Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-26
SHOW VIEWED BY AN EXPERT
Much Good Already Results from
First Land Exposition.
NEBRASKA Is BENEFITED, TOO
One of Prominent Factors in Devel-
opment of the West IL the Car
ryinE Out OF the Dry
Farming Idea.


Omaha is certainly delivering the
good" said Douglas White. industrial
agent Of the Salt Lake route in discussing
the Land show last evening. Il was I'M
able to get here for last January's show,
but the doors had hardly closed on that
first of Omahas land expositions before
the entire west began to feel it's effect.
To be candid with you 1 was a bit sur
prised when results began to be apparent
in so short time but there they were
and directly traceable to the various
displays at Omaha. This year the Omaha
event has become so extensive as to be
practically a demonstration of the pos
sibilities Of the entire west and its re-
suits are sure to attract people to every
state from the Missouri TO the Pacific
seaboRrd."
Now 1 am an enthusiast on eXpos-
tons Of just this kind. l believe they do
a world Of good, not only to the far
away sections represented. but to the
state or section directly surrounding the
place OF exhibition. 1 will warrant you
that there are Nebraskans who can learn
a lot about their own state by a visit
to Nebraska's display know this Is the
case both in California and Utah, the two
states in which l am directly interested.
We had Land show at Los Angeles last
winter and, in spite OF the fact that Cal
ifornia's resources are advertised In every
corner of the world, there were people
who had lived in the golden state for
years who came there and acknowledged
that they had received a postgraduate
course in Californla's possibilities. The
same statement applies to Utahs and
under these personally observed condi-
lions I maintains that a thoroughly
equipped Land show, such as Omaha
is now enjoying, is not limited as to its
results by either n maximum or minimum
of distance"
zone of the prominet factors which
IS at present contributing to the rapid
development of the west Is the carrying
out of the dry-farming idea. 1 have
watched the progress of this idea very
closely because, upon its success de-
pended the development of hundreds of
thousands Of acres tributary to our line
of railway When Senator Clark first
planned to build the Salt Lake route, its
rails pierced a territory through which
It was estimated that a jack rabbit
could not travel and survive. II needed
something to bring about quick and sue
cessful development and, following the
example of Kansas and Colorado, Utah
went into the dry-farming business from
an experimental standpoint 1t took a
few years to show certainty of results,
but when they came II was so convinc-
ing that even Uncle Sam showed a de-
cided interest by putting into effect the
present enlarged homestead act designed
to apply specially to the dry farmer who
must summer fallow half his land and
who by the operation of this act Is
allowed to locate on 800 instead On 1SC
acres of public lands"
Utah has specially benefited from the
operations OF this new homestead law,
there having been nearly half million
acres located in that state under its
provisions during the last eighteen
months. Much of this area is already
under development and It means that
within very short time, the cereals OF
the i1termountain country will be raised
exc! dsively on dry farm lands, thus leav-
ing the irrigated areas to the production
of fruits and other highly remunerative
crops. This means a world OF increase In
the revenues OF that great section which
less than a generation ago, was set down
geographically as the great American
desert.
Desert f. Wiped Out.
speaking of the desert, there is nc
such thing, for where water is not avail
able the dry farming system is rendering
It possible for these sage brush plains tc
produce cereal crops which rank in yield
with the lands of our older sections.
Elm speaking as 1 do of dry farming
g. R,YIY
convinced that this system, new TO the
west. will move hand in hand with irriga-
ton in the development OF the great arid
and semi-arid sections. We have this dis
tinctly exemplified in our own tributary
country, for, while Utah has been extend
ing it's developed areas by dry farm meth
DDS down In Nevada the great Las Vega,
valley has become an irrigated section
The discovery of decided artesian belt
covering thousands OF acres OF this aret
formerly termed desert is rapidly draw
ing settlers to a section OF Nevada thor
oughly unknown until the construction o.
the Salt Lake route brought its posslblli
ties in touch with the rest OF the coun
try"
These and like facts must be place,
before the people Of the country, and al
though much may be done by the dis
tribution OF literature n direct appeal b,
means OF a showing covering the posi-
bilities of these new sections, as we'll a
the older sections Of the country, form
a certain method for the developing o
an interest. The Land show is the on
great feasible method of placing thesl
possibilities before the people and Omahi
has proven the value OF its situation a
a clearing house for the Information. no
only regarding the states further west
but Nebraska as we'll. I am thorough,
convinced OF the wisdom in making IN
Omaha Land show a permanent institu
ton, and with each year its value 10 tn
entire west will be more fully estab
hshed."