St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-22

ly increasing by the non-payment of
the accruing interest. The burden of
both his real estate and chattel loans
is steadily growing. Almost repeated
ly after each failure of crop the farm
er would by some hook or crook get
sufficient amount of material and seed
to try it another year, hoping another
big crop might be the result of his very
foolish, Slip-Shod but persistent meth
DDS of farming, only to fail again;
when really a good crop was almost
entirely out of the question, for under
the prevailing methods of soil tillage,
coupled with the usual climatic con-
ditions, the available plant food de-
creaSeS each year.
Therefore, the possibility of good
crop has been constantly leSSened, or,
in other words, it takes a far more
favorable season to produce the same
crop that was raised in the early
eighties. But the average farmer has
not been able to comprehend this up
to the present time. In fact, he has
no means of knowing the effect upon
the soil of various treatments, nor can
he comprehend the fact that certain
changes are taking place each year
which leaves the soil under the pres
ent methods in a less productive con-
dition, nor can he comprehend these
changes until he has a more thorough
scientific knowledge of soil physics.
Then, there is no alternative, we
must educate these farmers through
some medium, or by some method, how
to handle the soil in the Semi-arid belt
to the best possible advantage.
There are three conditions OF move
ment that we must control. and can
control by the mechanical condition OF
the soil.
First-To draw the water down from
each shower into the subsoil as quick
ly as possible.
Second-PreVent the loss OF TINS ram
by evaporation.
Third-To draw this moisture to the
plant by capillary attraction.
To bring about these movements the
following conditions must exist:
First-The blowing must be done a
good depth, at least seven inches,
eight is better. A very good. plan is
to use a disc harrow before the plow,
to more thoroughly fine the soil. Then
by the use of the subsurface packer,
the lower three Or four inches can be
more thoroughly pulverized and firmed.
Now, the finer and flrmer we are able
to get this lower strata, the better able
we are to- control this moisture, for we
increase the surface tension and there
by increase capillary attraction.
Now moisture is moved down, or
latterly, as well as up, by capillary at
traction. Therefore we are able to
draw the rain down into the soil more
quickly. Then comes the necessity of
immediate stirring of the surface after
each shower, to loosen and dry the
surface, to prevent the loss OF this
moisture by evaporation.
Now, by close attention to this line
of work, the moisture will be found in
abundance for some feet down. AT
our farm at Putney, S. D., where we
followed this plan during 1893 and 1884,
on Oct 2, '94, we had over ten feet of
moisture, while twenty rods away,
where ordinary tillage was applied,
there was barely perceptible moisture
down about three feet.
Before presenting the next paper,
that of Ezra G. Valentine, on 1.-THE
Agricultural Future of the Red River
Valley" Chairman Schurmeier called
to the chair Mr.. Morrison, of Washing
ton. Mr.. Valentines paper was very
interesting, being one of the best of
the entire session, as Mr.. Valentine is
a longtime resident of the valley. The
next address was by Judge Gross, OF
Montana on the Mineral Resources of
His State.'' The address was extern
poraneous and most interesting.
At this juncture the convention
took a recess, after which the re-
mainder of the session was devoted to
felicitious speech making by members
of the convention. The convention
passed a resolution, offered by Chair
man Schurmeier himself, expressive of
the appreciation of the courtesies eX-
tended by the press of the Twin Cities.
Owing to the lateness of the hour,
number of papers which had been pre-
pared were read by title and passed.
Before adjourning, Mr.. Smalley thanked
the members of the convention for their
attendance and expressions of good
will, and on motion the convention adj
journed, sine die.