The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-05-03
CROP AREA IN
WEST SIDE STATE
Elmer Z. Brown Rises To Speak
For Crop Producing Facilities
OF Alleged Dry Belt.
ESTIMATES ON LATE DATA
by Elmer T.. Brown, Secretary Cham
ber Of Commerce.

shiugle 800 placed upon the map
ui Oklahoma that It's thick end rests
upon the east line Of the state and
/ the thin end upon the Tooth meridian
which forms tho west line OF the main
body of Oklahoma, gives fair illus
tratlon Of the ordinary conception Uf
the states agricultural productions.
( The general impression that produc-
. lions decrease from east 10 west IA no
doubt due tu the fact that rainfall de
cTcascs toward the west from about
/ thlrtyslN inches annually on the east
border 10 about twenty-five inches ON
the Tooth meridian But does decreas-
ed agricultural productions follow de-
/ creased rHiufull2
Oklahoma has proved by twenty
year text that the Tooth meridian c0un-
I try is Just ms dependable aud will
produce az much value per acre as
TINT bordering the g4th
Discourse on Rainfall.
The purpose Of this article is not TO
condemn the east hnlf Of the state but
= defend the west half The east half
has not been assaIlcd, hence needs no
defending only small per cent ~
the population Of the United states Is
producing crops with less thau thirty
inches NJ rainfall, not because that rs
the limit ut safety. but because the
country most easily reached IN poop.
ling the country received more As
matter Of fact the evil effects Of e1.
cesslye ranfall are appalling south OF
the blue grass aud timothy regions
wherever the sloping lands have given
the flood waters an opportunity TO
carry away the soil aud to cut the
fields with impassable gullies Georgia
annually replaces the devastation OF
excessive rainfall with 81 per acre Of
fertilizer
Oklahoma Is bsected by the line Of
thlrty.inch rainfall, the rainfall Of the
east half exceeding that figure and
that Of the west half falling short OF
( IT,
Value Of Vest Half State Crop
An estimate based upon available
data places the value Of the crop pro
duction Of the west half OF the state
at 20 per cent Of the value Of the pro
duction Of the entire state In 1909
sixty eight per cent Of the improved
= area Of the state was In the west half,
u hut II IL probable that, owing to the
P Increased acreage Of improved land In
2 the east half not more than sixty per
n cent Of the states improved area IL
now In the west half.
Agricultural reports show that 30
n per cent OF the wheat half the cot
r ton. 90 per cent Of the oats, all Of the
: broom corn. 80 per cent Of the alfalfa,
: S per cent Of the kaffirs, and one
!. third Of the corn are produced In the
q west half
II In acre yields II has been shown
that the kaffirs do as well I'm the
: west half as In the east half that
corn does not yield so well that wheat
generally gives better yields aud a bet
ter quality; that cotton is lst as de-
pendable and stable on the Tooth merit
/ dian as on the oath yielding son-
what less per acre, but costing less 10
y produce,
, Twenty.Year Test.
Il The fact is generally overlooked
hhhA wv NNNA nun VI lAlt hthlt nus ui7
e dergone twenty year test, and dur
y Ing that time there has not been a
II general hegira back east" on account
'e Of crop failures There have been crop
Is failures In that great region As else
" where, and individual farmers have
.e suffered About the same per cent Of
'e those who procured government land
fniled as failed In Iowa when govern
Y ment lands were taken up. But AZ a
a, whole the west half has always sus
It tained itself Its great diversity OF
= crops has prevented the calamitles
It that periodically befRll one crop coun
~ tries
le This article has TO do only with ex
lsting conditions and what has beer
accomplished What may be accom-
plished through scientific cultura
methods and proper crop selection
and rotation forms another chapter II
the winning Of the west