Rocky Ford enterprise., 1897-02-18

affected. So he invented a sub-surface
packing, the one new thing he has Civ
en- to agriculture. He Invented n tool
which firmly packs the sub-surfaces
and leaves the upper four inches loose.
He gives his audiences directions for
doing this work with the ordinary
tools of the farm, but, no doubt, spe-
cial tools will always be used where
large fields are to be economically
packed. This packing Is done only once
year and costs only 20 cents per acre
for labor.
| The ground Is subjected to frequent
| shallow cultivation to prevent the
evaporation OF moisture. Every farm
er knows that layer of straw over n
garden bed will keep the ground be-
meath moist. Mulching around the
roots of trees does the same thing.
This is done by checking evaporation.
Almost every farmer knows that his
corn is enabled to stand the dry wealth
er longer IL frequently cultivated or
hoed. The blanket of dust, or loose dry
earth keeps the moisture from coming
to the surface where the winds can
suck 1t up. The Campbell method re-
quires the cultivation to be done with
some fine-tOothed cultivatOr, or harrow
set to run not more than two inches
deep, and to be repeated once in from
| five to seven days throughout the
growing season. Should the season be
hot or dry, the stirring of this dust
mulch must be pushed more vigorous
ly. This cultivation Is not n very ex-
pensive operation, as one man with n
team is able to cultivate from 20 to 80
acres OF wheat, oats, corn or any
other crop per day. Two-row and
three-row cultivators are used In corn,
and cultivators IL feet wide In small
grain. The entire cost per acre for Ia
Dor In excess Of the cost OF the old
method, including the subsurface
packing, amounted, on the Soldiers
Home farm at Lisbon, North Dakota,
in 1896, 10 o. cents per acre, large
part OF which was Offset by saving of
seed In the fields OF small grain. All
the work was, In this case, paid for in
each and exact accounts kept. The
yield was estimated to be double that
by the old method on all crops.
I said that surface packing is the
one new thing which Mr.. Campbell has
given to agriculture. There IL another
thing inherent in his system which is,
perhaps. new to American agriculture,
although old to the agriculturists OF
Europe. l refer to the interculture of
wheat. oats. barley, and all "small
grain" during the growing season. The
dust mulch IL Just rs essential to these
crops as to corn or potatoes. There
fore. the Campbell method requires all
such crops to be sown In drills far
enough apart to permit OF constant cul-
tivation. The best results have been
obtained by placing the drills from IS
to % inches apart. Cultivators are
used which enable hnsbandmen to stir
the surface between these rows with
the utmost facility. As only about one
quarter OF the usual quantity Of seed
is required, this saving goes far to
make up for the expense OF cultivn-
tion. The stalks 'stool out" under the
influence OF the moisture In the soil in
cidcnt to the system OF tillagc, 30 that
at harvest time the ground Is so COW
cred by the grain rs to completely OBJ
litcratc 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 he expected in
broadcast seeding under any condi-
tions. There seems to be good reason
to think that farmers In all climates
could proiitably adopt this part OF the
Campbell method.
Some astounding figures are given as
to the results OF this method. 1t has
never failed to bring n crop when fair
~ tried. No field titled according to Its
rules has ever suffered from drought.
In 1893, near Aberdeen. $. D., this
method OF tillace brought yield Of
1l6 bushels OF potatoes per acre, while
other fields were a total failure: In
1896. In Harlan county. Neb.. n 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 ullcn. y. D.. In 1896. o.
Li,lstrom got 100 bushels per acre on
sul,-surface packed ground. and only
81 bushels per acre on unpacked soil.
although all were given the same sur
face cultivation. q. II. Pratt. bank
or OF Hastings. Neb.. makes the state
mcnt that 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-
atcd by ordinary methods. Last July
tho 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 max
ing of mud balls, while in other fields.
MS soon as the spade went below the
effects of n recent shower. the soil was
dry as dust. In 1894 and 1SslJ 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
maturing the crops, showed six feet.
and the next autumn ten feet OF moist
earth.
That elusive 1000 tons or 80 Of water
per acre had been trapped and held by
tho new tillagc. In 1904 test tubes OF
dirt were taken from Campbell Held
Mt Hastings. Ncb.. and from adjoining
fields, and sent to the department of
agriculture Mt Washington for analy-
sis. In that July only 1-1G OF an inch OF
rainfall occurred on these fields. The
average per ccntagc of moisture in the
uppcr twelve inches OF soil during this
month was. in the Campbell fields.
about 1S per cent, In the other fields
about s per cent. The observations
were taken at O o'clock every evening
and furnished n most striking proof of
the efficacy OF this method of conserv-
Ing moisture. Eighteen per cent. Of
moisture Is enough to insure rapid and
flourishing growth: 8 per cent. Is, to all
appearances. absolutely dry.
In 1896 about a dozen model farms
were operated by the Northern Pacific