be overlooked,
New Mexico is deeply Interested IN
the so-called dry forming Hun
druds OF thousands OF ceres Of and
have been taken up by homesteader
and land dealers during the past two
years under tho impression that ttis
land viii yield profitable crops with
out irrigation and with dependence
only upon the rninfnil. In some OF
the so-callcd dry farming districts Il
has been demonstrated hat this pre-
sumption iB true, and that the land
viii Yield bountlful returns IN any or
binary year. provided scientific meth
ODDS aud hard work are applied. II is
Just here that the duty Of the lesis-
lnture 10 our agricultural Interests
comes IN.
Nine-tcnths Of the hnmcaeclScr
who are coming into New Mexico to-
day know as little about "dry farm
ing as they do about irrigated farm
Ing. They are from tho rain btlts'
where the operations Of plowlng and
sowing and rcaping are as they have
f... Fac. tta. .I..Fu Af am "a
cestora. with the forkcd stick and Il Q
yoke of oxen. 'JDry farming rs q
distinctly different operation IT re-
qulroa different methods Of plowing
different methods Of sowing, and
widely different methods Of cultiva.
lion.
Telling the farmers from the rain
belt the theory Of dry farming, as the
authorities of the agricultural col
lege have made q praisoworthy ef-
fort 10 do, ~ all very wen IN ita way
but It docs not go far enough, The
farmers must be shown. the opera
ton Of dry farming must be Demon
stratcd and II must bo demonstrated
under the direction OF men who know
how,
The fatm"ra want to know; The,
are eager for the demonstration an,
They arc ready aud willing to contri'
butte 20 it but they need ana they
should receive some very material as.
-istanco from the territory.
The president of the agriculture
college. Dr. Garrison, has proposed t'
the legislature that 1t make an ap
preparation of $4,000 for the purpos'
of enabling the agricultural college t
send It's experts into the field to or
rnnlze farmers Institutes and Ia 60
operation with those institutions t.
conduct demonstration farms nlnnl
the principles which must be applie'
o. dry farming is 10 succeed. unde
ihe system proposed the farmers .
% given district Viii undertake Ia fur
nish tho land and ALSO the iooo
necessary 10 conduct the experiments
the college furnishing "A field eNf or
90 direct ploNing, seeding and cult
walton
Tho expense Of those dcmonstra
lions win be very small the results ii
Improved methods promise to b'
enormous Din a single Canadian pro
vince last yenr four Thousand farm
crs worked la active co-opcratiol
with the department OF agriculture e.
experiments looking Co an advance q
methods and production. Canada Ina
discarded the branch experiment sta
ton idea So has PENNSYLVANIA am.
Missouri. aud practically ai Ga
other states which maintain large ae
r%loultural colleges The branch "a
pertinent station requires am cnet
nous Investment and n oorrospondin
outlay FOR maintenance. H. result
hav, not been satisfactory in q singi
state. But the co-opcratiVe plan re-
ouircs no Investment save that ncces
san Tor seeds and The cost of keep
iHe experts n tho field. The result
obtained are far moro satisfactory. @
thc whole. than those obtained fror
experimental farms owned outright b
the commonwealth With thu cNpor'
m,nt farm owned by the common
wealth IL becomes necessary for uh
farmer q receive his instruction in
practical way 20 go Go the farm Tn
necessarily limiu 10 usefulness to
comparatively small district But a.
.aA.U.taffs4 Milan r4rff4a fNa rxuar
mental farm into each farming dt
triet where the farmers are sufficisn
D. enterpflsiug O. Organize thcmselv.
into a farmers iastifute snd take a.
vantage Of a.
The agricultural college aud the a
Vocates 81 this cooperative plan a
On annual Appropriation al sie.e