28 



DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



Something near 200,000 acres have grown dry wheat, yielding about 3,- 

 500,000 bushels; besides thousands of bushels of oats, barley, rye, corn, 

 potatoes, and thousands of dollars in hay and alfalfa seed. The arid crops 

 of 1907 are estimated to aggregate $3,000,000 in value — forming a very hand- 

 some portion of the resources of the State. It has been demonstrated that 

 potatoes can be grown successfully. Sumptuous fruits are also a product 

 of the arid farms. Who can tell what we may not grow, with new light 

 constantly coming to us? And who shall say that the prophets did not 

 have their eyes upon this very movement when they sung with ecstasy 

 regarding the parched grounds -and the desert wastes being made to 

 blossom as the rose and showing forth glory to God by yielding their 

 substance for the profit and happiness of rnankind? (Applause.) 



CHAIRMAN DERN: Is there anyone present from Washington who 

 wishes to present anything to the convention? (No response.) From 

 Wyoming? 



MR. J. T. TOWER (Wyoming): In compliance with the request for 

 a report sent to the director of the Experiment Station, we have with us 

 here our irrigation engineer, who will respond to this request for Wyo- 

 ming — Mr. H. T. Nowell, Irrigation Engineer of Wyoming. (Applause.) 



MR. NOWELL: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: I was in- 

 troduced as an irrigation engineer. I want to say that I believe in dry 

 farming. I believe that dry farming is the greatest discovery in agri- 

 culture. I won't say discovery, but the greatest application in agriculture 

 to our country since irrigation was first instituted. I have prepared a 

 little paper on "Some Aspects of the Dry Farming Situation in AA'^yoming," 

 and with your indulgence I will read it. 



SOME ASPECTS OF THE DRY FARMING SITUATION IN 



WYOMING. 



(By H. T. Nowell.) 



During the past year dry farming has grown to be an important branch 

 of agriculture in certain localities in Wyoming. Cheyenne may be con- 

 sidered as a nucleus of one dry farming community and Newcastle of an- 

 other; Evanston of a third. There is such an influx of new settlers on the 

 open prairie lands near these places that the public land office shows a 

 considerable increase of business, especially in homestead entries. 



The office of Experiment ^Stations of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture has broadened the scope of the work on the government 

 farm at Cheyenne, both in dry farming experiments and in investigation 

 of the possibilities of small quantities of irrigation water as a means of ex- 

 tending dry farming to fresh areas, and making it more attractive to the 

 settler. A government farm has been started at Newcastle for the investi- 

 gation of the same problem. Dr. Cooke will tell you of the results of 

 State aid to dry farming. 



The Universit}^ of Wyoming Experiment Station has been for two 

 years co-operating with the government in these investigations, both by 



