Jerome County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1919-1920, 1919-04-03

RAJ. IT II nad not been for The ~
ting We might have been at Ann Arbor
or Palo Alto The costumes were a
little motley, but the talk sounded like
home.
The dust blowing In through the car
doors brought on another fit Of stran-
Cling. Richard turned again to the
window, to the active scene which de-
MED the presence of desert beyond.
"lhe doctors say it will have to be
the desert always for me-" The stran-
ger tapped his chest Significantly.
But it is exile no longer-not in an
irrigated country. For the reason of
irrigation 1t is the progressive man.
the man with ideas, or the man who Is
willing to take them. who comes into
this desert country. If he has not had
education it Is forced upon him. | saw
il worked out in Utah. | was there
several years. Irrigation means CO.
op' ration. That is, to me- the chief
value Of arldity."
The wind. though still blowing
through the car and rufilng the train
dust. was carrying less of grit and
sand. TO the nOstrils Of Richard and
his new acquaintance it brought the
pleasing suggestion Of grassy mead
oWs of wlllow-lined streams and fra
grant fields.
"lt is the accepted idea that this
valley is attracting "a superior class
Of men because Of its temperance
stand. II is the other way round. The
valley stood for temperance because
OF the sort Of men who had settled
.i-rr. the men Of the irrigation type"
%" engineers ear criticized "irriga-
iion type" He began to suspect that
be- had picked up crank.
THE desert offers ID man special ad-
Naniages. social. Industrial and agricul-
iural. 1t is no accident that you find
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"
ION. more than that. 1t is not so
much the struggle as the necessity for
cooperation. The mutual dependence
j. one Of the blessings of ardity."
zone of the blessings Of aridityi"
echoed his listener. You are a philos-
Opher. lie had not yet touched the
others thought at the spring
You might as well call me a social
isl because | praise irrigation in that
II stands for the small farm unit"
retoried the valley man. THAT is one
Of lis flats; the small unit II is the
small farm that pays. That fact brings
many advantages. What is the charm
Of Riverside: 1t comes to me always
like The unreal dream OF the socialist
come true. Ii is city of farms. of
small farms. where a man NAV make
his living off his ten acres of oranges
or lemons; and with all the comforts
and c0nVenences of city within
reach. his neighbors not ten miles of
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 90 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
a drudge. The bread wagon and the
steam laundry wagon stop at her
door,"
Richard observed that perhaps he
did not know anything about irrigation
after all He had not thought OF 1t
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,
irrigation is the answer which sci
ence gives to the sgriculturist who ia
impatient Of haphazard methods. Irri-
cation is not a compromise as so many
believe who know nothing about it. 1t
is 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 compromise" re-
torted the irrsstionSt. The man
who irrigates gives water To the tree
which needs ii: rain uoursheS one
tree and browns out another. Irriga-
ton is an insurance policy against
drought. guarantee against floods
The farmer who has once operated an
irrigated farm would he as impatient
were he again subjected To the caprice
Of rain as housewife would be were
She compelled 10 wait for rain TO I'LL