The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-17

is SO covered by the grain as to COM
pletely obliterate all traces of the rows,
so far as can be observed from a little
distance. The heads are so full as to
make the yield larger than can be ex-
pected in broadcast seeding under any
conditions. There seems to be- good
reason to think that farmers in all
climates could profitably adopt this
part of the Campbell method.
FINE RESULTS OF THE NEW
METHOD.
Some astounding figures are given as
to the results of this method. It has
never failed to bring a crop when fair
" tried No field titled according to its
rules has ever suffered from drought
In 1898, near Aberdeen, S. D., this
method of tillage brought a yield of
146 bushels of potatoes per acre, while
other fields were a total failure; in
1896, in Harlan county, Neb., a yield of
200 bushels of potatoes per acre in the
fields of Batty & Son, while in others
about 20 bushels was the rule; and at
Glen Ullen, n. D., in 1896, c. LidStrom
got $50 bushels per acre on sub
surface packed ground, and only 80
bushels per acre on unpacked soil, al
though all were given the same sur
face cultivation. Mr.. G.. H. Pratt, a
banker of Hastings, Neb., makes a
statement that a partial adoption of
this method has increased the average
yield of corn five bushels per acre in
his county.
In none of these fields is there ever
any difficulty in detecting greater
degree of moisture than in fields oper-
ated by ordinary methods Last July
the writer visited the North Dakota
fields and found by digging that in the
Campbell fields, from the surface down
as far as the spade would reach. the
ground was wet enough for the making
of mud balls while in other fields, as
soon as the spade went below the eff
fects of recent shower, the soil was
dry as dust. In 1894 and 1895 Mr..
Campbell had plats in South Dakota
Both were extremely dry seasons. The
ground was. in other fields, parched
and dry to an unknown depth. But in
the autumn of 1894 his fields, after ma
turing the crops. showed six feet, and
the next autumn ten feet OF moist
earth. That elusive 1000 tons or so or
water per acre had been tapped and
held by the new tillage. In 1894 test
tubes of dirt were taken from a Camp
bell field at Hastings, Neb., and from
adjoining fields, and sent to the de-
partment of agriculture at Washington
for analysis. In that July only one
sixteenth of an inch of rainfall oc-
CURED on these fields. The average
percentage OF moisture IN the upper L
inches of soil during this month was.
in the Campbell fields about IS per
cent, in the other fields about per
cent. The observations were taken at
s o'clock every evening and furnished
d most striking proof of the efficacy of
this method of conserving moisture.
Eighteen per cent of moisture is
enough to insure rapid and fourishing
growth; per cent is. to all appear
ances. absolutely dry.
In 1896 about a dozen model farms
were operated by the Northern Pacific
and the 500 Line railway in North
Dakota. The results were such as to
impel these roads to prepare for more
farms next year. and the Northern Pa
cific has made an offer of premiums for
the best fields TILED by this method
by farmers of 10 counties in North Da-
kota. Some Of the great grain COM
panies of Minneapolis and some land
companies are actively cooperating in
the work of education. The B. g. NJ
railway, in Nebraska, will next year
operate it's model farms in Nebraska
and Kansas. The Chicago, Milwaukee
& st. Paul is doing a great deal to
bring the new tillage to the attention
of the farmers along its lines in South
Dakota. The Great Northern is doing
the same in North Dakota. Other rail-
ways are evincing much interest. In
localities in which these model farms
are located the farmers are adopting
the method as rapidly as they can, so
that it can be said that the efforts of
these far-seeing men are already bear
ing tangible fruit
J. HERBERT QUICK.