American Geographical Society

The Suitcase Farming Frontier: A Study in the Historical Geography of the Central GreatPlains by Leslie HewesReview by: James R. ShortridgeGeographical Review, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Jan., 1975), pp. 125-126Published by: American Geographical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/213840 .

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GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEWS GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEWS

have been torn down to make room for modern development. Some towns have saved the lovely old buildings, by converting them into offices, classrooms, or

housing for the elderly, without altering their outside appearance. The authors

say nothing about the waterpower still in use. Lowell and Lawrence, for exam-

ple, still use canals of the Merrimack River to generate small amounts of power and are considering using more to help meet the energy crisis.

"Early American Mills" contains a good many errors, some of which reveal

hasty editing, and certain plans are illegible. On the other hand, the book is blessed with an index, with a selected bibliography, and with many unobtrusive footnotes. - PEVERIL MEIGS

THE SUITCASE FARMING FRONTIER: A Study in the Historical Geography of the Central Great Plains. By LESLIE HEWES. xvii and 281 pp.; maps, diagrs., bibliogr., index. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1973. $10.00.

9g4 x 6/2 inches.

The Great Plains are often used as a classic illustration of how a new environ- ment has forced significant changes in traditional cultural and economic pat- terns. Adaptations in fences, house types, crop choices, and farming methods, the development of a native inferiority complex, and a megalophilic obsession are among the differences observed; but given the magnitude and variety of the hypothesized changes in the Plains culture, geographical research is surprisingly scarce. In this light the wide-ranging, assiduous investigations of Leslie Hewes in "The Suitcase Farming Frontier" form a valuable addition to the literature.

Hewes examines the character of the wheat frontier on the dry lands of west- ernmost Kansas and eastern Colorado from its beginnings in the 1920's to the late i 96o's, focusing on the innovative role of suitcase, or nonresident, farmers. The early 1920's in Kansas were years of adequate rainfall and good prices, and the combination induced several wheat operators from central Kansas and other eastern areas to apply their experience and technology to the short grasslands. The initial results were largely successful, with many stories circulating of land being paid for with a single year's harvest, and suitcase farmers soon controlled a large proportion of the land. Then, gradually, local farmers began to copy the extensive wheat monoculture techniques of the absentee operators, and the con- version of the area from a grazing to a grain economy was completed. Later, in the post-Dust Bowl years, the same cycle was repeated in eastern Colorado.

Many interruptions and variations marked this long-term process, and Hewes describes them in detail. The major factor in sustaining the suitcase oper- ations has undoubtedly been the large gamble of wheat farming in this area. Al- though the suitcase farmer eventually lost his advantages of experience and technology over local competitors, the facts that his financial backing was often better and that his income was usually not totally dependent on local wheat farm- ing gave him an edge in coping with the risks of the dry plains. In Greeley County, Kansas, the area that Hewes examined in most detail, suitcase farmers declined from a 1933 peak of 43 percent of all farmers to 14 percent in 1940 after the ravages of the Dust Bowl and then rose slightly as absentees led the reoccupation of wheatlands. A further rise occurred by 1960, during the soil- bank era, but by 1968 the number had fallen again to 12 percent. The soil-bank programs had largely expired, local farmers were presumably acquiring larger

have been torn down to make room for modern development. Some towns have saved the lovely old buildings, by converting them into offices, classrooms, or

housing for the elderly, without altering their outside appearance. The authors

say nothing about the waterpower still in use. Lowell and Lawrence, for exam-

ple, still use canals of the Merrimack River to generate small amounts of power and are considering using more to help meet the energy crisis.

"Early American Mills" contains a good many errors, some of which reveal

hasty editing, and certain plans are illegible. On the other hand, the book is blessed with an index, with a selected bibliography, and with many unobtrusive footnotes. - PEVERIL MEIGS

THE SUITCASE FARMING FRONTIER: A Study in the Historical Geography of the Central Great Plains. By LESLIE HEWES. xvii and 281 pp.; maps, diagrs., bibliogr., index. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1973. $10.00.

