DEMONSTRATION FARMS. 



BY J. W. GREGORY. 



The suggestion ot THE AGE that there should be a 

 series of irrigation farms at various points in the arid 

 and semi-arid regions, where those interested in irri- 

 gation might be shown the practical workings and 

 effects of this great feature ot the future agricultural 

 system of the United States, is both timely and emi- 

 nently practical, as a general proposition; but permit 

 me to say that, so far as Garden City is concerned, 

 which was one ot the locations you- suggested for 

 such a farm, we already have a number of them 

 ready for inspection. Within a radius of three miles 



various grains and vegetables, there may be found 

 the range of varieties to be looked for in a settlement 

 of the most courageous, enterprising and determined 

 people on earth. Had a whole section been planted 

 with all these different varieties of crops ten years ago, 

 and carefully tended as an experimental farm, it could 

 scracely be of the practical value to the average man 

 that these various tracts now are; for these are scat- 

 tered about upon different qualities of soil and from 

 river bottom to upland, and are handled by men of 

 different ages, temperament, methods and education, 



A TREE-BORDERED CANAL IN THE PECOS VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 



from Garden City depot may be seen at least two 

 score irrigated tracts, ranging in area from a quarter 

 section down to a couple of acres, and under cultiva- 

 tion and irrigation for two to fifteen years. Upon 

 these may be found growing more than fifty different 

 primary sorts of fruits, vegetables, grains and forage 

 plants, and of some of' these many different varie- 

 ties. Of apples, for example, there may be found, 

 doubtless, nearly or quite fifty varieties. I know of 

 twenty-eight in one orchard, nearly twenty already in 

 bearing. Of plums, cherries and all other fruits, the 

 so that results are what the average man may hope 

 to secure by average means. Along with the man 

 who has succeeded, and can tell how he did it, may 



176 



be found also the man who failed on a similar crop at 

 the same time, and is finding out why he failed. 

 Along with the great variety of crops may be found, 

 beside the usual variety of common stock, fine spec- 

 imens of blooded horses, cattle, sheep, swine and 

 poultry yes, and dogs. Here are bees, from the sin- 

 gle stand up to apiaries numbering up into hundreds 

 of colonies, turning out alfalfa honey as limpid as 

 spring water in snowy combs, as spotless as Calphur- 

 nia's reputation was required to be; and in the rap- 

 idly multiplying ponds are swarming multitudes of 

 fish (if fish may properly be said to "swarm") of many 

 and increasing varieties. 



In fact, here is already in operation the most prac- 



