The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1911-04-25
NO LONGER A THEORY
Public Now Believes Dry Farming
as Fact.
Has Realized Degree Of Success Jvst'-
flying Predictions Of Well-lnformeo
Men-Beset With Hardship
and Disappointment.

(By F. H. NEWELL, Director. U. s. Rec
lamation Service.)
The public now believes In dry
farming. 1t has passed through the
stages of ridicule, Of mere toleratloh
and finally of over-enthusiastic promo
ton and is settling down as an &C
complished fact 1t has suffered botn
from neglect on the one hand ana
from over-zealous friends on the other.
The crop statistics Of 1910 are show
ing that 1t is no longer a theory but
has realized degree of success justi-
flying the predictions Of well-informed
men.
The practice of agriculture In the
arid regions has been, and still Is,
to a large extent, matter of pioneer
Ing. Like other pioneering enter
prizes, the practice of this new form
Of agriculture has been beset with
much disappointment and hardship,
especially on the part of those who
have been lily prepared or badly ad-
vised. Not every man is capable OF
being a successful farmer any more
than he is capable of being a success
full carpenter or groceryman. 1t may
be claimed that a higher degree OF
intelligence, SKILL energy and
strength is required of a successful
pioneer farmer than is necessary for
the mechanic or tradesman.
1t Is unfortunate that these pioneer
enterprises of developing the arid re-
gions, either by irrigation or without
1t, have always attracted great many
men who have not succeeded in other
occupations. Many of these men are
predestined to failure, because of lack
of physical strength, of energy and
especially of what people call COM
mon sense" They are easily attract
ed by the novelty of the situation, and
forgetting that there are many laws
of nature and rules of practice to be
observed, attempt the impossible and
become quickly discouraged. 1t is this
feature which has been particularly
conspicuous during 1910, as the eli
matte conditions of aridity have Sc
verely asserted themselves and many
would-be farmers have learned to
their sorrow that arid agriculture is
an art whose rules cannot be dis
obeyed with impunity.
In all affairs of life the failures are
usually more instructive than the sue
cesses. 1t has been interesting to
note that in nearly every instance the
failures, both in irrigation and in arid
agriculture have resulted from dis
obedience or neglect Of known laws.
Students Of conditions have predicted
tll-directed efforts and have shown
that while an occasional success
might be made through chance, yet
in the long run, the pioneer farm
ers must follow the rules laid down
or suffer the consequence. One OF
these has been the thorough filling OF
the soil and the storage in it of all OF
the moisture available.
In travelling through the arid west,
1t Is noticeable how few of the pioneer
farmers have properly titled the
fields, and how many have simply
broken up the top soil and allowed it
to dry out instead of properly pulver-
izing it and thus holding the scanty
moisture and humus from being dissi-
pated by the winds. The results have
illustrated the old maxim of the un-
wisdom Of putting all of the eggs into
one basket. Case after case has been
noted where, In the eagerness for
large areas, the dry farmer has at
tempted to put in hundreds of acres
of one crop and has neglected to till
a few acres where little water might
be had for artificially moistening the
soil.