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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1907)
: y NoycI WorK at the Experiment Station at Cheyenne in the Semi-Arid Region. """"""'Z . . -, .ss-s',' ,x winter fxw gated . ' ' ":':'-- ;...vMKB'fv'- , lassar it-. . :-.!.. . potatoes on the CLbjS g - ; - -. ..r:VSTl4 ' , eV- 'A'"--""- ' GOVERN ttEMT WWWHWtfaRJH W M,1I.!JHJ!.UM. WiJimW. I. Dill 11UILUUUUI1AJ .Tff3KaiWUafP HJJI' '"W'J" llMBgBWWim V ; "I'- ' CPEFPfr2Tf-T FsHJ?T tassa .W8.ibhm I V':- .T''':'' '- i ' CHEYENNE . WHlliK public attention lias been di rected to the mammoth irrigation en t erprlsea being1 carried on by the ITnite! States Government in various pans o t the West little is know o( ex- j-Tlnients now "being carried on in the xienif-ariti region, wliiob. If successful. will go a long way toward redeeming a vast empire which has hitherto been Jooknd upon as an unproductive desrt. The Govfrnment lias an experiment ata- Hon at Cheyenne, uhcre work has boon carried on for two years with most rnconrajrlng rraults. The station is ad mirably situated. Cheyenne being in what is known as the semi-arid region, ex- iendlner several hundred miles eastward from the base jot the Rocky Mountains. Tins vast sweep or plain, which extends from the Gulf to the Canadian line has. until the last five years, been looked upon as a desert waste, fit for nothing but Brazing. It was a part of the country that was put down on the early school maps a the "(Treat American desert," and such It has been resarded until recent fcm'lJKTH'flR "professional Instinct" h:i3 anything to do with It or n,t I muitt confess that a din ner party, especially a "little dinner is my favorite form of entertainment. Give me u nice little dinner, with con genial guests, a competent cook, and n happy hostess, and you may keep your balls and banuuets. receptions and curd purtles, and all the rest. v.'eil, then, you may judge that I looKed forward with pleasure to my first Ton I Chinese dinner party; espe cially as the informal Rn&llsh note, accompanying the formal invitation, rxriaineit that our hoat. a wealthy jrovernment official .of hisrh rank con -sirlere5 his present "poor dwelling" unsuitable for a large banquet, and thoua-ht. besides, that I should be most interested in an Intimate family af fair, a theater- party would follow the dinner, ' I (irnmnlly dispatched an acceptance jnd hunted up my encyclopedia of .a blU brother. "Mow shall we go? What kIii 11 I wear? What shall we eat with? What shnll I talk about? How shall 1 a.;t? My blif brother was busy. He re plied roncisfly: "jn chairs. Your or dinary dinner dress. Chop sticks. An swer tinnsticns. CJrin amiably and fol low my lead at dinner, and at present MISS LILIAN TINGLE'S . FIRST CHINESE DINNER Pi O U1NG. SIX T EM FEE T DEP, IN, VIRGIN PRAIRIE, events proved it can tie successfully farrned. Successful Dry Parmtns. All these lands, Mich a lew years ago were comparatively worthless, have been jumped any where from ten to SO fold in value in -the last few years. The so- called Campbell process ot dry farming has done, the most to bring: about this revolution s In prices. Ranch bouses are dotting-'the once barren landscape, and wheat fields wave in the breeze where once only the sagebrush and dry birtTa lo grasp , met the- eye. Not alone - la- dry farming, being practiced successfully, but Jt has been demonstrated that windmill irrigation can be carried on, as water has been struck with little digrglng. and, in some localities, fine artesian wells are flowing. The Government has been awake to all these changesy It is the policy of the Agricultural Department to investigate kindly close the door from the out sid;." v v So I closed the door, "but at our next meal I called for chop sticks and took a lesson In the use of them, while the big: brother explained that allowances would be. made .for Ignorance of eti quette on my part, because all Chi nese understand that foreigners arc like the- rhfrnoscerous in the "Just so stories"," who "never had any manners then since, .or henceforward." At the same time the big brother hoped that 1 should not utterly disgrace my fam ily, ana warned me not to look sur- prised at any variation-from Western customs, and to eat all fhat was given to me by my hostess. He also re peated his instructions as - to follow- ing his lead, ' But how can you follow a person's -lead when your chair hearers take a short cut, and set you down all by yourself in your host's dark court yard? 1 .knew no Chinese, -but . I made it plain to the bearers and the porter and the servants with lanterns that I pro posed to stay In my box -like chair until the 9. 33. arrived, and fortunately I had not long to wait. AVe were' ushered into a reception room, with stiffly arranged handsome Chinese furniture. Our host an Imposing fisrure in pale blue brocade shook hands. Ediglltrh fashion, and then. Chinese, fashion, n..de 1 THE -SUSDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, JANUARY 27. 1JJ07. .- ' T.Ta, ..-T8WiiJ.j8A! . ;-iS -. J -. .. ;;yifST!'