Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-08-22

treasure and tits Impossible to get it
into circulation.
TO PREsERvE THE MOISTURE.
Western Soil Culture Is the name of
Q new paper published in Sioux City,
Iowa, with w. II. Campbell as editor.
Mr.. Campbell seems to be y man who
has made . careful study Of the prob
lem Of raising field crops west ct the
Mississippi river In those portions Of
the country that are supplied with u
scant 0r insufficient rainfall. His
theory comprehends sub-soil blowing
and the use OF what he calls a SUBJ
surface packer which packs the land
soil Ia the bottom OF the furrow but
keeps it fine on top. The theory is
founded upon two alleged facts, the
first Of which the sub-soil in it's o igi-
nal condition is full Of minute yerticle
tubes which raise the moisture TO the
surface and allow it to evaporate very
rapidly and which must be broken up
by deep blowing and the tops closed
by thoroughly packing the ground up
on the top OF the tubes. These col
umns Of soil carry the water down as
long as the top is dry, but when q shower
comes and fills the top, thus expanding
the soil to the surface the power OF
capillary attraction Is then strong and
draws from below until enough is
evapOrated from the surface to dry the
top. The second alleged fact is that a
fine seed he'd upon the surface acts as q
mulch and prevents land from drying
as rapidly as 1t will when the surface
Is hard or crusted. Following is q.
short extract from the Cultiyator's in
structiOns on the preparation Of the
land under this system:
PlOw deep, and be sure it is all turn
ed bottom up, placing all stubble.
weeds, manure, etc, completely out of
sight and at the bottom. This done
you are ready for the next step, that
OF pulverising and packing the bottom
OF the furrOw. properly termed surface
packing. This part OF the wonk Is one
OF the most valuable of all recent
scientific developments In the western
prairie country, especially in the arid
and semi-arfl districts. In every in
stance reported It has given from SO to
200 per cent gain, ind in many instan-
ces In the drier seasons it has pro.
duced fair crops, where like ground in
the same field, that was not packed.
but left in the bottom ~ the pillow had
left 1t gave no cOr at all.
This treatment Of the soil which we
have described involves the packing of
the subsurface lying directly above the
bottom OF the burrows in such manner
as TO make this portion of the ground
iirm and take out all the large OPEN
lngs. For this purpose implements
should be used that would 70 down
through the furrOw practically to the
furrOw line and TO leave the immediate
surface loose and finely pulyerized.
This Is accomplished In several ways.
but generally with some form of imple.
mentw with large wheels set close to-
gether and having beveled edges.
These wheels being wedge-faced. thu
line OF pressure is al right angles with
the bevel. This brings q side as well
as 9 down pressure, thus firming the
bottom completely; or, taking another
view OF IT. we force q wedge one inch
thick into every five inches Of soil. AS
the wheels cut down through about
hall Of the loose soil, it only packs
about the lower third, which is made
surprisingly firm. This operation com
pIetely O~bliterates all cavities in the
bottom, presses the soil firmly onto any
stubble, weeds or foreign matter. and
absolutely forces the decomposition oil
all such matter, making it possible to
spread green straw, horse manure etc.
on the surface, pillow it under and rot il
completely.
Snbsurface packing here described
would seem to be something like that
accomplished with our disc harrows.
but 1t Is done upon land that has been
previously pl0wed and subsOiled, fdeep
blowing would partially accomplish
the same result) and is not relied upon
to do the packing and blowing both.
There be no doubt of the fact
that there is a best way to treat our
western soil in order to raise the larg-
est amount Of crop with our rainfall
The saying IF it rains we will get q
crop, and II it don't we won't no matter
how we farm" is q perniciOus doctrine.
The question to solve is: can We raise
better crops with the rainfall than we
get? The editor Of the Western Soil
Culture contends very strongly that
we can, and that he has demonstrated
by actual experiment that he has discoy-
cred how 10 do IL. It is not TO be won
dered ut that " do not know the best
way by intuition when we consider that
nearly all U farmers came from q e G
tiOn Of country Of abundant, even OF q
surplus, Of mOisture, where such prob
lerns never presented for their
consideration. We are not prepared
TO say that the editor OF the Western
Soil Culture has found that ssbest'' way
or has solved the problem OF raising
good crops with little water, but we are
thoroughly convinced that the subject
OF utilizing to the fullest extent g
drop Of water that falls and every fake
OF snOw that flies Is OF very great i'm
portance and worthy Of careful inves-
tigation and experiment. We hear
every season Of facts which confirm
this theory in regard to packing the
soil. One Of the best crops OF wheat
that We hear Of this year Ia on land
that was suInmer IallOwed last year and
sheep were allowed 10 run on tall sum
mer. We have known OF quite a num-
Der Of cases since our residences here
where . field ''stubbled" in-that is.
Put in with u disc harrow without plow-
ing--was better than one Just beside 1t
which had been plOwed. Such results
as that have been d~iscouraging to the
advocates Of deep blowing. or any plow-
ing Mt all until the ground has be-
come SO foul ms tO make II absolutely
~ ~ 49, - sEA &EEHs ~