Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-04-12

Armer struggling against adversely
On p plains 81 eastern colorado. ia
Ntw Mexico. Utah "a elsewhere in
tine semi-arid wesI Tire settlers who
took up land IL non-irrgable sections
- the west we're raed as fca-
hardy Or wors her efforts rs
make The dry lands proIurtiTe were
coniemned As inviting nothing but
failure.
Many settlers who had gone .nto
the dry regions dla fau and many
struggled along for years eklns ont
q bare existence WITH the aid ~ d lev
-ercepuonally propitlaas yaa bat
mrr succeeded. Scattered through
1ut P west n Utah. wyoming Non
tra- Colorado and 81 otaer states
Here more Or less ISOLATED exceptions
20 rna expectations ~ Che pes mists
~ some sections. notably tn eastern
Washington and Oregon and Utah.
there were notable exceptions and in
t states dry land farming was
epted as a fact
flNe years ago the pers 0f
tAe country were I0ath r. publish ar
ucles 81 the succe ~ dry farm
ing There vas q prevalent idea
throughout the east that the greater
part - the west BIAS useless Tor
farming, that desert land would ~
main barren and desol4te where the
lsrigating ditch was unknown. and
iaat so-eslled dry farming was ridicu-
i9ls IN conception and Improbable
70 appliance.
TIM fHHHfaHr~ Hn-A Er-u Nr-~
corded among the settlers On the dry
iands and the prejadica 81 the minds
of eastern and western skeptlcs
against dry farming had q common
orizin-In ignorance ~ the condi-
ions under which lry farming was
attempted and OF the methods nee
essary 70 successful dry farming.
The settlers who found the conditions
m the dry lands too hard. did not
know how 70 combat those conditions
They did not know how To plow
their ground. what kind ~ seed to
plant. what kind Of cultivation u
give their grow ing or dying crops. Iu
brief. thev did not understand the
conservation Of moisture or the
scientific cultivation ~ soil.
West Was Unknown.
The unbeIegers ia the east dd nos
the vest. did not understand
tha conditions necessary 10 success
ful farming in any agion did not
believe the facts when they were pre-
sented. because they did not know
the west Tire skeptlcs ln the west
either d3d not know their west or
rfr.mE Fr ~ HaW-L#H- -aarer4 .
interest. inspired by 3 mistaken idea
Thar the settlement ~ the country bv
farmers VAS somehow la conflict with
their own private Interests.
When the Trans-Missouri Dry
Farming ongres Was organized.
John IT Burns. then secretary Of the
Colorado state Commercial associa-
tou. perceived the causes behind the
failures among tho d~y land settlers
and grasped the possibilities n dry
farming II the proper methods were
placed al the command Of the dry
farmers. he saw that education must
be the keynote ~ the movement Il. il
mouid De effective ira the upbuiding
81 tae west The congress struggled
against prejudice until the third an
session at Cheyenne. Wvo. wben
ID threw orr an shackIes 81 localza-
ZION ana became an international
movement. a systematic campaign
~ education was carried On ana 81
in bringing dry farming 70
tho attention of the leading editors
ai narfs ~ enc omit
Educational WORT
Educational work among the set
.iers nj the west was instituted hv
e~cretary Burns AZ the beginning of
.he congress ana eyar.wharo
were impressed with the fsrt tbatI
Iry farmers who knew and practiced
Fundamental urinriples ~ drv
were successftIl Demand
.or more education came with the
N the movement ninth todav
cores or letters arc rsre.ve1 datIy
rom au par,1 ~ tho wts, inonirinr
bout dry crmln~ ana aetirv r,e@
IONS about tb~ nrobiews ar,s3r- In
daiiv work
THE DRY Far~fpp CONGRESS ,.
he farmer the tnov-ledge az rso,,i-e
.or succsssfgi a-erirurnre n b.eeuf
lrid west, Tho nrincinics ~ er,rn
ife aerfcaitu-e ~ hei.e -ra +
INTO the homes az tho farmers NJ