.jvjiii mil anything ti&t looKs as if It. might in- j crease tne agricultural resources ot tne country, and this policy has held true in t-fie. ise of dry farming. The experiment station was located at Cheyenne, because here conditions are typical of the average conditions on the semi-arid plains. . The rain fa 11 is something over 12 inches, and the snowfall is Quite heaw. The. Winter citrmue ,is not severe, ana the -Summers are characteristic of th plains fiercely hot In the daytime, but very cool. at niRht. "When -sod was broken on the ' virgin prairie, there were many to prophesy that no crops would be raised at the ex. periment station. But severar hundred acres were planted in variegated crops, and the general results have been sur-' prising. Various kinds of farming have been practiced. Including dry farming and windmill irrigation. Conservation, of the. Moisture. ' Dry farming proper is simply a conser vation of the moisture in the soil. It is by no means a new discovery, though it is called the Campbell process, through a few new features which were added by H. W. Campbell, whose practical work yielded the Mrst real result in the West. It is said the ancient Egyptians prac- us take the most honorable seats" on a sort Of, raised couch with a table and footstool all build in one. The B. B. reclined easily and gracefully; I dangled miserable toes which wouldn't quite reach the footstool, and wondered if I might take off my cloak without being invited ro do so. Servants brought tea, fruit and . sweetmeats. The B. B. re tained his overcoat and left .his tea un touched. So. I did - the same although uncomfortably warm and thirsty. T Tap,: tap, on the stones outside. "My Mother comes." said our host and we all rose, as a handsome -vivacious old lady supported by two maids. ame tottering In on tiny thrjpe-Incft . feet. We are all very much alike after all. we women folk. While I was looking: with Interest at her 'beautiful black brocade coat and trousers and her embroidered shoes, she was con sidering""my queer foreign costume; and I believe she had mastered the main de t a 11.3 long before the bows and Rreetinge and ceremonious re-seating of the. guests was accomplished, all of which perform- ances had to be repeated when our host announced "My wife comes. Our hostess lifted her handleless teacup by the brass saucer, inviting us to drink; and then began a shower of polite ques tions about my journey, the probable length of my visit. etc. Then more friendly persona questions: was I be- trothed; how old was I, (you can't fib about your age when a B. B. translates your answer!) had all American -ladies fert as large as mine: why didn't I wear ear-rings; was my hair all my own. There tlced dry farm nfr, having 'discovered' tlie secret that if the earth is kept constant ly broken and pulverized there is little chance for the moisture to escape. If left to bake hard, the moisture of Winter and' early Spring: will soon evaporate from the earth, but if the soil is kept crum bled it will retain dampness until far into the Summer, without need of irriga- tion. . By following this simple rule, the Government has produced -great crops at the Cheyenne experiment station' with no other aid than the natural rainfall of the plains. To the uninitiated, dry farming looks like a hopeless task at the start. Air around is a barren, rolling prairie, cov ered with sagebrush and cactus and dry grass. .These were the favorite roaming grounds of the buffaloes in early days, bjut no man at that time imagined that ranches would . dot the vast prairie sea. was plenty of matter for conversation but I was not altogether sorry when dln- ner was announced and we passed into the dining room. By the 'light of a yel low shaded standard lump saw a polished table with small dishes In the middle. At eaoh place a -pretty silver saucer, three inches across ,and divided into two heart-shaped compartment; sil ver chop-sticks; a long-handled silver spoon, with lotus decorations, rather like an extra special ice cream soda spoon, and a tiny silver cup in. a filigree bolder. No sign of table-cloth or. napkin, no plate, no glass. ' no bread. . And whai queer-looking things in the center dishes! This dinner is something; of an ordeal, after all, . Afterwards I wrote down as much as I could remember- , of the menu and the order of service. If any, one wants to give a Chinese luncheon here is a model. It was only about half as -long; as a regular banquet, and for that I was truly thankful. Mlon Seeds. teanuts. Fruit Paste. Smoked Kish. Candled Walnuts. Raw Crab in Wine. Whole Shrimps. Limed Ecga. Sliced Goose. These were on the table when we sat down. " I began cheerfully on peanuts. I knew them at home. Horrors "What must I do with the shells? No plate, my saucer full of spy, and the B. Bs eagle eye fixed reprovingly on the" little grow ing pile on the table Jjeside me. Evidently that was wrong: how did my hostess do? She was daintily drop pin if nut shells ,Norwa any such tliinmaea by tne emigrants who came later and .left the bones' of their stock on the parched plainsnor by the -first who' traveled over the stage routes to Denver. . But, when the virgin' prairie sod has been turned over by the great steam plow and the top soil has been pulverized, and the crop sown, there is a different story to tell. Soon the first green of the crop begins , to show. The scientific farmer keeps the poll well crumbled, not giving; it a chance to. bake in the hot sun. . There i no rain, and each day the sky is cloudless. But the soil remains- moist, and the crop continues to shoot from the ground. Thert Jt yellows, and at har vest there is a crop that well repays the efforts of the farmer. If there have been a few showers, 'so much the' better but even without these aids it is possible to grow good crops, provided the rainfall and fragments of goose-bone on the carpet; so with a carefully arranged' asveep of my sleeve I sent mine in the same direction. 