The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-20
DRY FARMING, NOT IRRIGATION,

teAii OL ABllCultuIS v III NeNiAoHSb INSp~
 raska and the Dakotas.
 One of the most important move nents in the direction of the farming conditions in the West is going on along the northern line of this state and dn the southern part of Nebraska. It Is based on the Campbell system of ag- riculture, which includes no hint of ir- rigation, yet which the promoters are sure will prove the salvation of the semi-arid region. Especially where the supply of artificial water Is limited, 1t Is believed that there Is far better work to be done than by irrigation.
 H. W. Campbell of Sioux City, Iar, the originator of the system, Is person. ally looking after the promotion of the plans, and with his son is trying to overcome the prejudices of the farmers who think there is no way like the old one. To convince them there have been started 12 model farms along the Bur- ington system, which are conducted for the purpose of demonstrating to the farmers that good crops may be pro duced by the right kind of work when without this scientific tillage they would get nothing. Each of these farms is under the management of an experienced farmer, who works along the lines laid down as If he were the manager of @ loom and working to pattern. They are under contract to continue the plan for at least three years consecutively. This is for the purpose of having the farmers see that there Is nothing mysterious or depend- ent on luck In the process It Is claimed that the second crop is better than the first, and the third is best of all. The fact Is being proved thls year in North Dakota, where there are farms that have been worked along this line by the orders of the Northern Pacific for three years, and the results are all that were claimed for it. There are also two or threee in Nebraska that have made the same kind of reports, and they have given the farmers of their vlcinities an impetus toward better work In the caring for their ferns.
 qs The largest of the Kansas dozen Is at Bird City, and it is very carefully man. aged. It has been so successful this year that there are many who think that if the Kansas Legislature had given half the money that 1t spent on the irrigation experiments to this de- velopment of the better use of the tal- ents that they have in this section of the state, there would be more to show for It.. The immigrants that came to the state and then left might then all be there to swell the census reports as of old
 ,y Although 1t seems incredible, the pro- motor thinks the time is not far distant when all this western seni-arid region will be brought under the benefcent influence of the new system, and that the population which went out will all come back. forgetting the dfsappoint- ments of the drouth years. It is claimed that the mere fact that the western part of the state gets less rain then the lands of Illinois and Iowa is a benefit rather than a hindranee, and that there is no reason why there should not be the, same crops or better raised here than are found in the rich bottom lands af the country further east. Irrigation Is wiped out of the problem and 1t is claimed that there can be produced better results than under that system, when once the farmers get a full under standing of the plans and carry them out. s skss z@
 The process consists first of a thorough pulverizing of the top of the land for depth of threee or four inches with disk harrow; then to blow the land to a depth of eight inches using this fine soil for the bottom of the fur row. After this comes the surface packer" tool that resembles the rear portion of a Havana press drill, ex- oept that the wheels are wedge shaped instead of being flat. This tool packs that lower substratum firmly together. leaving the surface loose for three inches from the top. It places the ground in model condition, but is a mat ter of a good deal of work for the first two years, as there are many difficult ties In the way of the first loosening of the soil.
 The work is done immediately after the blow, apd IS followed by a fine smoothing rake, which will make the land look like garden. It should be done in the fall If possible, for then the land Is in better condition than at any other time for thorough pulverizing. It is better to do it as soon after the talk ing off of the previous crop as can be done. in order to get the best results. In most of these model farms the work has been done in the spring, for the reason that the question of establish ing them was not settled until after the beginning of the cold weather, and so there was not time to accomplish all that was expected. Tn case of fall pre- parations, the first work is, in the spring, to harrow the top and loosen the surface two inches deep to pre- vent evaporation, and so provide for the moisture that will be needed when the heat of the summer comes, and even in the dry weather of the late spring This loosenins or the soil holds the moisture, but it Is method that has not been used to the benefit that could have been found if the farmers had understood the scientific prin- ciples that are being applied to the model farms of the new system It is too early to seed, however when the spring narrowing Is done, and the soil must be smoothed and got into fine condition when there is time, and as the season advances there will come the seeding. This is due when there Is prospect for quick germination and growth The corn is planted with a check rower, and on small grains, as wheat, oats etc. the rows are drilled 20 inches apart Only about one-quarter of the seed usually sown is used, so that there may ha a hafter chopoa for