Weekly journal-miner., 1910-11-02
DESERTS REPLACED
 BY WAVING FIELDS

| WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. 26. - A quarter of a century ago any mention of the Great American Des- ert called up visions of a region of limitless extent, sun baked, parched and desOlate. A country associated always with tales of suffering and death, of uDfriendly savages and deadly reptiles, for years it was passed over by Congress as worth less. The marvellous transformation which has been wrought in two de- cades in this land of silence and sunshine furnishes one of the most interesting and inspiring pages in the annals of our Republics development The Great American Desert is van ishing from the map. Its boundar- | ies have shrunken and it no longer presents a formidable barrier to the growth and progress of the Far West. Twelve million acres of this rainless country have been subdued by means of agriculture and irriga- tion and are producing bountiful and assured harvests every year. A quarter of a million families are re- i siding on farms and as many more have found homes and occupations : in the cities, towns and villages that | have sprung up in the midst of the [ been constructed to impound the floods and through 10000 miles of canals and ditehes the life giving water has been turned upon the dusty desert. The streams have been harnessed for power and an era of manufacturing is dawning in which all of the raw products of the farm, the forests and the mines will be prepared for the markets of the world. The comforts and luxuries heretofore unknown in agricultural regions already are Obtainable in many of the Western valleys. The farmer lights and heats his home with electricity and his heavy work is done cheaply by the same potent force Trolley lines bring the farm and town close together. In ma jority of the irrigated districts the farms are small-nOt more than 40 acres each. With sixteen to sixty farm families to the square mile, iso- lation is eliminated and life in the country becomes more nearly urban than rural. While pioneering in this new country calls for good deal of grit and not little hard work the compensation is sure and abund- ant Carving out home in the des- ert is no child g play, it is. mans work, but there are few places where Nature responds more quickly to in telligent industry than the irrigated country. On the government projects the past year has been a eonspieu- ously prosperous one. The success of the average farmer in many in stances has been remarkable. On
 
 several of the projects the crops on individual farms this year have yielded enough to enable the own CTS to repay to the government every dollar of their obligations if they were SO inclined. As the pay ments to the government extend over a period of ten years without inter est there is no object in meeting the same in advance and most of the farmers therefore are devoting their revenues to improving their homes and in purchasing live stock and i'm plements One of the most interest ing features of the upbuil ';r" of these new communities is tl0 'arge number of settlers who hay one from the cities and towns. Their success is all the more not be cause thev had little or no ious experience in farming, espee in farming by irrigation. Un' hese circumstances the call of t ,pen country is likely te appeal hers who have grown tired of ress and fume of city bfe and ever ending struggle to make in and outgo balance.
 The West is fIliue up g idly and the really eboiee loea' are so few that it is only a q of
 
 time now when the Increase and values there win make it cuIt for the poor man to get 8 iold as it is today in the East.