382 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



The new dry farmer must get much of his 

 information from the experience of those who 

 have been growing crops. He need not neces- 

 sarily listen to the "oldest inhabitant/' Unless 

 the local man has honestly tried out an advanced 

 method,rhe is unacquainted with the possibilities 

 of his own country and may be loaded up with 

 prejudice. Some of the Western States have es- 

 tablished dry farm demonstrations and all of 

 them have Government Experiment Stations. 

 From either of these sources the newcomer may 

 obtain reliable information of methods and pos- 

 sibilities in any particular region so far as they 

 are known. There are considerable areas in the 

 West which are suitable for dry farming that 

 are already in private ownership, but undevel- 

 oped. Alternate sections of railroad lands with- 

 in the land grants have largely been purchased 

 by stockmen for range purposes. Some of the 

 government land in these grants and elsewhere 

 have become titled lands under the several land 

 laws. Other areas are still open for entry under 

 the homestead acts. Any man who wishes to 

 build a dry farm home, should secure not less 

 than a half section and combining more land 

 than this with his stock industry will bring 

 greater prosperity. Economic conditions call 

 for large dry farms as insistently as they de- 

 mand small irrigated farms. 



