White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-30
GREAT DESERTS
ARE VANISHING
SAGE BRUSH WASTES IN MANY
STATES ARE BEING REPLACED
BY WAVING FIELDS AND
HAPPY HOMES.

A quarter of a century ago any
mention of the Great American des-
ert called up visions of a region of
limitless extent, sunbaked, parehed
and desolate. A country associated
always with tales of suffering and
death, of unfriendly savages, and
deadly reptiles, for years 1t was
passed 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 of
our republics development. The
great American desert is vanishing
from the map. Its boundaries have
%shrunken and IL 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 agri-
culture and irrigation and are produc-
ing bountiful and assured harvests
every year. A quarter of a million
families are residing on farms and as
many more have found homes and
occupations in the cities, towns. and
villages which have sprung up in the
midst of the agricultural areas.
Great dams have been constructed to
impound the floods and through TO-
900 miles of canals and bitches 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 luxur-
les heretofore unknown in a%gricultur-
al regions already are o~btainable 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 brings the farm
and town close together. In a major
ity of the irrigated districts the farms
are small-not more than 40 acres
each. With 16 to so farm families
to the square mile, isolation is elimi-
mated and life i'm the country be-
comes more nearly urban than rural.
While pioneering in this new country
calls for a good deal of grit and not
a little hard work the compensation
is sure and abundant. Carving out a
home in the desert is no ehild's play,
i, is a mans work, but there are few
places where nature responds more
quickly to intelligent industry than
the irrigated country. On the gov
eminent projects the past year has
been a conspicuOusly prosperous one
The success of the average farmer in
many instances has been remarkable.
On several of the projects the crops
on individual farms this year have
yielded enough to enable the owners
to repay to the government every
dollar of their obligations If they
were so inclined. As the payments
10 the government extended over a
period of ten years without interest
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 upbuilding of
these new communities is the large
number of settlers who have come
from the cities and towns. Their sue
cess is all the more notable because
they had little or no previous ex-
p%erience In farming. especially farm
ing by irrigation. Under these cir
cumstances the call of the open
country Is likely to appeal to others
who have grown tired Of the stress
and fume of city life and the never
ending struggle to make income and
outgo balance.
The west is filling up so rapidly
and the really choice locations are so
Few that ii is only a question of time
now when the Increase of land values
there will make IL as difficult for the
poor man TO get a foothold as 1t Is to-
day in the east. Letters are pouring
in to the statistician of the reclaima-
ton service at Washington, ID. c., for
information about the lands which
are ready for settlers on several re-
elamation projects. Approximately
300 farms are now open to entry
under the homestead act. with
water ready for irrigating.
RUMORS OF COLE-RYAN