In the Great Plains area the history of dry-farming Is hopelessly
lost in the greater history of the development of the eastern and
more humid parts of that section of the country. The great influx of
settlers on the western slope of the Great Plains area occurred in
the early '80's and overflowed into eastern Colorado and Wyoming a
few years later. The settlers of this region brought with them the
methods of humid agriculture and because of the relatively high
precipitation were not forced into the careful methods of moisture
conservation that had been forced upon Utah, California, and the
Columbia Basin. Consequently, more failures in dry-farming are
reported from those early days in the Great Plains area than from
the drier sections of the far West Dry-farming was practiced very
successfully in the Great Plains area during the later '80's.
According to Payne, the crops of 1889 were very good; in 1890, less
so; in 1891, better; in 1892 such immense crops were raised that the
settlers spoke of the section as God's country; in 1893, there was a
partial failure, and in 1894 the famous complete failure, which was
followed in 1895 by a partial failure.
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