River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-10-14
cuLr1vAToR USED IN THE CAMPBELL METHOD

on the surface of the ground. On this
crust the sun and wind act with terrific
energy and in few days the earth is
sucked dry of all moisture. Tie season
of drought is then at hand ard the
crops wither and die from excessive
heat. In working his kitchen garden Mr..
Campbell noticed he never had trouble
in raising good crops OF vegetables
while fair yield in adjoining fields was
a rarity. As the methods Of cultivation
were radically different he concluded
the secret must lie in this. Extensive
experiments satisfied him he was right
and he communicated his discovery To
his neighbors, to the state authorities,
and to railway managers interested in
western lands. This was in the fall of
1894. Since then the matter has been
more thoroughly tested over wide
area of territory with results That make
the most conservative of men give the
system emphatic Endorsement.
In working his garden Mr.. Campbell
used a hand hoe continually and the
surface soil was kept finely pulverized,
forming a sort of dust blanket which
choked the pores of the sub-soil and
prevented the escape of moisture except
as il was drawn up by the roots of the
plants. That this theory is correct was
proven by taking test tubes of earth
from the garden and adjoining fields.
and sending them to different chemists
for analysis. This earth was in all in
stances taken from the uniform depth
of 10 inches. That from the fields yield
ed only seven per cent. o. moisture
while that from the garden gave be-
tween IS and 10 per cent. The impor-
lance of this variation may be learened
from the fact that earth containing
only seven per cent. of water is dry and
powderv to the touch; that which
holds IS per cent can be squeezed into
mud ball. Satisfied he had struck the
right idea Nh. Campbell's next move
was to devise a means of putting IT
into practical operation Large fields
cannot be economically cultivated on
the same plan as small gardens. and
radical change in tillage methods had to
be evolved.
The ground is first plowed deeply, so
as to stir up the subsoil and at once
gone over repeatedly with a novel con-
structed harrow which thoroughly pull
verizes the top earth, while at the same
time it packs firmly all the ground
four or five inches below the surface,
thus preventing the escape of moisture
before the crop is put in. Under the old
plan the ground was allowed to lie for
days after being plowed before harrow
was started and the evaporation of wa
ter through the ffeshly-broken surface
was rapid and exhaustive. Immediate
pulyerization of the top soil following
its turning up by the pillow reduces this
evaporation TO the minimum. Crops are
then sowed or planted in the usual
manner and the moment the plant
shows a fair growth cultivation is be-
gun with a specially designed machine
which Just scratches the surface of the
ground without disturbing the earth
around the roots of the plant. BY con-
tinuous use Of this machine so long as
the horses can make their way through
the fields the top earth is kept in finely
powdered condition and serves as what
Mr.. Campbell calls a dust blanket. BY
the time the plants are too big to be
worked any longer the shade they cast
will keep off the suns rays and even the
hot winds will not be able to do much
damage. The process is so simple that
many farmers are at first inclined TO
doubt its efficacy. but the results are be-
yond dispute. 1t not only insures crops
in dry seasons, but il increases the yield