The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1897-05-21
AN INTEREsTINe EXPERIMENT.
To Ship Farm Across State for E1-
hibitiOn Purposes.

EibitiOn Purposes.
It is probable that a farm will be
into Omaha from Western
Nebraska in June for the transmits
sissippi exposition to show the people
how the Campbell method ofsoil culture
works.
Most farmers in this section know
more or less about the Campbell sys-
TEN, but few laymen ever heard of it.
The railroads seem to have the utmost
confidence in it and they are doing
their best to boom it.
II. W. Campbell, the inventor or dis
cOyerer of the method, probably never
would have thought of it had he not
located on a farm in South Dakota.
He hadn't been there long before he
began to gather experience concerning
crop failures. The soil was all right
but there wasn't enough water. Even
when it did rain it didn't always come
at the right time. For while every
thing went well. The farmers raised
enormous crops, but there was no mar
ket for them. They went into hog
raising. "If we can't sell our crops"
they argued, well feed them to the
hogs and sell them" The very next
year after they got their herds fairly
established there came a crop failure
and there wasn't anything to feed the
hogs. They had to sell them for al
most nothing.
At this time Campbell was working
on scheme to circumvent the unsta-
bic elements. He thinks he's got it
now. AS soon as his idea was fairly in
shape he went to the railroads and
land companies, whose pocketbooks
had suffered through the wholesale
emigration of the farming population
and said:
"Gentlemen, the northwest has rain
enough. 1t simply doesn't come at the
right time, or it dries up as soon as it
gets here. What the soil ought to do
is to act as a natural reservoir and I've
got scheme that will make it do it.
"The amount of moisture in the soil
is governed largely by the condition of
the top seven or eight inches. Farm
ers think that even with plenty of rain
in the spring their crops are still at
the mercy of June and July droughts.
This is an ancient error. A simple and
inexpensive method of tiIlage will keep
the water in the ground indefinitely.
1t consists in the complete rearrange-
ment of the top seven or eight inches
Of sOil-in turning it as nearly bottom
upwards as possible.
"The ground should first be ploWed
to a depth of eight inches. Imme.
diately after blowing it should be
packed as firmly as possible. I have q
machine of my own invention for do,
ing this. It consists of a heavily
weighted shaft mounted on row Of
wedged shaped wheels that cut into
the soil and, by their peculiar form
crowd the earth particles close tOgeth
er. This packing is done to stop all
cavities through which the air might
circulate. 1t must not be permitted Il
do this, as it is ruinous to the growing
plant. Besides, the packed eartt
gathers moisture more than if it lies
loosely.
"After the deep blowing and surface
packing the upper two inches must bt
kept constantly loose and dry. Tbii
forms a soil mulch or dust blanket
For what purpose? To cut off tht
moist earth below from the rays of tht
sun. Water cannot pass through loose
dry soil by capillary attraction. There
fore the dust blanket protects the roo
bed from evaporation and saves al
the natural rainfall for the use Of tn,
plant.
"In the past the farmers gave no at
tention to keeping such blanket il
existence. As a result, the surface o.
the ground baked to hard crust aftel
each rain. The water from beneath
was drawn to this crust, and in a few
hours after the rain the soil was agaiI
as dry as a brick"
Well, the railroads tried the Camp
bell method, and it worked. Now th,
various lines have fifty or more expert
metal stations scattered all over tn,
northwest and are constantly adding
to the number. They claim that a
soon as farmers have it explained Il
them and see how successful the plaI
is in operation they will adopt it, anC
crop failures will be things of tn
past.
1t is to let the greatest number SCI
this in the shortest space of time tina
the plan of bringing a western Nebras
ka farm to Omaha was suggested. Th'
soil is all right. heclimste is all right
Only proper methods Of cultivation ar
needed. Such is the claim of the rail
road managers, and this assertion they
viii endeavOF to prove at the Trans
mississippi exposition.
While the details Of the plan are yei
in a somewhat embryonic state, in gen
eral outline it is to load something lik,
an acre Of soil three feet thick On
train Of box cars and run the whole
thing across the state to Omaha.
Houses for sale at your own price
B, +. Brown.