The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1896-05-29
IRRIGATION MATTER.



creased the interest in the conservation
Of moisture, and aroused q discussion ~
better methods Of retaining aud making
use Of all nature gives US.
In the eastern states il Is thought
worth while TO carefully save tho
manure. lack Of fertility being one 81
the chief difficulties TO overcome Nav
we not here in the west gain by being
as careful in snving moisturcas the east
in outstanding fertilizers?
IL IA common sight In the fields Of
the west 10 see the plowman In the field.
day after day, turning up burrows per.
haps twenty 10 forty and even eighty
acres without narrowing or pulvcrizinp.
until hc has completed the blowing "
the field and can cross. harrow. his
thought also being that burrows turned
mp To- the wind aud allowed to lie loose.
" and roughly and to partially dry out
do not trouble him by growing ~ free.
ly to weeds as those fields which arc
carefully narrowed from day 10 day
The problem heretofore with the west.
crn farmer has been. "Ilow shall one
man and one team handle 100 acres Of
mixed crops Perhaps we are coming
10 "a time when we must consider how
we can with certainty raise a crop each
year. and balance the advantages OF
certainty against possibility Of crop
on q muck larger area. Shall we con
tinuc TO try TO handle large acreage
with one man and team. or shall we
try 10 increase the quantity per acre
rs well ns the cc tainty OF favorable re-.
suit by increased inbor or fewer acres?
To what extent can we apply the meth.
DDS Of the horticulturis,s and the mur.
bet gardener 10 ordinary farming?
VIII the amount OF labor that Is used In
preparing ground for trees, plants and
vegetables - admissible on farm
crops?
In the puSt two years there has been
marked interest In subsoil blowing
with u view 10 retaining moisture.
While this has not been found to equal
shallow surface cultivation la retaining
moisture, II has It's place wherever the
subsoil IA very hard or Of such a char.
acter that copious rains do not readily
soak into IL or the roots Of trees and
plants do not readily penetrate Il.
Many Of those who subsoilcd In the
spring OF 1895 were disappointed In re-
suits obtained, for the reason that In
many places winter and early spring
had been No dry that soil moisture was
only ten or twelve inches In DEPTH
Under such circumstances, To rip up
more OF the dry subsoil which came up
IN Jumps and remained IN clods until
such time as the rainfall should be
copious enough 10 soften TO the bottom
OF the subsoilcd furrow was Ia some
eases detrimental. Much depended on
the amount OF work applied following
the operation Of subsoiling To pack the
burrows. The best results from sub
soiling are gained, first. by doing the
work In the fall of the year. and second,
by having sufficient amount of moist
urc from winter frost and snow with
spring rains 20 moisten the furrow "a
the bottom. Subsoiling may with ad.
vantage be done In the spring when
the ground n moist 10 the depth OF
sixteen 10 eighteen inches, or when
succeeding rains are sufficiently copiout
10 soak 10 the bottom.
The great advantage OF subsoiling FOR
the conservation Of moisture arises
from allowing copious fall Of rain "a
soak down farther from the surface
where II IN not 80 rapidly lost by eyap
orution, and can be retained with suit
able shallow surface culture until ur'
gently needed In July and August. II
has been abundantly demonstrated
that soil moisture can be carried over
from spring 10 midsummer, and from
year TO year by shallow surface cultur,
and not cropping 40 heavily as to rapid
~ exhaust the supply stored up. A
field plowed In the ordinary manner
may lose nn inch and onc-hRlf OF moist
ure In u week, which practically woult
be all the moisture contained In the
first Ave inches OF soil. The correct
method, evidently. IL 20 each day pull
vcrize or pack each acre plowed. Thos'
who have no better tools may do THU
with the harrow.
II has been demonstrated repeated,
In the last two years, that weekly shnl
low cultivation does retain moisture
The construction OF our loose soil whicl
allows "a heavy fall OF rain TO soak dow
out OF sight quickly under the iniiu
encc Of capillary action, gives back thi
moisture To sun and wind unless cnpil
larry action Is intercepted by shallow
huIlutt MAlilA ~ WV
and most available form Of mulchinl
known. Frequent cultivation 20 tn
depth OF two 10 three inches unite
heat, air and moisture just under thi
surface culture In u way to accomplish
the best results.
should cultivation be delayed longc
than weekly, capillary action succeed
in forcing It's films of moisture through
the loosened surface and Increased los
results. In applying these principle
to the cultivation OF corn II should b
remembered that In tasscling and ear
ing time the evaporation from each stall
OF corn In about two and eighteenth
pounds daily, or whom field Is plante,
at ordinary distances, with the hill
three feet eight inches apart and fou
stalks to the hill, there is loss a
about one hundred tons of water week
ly from each acre. This leads TO tn
thought that large bank account ma
sustain large and frequent checks,
smaller account less. The field OF cor
planted with two stalks In a hill ha
The use OF all the moisture available 70
four stalks In hill, and would, G
course, be better supported.
In the growing OF winter wheat !
southern Nebraska II has been foun
that where the old crop was prompt