DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



45 



even tell what we have done yet. There is a great problem to handling the 

 soil that is yet to be worked out. I could go on and enumerate problems 

 of that kind almost indefinitely, that are not only possibilities, but prob- 

 abilities of the future of arid farming. But what's the use? 



There is even more than that. There is one problem Air. Paxman spoke 

 to 3'ou about this afternoon, the very beginning of arid farming. We must 

 have better tools — better methods in that way, all through to the end of 

 arid farming. 



I would sa}- this — that when on the dry farm there goes up to Heaven 

 with the smoke of the steam plow the smoke of the fireside of the home; 

 when we hear along with the click of the threshing machine and the reap- 

 ing machine the lowing of the cow. the cackling of the hen and the laughter 

 of the children, then and not until then will we begin to have solved the 

 problem of the arid farm. (Applause.) 



How are we going to get state aid for arid farming? We are going to 

 get it through just such conventions as this. We are going to get it 

 through educating a conservative, careful public sentiment that believes in 

 dry farming; a careful, conservative public sentiment that will relieve a 

 person from the stories of the land promoter; a public sentiment that will 

 encourage the careful, honest and earnest investor; a public sentiment that 

 appreciates the difficulties of arid farming and also appreciates the fact 

 that they are easily overcome with intelligence. This great convention here 

 can do wonders, and will do wonders along that line. 



But this is onl}' the beginning. If we want intelligent, rational state 

 aid for our arid farming investigations, we must educate the public to the 

 results, of the possibilities, of the probabilities, of the certainties of this 

 matter. All of these things in this western country require capital, and 

 capital comes just in proportion to the confidence — public confidence. I 

 believe in educating the public. Educate them. If you have a proposition 

 that is good, financially, fundamentally good, the more education, the more 

 enlightenment, the more understanding the people can have the better. If 

 you are selling some punk stock, or something of that kind, it is well to 

 keep quiet. But arid farming is a certain, reasonable, intelligent invest- 

 ment for the man that understands it. 



I remember of traveling miles and miles — hundreds of miles. I was 

 going to say — in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska and western 

 Kansas, over abandoned farms. That was my first introduction to arid 

 farming. But it didn't discourage me. It .discouraged thousands there and 

 they left. I looked over that land and I looked over it from the experience 

 I had had in Iowa, and I said to myself, "That land will raise a crop if it 

 is treated properly." My profession, you know, probably, some of you. at 

 least, is — I am an entomologist, and I have no more business to be up here 

 talking about arid farming than anything in the world, except, perhaps, 

 that I am in charge of the experiment station. But as an entomologist I 

 traveled over that country. I had nothing to do except handle their insect 

 pests; but I found it to be almost universally true that the man that tele- 

 graphed for help to get rid of his insect pests was the man that put his 



