Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-25
NJ |
$3|

- much alike all over. They will
,Sk3IzlI tell you that there are valleys
- and highlands, and there are
n lands. wheat lands and grass lands,
that the state as a whole IL pretty
ch the same.
ebraska presents a striking contrast to
common and natural idea. The state
st be thought OF as something double
the eastern and central part taken in
eral- make one of the greatest grain and
growing districts Of the world On
other hand southwestern Nebraska Is
a different character. As the eastern
p-thirds is for grain and general farming.
h reputation for the raising of that
SIS OF products that rise higher as time
ses, so the southwestern part is begin
& now TO be understood as being
ally valuable for it's speciality. 1t is the
at grazing country of the United States
he cause for this division into farming
grazing lands, is not artificial and in
ded. but natural. The plateau that con-
utes triN surface of the state, slopes
lily at the ,-~rage OF ten feet to the
f.. from the @isSour river up to the
Q Of the Rocky Mountains. The general
face IL nowhere absolutely level, and
lay OF the land for the purpose OF ag-
aiture Is so perfect that a convention OF
ners could not agree upon a single bene-
al change. Nor is there any drearness
he vide Landscape. 1t il diversified at
ost regular intervals. by broad, shallow
fams, and all these have wide valleys.
be was not long ago. when these valleys
IL believed to be the only areablo grain
ducing lands of the state. That notion,
\ hundreds of others, has now utterly
sed away.
he soil OF all this country is alIuvium.
was once the bed of a sea- In most
er countries, the term soil, applies to
surface only. In Nebraska, owing not
shance, but to strange history, the dirt
All soil. from the surface down TO the
*, wherever the horizontal lodges may
There are good farming regions in
atty In the United States whose farmers
no particular reason for complaint, on
pse surface the general soil of south
Ptern Nebraska would be worth rs cents
+ pad for fertilizer.
1 ne gradual rise OF the surface OF the
souri, river to the Rocky Mountains is
cause of the natural division OF the
" mo two parts. Omaha, on the Mis-
ri. is 1910 feet above the sea level. The
RENE western part of Nebraska has
'ut $500 feet elevation. The soil OF this
4 Pated highland is as good as any In
eastern two-thirds of the state. II lacks
kalnly OF seasonabls rains for ordinary
. |ps, solely because Of its elevation. This
Pc only difficulty as q farming country,
to compensate for this. nature has
he'd this region with grasses that run
\ \ varieties and qualities unknown ex-
10 such an elevation. There remains
I his connection. a fact that must appeal
the common sense OF everybody The
falo are gone. Few now living who
them as they were forty years ago.
this was buffalo land. where they
. ID In millions, and spent the winter In
grass country Of southwestern Me-
ska.
hers land will grow alfalfa, II is a
eral conclusion that little. II anything
ther IL necessary In the business OF rails
stock. While the Nebraska climate
soil seem especially favorable to IT, the
. difficulty Is in getting a starts good
I'd.
IL an undeniable fact that men learn
experience-by unfortunate experience,
aly. The history OF this western eoun-
has been enough TO condemn Il In the
es OF the majority OF the American peo-
Il Il at the same time. a history that
Inisunderstood-that is based upon an
eriment in the first place. and that
nd additional evidence to support II in
experience OF a period that came a lit
later In the actual history OF the coun-
. the story Of those words In large let
across the map OF the United States
labeled All west OF the Missouri THE
+ at American Desert" II is too trits
iWell upon. and too mistaken TO refute
'ertheless. Il stiil has an effect upon
uainds o. mo present generation. for
chel's geography was a kind Of gospel
fhe students OF forty years ago, and IA
motive OF interest 20 bind a modern
" pklns TO an exploded idea. But a sec
episode that may be deemed history
pred. or began TO occur. some twenty
very recent times. when the expert
very recent times. when the expert
~ was definitely abandoned. It began
about the end OF what may be called
government land period. These lands
iar as actual farming lands are con.
4ec, began az last 20 srpw scarce. The
who wanted them were farmers, i'm
"a BY what they deemed . few OF tbs
Aesteaders last chance These men