Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-03-17


able food Of disaster than the pre-
sage Of q sun-klssed ocean OF peace
fui prosperity.
The settlers came. Homesteaders
built their shacks amid the sage
brush and turned their burrows where
the alkali reflected the binding sun
glare by day and the coyote howled
dismally by night. Many OF them
failed. Not because the land was
poor; not because climatic conditions
made agriculture impossible. They
failed because they did not know dry
farming.
But the settlers continued to come.
Some OF them did not fail. Some knew
what to do, studied their conditions
and adapted their farming methods
to their conditions, and succeeded.
The few proved that the country was
good and that agriculture was possl-
Bile in the so-called desert.
Mr.. Burns was secretary OF the
Colorado State Commercial assocIa-
ton when the emigration to the east
ern part of the state began to assume
dangerous proportions and to threaten
disaster, not only to the settlers, but
to the state, II failure should swamp
entire colonies. He drew attention to
the situation and a convention was
called to organize the Trans-M Missouri
Dry Farming congress at Denver in
January, 1907. It's purpose was to in
vestigate the exploitation OF the dry
lands and to discover what there
might be in the dry farming which
was then beginning to attract notice.
That convention brought together
dry farming advocates from several
western states. 1t was learned that
the experience OF the eastern Colora-
do settlers, like that OF those in Kan
sas. Nebraska and the Dakotas In the
days OF hardship and famine In those
states, was the result OF ignorance
OF the principles underlying dry farm
Ing. II was discovered that farmers
who followed moisture-conserving
methods of tillage did not fail. It
was perceived that the secret of
success In dry farming In eastern
Colorado was In knowing how to
farm under dry farming conditions.
Corollary to this, 1t followed that
the secret Of saving the settlers and
the western states from disaster
through ill-advised colonization of
the dry lands, lay in the education
OF the settlers in dry farming meth
DDS.
The movement has gained phenom-
enal prestige In the last three years,
but Its present eminence has not
been gained without struggles. Its
beginning was inauspIcious. Three
years ago there were few people,
except the farmers who had made
good" on dry land homesteads, who
seriously believed there was any
thing in dry farming. The idea of
raising crops with less than 20 inches
OF annual precipitation was secuted
and when farmers said they had
raised crops with 10 inches annual
precipitation their sanity or their
veraclty was questioned,
The movement was regarded in
many quarters as emanating from
land promotion offices, fostered eth
cd by impractical theorists or dan
gerously practical spectators for
selfish ends. It's mission was misun-
derstood and its work cavilled. AL
few others took 1t seriously and car
ried on the work as best they could
with the limited means at their COM
mand,
A publicity campaign was started |
and the facts about the west, the
farmers, the regions In which dry
farming was practiced and the sue
,esses and failures were given to the |
press OF the country. At the same |
time there was started a campaign |
o interest the farmers OF the dry land |
states, and those who Joined the |
were given such instruc-
ton as could be obtained regarding |
the methods.
All this work has borne fruit in
.ha presonh organization The drv
farmers OF the western states have
demonstrated that they can raise
snccessful crops with limited precl-
pitation. They have Joined hands
In the Dry Farming congress to show
10 others how this can be done and
have established an organization
which has for Its ultimate object the
development Of agriculture on the
basis Of scientific accuracy.