The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1901-07-11

tho surface will not evaporate
through the loose dry particles that
compose the mulch but will remain
In the ground aud do service In
nourishiug any vegetation, the roots
OF which ere protected by the mulch.
This principle aud the fact that eyap-
oratiou 10 90 retarded arc matters Of
common knowledge.
Awaiting himself Of this natural
law, Prof Campbelrs experiments
were designed TO 90 tres, and cult.
vste the surface Of arid land Mat the
natural rainfslls arc conserved. and
ample crops Of grain have been
grown aud matured.
lio accomplishes this by means OF .
simple tool called . "packer,' rome.
thug like a disk harrow, except that
the discs arc wedge shaped. With
this tool ho packs the soil lA.erally At
a depth of TWO aud . halt to seven
inches below tho surface, rendering
tho soil at that depth firm aud solid,
but through which the water will
seep downward readily; above this
firm stratum Of soil no leaves the
earth loose. like mulch Of sand or
iine shsvings, aud keeps II so BY the
frequent use Of . 1ue-iooth harrow,
which does the work successfully.
BY the use Of this harrow he keeps
the field covered during the period
when 4 corn crop 10 gowing with
what he calls thu "soil mulch," con-.
posed OF the light, loose particles OF
cArth, wich prevents evaporation OF
the moisture below, thus conserving
Il for the nOurishn,cnt Of the plant
roots. After = rainfall, a. soou IS tn,
surface has dried sufficiently TO per.
nit the use Of tho fine tooth harrow
he stirs the surface soil 10 prevent Il
from crusting and cracking ant
letting out line mv,staec. from below
BY evaporation, ~ evaporation Il
rapid al ths, time under such = con
diiiop, aud by thus frequently goIni
over tho field with the light harrow
the mulch Ia preserved aud the moist
urc conserved tor plant use.
Ito informs US that the best resnlt
can DO obtained with small grain b,
cropping only 10 alternate years, let
ting the land lie fAllow, as is usually
done bv the successful wheat raiser
In North Dakota, but during the yea
when tho land lies fallow he prepare
tho ground and watcbes every rain
fall, aud by his method OF cultivation
stores aud conservcs II In the soil 70
the growing crop iu the succeeding
year.
Prof. Campbell has a field Of when
in Graham county that 10 now nearl
ready 10 DO harvested, which no ha
grown upon the land treated an
prepared by this method OF cul,ivu
.iou, that he expects will yield abou
forty bushels per aero.
| lie hiss done n great work for III
bene6t Of the dry lands Of this coul
try bv these experiments, that hAv
provon his system a splendid succesI
BY his fertile brain aud patient lsbo
be has discovered n nav method {
cultivation by which the vast s,reic
Of our domain lying eAsterly Of til
Rocky mountains can be mA,io |
provide prosperous homes for se'
ersl millious Of people.
In conversation with the writer n
Gently Prof. Campbell expressed b
gratitude toward tho managers OF III
railroads running east aud we
through the semi.arid belt. and sSi
that he had received constant al
generous encouragement from then
aud, Oh some occssions, very sui
stautial aid; aud he frankly avowe
that he was glad to sec tho beyinniu
Of the period when increased busiue
ON the western dlvisions VI tn cir lin,
would come to them by reason
, the opeuing up Of iarms there ny th
new method ot agriculture, and u
, production Of millions Of bushels
| cOru aud wheat where heretofol