DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



13 



to discuss ways and means of getting honest dollars out of arid soil with- 

 out the aid of irrigation, and for the first time irrigationists realized that 

 there might be some truth in this dry farming talk after all. Resolutions 

 were passed, officers elected, and the Congress adjourned. The discus- 

 sions were valuable, the Government redoubled its efforts to assist in 

 scientific experiments in behalf of arid states — but the Congress as a 

 Congress became inactive. President Harris, a man of splendid executive 

 ability, with a knowledge of dry farming in its every phase and his heart 

 filled with enthusiastic belief in the movement, was left to stand prac- 

 tically alone, to work out the salvation of the Congress. 



At the expense of health and his own business affairs President Harris 

 has kept the newspapers and magazines of the country supplied with live 

 discussions of scientific farming and its results, and to him and his loyal 

 supporters, you gentlemen of Salt Lake City and of Utah, belong the 

 credit, and to. these people we are heavily indebted as a Congress. (Ap- 

 plause.) 



We are also indebted to the loyal men of the state and government 

 experimental stations, who, encouraged by the splendid enthusiasm of 

 the Denver convention, have worked without stint of time or energ}- to 

 prove that dry farming crops are to make the "desert to bloom as the 

 rose." 



But we are here to-day to shed our swaddling clothes. 



The results of scientific farming during the past j^ear have strength- 

 ened this movement. Now let us, out of this Second Congress, evolve a 

 great d3niamic power that shall force the enemies of soil culture theories 

 to their knees. 



This Congress should not close without adopting definite plans for 

 future operations. First let us rectify an error in organized machinery. 

 Under our constitution our executive committee, which is the governing 

 power of the Congress, must be elected at the close of the convention. It 

 is within the power of the retiring committee to select the next place of 

 meeting. Let the new^ executive committee of this Congress be selected 

 early in the deliberations of this convention; let this new committee meet 

 often during these sessions, formulate plans for the permanent life of the 

 Congress and select the next meeting place. Such a change would give 

 the new officers actual control of the Congress, while still "in full swing; 

 and it should be their duty as well as pleasure to keep the swing in full 

 motion for at least a year. 



I suggest a few objective points that should be parts of the working 

 plan of such a body. 



In order to create enthusiastic competition between dry farming dis- 

 tricts, let the next annual meeting of the Trans-Missouri Dry Farming 

 Congress have as a feature a great interstate exhibit of dry farming 

 products. This would prove to the skeptical just what is being accom- 

 plished, would create inter-state rivalry, and will attract a large attend- 

 ance of delegates and visitors. . 



