The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-06

gle organization in c%xistance. 1t is the
school in which have been taught
the methods by which areas with
small rainfall may be made to yield
abundantly t the hand of the hus-
bandman. 1t is the sourcc which has
made the desert blossom like the
rose" But for a Ions time the desig-
nation of both the congress and the
methods which 1t taught were night
mares to the man seeking a home in
a now country. They conveyed the
impression that the land to which dry
farming methods had to be applied
was such an uncertain crop producer
that crop failure would be the rule
rather thar the exception. They
were afraid of the conditions and this
fear was born Of and nursed by tho
terms used to describe these condi-
tions and the methods of overcoming
them.
Ideal farming conditions exist no
where unless 1t be In North Dakota.
In Florida they have four feet of rain
fall and buy plant food for h crop
by the ton. In California they have
an ideal climate and uncertain re-
turns from the soil. The even near
ideal agricultural land has long since
beer occupied. and national consider
alton is nov being given to tho arti-
fetal a~daptability of land for agricul-
tural purposes. Millions were spent
for irrigation and every dollar was
we'll spent. But this enlargement Of
the agricultural area had its natural
limitations. The surface area and the
available water supply must be in
juXtaposition. The available area has
nearly been exhausted. Another
method-the reverse of irriGation-is
the drainage Of swamps and shallow
lakes. The Everglades Of Florida
when cleared Of their surface water
by this process. will be among the
richest spots on earth. But the area
available for this method of improve
ment is even more limited than hat
for irrigation.
This leaves only the sen,i-arid areas
to be added to the producing area
for agricultural purposes. These areas
must be made productive by some
mean other than irrigation. 1t has
been found that man has been prodi-
gal of his use of rainfall as with a
ly every other element Of nature. He
has planted the seed and depended
upon Providence for a crop. and
Providence has often een otherwise
engaged. 1t takes far less than the
generally supposed amount Of mois-
ture to produce a crop. We have al
ways measured the crop demand by
the quantity of rainfall which produc-
&c it. In so doing We ave measured
the available supply and not h guam
tity used. and usually the available
supply has been far i'll excess Of that
used and far in excess of the supply
required. In a word. it has been
found that crops can be grown with
a very small rainfall if all the mois-
ture is conserved or used.
Dry farming is merely conserving
the small rainfall and by proper
methods applying it to the growing of
the crop. The methods by which
this moisture is conserved and utiliz-
ed are the prayers. sermons and songs
of the Dry Farming congress. When
name of the congress or the methods
understood there is nothing in the
to cause alarm. The methods have
been applied to the areas Of small
rainfall in the western part Of this
state and Montana and the crop yields
have been sufficient to justify the as
surance that they will be successes.
The Colorado Springs congress will
extend the work even more.