Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-03-27
SUCCESSFUL In DRY FARMING.
E. &. Parsons, of Parker, Explains the Sc
cret of It.


ing in Colorado was read before the
Cherry Creek Grange by E. r.. Parsons
of Parker, Colo:
A few years ago people used to ask
themselves if the agricultural develop
ment of Colorado is to be limited by
the supply of water available for If
rigation purposes. This question,
like many others. has solved itself.
We see farmers all over the hills and
valleys raising crops without irriga-
tion. Some are doing well, some are
holding their own, and some, especial
ly our German neighbors, are making
a great success of it. / attribute the
success of the Germans largely to the
fact that in the old country the aver
age blowing is very much deeper
than it is here. Dry farming is entirely
different from the art of raising crops
with water, and must be pursued by
entirely different methods.
We will now touch on some of the
points which are most essential to sue
cess in this line of farming. The first
of these is location. / believe that very
open, wind swept flats and large bot
toms should be avoided, especially
when sandy. for the reason that bot
tom lands ''bake' more than rolling
or billy lands, and consequently dry
out faster.
In choosing a location, soil should
also be an important factor in the case.
A rich loan with an adobe subsoil
is about the best, and will hold mois-
ture much longer than lighter soils,
everything else being equal. Also, the
ordinary reddish clay soil usually found
on the ridges is good enough for any
purpose; but avoid a sandy soil unless
extremely rich or with a pretty solid
bottom of adobe or clay gravel to
check the sinking of the moisture.
Next comes the question of blowing.
All will agree that large sponge will
receive and hold more moisture than
small one. Therefore, let us make our
sponge as deep as possible by blowing
from eight inches to at least foot in
depth-the deeper the better. The
pillow in the morning should be followed
by the harrow in the evening This
breaks up the clods at once before they
leaves the surface fine and reduces
the evaporating surface After the
crops begin to grow crust should
never he allowed to form on the sur
face All row crops should be Guilt
waited once. at least, and all small grain
well narrowed.
If the blowing in the first place is
md SUStpm9tic3IlV. not
only the soil. but the subSoIl will be-
come moiSter and moister every year
This moisture can be added to every
winter by the following plan: Every
20 feet or so run your plow across your
plowed field. turning up as high fur
row as you can east and west. BY this
means in one day one man can increase
the preci pitation on ten acres of land
by a thousand tons of snow drifts in
each spring blizzard.
People often ask s'What are the
benefits derived from cultivation?"
We profit by cultivation in three
direct ways and in indirect ways too
numerous to mention.
First-By preparing the ground to
receive all the moisture that comes
Secondly blanketing or bottling
the moisture after we have it.
Thirdly inducing the moisture we
keep in reserve down below to rise to
the roots of crops by capillary attrac-
tion.
All earthly matter. when settling
down into the solid formation. ar
ranges itself into certain shapes, &C
cording to it's original constituents.
Some porous, some more or less solid.
Ordinary soil, if left alone, after being
expanded with moisture gradually set
ties down into the compact state
and contracts, leaving air pipes, or
pores, all through it, which are very
plainly visible with the microscope
The moist air, or underground dew,
rises from the damp subsoil by CAPT.
larry attraction through these little
tubes or pores to the roots of the crops,
and there we keep it where it is most
needed. 1t cannot escape into the
atmosphere because we have filled up
the pores or little tubes at the top
with dust and fine dirt from the har-
row or cultiYator.
or0r,c avorythinu ShOnld