THE DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



101 



for an experiment farm for the western third of Kansas, which belongs 

 to the semi-arid section, but we didn't have a drouth at that point this 

 year. 



Precipitation. 



"The year before we had about thirteen inches of rainfall in June, 

 July and August, so we can hardly compare the results there with 

 Colorado or Wyomiiig. or some of the states farther w^est. The year before 

 that we had from fifteen to seventeen inches of rain in the growing sea- 

 son, so that rather spoiled the results from a dry land standpoint. But 

 I am not one who believes the climate is changing in Kansas. 



Climate Not Changing. 



"I have been told by men who had land to sell that conditions were 

 changing; that the seasons were different, and that we never would have 

 periods of drouth like we had in the early part of 1890, but I do not 

 believe we have records that will substantiate a belief of that kind, and 

 the farmers have got to study the auestion from a dry land farm stand- 

 point entirely. They will have periods of drouth as well as too much 

 moisture. Conditions change so much and so rapidly that it is very hard 

 to establish a direct rule for farming, and the rules for one year do not 

 apply to the next and in one section do not apply to another section in 

 the state. We have to take these things from an individual local stand- 

 point and make our discoveries rn that way, instead of sweeping way 



Field Directors, 



over the state, and for that reason we have been attempting to induce 

 the legislature to give us money enough so as to place men in the west- 

 ern and central portions of the state to study the local conditions as they 

 exist. The different soil conditions, the different rainfall make one sec- 

 tion different from another, and we must study the conditions on the 

 farms. That would enable us to see and understand the conditions and 

 what things must be expected. We cannot hope that the Fort Hayes 

 station will accomplish everything for western Kansas, but if we can 

 send men out over western Kansas, to study the local conditions, I be- 

 lieve we will accomplish a great deal that will be beneficial to the 

 farmers to that section of the country. 

 Live-Stock Fattening. 



"I was pleased yesterday to hear the gentleman from Colorado state 

 that he did not believe that grain farming under dry land conditions was 

 a success, but he wanted to mix stock with the grain farming. That is 

 one of the things we want to encourage the Kansas farmer to do. That 

 is, by mixing stock with hrs grain farming and raise stock that will bring 

 a good price on the market whether the season is favorable for growing 

 barley, corn or wheat or not, and we feel there is an opportunity for 



Poultry Raising. 



raising poultry and cattle in western Kansas and we want to encourage 

 that. 



