DRY-FARM T NG CONGRESS, WICHITA, 1914 



157 



of Mexico and extending to the Peace River in Canada, I can think of no 

 one thing that would affect so greatly the climatic conditions in the 

 country and at so little expense. If a man can, by spending $25 in labor 

 and money, establish shelter belts of this character all over this country, 

 it would seem to me he would be rather lacking in patriotism if he would 

 not be willing to do it. That simple act on the part of one or two, if fol- 

 lowed by others, would, I think, work a great revolution in this country. 

 While it might not make it rain any more, it would conserve the moisture. 

 I drop this as a thought, just to devise a plan to plant a row of trees or 

 two rows of trees across the country. 



CHAIRMAN WALKER: 



We now have a matter of business to come before the Congress. There 

 is a committee here from the International Congress of Farmwomen, and 

 we will now hear from the Chairman of this Committee: 



MRS. BELLE VAN DORN HARBERT, of Colorado: 



Mr. Chairman: I bring you greetings this afternoon from the Inter- 

 national Congress of Farmwomen. We have been asembled in the room 

 above, and I have heard many of the women say it is a shame to miss all 

 of these good programs that are going on below, but we, too, have been 

 having good programs, and discussing topics of vital interest to every 

 woman, whether she comes from the dry-farming of the West or from the 

 exceedingly wet farms of the East and North. 



We have been, and are, indebted to the International Dry-Farming 

 Congress for our existence.. You helped us to organize when we were just a 

 handful of women gathered together at Colorado Springs, but not having 

 any money. You know farmwomen never have money. I am a farmwoman 

 myself, and am only here from the farm for a little while. So we were 

 not able financially to have a Congress or to organize a Congress of our 

 own. For the last four years we have been working, and we now have a 

 Congress composed of women from all over the United States. Twenty- 

 three st/vtes are represented here by delegates. We have had letters of 

 congratulation from seven or eight different nations and the only reason 

 our women are not here from those nations is because of the war. 



We have enjoyed our connection with the International Dry-Farming 

 Congress because it helped us to live, but there has come a time now when 

 we feel that our work might be greater if we were not connected as an 

 auxiliary to any organization and we have wondered if we could step out 

 alone. This step will be like a child just beginnig to walk, but we hope 

 we can walk alone and we have come to explain this to you, with all good 

 feelings, and I want to say again that we are indebted to the International 

 Dry-Farming Congress for our existence and we would not separate from 

 this organization if it were not for the fact that we feel that our coopera- 

 tion with you would be greater if we were not an auxiliary. 



We would like to have a part of your program, but as I have told you 

 we have our own speakers. We have thought if you could have a program 



