The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-09-08
USE FOR DRY LAND
Necessary 10 Csyeloo Barren
Plains ard Conserve Resources.
VITA tcts-ts7-s 90 Nose-n Aver
car NsrHi,s-y There is sc
Feston Why ssri-Grie Per.
tonsf csvnt-y Came; Be
Ufiiiz.1.

Csy yGNLET CEF1wPr.TS s~u-h Dako-
e Agr.-1ifu-zl College
There Is nothing new unoer the
sun In the United States. IN recent
years there has been much valuable
work done toward rscizining or more
properly toward opening for MIXED
farming purposes al thz; magnificent
area q the plains that lies between
the ieoth meridian and the Rocky
mountains. This territory includes
the western half Of the Dakotss. Ne
bTaska. Kansas. Oklahoma and Teras.
a. wsIl as the eastern part Of Mon
tana Wyoming. Colorado. and New
MEXICO. Then. too. there are many
fertile valleys ard table lands q the
Rocky mountain region that viii lend
themselves snooursgingly 20 this sys-
ten Of farming
Anyone who lives along the lines Of
railroad that lead 10 the various regis
;rztiOn points and has seen train aft
sT train of seven 10 nine coaches filed
with earnest homeseekers who are
looking for farm Of their own In the
newly opened reservations will not
need 20 be told that there is a need
for dry farming The population Of
the entire world has been increasing
by leaps and bound during the past
century since the Improvement in
medical and surgical science as well
as the improved conditions IN life
have made IT posiOle for a much high
er per cent. Of the children born TO
reach maturity and old age. Europe
has settled America, Australia. many
islands OF the sec End much o, Afri-
ca during this brief hundred years and
still there are more than double the
people there than we're e1tant 100
years ago. IL has become necessary
then 20 find new means Of support. TO
develop hitherto barren lands. and 20
conserve in every way the resources
about US. Dry farming Is one Of these
Developments While # is new in the
United States, II has been practised
for ages in certain parts Of the world
and much has been done in the way Of
developing drought resistant plants
and in finding methods OF tillags TO
hold the scanty moisture for the use
OF crops. As quoted al the beginning
there is nothing new under the sun,
and ] wish to say at the outset that
when the Algerians are cultivating the
sand dunes Of the Sahara desert.
when the Arabs are raising abundant
crops of dates and grapes and olives
In their own rugged peninsula. when
the Russians Of the east are supply
ing a large part OF Europe with wheat
and rye from their semi-arid steppes.
when thousands Of Americans are al
ready at work upon their dry farms.
that with the advantages Of modern
American machinery al our disposal
there Is no reason why the semi-arid
portion OF the great plains area can
not be utilized as mixed farming
country.
Moisture IS the great need: moist
ure conservation the great problem. In
a large part OF this territory sufficient
rain falls every year to raise a crop
n II can be saved from the sun and
wind In an equally large portion OF
the territory II has been found profit.
able to fallow the land one year and
thus save moisture for the crop Of the
following year. The rainfall 10 a very
large extent comes in the form OF To-
cal showers. Some townships will be
visited by abundant showers while
their neighbors on each side may be
parched. A large percentage, in fact
nearly all OF the rainfall in this re-
gion. comes when It is needed most.
In the months OF May. June and the
first half OF July. Hence. rainfall OF
II inches in this section where half
OF II comes in the form OF snow and
runs into the rivers I'm early spring.
The snowfall is normally very light
and the wild grasses that cure on the
ground during the, crisp autumn days
furnish excellent pasturage.