84 



DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



miles to find out what progress had been made. I want to say now that 

 everj^thing that has been stated on this convention floor showing what has 

 been actually done, things that have been accomplished, if furnished to 

 at least half a dozen large systems of railroad by the secretary of this 

 convention, will be given as wide publication as it is practicable to give it, 

 and it is practicable to give a very wide publication to such a move. 



I have prepared a few remarks along the line of the subject assigned 

 to me, and if you will bear with me I will read them. 



The propaganda as to dry farming that is going out over the country 

 is proper enough, and largely based on legitimate motives by those inter- 

 ested in settling up dry land areas. The constant work done by the Bur- 

 lington Route during the past fifty years or more in settling western 

 lands, is, I believe, generally known to the delegates here present. I 

 think you are also familiar with the work done generally by all the western 

 railroads, looking toward the settlement of the west. 



If all the settlers in the dry farming area could be depended upon 

 to absolutely follow the scientific method of soil culture now generally 

 well known, the railroads could afford to be less conservative in their 

 position toward dr}'- farming, for the reason that more success would be 

 assured. But the truth is that only comparatively few of the settlers 

 coming to the dry land areas today can be depended upon to get all out 

 of the soil that it is possible to get. That has been my experience. I 

 want to say, however, that since I have come to Salt Lake City I believe 

 I have found the best dry farmers there are in the country in Utah, from 

 what I have learned. (Applause.) Now there may be a reason for that. 

 It may be — to use the slang phrase — that you are "up against it" so hard 

 that you know it, and you go at it right. (Applause.) The results of 

 successful and profitable dry farming are so profitable per acre compared 

 with the cost of dry land that if these results could be relied upon to be 

 permanent, those lands w^ould not need the railroads to help exploit them. 



The railroads can support the dry farming idea and the effort to^ 

 bring settlers on so-called dry lands only as far as the results from year 

 to year will prompt them to do so, and no further and no faster. In that 

 connection I want to say that the railroads will support facts; they will 

 give publication to facts when they are presented to them. The railroads 

 will, of course, include dry farming areas in their general scheme of 

 homeseekers' rates probably as long as they ever make homeseekers' 

 rates, and to this extent they can be expected to help the movement. 

 The railroads could, of course, spread the information that certain scien- 

 tific methods applied with intelligent and hard work to dry land farming, 

 together with a certain amount of rainfall, brought certain good and 

 profitable results; it can publish these results, and it can publish the nse 

 in land values, and can help in a score of ways to spread reliable informa- 

 tion before intending settlers, provided it be done in a conservative way. 



The railroads can, perhaps, with greater safety, exploit the dairy- 

 farming enterprise on dry lands than the usual farm crop enterprise on 

 dry lands. We know that through a certain period of dry years the dairy- 



