Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-02-22
DEFIES THE DROUGHT
RESULTS OF HARp-PAcKEo SOIL
The Campbell system. which is Ia Ne
Tried oa GOT 90 Acres In Wsstsrn Nan
s~s. Has hesa T~stsd In Other states
with Gsod Hssuits

The proposed experiments 10 he
made ON a large scale in western Kan
sas during the coming summer by the
Campbell system OF subsoil culture are
attracting wide attention, says the cor
respondent OF III. Chicago Record. The
outlook for thar section OF Kansas ana
Nebraska IL not favorable 10 anything
but cattle raising. and Investors VIII
hundreds OF thousands o! acres OF land
consider themselves NJ the mercy OF
III. stock rais-rs in leasing or selling
theis property. secured under for.clos-
urr or by forced sale. In order To pro
t.ct their rights.
The manager of the large experiment
tai farms. IL. ". Campbell. has given
cut some facts as TO the success lie has
attained IN the great snb-arld belt OF
the western Mississippi valley. III. has.
during the last season. Investigated the
soil OF western Kansas and previously
noted some excellent results IN tree
growing in the northwest part OF the
stale.
Mr.. Campbell. In describing the nrst
results In western Kansas, says:
In the spring Of isoJ some 80
young apple. cherry, plum and peach
trees were set ON a narrow, high Ill
vide. slightly siopins TO the south.
fully l15 feet nbov. the Republican
valley. which runs jus; south OF this
farm. All the trs,-s made fair
growth that year. but during I'll. sea
-on OF is?1 most rrmarknbi. growth
WIS noted. one plum tree was found
with nine limbs. the shortest mcns,ir-
Ing four feet EIGHT inches In length.
ani The ions"s; six feet one inch. en-
tirciy of the iso' growth.
In October. isas. Mr.. Francis. gen
.rni Passenger agent OF I'll. burlington
railway. visited this farm npd noticed
what seemed To l.. very long limb
On u honey locust standing In the wind
break nj the edge Of this orchard. I'll.
limb was Gu; and found To have made
. growth Of seven feet eight inches
during that season.
I'm October Of the second year Of
tr-aiing this ground. by the new
method. we bored down the cntIr.
length OF our carth.sampllng ausrr.
which was sixteen feet two Inches
long. We found no dry soil and
could make balls OF II ut any point
by pressing In the hands. Just acros.
the road. whcrr ordinary methods of
culture was applied. no moisture what.
ever was found and the dust would
ry from every auccrful n> |; came TO
the surface.
Potatoes have been grown each OF
til. four years ON this place. and In
the very dry sanson OF is,1. when no
rain fell from October. is.S. to June
IL. 1870. our crop was the smallest.
averaging only eighty bushels pet
acre. The entire growth Of this crop.
up 10 June 18th. was from moisture
stored and held In the soil by our
n. hII ~ txsns sI.t, st.a
which fell In 1897 and 1873. Crops
by the common method wcr. a total
loss by drought In that country In
1879.
The method OF culture is the rcsul,
OF many years OF study aud expert.
mcniing on my own farm In Brown
county. South Dakota. where located
In 1sio. where the soil formation Is
practically the same as In Kansas. Ms
crops In 1850. 1881 and 1852 were yer,
remarkable. From 200 acrcs OF wheat
In lSSa ! harvested over 2.OOO bushels.
the result OF an exceptionally favorable
season. but in 1883 the crop was very
light. some not worth cutting. Other
like results followed. Then began the
battle. Could conquer these results.
or must leave that magnificent soil,
MS Others wcr" doing. and say II was
no good:
For fully five years made little or
no progress In my experiments. What
seemed right one year was wrong the
next year. But then l scmcd to have
hit upon an idea that was correct every
year, that Of packing the lower portion
OF a deep furrow slice. Then followed
the frequent cultivation of the surface.
which prevented the evaporation of the
soil moisture or rainfall. and In 1892 I
began to tell the farmers that drought
could be- controlled and crop foiluro
prevented. In 1891. the record breaker
for crop failure by drought from the
Canadian line to the Gulf of Mexico. I
came ont with good corn, wheat, barley
and potatoes. having that year thirty. /
TWO acres of potatoes that yielded 1J2
bushels per acre, while ncighborinr
ields We're not dug at all. being worth
less.
In the fall Of 1S9S decided TO con.
duct no more work TO he known public
~ as experiments or demonstrations
until could interest capital in plan
OF sufficient magnitude to pay me TO
personally devote my entire time To
thorough work for n series of wears.
lhe season of 90 was largely sprni in
bringing this about. In November I !
came in touch with Mr.. !. =. Pomcroy
with large land interests In Grohniu
county, and we were not long in com |
ing to gethcr. and though work is nj
ready under way, wish to call attcu.
lion TO one important point-that II Is
impossible to get the best results in the
ilrst %cnr. Each years cultivation and
conservation of moisture improves tho |
condition of the soil and increases thc
sou moisture so that the second ana
'lird crops will he better and more Ger |
'aih even with the same effect and |
care, as was shown by the continuous |
work at Lisbon. North Dakota whoro
the first crop of corn was forty.t,ro
bushels, the second eighty-two and thn |
thlrd ninety-thrce bushels. The worI;
Is simple. hut must not be neglected |
and mlsI hn ihnrnnnll.. ~,