228 



THIRD ANNUAL SESSIONS 



public that the lauds were of no value, because of the alleged lack of 

 rainfall, and other formidable deterrent reasons. 



Railroad Land Departments. 



"When however it became clearly evident and well known that this 

 prejudice was without foundation, the railroad companies were alive to 

 future results, and as rapidly as possrble strove to eliminate the element 

 of speculat-on and confine the sale of their lands, as nearly as practic- 

 able to actual settlers, and exert every legitimate effort to build up the 

 country tributary to their railroad lines, and from that time, the pro- 

 moter with prospective sales of large areas for speculative purposes re- 

 ceived little if any encouragement. 



Immigration Increasing. 



"This has resulted in an ever increasing army of purchasers from 

 all parts of the United States eager to secure homes, and the demand 

 is in excess of the supply, and in the main, these purchasers have suf- 

 ficient means to provide themselves with everything necessary for the 



Dry Farming Congress. 



upbuilding of the country, and with the aid of The Dry Farming Congress 

 and kindred organizations, are fast receiving and assimilating and, put- 

 ting to practical use the knoAvledge necessary to obtain from these most 

 fertile lands, the full measure of their productiveness. 



"I am not prepared to give all the praise to the sales agent who has 

 sold only to actual settlers, nor to lay all the blame upon the specular 

 tive agent who has made sales wherever and whenever he could, irre- 

 spective of results, and in my opinion, the latter has, notwithstanding 

 the fact that generally his work was injurious, brought about much good. 



"No member of this Dry Farming Congress here assembled can 

 measure or even remotely approximate its good results, and I am 

 heartily and enthusiastically in sympathy with every effort it has put 

 forth, and in favor of increasing its scope of good work at all times, and 

 under all circumstances." 



MR. BOWMAN (presiding) : "Is there any delegate in the house 

 who has anything to offer rn a practical way?" 



DRY FARMING ON THE COLORADO DIVIDE. 



By W. S. Pershing, Limon, Colorado. 



"There is no question that I have answered more often during the 

 past two or three years, to the would be homeseeker than, 'Do you use 



Campbell System. 



the Campbell system in your vicinity,' and when I reply that not one out 

 of a hundred is using it, or using it right, it calls for an explanation 

 right away. If it is a good thing, why is it not used more extensively, 

 and I think a few words of explanation from an old pathfinder, stock- 



