Arizona republican., 1911-10-22
WORST SPEAKS At
FARMING CONGRESS

At the dry farming congress now
in session at Colorado Springs DR.. J.
H. Worst. president of the North
Dakota Agricultural college and Of
the International Dry Farming con-
gress, spoke Of The Importance Of
| the Dry Farming Movement and
Means for Supporting It" He said,
il part:
The system known as dry farm
ing has a place in al agricultural
countries and is not confined To re-
gions Of limited rainfall. The growth
of population in all countries is bring
ing increased pressure on the land
for subsistence. The humid regions
are no longer capable of supplying
the needs of the worlds increasing
population. The sub-humid and semi
( arid countries will be drawn upon to
supply bread and other necessities
as rapidly and as largely as science
and human skill can render them
available for the purpose. Not the
least among the tasks before us,
/ therefore, is To demonstrate by ac-
tual practice that humidity is not an
| essential requisite for successful ag-
riculture.
The fact that nearly half the
earths surface is visited with less
than 20 inches of annual rainfall
/ makes dry farming a necessity But
a fraction of this vast area is sus-
ceptible of irrigation What cannot
be irrigated must be cultivated. if at
all. by dry farming methods. for hu-
man genius cannot remove natural
barriers 1t can. however. suggest
methods of farming that may be ad-
justed to local conditions. methods OF
tillage that will prevent the unncc-
essary evaporation of soil moisture
together with the breeding of these
plants which are themselves econ
omic Of moisture. These factors
taken together. will tend to make
agriculture profitable with less rain
fan than in humid districts where
the total precipitation during the
year is frequently far in excess Of the
actual needs Of the growing crops.
Considering the actual expenditure
NJ capital and labor in either humid
or semi-arid countries To insure ag-
ricultureal success. the rewards
should not vary greatly The ten
dency to take chances. however. is
more likely To prevail in humid cour-
tries than in semi-arid countries: for
in semi-arid countries no gambling
on timely showers is warranted and
the farmer knows it. He must con-
serve the moisture that comes or his
crops will prove a failure.
More than a billion and a half Of
hungry mouths must be fed three
times a day. Moreover. the worlds
population is increasing. while the
land area the chief source Of food
supply. viii remain forever station
airy. BY the same token. the bread
NJ the future viii come largely from
the desert Of the past"
President Worst emphasized the
Importance Of the International Dry
Farming congress as afforGing at
least a partial solution Of the great
problem of how 10 obtain and apply
the knowledge which viii make fruit
full the semi-arid districts of the
world. ITO accomplish q work So
vast and so infinitely related to the
we fare OF this and other countries.
the funds for prosecuting the work
should be proportioned To the task.
he said The vastncss of this enter
prise demands highly organized ef-
fort. Its Importance warrants the
expenditure Of vastly larger sums of
money than it is possible to provide
under the present prccarious system
of taking up collections.
The international Dry Farming
congress, therefore, should he en-
dowed with a foundation at once
permanent and that viii assure an in
come adequate to its needs. one mil
lion dollars, judiciOusly invested. |
would afford reliable income suf-
ficient to discover and cxemplify tho
methods that will ultimately estab- !
fish successful system Of farming
wherever the soil is suitable and the !
annual rainfall l. inches or moro. |