Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-02-14

grant fields.
ut is the accepted idea that this
valley is attracting a superior class
Of men because of its temperance
stand. 1t is the other way round. The
valley stood for temperance because
of the sort of men who had settled
here, the men of the irrigation type"
The engineers ear criticized "irriga-
ton type" He began to suspect that
he had picked up a crank.
''The desert offers man special ad-
vantages, social, industrial and agricul-
tural. 1t is no accident that you find
a certain sort of man here"
Il suppose you mean that the
struggle necessary to develop such a
country, under such stern conditions,
develops of necessity strong men?"
evolved Richard. "Oh, yes, l believe
that, too"
"Oh, more than that. 1t is not so
much the struggle as the necessity for
cooperation. The mutual dependence
is one of the blessings of aridity."
"One of the blessings of aridity!'
echoed his listener. you are a philos-
opher." He had not yet touched the
others thought at the spring.
You might as we'll call me a social
ist because I praise irrigation in that
it stands for the small farm unit"
retorted the valley man. "That is one
of it's flats; the small unit. 1t is the
small farm that pays. That fact brings
many advantages. What is the charm
of Riverside? It comes to me always
like the unreal dream of the socialist
come true. 1t is a city of farms, of
small farms, where man may make
his living off his ten acres of oranges
or lemons; and with all the comforts
and conveniences of a city within
reach, his neighbors not ten miles off
A farmer in Riverside or in any irri-
gated community does not have to
postpone living for himself or his fam
lily until he can sell the farm! He
can go to church, can walk there; the
trolley car which passes his door
takes him to public library or the
opera house. His children ride to
school, His wife does not need to be
drudge. The bread wagon and the
steam laundry wagon stop at her
door,"
Rickard observed that perhaps he
did not know anything about irrigation
after all! He had not thought of it
before in its. sociological relation but
merely as it touched his profession.
mot going into soil values, for that
is long story" began the older man.
ence gives to the agriculturist who is
impatient of haphazard methods. Irri-
CATION is not compromise, as so many
believe who know nothing about it. 1t
Pis a distinct advantage over the old
fashioned methods.
Il am one of those who always
thought it a compromise" admitted
the engineer.
Better call rain q compromise" re.
torted the irrfgatfonist. THE mar
who irrigates gives water to the tree
which needs it; rain nourishes one
tree and browns out another. Irriga
tion is an insurance policy against
The farmer who has once operated al
irrigated farm would be as impatien
were he again subjected to the caprice
of rain as housewife would be were
she compelled to wait for rain to fl
her washtub. There is no irregularit!
or caprice about irrigation"
wonder how the old fellow picket
it all up?" unused Rickard with dis
respect. Aloud he said, "You wer
speaking of the value of the soil%
Look at the earth those plows ar
turning over. See how rich and friabl
it is, how it crumbles? You can di
. for hundreds of feet and still find tha
/, sort of soil, eight hundred feet down
1t is disintegrated rock and leaf mol
brought in here in the making of
! delta. Heavy rainfalls are rare here
though we have had them, in spite O
popular opinion. We're we to hav
frequent rains the chemical propertie
which rain farmers must buy to enric
their worn-out soils would be leache
out, drained from the soil. / can
: make this comprehensive, but I've
monograph on desert soil. If you ar
] interested I'll send it to you.'
II should like Immensely" a!
:. sented the engineer, still amused.
h "It explains the choice of the Aztec
i of the Incas, of Carthaginians, tn
n Moors," observed the stranger. 1.-The
S chose the desert, not in spite of th
t soil but because of it. / doubt if the
d were awake to the social advantage
of the system, but it was their C,
d operative brotherhood that helpe
e them to their glory. We are centurit
t. behind them. I'm getting out here
s Imperial. If you come up to Imperi
5. look me up. BrandOn's my name. ~
h no card these days!'
e There are several things 1 want
hear from you," answered Rickar
n following brown necktie and pointt
l. beard to the platform. "I'll be SUI
Ie to look you up. Mines Richard"
c. The breeze which was now enteriI
k the car windows had blown over Il
al clover leafed fields. Its message WI
lie sweet and fresh. Rickard could s.
the Ctluuio ICIuluS Ol Ike S1lV
ly threads to the homes and farms of Il
is future; "the socialists dream COZ
at true" Willows of two or three veal
g. growth outlined the banks. Here al
IL there q tent or a ramada set I'D
st brave defiance against the hard co
e. ditions of the land it was inyadir
It. Rickard leaned out of the window al
or looked back up the valley which w
a dominated by the range now wrappi
ke around itself gauzy, iridescent dra
cries.
ar "The monument to an effete supt
n stitiOn!" he repeated. "That wasl
he bad idea."