The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-10-04
USE FOR DRY LAND
Necessary to Develop Barren
Plains and Conserve Resources.
with Advantages Of Modern Amerl-
can Machinery There 10 No
Reason Why 0emI-Arld Por-
tIonof Country Cannot 30
Utilized.
by MANLEY CHAMPL1N, South Dako-
u Agricultural College.)

by MANLEY CHAMPLIN South DAko- |
u Agricultural College.)
There 10 nothing new under the
SUM-" In the United States, in recent
years there has been much valuable
work done toward retaining or more
properly toward opening for mixed
farming purposes all that magnificent
area of the plains that lies between
the Tooth meridian and the Rocky
mountains. This territory includes
the western half OF the Dakotas. Ne
braska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas,
as we'll as the eastern part Of Mon
tana Wyoming. Colorado, and New
Mexico. Then. too. there are many
fertile valleys and table lands Of the
Rocky mountain region that will lend
themselves encourag1ngly to this sys-
tenn of farming.
Anyone who lives along the lines Of
railroad that lead to the various regis
| tration points and has seen train aft
er train OF seven to nine coaches filled
with earnest homeseekers who are
looking for farm Of their own In the
newly opened reservations will not
need to be told that there is need
for dry farming. The population of
the entire world has been increasing
by leaps and bounds during the past
century since the improvement IN
medical and surgical science as we'll
as the improved conditions In life
have made it possible for much high
er per cent. of the children born to
reach maturity and old age. Europe
has settled America, Australia, many
islands Of the sea and much Of Afri-
ca during this brief hundred years and
still there are more than double the
people there than were extant 100
years ago. 1t has become necessary
then to find new means Of support, to
develop hitherto barren lands. and to
conserve in every way the resources
about u.s. Dry farming is one OF these
developments. While 1t Is new In the
United States, 1t 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 tillage to
hold the scanty moisture for the use
Of crops. AS quoted at 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 at our dispose
: there is no reason why the semi-arit
} 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. II
. a large part of this territory suffl cien
I rain falls every year to raise a crol
II It can be saved from the sun an,
wind. In an equally large portion o
. the territory 1t has been found profit
t able to fallow the land one year an
4 thus save moisture for the crop Of tn
: following year. The rainfall to a yer
large extent comes in the form of lc
cal showers. Some townships will b
Q visited by abundant showers Will
d their neighbors on each side may b
Q parched. A large percentage, In fac
: nearly all of the rainfall in this RI
b gion, comes when 1t is needed mos
In the months of May. June and th
first half Of July. Hence. a rainfall {
, IA inches in this section where ha
. Of 1t comes in the form Of snow an
t runs into the rivers in early sprinl
. The snowfall is normally very ligf
II and the wild grasses that cure on tn
ground during the crisp autumn day
furnish excellent pasturage.