El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-09
To Chart West In the
Interest Of Dry Farming
DRY FARMING CONGRESS TAKES UP IMPORTANT TASK
By George Edward Swan

Farming congress, just issued as num-
Der three of the third volume of the
Dry Farming Congress Bulletin, L. J..
Briggs and J. O. Belz, of the depart
ment of agriculture, present paper on
Rainfall and Evaporation in the Dry
Farming Sections of the United States -
which is illustrated with charts show
ing the rate of evaporation at various
points throughout the country during
the six months, April to September, in
elusive In North Dakota this amounts
to 80 inches; in southern Kansas it is 45
and in the Panhandle section of
Texas, "a
In Oklahoma the district connecting
the Two sections represented by the last
two figures quoted. the rate is not
shown on the chart, but the weather
bureau records show it TO be fully as
high as in Kansas and increasing south
northw estern Texas. Where Oklahoma
ward until it approximates that of
touches Colorado, it is 40 inches. In
southeastern New Mexico, it is 55 and
in extreme western Texas, just south of
the New Mexico line, 1t is 5S. In Mon
tana, it is not reported, being regarded
an negligible, so far as its effect upon
agriculture IS concerned. These figures
show the evaporation in regions of more
or less limited, and, in some instances,
deficient rainfall.
Rapid Evaporation.
In the socalled humid states that is
east of the Tooth meridian, which is re-
garded as the line of demarkation be-
tween the humid and the dry farming
portions of the country. the rate of
evaporation as well as that of precipi-
tation, is far greater. From Iowa to the
New England coast the evaporation
during the six months mentioned reach
es So inches only in one place-in CEN
trail New York
1t has been asserted by many dry
farming authorities that this factor of
evaporation should be taken into account
in determining the regions eligible for
exhibiting in dry farming expositions
and superintendent Olin has decided to
do so. The dry farming sections of Ok
lahoma, for example, have a precipita-
ton of more than 20 inches per annum.
The distribution of the precipitation
throughout the year and the evapora-
ton, which is high, operate to bring
farming classification. 1t has been
claimed that many districts in Oklaho-
ma where the rainfall amounts to as
high as % inches per annun, are, for
agricultural purposes, in the same class
with sections of Montana or Wyoming
where the annual precipitation is Is
TO II inches.
To Equalize Data.
The purpose of the proposed chart-
ing of the west on an evaporation and
precipitation basis is to equalize the
various sections with regard to their
eligibility for competition in the Dry
Farming exposition. In working out
the plan of the superintendent of pre-
miums and awards, the actual net pre-
cipitation available for crop raising
purposes will be determined and made
the basis of classification as dry or
humid farming territory.
The data obtained in the process of
charting the west will be of consider
able value also in determining the rela-
tive value of the various districts for
farming purposes. 1t will enable the
farmers TO know what moisture they can
depend upon for their crops and will be
useful to prospective homeseekers, in
that they can informed as to the con-
ditions 10 be expected in any section to
which they contemplate going.