Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-02-15
RECLAIM ARID LANDS
KANSAS SOIL CULTURE PLAN.
Deep Flowing. Followed by Hard fseh'as
Of the surface. said to fTodaes Won
derfui Results

derfui Results
Tho old.time theory OF western Kan
sas residents thar this section OF the
state can he made an agricultural re-
gion. raising grain with the certainty
OF the seasons round. IL about TO have
another trial. II has already been twice
tried. once under the claim period.
when farmers endeavorcd to make
homes OH the sub-arid uplands with or
dinary culture and failed. Then there
was the irrigation movement, when the
state undertook TO teach the farmers
how to raise enough water TO the sur
face by means OF windmills nnd suso-
line engines To make crop rYjurns GER
tain. This. too. failed. and there was
long period OF depression and decreas-
ing population that resulted In heart
aches and discournIcment for thou
sands OF families. In the minds OF
many these experiments demonstrated
that western Kansas could be nothing
but cattle range. and few We're hardy
enough 10 Insist on the ordinary crop
methods. Hut after these years an
other theory has been taken up. and
work Is already outlined and plans pre-
pared for extensive experiments In this
,Grahnmp county.
The head OF the new movement IL
Colonel J. r. Pomeroy. the millionaire
mine owner OF Cripple Greek. but fov-
mcrly OF Kansas. lie Inherited n for
tune In early days and Invested much
OF IL In this part OF the state. lie i
the largest Individual land owner In
Kansas. possessing about 5000 acres.
chiefly western land that has been
used only for pasture FOR years. He
founded I'M City, and. after the or
gan!zntion OF the county, won n hard
couniy-sent fight for the location OF the
court house here. II Ii upon his lands
In this county that lie PROPOSES to be-
gin experiments. and he has enlisted as
manager ". II. Campbell. the Inventor
of the Campbell system OF soil culture.
which he viii cndeavor To utilize ON
the plnins OF northwest Kansas.
Campbell has been working on the
system FOR years. Ills plan conicm-
plates the preservation OF the moisture
In the ground during the winter and
peculiar treatment during the summer.
II has been tried and he claims that Il
hns never failed In its operations. For
one year he had charge OF forty three
farms In Nebraska. Kansas. Colorado.
North Dakota and South Dakota. He
secured good crops, despite the prc,iic-
'ions OF failure. and has the records Of
Yields for years before to compare with
those OF the years In which he opcrat.
ed and knows the exact results.
In dry season the surface Of u
plowcd field In western Kansas will bc
dry for ten inches down. while by the
Campbell system II will bc dry only
two or three Inches. Rain on the
ground that Is simply piowcd soon
dries up. but on packed or cultivated
tarth Is drawn down beyond the chance
or evaporation and thus rctaine, for
the preservation OF plant life.
1t Is claimed to have been demon.
stratcd thoroughly that In the arid b.St
proper working Of the soil will give
good crop In seasons OF total failure
by common tllage and a phenomenal
crop when n small yield Is obtained by
the old method. That Is. every drop
OF water which enters the soil during
the year Is made to do duty instead OF
escaping Into the atmosphere. That
this system Is founded upon certain
facts that seem to bear II out Is already
recognized by the farmers OF western
Kansas. ns IL shown by the Increased
use OF listers and the decreased use
OF plows and choppers
The soil culture method can be- put In
use with the usual farm tools-thc
plow. drill. harrow and cultivntor. AZ
ter plowing the ground Is packed"
either with set OF sharp-rimmed
wheels, made for the purpose. or by n
dr1il arranged to produce nearly the
same effect. The process OF turning
the top six or seven inches rs nearly
bottom upward rs possible Is encour-
aged by the use OF the subsoil plow,
though this Is n somewhat expensive
procedure owing to the number of
horses needed In pulling that kind of an
implement. The plant food Is found
at the end of season concentrated
largely In the top four inches of soil
and by turning this under It gives the
new plant root food. which sustnins
them through the trials OF the hot
winds and long continued drought.
The packing of this four inches Is
made necessary according to the advo-
Gates of the system, for four reasons.
To completely obliteratc the cnnties;
when the furrow lies loose the air cir
culates under the plants and the soil
dies out; to cause the moisture to gath
er from SIX to eight inches below the
surface, because the stubblc and ma.
nure and other vegetable matter is
there and attracts 1t, thus rotting II
and lifting 1t for food for the crops: up.
less this Is done the plants are robbed
of n most valuable food.
To get the right conditions for rapiJ
root growth early in the season a fine.
moist soil must be had. The lower
part OF the furrOw Is the root bed and
must he kept In the right condition.