St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-03
SAVES THE MOISTURE.
An Iowa Man Has a Scheme for the
Immi grationists.

Immi grationists.
II. W. Campbell. of Sioux City, To-,
in the city yesterday in conference with T.
L. Sehurmeer, of the Northwestern Interstate
immigration association, in regard to meth
cd which he has practiced in the dry prairie
country of South Dakota and Nebraska fer
the preservation and creation of moisture n
the soil during dry spells in the summer
and IL it proves to be all that it promises
to be. will be OF great value to farmers. The
method is very simple aad inexpensive and
where tried it has made many enthusiastic
converts. Mr.. Campbell one OF the early
settlers in the James river valley, and his
experience III that country dates back 10
1882. In that year enormous crop of
wheat was grown. The straw was long, and
the harvesters were run high posi-
Bile. This left from twelve - eighteen inches
OF stubble of a very strong. stubborn nature.
In the fall it turned under. Here was
also a large amount of new breaking done il
1882. In the spring of 1889 all was seeded in
wheat. AT harvess time a good crop was
taken from the new ground, while that poI-
ton on stubble ground very poor. Here
apparent trouble, but from what
cause not known until the fall blowing
began, when the stubble Of the previous year
came up almost bright as when first
turned under. This set Mr.. Campbell 10
thinking how to solve the problem. The
remedy seemed plain. He purchased large
heavy iron roller and used 1t in the spring
of 1884 on $50 acres. The result from this
first experience was almost the entire field
blown out from the wind. From that time
to 1891 various plans we're tried. BY care
full observation, noting the effect of hoof
tracks and wheel tracks, he devised a sub
surface packer which resulted in packing the
entire under portion OF the plowed ground,
leaving the surface loose. This united the
surface with the under soil, bringing the
two in close contact, and thus permitting
the plowed upper layer to draw supplies of
moisture from the soil below, leaving the
three inches on top loose. forming a natural
soil mulch which really served to prevent the
soil moisture from evaporating into the air.
He continued the dust mulching experiment
during the next four years. In 1898 some
wonderful results were brought out. small
piece of wheat showing a result four times
greater in yield than in land under ordinary
tillage. In 1894 two separate fields of pota-
toes were experimental upon, one under the
ordinary method and one under the new plan
of tillage. Six acres were in the first plat
and thirty in the latter, resulting in yield
of 26 bushels where the old method
followed and 142 from the new way. This
the dryest year known in the valley, and
many fields were not harvested at all. Dur
ing the season of 1895 five experimental fields
were operated IN NORTH and South Dakota
Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, mostly by
the railroads, who had become interested, and
other interests who had much to profit from
the success of the method, for its
cess meant the salvation of an immense ter
ritory of the plains country. The returns.
as compared with the old, were very salts
factory, this being especially true of the high
attitudes in Colorado, where the growing
Of crops without irrigation is considered
ager of the Burlington in Nebraska is an
enthusiastic convert to Mr. CampbelPs meth
cd.
Arrangements have been made for more
complete work in experimental stations the
coming year in North and South Dakota,
Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma.
Mr.. Campbell claims that the results brought
out in the last three years demonstrate clear
ly that farming Is perfectly safe throughout
all this region and his mission is to show
to President Schumacher that others fnfiu-
enced to come to the Northwest by the
Northwestern immigration association, with
careful tiIIage, need have no fears of max
ing a success.