SUNSHINE FARMING 



sive, but he reveals at no point any insight 

 into the possibility of lessening the depend- 

 ence of crops upon rainfall. 



I quote this distinguished French econo- 

 mist, not to criticize him, but because he ex- 

 presses better than any other single writer 

 the opinion prevalent in our own country, 

 even right here in the West. Leroy-Beau- 

 lieu's thought in the premises, in fact, sim- 

 ply follows the report accompanying the 

 last United States census. 



N. H. Darton presents the same in the 

 United States Geological Survey prelim- 

 inary report on the geology, etc., of the 

 great central plains. He says of this region : 

 "To the east the precipitation is ample for 

 crops. . . . while to the west there are 

 broad tracts in which no crops can be pro- 

 duced without irrigation." He does not 

 here refer to the extreme southwest of the 

 United States, where the rainfall is under 

 7 inches, but to portions of the io-2O-inch 

 area, meaning, obviously that wherever 

 precipitation does not suffice under ordinary 



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