The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-03-18
DRY FARM CONGRESS
Recent Meeting at Billings Of
Great Help to Farmer.
Strenuous Work Of Those in Charge
Cannot Help But BE Gratifying
to Those in charse-Many
important Discussions.


important Discussions.
Few meetings have ever been held
that will help the farmer to the same
extent as the great convention held
at Billings, known as the Fourth Dry
Farming congress. 1t takes time to
organize and put in shape such meet
lngs as this and so get the greatest
good out of them. We cannot but
recognize that this meeting was emf
nently successful and that the errors,
II any, OF the preceding three con.
crosses were not made at the fourth
The results which will come from the
strenuous work of the gentlemen in
charge and those of the different
states, who worked SO hard and faith
fully to make this congress the sue
cess 1t was, cannot but be most graft
flying to those men,
Every important work we undertake
upon such lines, to prove and show
the world new ideas and thoughts,
must necessarily bring forth some op-
position. This is as it should be, be.
cause 1t gives those who believe in
their work the opportunity of proving
as far as possible that their ideas are
correct. 1t wakes us all and shows a
great many that we have been run.
ming in too small circle.
The general development Of agricul-
ture has been very slow in proportion
to our opportunities and we have not
made the progress we should. The
agricultural conditions of the great
west have not been, and are not yet
understood by many men of the east
1t takes u westerner to understand the
west. The early settlers of the west
have fought out their own salvation.
depending entirely upon their own
energy and brains, and very little help
mas been given them from the outside
they have been told how they are
running their land and themselves by
their methods and some remedies
have been offered them in a kind of
lordly and perfunctory way which does
not and will not appeal to the average
western farmer.
Such meetings as those of the Dry
Farming congress must be of the
greatest help. not only to the farmers
OF the United States, but to the whole
agricultural world. When such men
as were at Billings give their expert
ences in plain, everyday language, it
appeals to the right men and many
will go back to their farms with new
ideas and thoughts which they will
put in practice. The whole world will
have the opportunity of reading the
proceedings. 1t is easy to understand
how such meetings will make intelli.
gent men think. Farmers will take
more notice of the suggestions made
because this congress Is made up prin.
cipally OF farmers. A great many of
the talks and papers were given by
practical men and this appeals to the
farming community.
There is no other organization like
this in the world, and dc not know
of any that possibly can WELD SO
great and good an influence. This
congress has made the skeptic and the
"knocker" realize that many things
they thought they knew all about
were otherwise. Many new ideas
about farming have been brought out
by these meetings and many sn-called
impossibilities in farming have been
and are being accomplished. The ex.
perience of the past shows that state
after state in the early days was not
considered good for farming, but the
energy and grit of the pioneer proved
that the land was not made for orna.
ment, or for a few stockmen.
1t has been asserted that one cannot
raise crops without copious rainfall
or Irrigation. yet the farmer, in spite
of these assertions. goes serenely on
and raises good crops with less pre-
cipitation than was considered nos
sible.
One of the most important results
OF the congress will be that the farmer
will assert himself as one who must
be taken into consideration as one
who knows something about his own
necessities. Science. as we under
stand 1t to-day, was unknown a few
years ago. yet there were men of In
tellfgence who raised fine stock in
those days; which proves that some
things have been done and are done
without the aid of the scientist and
his theories. This is not written to
give the impression that we ,gno.,
the great work done by our scientific
men. They are necessary to the prog
ress of the world, but they should
realize that the farmer is not lackina
in intelligence and initiative.
These great educational meetings
bring together all kinds of men and
out of the interchange OF ideas grea,
results must come. Such meetings
impress most forcibly our unfortunate
slipshod methods Of farming and make
us realize the Importance Of improy
ing the manner and style of our work
We will better understand that in
tensive work pays far better than ex
tensive work.
Don't Butcher Orchard.
We would not butcher the old or
chard through carelessness or no,
pruning at all, neither would we "a
into 1t and likewise butcher it up with