The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-21
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 81, 1914
PRESERVE THE RAINFALL.

Col. Freeman Thorpe. the noted
portrait painter, who was in Fargo
this week and delivered the lecture
at the Grand theatre Sunday, claims
that he has evolved a scheme where
by he can save all Of the rainfall n
absolutely prevent surface runoff. For
seventeen years Colonel Thorpe has
been experimenting along this line on
a tract of land he owns at Hubert,
Mimi, thirteen miles north OF Brain
erd.
In brief, Colonel Thorpe's plan is
TO hold the rainfall On his land by q
system of entertainments. He works
something on the method of irrigation.
but instead Of ditching to carry water
onto the land. he simply holds the
rainfall where it fell, by blowing slight
entertainments at intervals transverse
ing the slope.
ITO the mind Of the practical farmer
who reads this there will at once
come several objections. I'VE don't
want the water on our and we want
it off our land" the farmers say. But
Colonel Thorpe has an answer for
every objection.
According to Colonel Thorpe it has
been proved that land can absorb and
take care of sixty inches of rainfall
annually--if it is properly distributed.
The rainfall throughout this section
seldom If ever exceeds thirty inches,
and Colonel Thorpe claims that he
has proved that half Of this at once
runs off the surface, not only de-
priving the soil Of the needed mois-
ture but. what Is Of far more con-
nous waste in fertility that is wash
ed out Of the land.
He claims that with his system Of
embankments. which holds the water
practically where 1t fell, and keeps it
from running off the high spots into
the low spots, that the whole Of each
rainfall, no matter how much falls in
a short space, is distributed so even
ly over his fields that it all absorbs
and stays in his ground.
If Colonel Thorpe's plan works as
he claims it will work and was gener-
ally adopted throughout the nation. it
would absolutely prevent floods. It
would conserve to the farms an enor-
nous supply of plant food, which it Is
now conceded, is washed out Of the
land each yea inc is carried to the
ocean by the rivers. No water would
the rivers except through seep-
g and this would make the rivers
clean and pure instead Of the present
muddied streams.
While this sounds somewhat uto-
pan, Colonel Thorpes experiments
have reached a stage where they have
made q favorable impression on the
United States department of agricul-
ture. Secretary Houston has decided
to make a thorough investigation of
the plan and Cooperate with Colonel
Thorpe in his experiments. The de-
partl1ent has decided after an inspec-
ton Of Colonel Thorpe's experiments
by experts representing the depart
Iaent Of agriculture and the war de-
partment to send a crew Of men to
make a complete survey Of Colonel
cThorpe's tract and q thorough study
Of his methods,
The colonel has generously decided
to place his land at the disposal Of the
government free Of charge and will
charge nothing for his own services.
All he asks is that the government test
out his claims and give them to the
public. The results of these govern
rnent tests will be watched with the
keenest interest, especially through the
: northwest.