He has
been as "a voice in the wilderness" who has done much to make
possible the later and more systematic study of dry-farming. High
honor should be shown him for his faith in the semiarid region, for
his keen observation, and his persistence in the face of
difficulties. He is justly entitled to be ranked as one of the great
workers in behalf of the reclamation, without irrigation, of the
rainless sections of the world.
The experiment stations
The brave pioneers who fought the relentless dryness of the Great
American Desert from the memorable entrance of the Mormon pioneers
into the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847 were not the only
ones engaged in preparing the way for the present day of great
agricultural endeavor. Other, though perhaps more indirect, forces
were also at work for the future development of the semiarid
section. The Morrill Bill of 1862, making it possible for
agricultural colleges to be created in the various states and
territories, indicated the beginning of a public feeling that modern
methods should be applied to the work of the farm. The passage in
1887 of the Hatch Act, creating agricultural experiment stations in
all of the states and territories, finally initiated a new
agricultural era in the United States.
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