The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-10-29
OUR VANISHING DESERT
SAGE Brush Wastes Replaced by Wav
ing Fields


A quarter of a century ago any
mention of the great American desert
called up visions of region of limit
less extent, sun-baked, parched and
desolate. A country associated al
WAYS with tales of suffering ana
death, of unfriendly savages an6
deadly reptiles, for years it was pass
ed over by Congress as worthless.
The marvellous transformation which
has been wrought in two decades in
this land of silence and sunshine fur
nishes one of the most interesting
and inspiring pages in the annals or
our republics development The
great American desert is vanishing
from the map. Its boundaries have
shrunken and 1t no longer presents a
formidable barrier to the growth ano
progress of the far West. Twelve
million acres of this rainless country
have been subdued by means of agri-
culture and irrigation and are produc-
ing bountiful and assured haryests
every year. A quarter of million
families are residing on farms and as
many more have found homes and oc-
equations in the cities, towns and vii
| lagos which have sprung up in the
midst of the agricultural areas.
Great dams have been constructed
to impound the floods and through TO-
600 miles of canals and bitches the
life giving water has been turned up
on 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 hereto
fore unknown in agricultural regions
already are obtainable in many OF
the Western valleys The farmer
lights and heats his home with cleo
tricity, and his heavy work is done
cheaply by the same potent force
Trolley lines bring the farm and
town close together In a majority
of the irrigated districts the farms
are small-not more than 40 acres
each With 16 TO 90 families to the
square mile, isolation 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 a
little hard work, the compensation Is
sure and abundant Carving out 9
home in the desert is no childs play
II is mans work, but there are few
places where nature responds more
quickly to intelligent industry thar
the irrigated country. On the govern
ment projects the past year has beer
conspicuously prosperous one Tn,
success of the average farmer il
many instances has been remarkable
On several of the projects tn,
crops on individual farms this yea
have yielded enough 10 enable thu
owners to repay to the government
every dollar of their Obligations
they we're so inclined. AS the pay
ments 10 the government extend owe
a period OF 10 years without interes
there is no object in meeting tn
same In advance, and most of the far
mers therefore are devoting their re
venues TO improving their homes an
in purchasing live stock and implen
ents.
One of the most interesting fea
ures of the upbuilding OF these ney
communities is the large number @
settlers who have come from the eli
les and towns. Their success is a
the more notable because they ha
little or no previous experience !
farming especially farming by irr
cation. Under these circumstance
the call of the open country is likel
TO appeal to others who have grow
tired of the stress and fume OF cit
life and the never ending struggle [
make income and outgo balance.
The West is filling up so rapid
and the really choice locations an
so few that it is only question {
time now when the increase OF Ian
values there will make Il as difiicu
for the poor man to get foothol
as IL is today in the East. Letter
are pouring into the statlstician OF r
clamation projects Approximate
500 farms are now open TO entry III
der the homestead act, with wat,
ready for irrigating in Montana, w
oming, South Dakota and Oregon. Al
you looking for a home of your owl