NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 2261 



The rainfall is as little as 4 to 6 inches per annum in the 

 Red Desert and reaches a maximum of 30 inches or 

 more on the higher mountains. The average for the 

 irrigated agricultural districts is probably less than 12 

 inches, while in certain localities where "dry-farm" 

 methods are proving successful it may be as much as a 

 third more. In the eastern part of the state, particu- 

 larly in Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen, and Laramie 

 counties, many new communities have been established 

 in the last decade where general farming is practised, 

 the natural rainfall being sufficient in average years to 

 grow profitable crops if the water be wisely conserved 

 by the new approved methods of tillage. 



The last decade has seen also the breaking up of 

 many of the great stock ranches and ranges into 

 smaller holdings. The marked increase in the state's 

 population is due primarily to the settlement of some 

 of the agricultural lands by farmers from the older 



SCALE OF MILES 



I Altitude less than GOOD ft. 



2526. Wyoming, showing arable and 

 adaptable parts. 



t .CHEYENNE. 



Deserts 



commonwealths. Wyoming has therefore entered upon 

 a new era, a time when it will be seen that a diversified 

 agriculture is the basis of an enduring prosperity. The 

 natural conditions make the live-stock business of 

 paramount importance. The soil is cultivated prin- 

 cipally, in most parts of the state, to increase the 

 amount of stock-food, and little intensive farming has 

 been inaugurated. Some of the ranches that extend for 

 miles along the streams have not yet known the use of 

 a plow except in the construction of the ditches to irri- 

 gate the native meadows. This condition of things 

 is, however, rapidly passing. The large holdings are 

 being broken up into irrigated farms, thus supporting 

 scores of families instead of a few non-resident owners 

 of the incorporated live-stock companies. Progress in 

 the direction of home-building has also been promoted 

 by the great government projects in conservation and 

 irrigation, as for example the Pathfinder and the 

 Shoshone dams, the canals from which are reclaiming 

 hundreds of thousands of acres. The coming in of the 

 sugar-beet industry, with its factories, is further adding 

 to the population. 



The state as a whole will not reach great commercial 

 importance because of its horticultural products, but 

 certain rather extensive districts, primarily parts of 

 Big Horn, Fremont, Natrona, Goshen, Sheridan, and 

 Washakie counties, have lands that will be worth more 

 as apple and plum lands than for any other purpose. 

 Some of the hardy fruits have been grown in every 

 county in the state and in most of them there are many 

 locations in which astonishingly satisfactory results 

 have been attained. 



Commercial orchards are being established in a few 

 localities, some of which are now coming into bearing. 

 They vary in size from 10 acres to even 100 acres or 

 more. The very remarkable activity, however, along 

 horticultural lines has expended itself, in large part, 

 upon the home orchard. During the last few years, 

 the growing of fruit for the family table has been 

 attempted for the first time in Wyoming, upon thou- 

 sands of homesteads. New settlers from the states to 

 the eastward come with definite notions of what they 

 will attempt and they are meeting with a substantial 

 degree of success both upon the irrigated and the "dry 

 farms." 



The agricultural land along the water-courses nat- 

 urally were the first areas to be brought under culti- 

 vation, since the canals necessary to bring the water to 

 the soils could be easily and cheaply constructed. The 

 bench areas, or uplands, however, have better drainage 

 both for water and air, and are more likely to be free 

 from injurious late and early frosts. These are now 

 being brought under cultivation and are well adapted 

 for fruit-growing, though it should be said they are no 

 better than certain of the bottom lands and foothills 

 locations. Warm, sandy loams in protected places, 

 whether on the stream bank or in the valleys among the 

 foothills, may be depended upon. On the open plains 

 and table-lands, in most parts of the state, it is neces- 

 sary to provide windbreaks to protect both tree and 

 fruit against stiff storms and desiccating winds. 



The great diversity of soil and climate and the differ- 

 ing degree of protection, gives a gradually diminishing 

 list of fruits that are hardy and adapted. Beginning 

 with the most favored localities, tender vegetables, 

 like tomatoes, melons, cantaloupes and sweet potatoes, 

 are grown successfully on a commercial scale. Under 

 these conditions all the hardy fruits that will mature 

 in a growing season of 150 to 180 days are standard. 

 As the lands lie at successively higher elevations and 

 with less favorable exposures or with less natural or 

 artificial protection, the reliable varieties shade down 

 to a few of the so-called "iron-clad" ones. At 6,000 to 

 8,000 feet, light frosts occasionally occur, even in July 

 and August. It is, however, a matter of common 

 observation that with increasing altitude the effect of 

 frost is less and less marked, so that tender vegetation 

 which goes down under 1 or 2 of frost at sea-level, at 

 8,000 or 9,000 feet will stand untouched when night 

 temperatures are several degrees below the freezing- 

 point. Potatoes, in the mountain valleys, will bend 

 under the dense hoar-frost night after night without 

 injury. Another physiological phenomenon is borne 

 out by common observation, viz., that plants in the 

 high altitudes "learn to hurry." The identical species 

 that in the lower altitudes take the whole growing 

 season will reach maturity in the successively fewer 

 growing days of the season at higher levels. 



During the past few years, the State Board of Horti- 

 culture, the State Horticultural Society, and the Super- 

 intendent of the Horticultural Experimental Farm 

 have cooperated in compiling a list of the fruits that 

 may be relied upon. This tentative list stands as below. 

 It is to be remembered that Wyoming is, horticultur- 

 ally speaking, very young and therefore further obser- 

 vation and experiment will no doubt add to and sub- 

 tract from this. 



For altitudes above 6,000 feet. Apples Transparent, 

 Duchess, Tetofsky, Wealthy. Crabs Siberian, Trans- 

 cendent, Florence. Cherries Compass cherries only. 

 Plums Sapa, Opata, DeSoto. Currants Red Dutch, 

 Fay's Prolific, Champion. Gooseberries Houghton, 

 Industry. Strawberries Dunlap, Crescent. 



For altitudes above 4,500 and under 6,000 feet. 

 Apples, fall Transparent, Duchess, Tetofsky; late 

 fall and winter Wealthy, Longfield, Patten. Crabs 

 Transcendent, Whitney, Florence. Pears Douglas, 

 Idaho, Flemish. Cherries Compass, Richmond. 



