4 BULLETIN 1287, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
A second period of severe drought occurred about 1901, and it was 
not until 1905 or 1906 that the district became permanently settled. 
Rural telephone systems and rural free delivery of mail were estab- 
lished generally between 1910 and 1912. The so-called Campbell 
system of dry farming was established during this period; but it 
failed to control the soil blowing, which was disastrous at times. 
A demonstration farm operated on this system was located only 2 
miles east of the station. The increase in population and develop- 
ment of the section was gradual up to about 1915. At about that 
time the boom in wheat prices due to the World War caused a period 
of extremely rapid development, which reached its peak early in 1920. 
The deflation begun in 1921 again caused many farmers to leave this 
portion of the country, and much land is now owned by nonresidents. 
Farm experience and scientific experiments are building up a stable 
system of agriculture. Durimg the past 10 years hundreds of thou- 
sands of acres of new land have been broken and are being cropped, 
largely by resident landowners. The expansion and improvement 
Fic. 2.—View of the Akron Field Station in 1923 
of diversified agriculture during the past 15 years have been remark- 
able, as has been the use of better machinery and equipment, with 
which the farmers of the section are able to cultivate large acreages 
more efficiently and with a greater profit than before. 
By the general use of the automobile and the telephone and the 
spread of the rural mail-delivery system, distances have been largely 
overcome. Although many farmers are located many miles from 
trading points, the comparative isolation of a few years ago no longer 
exists. The towns of the district have had an ‘unusual growth in 
opulation and volume of business. The deflation since the World 
War has caused many financial disasters, but the future prospect 
for this section is promising. 
SOIL OF THE DISTRICT | 
The observations presented are believed to be generally applicable 
throughout the district, which includes northeastern Colorado and 
small adjacent portions of southeastern Wyoming, southwestern 
4 Description adapted from U.S. Dept. Agr. Bul. 402. 
