Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-16

rainfall: while the crops on the neigiibor-
ing farms did rot amount to anything.
How do you do it,
by storing the rainfall in the sol" an
swered Mr.. Campbell; by keeping the sur
face of the ground always loose, which
stops evaporation. 1t is impossible for
moisture to rise to the surface through
loose sol. and that leaves the ground in the
best condition to receive the next rainfall.
Thus you make fourteen inches OF rain
60 as far as twenty -five or thirty inches in
raising all kinds of crops plants or
trees We do not lose any of the rain-we
have the full benefit of it. We keep 1T
stored where the roots Of the plants can
reach it when they need it,"
How do you accomplish th.s?"
Stirring the Soil the Secret.
by stirring up the soil with Il revolving
disc. and then going over it again and fill
ing up the furrow. We call this double
discing.' 1t pulverizes the soil and levels
it off. We keep going over it again and
again. beginning early in the spring and
| continuing until the last of June or the
first part of July. After every rain we
stir up the soil. either with a disc an
Acme harrow. Finally we plow seven
inches deep in the ordinary way and fol-
low the pillow with a sub-surface packer-a
machine which makes a compact, solid bot
tom, four inches from the surface, under
the loose soil. Then we go over it again
with the Acme harrow, to keep the
top soil loose and pulveriZed. After work
ing the soil for year in this way by what
we call summer tiling. put in our
wheat either in the fall or in the spring.
as is usual The first year we do not put
in any seed. We simply keep stirring up
the soil so that it will rema!n loose and
pulverized and after one year of this sort
of cultivation. three crops can be grown in
succession without renewing the tiling.
n l. hattn
other year ard raise crop alternate
years.
If crops are planted every year the
reaper must be Immediately followed by
the piow and the stubble Immediately turn
ed under and the soil disc and harrow kept
a, work all winter if it is spring wheat or
from the June harvest to the September
planting of winter wheat The same rule
must be applied to all other kinds of
crops.
ITO repeat: 1t is simply question Of
the thorough working of the soil.
have described. That is more important
than the rainfall. No man can expect a
crop who simply turns under the sod. and
scatters his seed and hauls a harrow care
lessly over the field. Labor and pains are
necessary to produce good results. whether
you are farming making furniture or
pl bl1Shing a newspaper
Certain scientific phenomena must be OBJ
served also. l cannot tell you why, but after
a certain amount of rain has fallen and
pei etrated certain distance into the soil.
each particle of earth abSOrbS it's share of
the water until the entire rainfall has been
absorbed. If We can hold this water in
this soil during the summer season a chem
ical action will follow which produces nj
tra ties and generates bacteria, or nitrogen
in the soil. The theory is that the bacteria
is latent concealed in the soil and can
| only be developed by moisture and cultiva-
ton
Story Of Experiments.
u
asked.
My first experiments were made near
Aberdeen. S. D.. in 1881" said Mr. Camp
bell. Il was raised on a farm in Vermont,
| came west in 1878. and took up a home
stead and tree claim near Aberdeen in 1879
The first four crops were ideal. In 1852 we
got forty bushels of wheat to the acre. but
In lSS.' we did not get our seed back. ac-
count of drought. There was no rain what
ever between the planting and the harvest
We had several bad years following. which
set me thinking ard experimenting, but
did not strike the fundamental principle
until 1893. when l made good crop. Then
l expanded. and In 1894 got 142 bushels Of
potatoes to the acre. and did equally well
with my wheat and corn, while the neigh
bors didn't get anything. They said 1t was
an accident, but 1 knew better. and went
out as missionary talking to the farmers
explaining my theories and starting expert
| mental farms for the Northern Pacific and
500 railway companies Then / went to
| work for the Burlington. and Mr. Pomeroy
induced me to come to Kansas. and pro-
vided me with teams, tools and men on a
most liberal basis and every opportunity
to demonstrate my theories.
Sure of His Principles.
II have reached point where 1 am GER
| tain of the principles and the results.
am satisfied that can grow as good crops
| in the foothills of the Rocky mountains as
on the prairies of Illinois. On this farm
| We have unprecedented crops in a land
where failure is more certain than success
We have demonstrated that all kinds of
| botanical plants, grains. fruits and berries
| can be grown in this semi-arid region with
out irrigation. with only moderate in
| crease of expense. We have organized a
company and have secured 300,0OO acres In
| the panhandle of Texas and $4,000 acres in
| eastern Colorado, which We propose to cut
up into small farms and sell to those who
are willing to cultivate them by this SyS-
| TEN. The Denver Post is planning model
| farm; there is another at Cheyenne Wells,
| belonging to the Kansas Pacific railway;
| another at Otis, supported by the Burlng-
| ton road, and also at Holdridge, Neb., be-
| longing to Mr.. George w. Holdridge, the
| general manager of the Burlington, who
| has stayed with me from the beginning.
! He has been my best friend and my most
| loyal supporter. But for his encourage
| ment l would have given 1t up long ago.
Il am not opposed to Irrigation" said
Mr.. Campbell in conclusion. But re-
/ II
| a rainfall of not less than fourteen inches.
| And if We could have ! per cent of the
| fund that is now being expended in irri-
| CATION plants by the government to teach
| the people how to get along without water
| in a semi-arid region we could have so
| many more happy homes and so much more
| wealth in this country.
| The Pomeroy Farm.
| The Pomeroy farm certainly proves the
| truth Of Mr. Campbelrs theories. or else
| he is a wizard. There IS no water upon 1t
! except one well for domestic purposes. and
| last year there was only about fifteen
| inches of rainfall. This year there has
| been a little more perhaps eighteen inches.
| and there is no more beautiful farm in the
| country The orchard. five years Old is
| equal to any that l have ever seen: the
| hedges that divide the fields and surround
| the garden high the head of a
| man: the vegetable garden, the berry
| bushes. the flowers and the foliage are
| equal to any that you can find upon the
| best irrigated farm in California. while the
| wheat, corn and potatoes simply per-
| feet.
| The farm across the road looks skinny and
| shabby. the gaps between the rows of
| corn. The bald spots In the wheat and the
| feeble potatoes look as if a conspiracy had
-,l-s.~