6uch refuse Is certainly unsightly on plate or table and' what are "servants' for anyway? ' . - .( - ' But vmy troubles' were only just be'gin- .;ilng. My hostess was offering me. with &e'own chop-sticks, a particularly choice little chunk ot cold gooa. 'At least " I guessed goose, but I have never met any; creature whose hones and flesh seemed' so intimately connected. The pieces appeared ;p have been carved with, an ax, . and were - just too large for a convenient i mouthful The taste of it vs delicious, but oh. the difficulty of eating It with chop-stfeka, and the finest goose that ever was roasted does not combine well with the lap of a delicate colored silk gown. "Try the Hmed eggs" said our host. I tasted tn fatth and found them decided ly good.. They were cut In slices like hard boiled eggs, but the yolk was sage green and the white, was a stiff brown .semi-transparent jelly. How were they prepared ? They - had been buried in quick.-lime'" for about two years." I took a second'hlplng all the same.' Then came: , " . ' ' .' 1 Stewed Seaweed. ' v Beche de Mer or Sea.SIujr (A great delicacy, stewed wifh crab, ham, mushroom- and bamboo shoots. Pigeon Egg in Batter. Jelly Fiitt. Stewed Shrimp. - KriBd "Pish with a Sweet-Sour Sauc. ( Very good and worth copying . Stewed Duck. Great Crops Produced on What Was Regarded as an Unproductive Desert. nd snowfall or earij' Spring have been normal.1 ; ' - Windmill Irrigation. The Government has Secured not leas wonderful results rrom windmill iirrB,a- tion on the experiment farm at Cheyenne. Irrigated crop' do not need ' more than two Irrigations in a season;; One irriga- tton, 'at precisely the 'right' time, will often save - a ' crop. ; Consequently the farmer who has a well with a good flow of water Is ' doubly safeguarded. It is possible for him to make a smalt reser voir Into which he can pump water from his well. This water can be turned on hie crops In July and August, and he will not . need to ' keep his soil so thor oughly pulverized as if he were doing strictly dry farming. With the use of denatured alcohol in Witty Account of a Very the Proper Disposal Ham Balls with Brown Sauce and Bean Batter. Stewed Cuttle F"Ish. " Curry. Lettuce Soup. - ' , Rice. - Our hostess helped me, and I tasted everything-, and found most things good. ' Every one else put out his or her spoon and shop-sticKsf and helped himself directly from th dish. From time to time we were Invited to sip the "wine." This looked like water and tasted like gin ana rose leaves, : I never had any gin, but I offered Uhat description to some one who knows, and was told that It fitted very -well. The rice was served in Individual bowls, towards the end of the -meat. and was eaten witn savory morsels from -t h other dishes. Had I ever tasted Chinese curry? I natter myself I know something of. Indian curries. but thia toolced quite different. "Yes. please" and I was helped generously. on top of my rice, and took a mouth fuf with pleasant anticipation. Hot? "! IV In the midst of the agony that followed I reflected that In my careless youth, when I read ''Vanity Fair," I had laughed at Becky Sharp's experience witTi curry. Laugh ed.. I tell you. Now I understood the real tragedy of the situation. But she at least had a glass of water; for me there was nothing but a thimbleful of fiery spirit. There was nothing: ,' to do . but to "thole" In silence. Happily, release was 43 I this country m place or gasoline, it i I anticipated that small pumps will tat the place of windmills in many Instances on the plains. Thus the farmer will not be at the caprice of winds, but will have a constant flow of water for irrigatinz purposes. The first report of t lie Government ex periment station on the plains has yet to be made. It Is announced that one will be Issued this Spring-. But there Is no doubt as to the practical success of the experiments in these new kinds of farming. The crops that have been raised on the Cheyenne experiment farm need little supplementary explanation. They prove that there Is no longer any "great American desert," and that the plains which were once dreaded by emi grants will soon become thickly populated with a prosperous farming: community. " Denver. Colo.. January 19. Ceremonious Function and of the Peanut Shells at hand, and there were grapes, pears, apples, pomegranates and tea waiting for us in the reception-room after we had wiped our hands on the hot towels that do duty for finger bowls in China. There was ' also a message from the manager of the theater begging that there might be no performance that evening, as it was raining and so few people would be present. How would that suit Port land? I didn't mind. I had had enough excitement for one evening. But on the long journey home through the dark. silent streets, ! realized that I had thor oughly enjoyed myself, in spite of "bad breaks." and that I hoped this would be (as it was the first of many pleasant Chinese dinners. LILIAN E. TINGLE. vxtie Money Talked. '.' Boston Herald. A few years ago Waltham's hand. tub. the Watch City, captured the champfonahlp and a bl purse at the playout in Hartford, Conn. When the victorious crew arrived home late that night a large crowd was In waiting at the station. A. pa rade was formed and amid great en thusiasm, red fire, etc., the line pro. ceeded to the engine-house. Someone called on the foreman, Barney Harris, for a speech. Barney mounted the old tub, but the Sea of faces gave him stage-fright, "Boys," he finally blurted out. "I can't make a speech, but 1 have the money in me fist."'