14 



DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



A fundamental principle of this Congress should be the creation and 

 influencing of state and national legislation for the establishment of more 

 and better equipped experimental farms. 



The Cong^ress should maintain a press bureau for the purpose of giv- 

 ing publicity to every line of dry farming news through the columns of 

 the farm and commercial publications and in the weekly newspapers. 

 Such a bureau could secure the publication of thousands of columns of 

 newspaper discussion on subjects vital to this campaign. 



The Congress should assemble and publish every fact pertaining to 

 operative results in dry farming districts. These might be published in a 

 bulletin or magazine to be issued monthly. 



The Department issues similar bulletins, but they are not generally 

 sought after by the men who are operating farms. If we have as a part 

 of our machinery, in an organization in which they have a personal part 

 as members, such a publication, I believe that its work will be greatly 

 strengthened throughout the West. 



Who present in this hall can point to the map of the western states 

 and place their finger upon the districts where dry farming operation is 

 possible and can be successfully carried on? I believe that there is not 

 a man here who can do that. This Congress should make it a business 

 matter to know every such district with its climatic and soil condition, and 

 as a result of this information scientific cultivation should be given local 

 encouragement. 



In states where the agricultural colleges have no available funds for 

 the purpose, this Congress should organize and maintain dry farming insti- 

 tutes until such time as state appropriations can be secured. And to the 

 credit of Utah may it be said that this state has taken splendid hold of 

 that proposition. It is also the pioneer in this work. 



Some of these points are partially covered in the b^^-laws of this 

 Congress, but they are well worth special emphasis. To carry out this 

 vast scheme money will be necessary. It can be secured if we show that 

 we are earnest and that its expenditure will be honestly and carefully 

 controlled. But the matter of finance is one best discussed "by your 

 newly elected executive committee, and I will close with one reason why 

 this Congress need not be afraid nor ashamed to go before the men of 

 the West to seek support. 



Agriculture is the hub of the wheel of commerce. From this hub ex- 

 tend the spokes of the great banking, mercantile, manufacturing and trans- 

 portation systems of the country. Therefore, no element of commerce 

 exists which is not financially interested in the reclamation of the more 

 than one hundred millions of acres of now almost worthless arid soil west 

 of the Missouri River. 



The work before this Congress is two-fold — educational, to secure 

 the co-operation of our westerners in the further adoption of scientific 

 methods; and publicity, by which Ave can fill the arid lands of the West 

 with actual settlers. Gentlemen, I thank you. (Applause.) 