9g4 x 6/2 inches.

The Great Plains are often used as a classic illustration of how a new environ- ment has forced significant changes in traditional cultural and economic pat- terns. Adaptations in fences, house types, crop choices, and farming methods, the development of a native inferiority complex, and a megalophilic obsession are among the differences observed; but given the magnitude and variety of the hypothesized changes in the Plains culture, geographical research is surprisingly scarce. In this light the wide-ranging, assiduous investigations of Leslie Hewes in "The Suitcase Farming Frontier" form a valuable addition to the literature.

Hewes examines the character of the wheat frontier on the dry lands of west- ernmost Kansas and eastern Colorado from its beginnings in the 1920's to the late i 96o's, focusing on the innovative role of suitcase, or nonresident, farmers. The early 1920's in Kansas were years of adequate rainfall and good prices, and the combination induced several wheat operators from central Kansas and other eastern areas to apply their experience and technology to the short grasslands. The initial results were largely successful, with many stories circulating of land being paid for with a single year's harvest, and suitcase farmers soon controlled a large proportion of the land. Then, gradually, local farmers began to copy the extensive wheat monoculture techniques of the absentee operators, and the con- version of the area from a grazing to a grain economy was completed. Later, in the post-Dust Bowl years, the same cycle was repeated in eastern Colorado.

Many interruptions and variations marked this long-term process, and Hewes describes them in detail. The major factor in sustaining the suitcase oper- ations has undoubtedly been the large gamble of wheat farming in this area. Al- though the suitcase farmer eventually lost his advantages of experience and technology over local competitors, the facts that his financial backing was often better and that his income was usually not totally dependent on local wheat farm- ing gave him an edge in coping with the risks of the dry plains. In Greeley County, Kansas, the area that Hewes examined in most detail, suitcase farmers declined from a 1933 peak of 43 percent of all farmers to 14 percent in 1940 after the ravages of the Dust Bowl and then rose slightly as absentees led the reoccupation of wheatlands. A further rise occurred by 1960, during the soil- bank era, but by 1968 the number had fallen again to 12 percent. The soil-bank programs had largely expired, local farmers were presumably acquiring larger

This content downloaded from 195.78.109.69 on Fri, 9 May 2014 16:28:39 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

THE GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW THE GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW

and/or more diversified bases for their operations, and the land that had fallen into absentee hands during the tax sales of the 1930's was gradually being reac- quired by local people.

An especially interesting chapter deals with the role of nonresident farmers in the creation of the Dust Bowl. Hewes cites convincing evidence that in most areas land belonging to absentee owners and operators did not experience significantly more wind erosion than land belonging to local farmers. Suitcase farmers were widely blamed for the disaster, probably because, simply by being absent, they were convenient scapegoats.

Hewes is painstakingly thorough in his research. Although I found myself occasionally desiring more information on related topics, such as the attitudes of the ranchers toward the new wheat growers, and some probes into the back- ground of the people who practiced suitcase farming, overall the subject seems to have been covered well. The book shows evidence of years of fieldwork, in-

cluding many interviews and much correspondence. The heart of the analysis, however, is a detailed examination of mostly unpublished agricultural statistics on small civil divisions and on individual operations. Especially valuable sources were the annual reports of various county assessors for Kansas, the 1933 wheat allotment lists of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, and many Ag- ricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) records. Information on the contents, limitations, and locations of these sources is scattered through- out the book, but one wishes that an extended discussion of these and similar sources had been appended to the text. A guide to their use might encourage more utilization by researchers, and utilization, in turn, might prevent destruc- tion of the valuable records, as Hewes reports recently happened to much of the ASCS material.

