Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-07-09
What Land IS Worth
Continued From First Page)

.sidetrack than he hustled his goods
ont Of the car. The station agent
vigorously protested, as the car was
billed through to Salt Lake City. The
shipper said he had no objection to-
her il-Sss Sasing the al through.
but as forShimself he didn't wish to.
any further. subsequently the
railroad company threatened to sue
him for thirty dollars, the difference
in the through rate between the two
points. In other words, the company
tried to collect an additional thirty
dollars because the man unloaded his
goods at Grand Junction, three humid
red miles short of the place to which
the a of goods vas originally billed.
Owing to a recent decision by the
interstate commerce commission, this
inequality has been eliminated, SO far
as Grand Junction (having been de
clared a common" point is concern
ed, but it applies only to carload lots.
The same old rule still holds in ship
ments involving less than a carload.
Sheep in Wyoming.
Passing through eastern Wyoming
II was impressed with the sheep In
dustry. Here the Hocks are to be
seen in vast numbers, some Of them
!aggregating several thousand in each
flock.
But the region IL a ssemi-arid" sec
tsoR, and consequently, taking one
year with another, the grazing range
for a given number of head must bs
far more extensive than in the humie
regions. The grass, while nutritious
rarely attains a greater growth thar
a few inches in each season.
What is true with regard to eastern
Wyoming applies with equal force I,
western South Dakota. II lies within
the semi-arid belt--that stretch Q
Aenuntry intervening between the bum
id regions lying east Of the Jim rive
valley and the distinetiwely arid re
Igions of the west,
"Dry Farming Operations.
In this section OF country adr
farming" has been undertaken o
quite an extensive scale in sorne K
caliaies. And, as to some years,
has been rightly named, particsilarl
the past three years. The annu;
rainfall has been slight throughol
this entire section extending from th
foothills of tire Rockies to the Jill
) river valley
Private eEpefimenters have sDugl
to hit upon methods of farming thu
would conserve the moistlre thatsfall
! in the early part of the season &c
I the crops later in the year. Som
progress has been made in this d
rection, but as yet no system he
! been devised whereby crops car /
assured every year. Last year, foT II
stance, and the year before, 0oE
were practical1g a failure in mar
y parts of this semi-arid section. TIL
year u914) the rainfall in the wei
saity of Ardmore, IN the extreme sontl
. tfwestern part OF South Dakota, WI
only an inch for the month of Ma,
and unless the Jane moisture exceel
ed that for May I fear that anoths
g almost total failure will follow.
/, Hills to Eastern Border.
a However, the rainfall for June We
livery marked between the Black Hill
ard the eastern border OF the stat
There was every Indication ths
there had been an abundance of raj
between Rapid City and the Jim Va
%ley--too much in some localities, pa
ticuiarly east of the Missouri rive
Corn was booking zine and szna
grains bore evidence of an ample sn
ply of moisture, while the grass,
] we're ~luxuriant.
But this must be regarded as 9
exceptional year for rainfall. I a
reminded Of what Major Powell, the
the chief of the governments geolo
ical Surveying corps, said in the ear
Sos at Radfeld in response 10 a ca
! for a speech You ! iiying,," |
said, IN substance, in that great .
Viding belt between the arid and II
humid regions You cannot deper
upon rainfall every year, ais can tho;
residing in the humid sections, q
though even they receive seant mois
lre some years. You may have an
pie rainfall to produce a crop for
series Of years in succession--fndee'
it is possible that you may have it *
a decade, II more, but the time wi
surely come when there will be
period covering a few years whe
~ lIA.N--f - - ~ : 4W.Er