The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-04-06
NO LONGER A THEORY
Public Now Believes Dry Farming
"s Fact.
tss Realised Degree o. sscc.sa JussI
Tying Predictions u wsilInformsa
Mes-Bssst with Hardship
ard Disappointment.

~ y. H. NEWELL. Director. y. q. Ree-
lamatlon aorvics.l
The public now believes In dry
farming. Il has passed through the
stages Of ridicule. of mere toleration
and finally Of over-enthuuiastic promo
ton and Is settling down AZ an &C.
compiished fact II has suffered both
from neglect on the one hand ana
from over-aealous friends on tho ether.
The crop statistics Of 1910 are show
ing that u is no longer q theory but
has realized degree Of success iusti-
flying the predictions Of welLinforIned
men.
The practice Of agriculture in the
arid regions has been. and still is.
20 large extent. a matter OF pioneer
Ing. Like other pioneering enter.
prizes. tho practice Of thls new form
Of agriculture has been beset with
much disappointment and hardship.
especially on the part Of those who
have been MY prepared OF badly ad-
vised. Not every man II capable OF
being a successful farmer any more
than ne h capable Of being a success
full carpenter or groceryman. IL may
bs claimed that a higher degree OF
intelligence. skin. energy and
strength In required Of a successful
ploneer farmer than IL necessary for
the mechanic or tradesman.
Il n unfortunate that these pioneer
enterprises Of developing the arid re-
giona. either by irrigation or without
~. have always attracted a 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 10 be
observed. attempt the impossible and
become quickly discouraged. II Ia this
feature which has been particularly
conAplcuous during 1910, m the cli-
matte conditions Of aridity have Sc
vereiy asserted themselves and rpany
would-be farmers have learned TO
their sorrow that arid agriculture is
AN art whose rules cannot be dis
obeyed with impunity.
In all affalrs Of life the failures are
usually more Instructive than the sue
cesses. II has been interesting TO
note that In nearly every Instance the
failures. both In irrigation and In arid
agriculture have resulted from dis
obedience OF neglect OF known laws.
Students Of conditions have predicted
certain failures on the part Of most
ill-directed efforts and have shown
that while an occasional success
nigh& be made through chance. yet
In the long run. the pioneer farm
era must follow the rules laid down
OF suffer the consequences. One OF
these has been the thorough tiillng OF
the soil and the storage In Il OF all OF
the moisture available.
In travelling through the arid west.
Il is noticeable how few OF the pioneer
farmers have properly titled tho
nelds. and how many have simply
bapken up the top soil and allowed Il
toNdry out instead OF properly pulver-
hing Il and thus holding the seanty
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 10 TN
n few acres where little water might
be had for artincially moistening the
son.