366 DRY-FARMING 



to the work of the farm. The passage in 1887 of the 

 Hatch Act, creating agricultural experiment stations 

 in all of the states and territories, finally initiated 

 a new agricultural era in the United States. With 

 the passage of this bill, stations for the application of 

 modern science to crop production were for the first 

 time authorized in the regions of limited rainfall, 

 with the exception (_)f the station c(jnnected with the 

 University of California, where Hilgard from 1872 

 had been lal)oring in the face of great difficulties 

 upon the agricultural ])roblcms of the state of Cali- 

 fornia. During the first few years (jf their existence, 

 the stations were busy finding men and problems. 

 The problems nearest at hand were those that had 

 been attacked l)y the older stations founded under 

 an abundant rainfall and which could not be of vital 

 interest to arid countries. The western stations 

 soon began to attack their more immediate pnjblems, 

 and it was not lung l^efore the question of producing 

 crops without irrigation on tlio great unirrigated 

 stretches of the West was discussed among the 

 station staffs and i)lans were i)rojeeted for a study 

 of the methods of concjuering the desert. 



The Colorado Station was the first to declare its 

 good intentions in the matter of dry-farming, by 

 inaugurating definite experiments. Bv the action 

 of the State Legislature of 1893, during the time of 

 the great drouth, a substation was established at 

 Cheyenne Wells, near the west border of the state 



