Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-08-19

that proved conclusively his intention
to not only gather but to give ma
terial during the few days of his
stay
L have come out to look the
country over with the purpose OF
writing it up later. We have to keep
our pages full" he said, and we
might as well write up something
worth while. while We are at it.
That's the policy l have followed out
ever since | took the magazine over.
and I find il paws. 1t is little
over a year since / bought the Kan
sas Magazine, and | found the pub
LEGATION struggling along with a little
more than four thousand subscribers.
Now it has more than sixteen thOus-
and
Instead of writing about the ne
bular hypothesis and things utterly
removed from the natural courses of
farmers thought, We try to put
i'm things that will help him. When
we do that we are helping ourselves,
for il gives our magazine circu-
lation and a popularity We could not
hope to gain for il in another way.
Perhaps you think irrigation is a long
distance removed from the Kansas
Farmers mind, but YOU are wrong
there.
we have a great farming region
over there in Kansas, but every now
and then we have a dry year, and
the farmers are always uneasy, for,
naturally. they never know when to
expect il. For instance, this year
we have had a hard time of it. A
severe drouth hurt our crops. the
first we have had for ten years.
The farmers can stand il, for ten
years OF first class crops has put
them in good financial condition.
Land that could have bought ten
years ago for two dollars an acre
could not be touched for sixty now.
and the farmers are going about
the country in their own autos.-Pret-
ty healthy examples Of prosperity.
But this year we could have used
an irrigation system to good advan-
tage even in Kansas. and | think they
will come TO it after a while. How
ever, that is a far crv into the flu
ture, but the readers of our maya
zine are interested in irrigation just
the same They are going To have
an opportunity To read up on the
Salt River valley, and l expect a
knowledge Of what has been done
ideas that they may later use to
their own advantage.
What do | think Of the Salt Riv-
er valley? Why, l can hardly say
until l have had a chance to go over
the country. But from what | have
seen Of it l believe YOU have the
greatest irrigation system in the
world What you need is adj
vertising. | believe in advertising.
1t pays. There is one trouble. Some
body has been advertising in the
wrong direction about this country.
When some Of your people here go
east TO visit their friends. they con
tinually harp on the terrible heat
Now, that frightens people away. 1t
doesn't bring them. and as far as
the heat goes. I can't see anything
50 dreadful about it. This is just
about the average day we have in
Wichita. Perhaps the thermometer
would read higher here. but the dry
ness makes the heat less oppressive.
But about the Salt river valley,
expected TO find a great country
but had no idea it would be
such big country. and such a beau
tiful country. / have been all over
the world, and I know a good deal
about irrigation from practical eX-
perience, and | am only stating my
belief when | say that you have one
Of the finest and richest farming re-
giOns that l have ever seen.
intend to write up the Salt river
valley from the viewpoint of the
man who wants to know all about
II, as an agricultural and business
center. People who come west TO buy
land want to make homes. and /
am going to tell them the advantages
Of the country as a place to live
in That sort Of information is hard
to get sometimes. and such an arti-
Gle as that is the one most needed
at this time. This is a good country
to live in, and ii will take adver-
Using to convince people of it, At
the same time, a description of your
valleys is going to make good read
ing. There is nothing else like it
in the United States. or to my opin-
ion, in the entire world"
Mr. Smith expressed his apprecia-
ton Of the courtesy shown him by
the board Of trade, and promised to
say something definite" after his re-
turn from Roosevelt. II like what |
have seen OF it, he said, but | want