The virtues of this book far outnumber the drawbacks, but several problems should be mentioned. Most important is the apparent reluctance of the author to withhold any of his statistical information from the reader. One tends either to become lost in trivia or to skim so much as to miss nearly buried significant statements. Omitting some of this detail and putting more of it into footnotes would have greatly improved the text. Minor annoyances include the decision to

place all tables and maps at the end of the text and the somewhat garish lettering and symbolization used on the maps. -JAMES R. SHORTRIDGE

NORTH-EAST PASSAGE: Adolf Erik Nordenskiold, His Life and Times. By GEORGE KISH. ii and 283 pp.; ills., index. Nico Israel, Amsterdam, 1973. Dfl 45. 93/4 x 6/2 inches.

Until now, an adequate biography of Adolf Erik Nordenskiold (1832-1901) has not been produced outside of Scandinavia. Nordenski6ld's outstanding pioneer- ing achievements in geographical discovery and exploration of the Arctic be- tween Greenland and Bering Strait during the nineteenth century won him in- ternational recognition. The biographer, George Kish of the Department of

Geography at the University of Michigan, is an historical geographer of consid- erable professional talent and the author of significant contributions to the field. His extensive sources of research in writing this biography included particularly "the 'Nordenskiold papers,' a large collection of documents and correspon- dence, preserved in the Library of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences." In addition he consulted contemporary printed sources, several biographies in

and/or more diversified bases for their operations, and the land that had fallen into absentee hands during the tax sales of the 1930's was gradually being reac- quired by local people.

An especially interesting chapter deals with the role of nonresident farmers in the creation of the Dust Bowl. Hewes cites convincing evidence that in most areas land belonging to absentee owners and operators did not experience significantly more wind erosion than land belonging to local farmers. Suitcase farmers were widely blamed for the disaster, probably because, simply by being absent, they were convenient scapegoats.

Hewes is painstakingly thorough in his research. Although I found myself occasionally desiring more information on related topics, such as the attitudes of the ranchers toward the new wheat growers, and some probes into the back- ground of the people who practiced suitcase farming, overall the subject seems to have been covered well. The book shows evidence of years of fieldwork, in-

cluding many interviews and much correspondence. The heart of the analysis, however, is a detailed examination of mostly unpublished agricultural statistics on small civil divisions and on individual operations. Especially valuable sources were the annual reports of various county assessors for Kansas, the 1933 wheat allotment lists of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, and many Ag- ricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) records. Information on the contents, limitations, and locations of these sources is scattered through- out the book, but one wishes that an extended discussion of these and similar sources had been appended to the text. A guide to their use might encourage more utilization by researchers, and utilization, in turn, might prevent destruc- tion of the valuable records, as Hewes reports recently happened to much of the ASCS material.

The virtues of this book far outnumber the drawbacks, but several problems should be mentioned. Most important is the apparent reluctance of the author to withhold any of his statistical information from the reader. One tends either to become lost in trivia or to skim so much as to miss nearly buried significant statements. Omitting some of this detail and putting more of it into footnotes would have greatly improved the text. Minor annoyances include the decision to

place all tables and maps at the end of the text and the somewhat garish lettering and symbolization used on the maps. -JAMES R. SHORTRIDGE

NORTH-EAST PASSAGE: Adolf Erik Nordenskiold, His Life and Times. By GEORGE KISH. ii and 283 pp.; ills., index. Nico Israel, Amsterdam, 1973. Dfl 45. 93/4 x 6/2 inches.

Until now, an adequate biography of Adolf Erik Nordenskiold (1832-1901) has not been produced outside of Scandinavia. Nordenski6ld's outstanding pioneer- ing achievements in geographical discovery and exploration of the Arctic be- tween Greenland and Bering Strait during the nineteenth century won him in- ternational recognition. The biographer, George Kish of the Department of

Geography at the University of Michigan, is an historical geographer of consid- erable professional talent and the author of significant contributions to the field. His extensive sources of research in writing this biography included particularly "the 'Nordenskiold papers,' a large collection of documents and correspon- dence, preserved in the Library of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences." In addition he consulted contemporary printed sources, several biographies in

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