The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1922-07-06

| eTal land once. he mas known the life
of the farmer from actual experience
and with this for base his continued
Investigations have enabled him to Sc
cure a wide knowledge, viewpoint that
is just to both producer and consumer
and also a sound economic knowledge OF
general conditions.
There are today approximately 200,-
900. 900 acres Of public lands in Uncle
Sans domain open for settlement. All
Of this can be utilized for some purpose
or another, from the making of happy
contented homes and communities, to
the grazing Of sheep upon deserts that
can only be utilized during the winter
months, when there is sufficient snow
to furnish the herds and herders their
drinking water. In addition to this,
there are nearly 200000,000 acres more
in our forest preserves, So per cent Of
which is public land, and perhaps so
per cent of this is more valuable for
agricultural than for other purposes.
1t Is also estimated that the swamp
lands Of the United States show an area
of s0,000,000 acres Of wet or overflow
lands, and in addition, 150,000,000 acres
Of what is known as farm land but too
wet for profitable cultivation, the pro-
duction Of which could be increased at
least 20 per cent by proper drainage.
What Has Been Done.
The United States Reclamation SER
vice, during the last twenty years, have
been on various projects, with the pur-
pose in view OF retaining the so-called
waste places by careful distribution of
water, and wherever they have pushed
their work, the desert has been reclaim
ed and made to blossom. For the year
1920 crops were produced on l,l53,S20
acres to the value of s66,i7i,650. Up to
March 81, 1922 water has been made
available for l,l83,4l0 acres, and the to-
tai cost up to that time has been about
$il0, 10000. The service, however, is
doing but little else just now but mark
time, owing to lack of money to COM
plete projects already undertaken. In
| addition, there are many perfectly feas-
ible projects which must await action
until congress has provided the money
to commence operations. Many bills are
before the national body, looking toward
the reclamation of lands, perhaps the
most comprehensive being the so-called
Smith -MeNary bill, which creates irri-
cation and drainage districts, and au-
| thorizes the issuance of bonds as in
school and other districts. The feast
biity Of every project, including the es-
timated cost. must first be presented to
the secretary Of the interior, who, If
interested, provides for an inspection by
the department of engineers. II con-
vinced Of its practibility, and there is no
money available, the project is under
taken. When it Is so far advanced as
to represent value of two dollars for
every one dollar Of construction cost,
the bonds, up to an amount representing
cost, are ordered sold, and the money
derived from the sale is turned into the
reclamation fund for use in the develop.
ment Of other projects, the management
of the completed project is turned over
to its owners, and the annual payments
for both principal and interest on the
bonds are collected as all other taxes.
No default need be anticipated, for the
bonds are lien against the project, as
are the bonds OF any district or NUM-
| cipality.
Why More Farms.
Now the argument arises with some
why the necessity for more farms? Isn't
it difficult to sell the produce from the
farms we already have? Well, perhaps
prices for farm products may not have
| been altogether what the farmer has
| thought they should be, but to the labor
er in the congested cities they have been
decidedly more than they should have
been, SO much so that it has started a
| movement to the country from the city
| that no power can stop. Of the 490 farm
units created since the passage of Pub
| lie Resolution No. 29 approved Febru-
ary Ia, 1920, giving former service men
sixty-day preference right Of entry,
467 have been taken by the soldiers and
7,445 Of these boys have made applica-
tion for a chance to draw for the 490
units; $4,000 of them made inquiries
concerning the openings, In the general
land Office, for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1921, there were received 63,-
SIG applications for homestead and kin
dred entries, and 6744 desert land ap-
plications. Since the date of the Act to
June 80, 1921, there were 62,40l stock
| raising homesteads entered. To keep
pace with this demand there are ap-
proximately 100000 acres of land be-
ing surveyed every year under the direc-
ton Of the general land office. So that
regardless of statements to the con
trary, there is land hunger everywhere
and men show their willingness to crap.
ple with the soil and make their fight
under the most adverse conditions in
order to establish homes and build COM
munities that there may exist happy
and contented people. And why should
hhey not be happy? The average thrifty
farmer is the most Independent citizen
in the country today. What If his crops
have not paid him all he should have re-
ceived? He has had an abundance tt
eat, in both quality and quantity infin'
itely better than the average man In
the city, who, by the way, must pay cash
for everything he puts in his mouth un
til by the time he has met his daily
weekly, or monthly expense, finds his
salary vanished and himself under the
necessity Of hustling continuously tt
keep the supply, from stopping. Well
the farmer must keep hustling too, bu
while doing so, he can't lose sight of the
fact that his partners are always on thu
job lending a helping hand, and shoult
he want to visit the parks or the beaches
in his automobile during the ripeninl
season, old Dame Nature is keeping I
watchful eye on what is gonig on, ant
when harvest time is on, the goods arr
there to deliver. Hard work, of course
it's hard work for I've tried it; SO |!
railroad section work, and I've tried tina
too, but confess have never felt near