The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-04-11
PROSECUTING DRY
FARMING CRUSADE

Ihe HFSt Speclai Train, ueVoteu en-
tirely to the interests Of the Interna-
tional Dry Farming congress and the
education of farmers in the science of
dry farming, has just completed an
extended and most successful tour
| through eastern Colorado. This ex-
pedition was made in order to formally
launch the Dry Farming congress cam.
paign in Colorado, and to permit the
farmers in the semi-arid section Of
that state to listen to lectures by some
of the most noted dry farming experts
in the west. The train equipment,
which consisted of dining and sleeping
cars, together with four coaches used
as lecture halls, was furnished free Of
all expense by the Rock Island rail
road, and is the first of q series of
similar trains which will later ON
traverse Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
and New Mexico.
! Railroads are necessarily vitally in
terested in the welfare and prosperity
of the territories through which they
pass. Large crops mean more freight
for the railroads to carry and conse-
quently increased dividends, and the
trip just completed is but a slight in.
dication of what at least one great
transportation system thinks of the
efficacy of dry farming methods and
the general uplift work which the Dry
Farming congress is doing for tho
farmers.
The great problem in the successful
and permanent settlement of dry
farming districts in the west is the
education of the farmer to the point
where he will apply proven and scien-
tific methods best tadapted to his in
dividual conditions, and beneficial ef-
fects of the trip will be felt for many
years to come.
Among the party of forty FIVE agri-
cultural experts, railroad officials, and
men well known throughout Colorado
for their interest in public affairs were
such authorities as DR.. w. T. Cooke,
who has charge of the dry farming ex.
periments in Wyoming; Prof. B. G.
Buffum, known for his work in seed
breeding for the semi-arid districts,
j. E. Payne, of the Colorado State Ex-
pertinent Station; Prof c. p. Gillette,
director of the Colorado Experiment
Station; Prof. T. M. Netherton, prin-
cipal of the School of Agriculture at
Fort Collins, Colo. Prof H. NJ Cot
trell, agricultural commissioner Of the
Rock Island railroad, and Secretary
John T. Burns of the Dry Farming
congress, all of whom are well known
to the readers of the Bulletin. Repre-
sentatives from the Denver, Pueblo
and Colorado Springs commercial
bolies were along, as well as news
paper men from many of the Colorado
dailies. The Rock Island was repre-,
sented by General Agent G.. W. Mar
tin, of Denver, Prof. Cottrell, and
others.
mass meeting and banquet at the
Antlers hotel in Colorado Springs. at
which Governor Shafroth, of Colorado,
was the guest of honor. The governor
is a keen student Of agriculture
and observer of general development
in the west, and he is an enthusiastic
advocate of dry farming methods. In
his address before the Colorado
Springs meeting, he declared that he
had become convert to the new
method of agriculture at the dry
farming congress in Cheyenne, two
years ago, and that he was of the firm
opinion that eastern Colorado, typi-
cal dry farming country, would in
time become the most populous section
of his state, and would yield agricul-
tural products of the value Of many
millions. The governor called atten-
tion to the fact that Cheyenne county,
in the heart of the semi-arid section Of
Colorado, had shown an increase Of
700 per cent, in population in ten
years. He also asserted in no uncer-
tain terms that this growth meant that
dry farming had been successfully
carried on. Among the speakers, all
of whom were greeted with applause,
were Prof. Buffum, of Wyoming; C.
B. Schmidt, commissioner of immi-
grafton of the Rock Island, and G..
W. Martin, general agent of the same
j cnmnanY-Dry Farming Rnllafin