THE DRY FARMING CONGRESS. 



349 



Sixth — Some capital is absolutely essential for all settlers in West- 

 ern lands. 



In every instance of failure wMcli the writer has been able to trace in 

 the last four years, he finds in the start a dearth of capital. We must 

 frankly, candidly and fairly state that some capital here, as elsewhere, 

 is required to build a home. The writer would hesitate to urge a man 

 to bring his family to open up a hioiiiiestead who did not have enough 

 to "stake him" for at least twenty-four months. Instances were given 

 at this Congress where men have worked for others and made good with 

 little or no capital, but it is running too great a risk to encourage any 

 man to trust to luck tO' pull his family through. Some capital, then, be 

 it asserted, is necessary to found a home. 



Seventh — Back of isoil, climate, seed system and capital must be 

 a resourceful, determined, intelligent farmer, one willing to learn from 

 his neighbors and to adapt himself and his methods to his environment. 



Such a man is the one who will, through utilizing flood waters, or a 

 well, supplement the main farm with a vegetable and fruit garden which 

 he can irrigate when rains do not come at the proper time for best re- 

 sults. Such a man will give his family an attractive home with modern 

 conveniences throughout. He will also make the dairy cow, hog and hen 

 brimg in a regular income, incidentally manufacturing cheap home grown 

 feeds into products which the market constantly demands. 



Good business management often measures the difference between 

 success and failure on the farm. 



It has been the men who put in practice the three cardinals of the 

 Congress — Education, Conservation, Culture — who are blazing the road 

 for the rest of us to follow. 



We received at this Congress the unqualified statement of farmers 

 with more than a quarter of a century's experience, that they had act- 

 ually "made good" all these years. When we realize that these men 

 represent the varying conditions to be found in traveling from western 

 Texas to eastern Washington, we were made to realize that "dry farm- 

 ing," so-called, in the United States ha's passed from an experimental 

 stage to an accomiplished fact and is now on a commercial basis. 



Dr. Macdonald from the Transvaal, South Africa ,and Senator McGoll 

 from Australia, told us that dry farming operations have been carried on 

 in these countries for several decades. W^e also were reminded at this 

 Congress that the Pueblo and Aztec natives of the southwest practiced 

 dry farming for centuries in the crudest way and grew crops. 



A isane, safe, conservative, well-organized movement was arranged 

 for at thiis Congress which will make it a positive, permanent, most help- 

 ful factor to every farmer in the West on our non-irrigated lands who 

 will subscribe to its membership. It seeks to encourage the farmer to 

 study the Why, How and AVlien of all farm operations and to let up only 

 when he wrests success from the struggle and the problem of success- 

 ful cropping of his land is solved. 



Respectfully submitted, W. H. OLIN, Statistician. 



