La Junta tribune., 1905-08-16


not amount to anything"
How do you do it?"
by storing the rainfall IN the soils"
answered Hr. Campbell; by keeping
| the surface OF the ground always loose,
which stops evaporation IL is impos-
| sible for moisture to rise to the surface
through loose soil. and that leaves the
ground in the best condition TO receive
the net rainfall. Thus you can make
fourteen inches of rain go as far as
| twenty-five or thirty inches in raising
all kinds Of crops or plants or trees.
We do not lose any of the rain-ws
have the full benefit OF IL. We keep
II stored where the roots OF the plants
can reach II when they need IT,
How do you accomplish this?'
by stirring up the soil with a re-
yolying disk and then going over II
| again and hlling up the furrow. We
call this 'double-disking-' IL pulyerizes
the soil and levels II OF. We keep
going over q again and again, begin
| ming early in the spring and eontinu-
Ing until the last OF June or the first
part OF July. After every rain we stir
up the soil. either with a disk or an
Acme harrow. Finally We plow seven
| inches deep In the ordinary way and
follow the plow with subsurtace
packer-a machine which makes a
compact. solid bottom, four inches
from the surface. under the loose soil. |
| Then We go over IL again with the
Acme harrow SO as to keep the top I
soil loose and pulyerized- After work !
| ing the soil for a year in this way. by
what We call summer tilling.' We 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
EnAn stirring the Gnil En that N will Z
remain lose and pulverized. and after
one year OF this sort Of cultivation
three crops can be grown in succession
without renewing the tilling. In |
some cases II is better to till every 1
other year and raise crop alternate
years.
II crops are planted every year the
reaper must be Immediately followed
by the plow and the stuhble immedi- /
ately turned under and the soil disk
and harrow kept at work all winter II
II is spring wheat. or from the June
harvest TO the September planting 1.
winter wheat. The same rule must BE-
applied to all the other kinds OF
crops.
To repeat: II is simply n question .
Of the thorough working OF the soil. .
as have described That Is more i'm
portant than the rainfall. No man can
expect a crop who simply turns under .
the sod and scatters his seed and hauls
a harrow carelessly over the field. .
Labor and pains are necessary 10 pro-
duce good results. whethex you are
farming or making furniture or pub
li.sing a newspaper.
Certain scientific phenomena must
b. observed also. | cannot tell you
why. but after a certain amount Of rain
has fallen and penetrated a certais
distance into the soil, each particle of
earth absorbs its share Of the water
until the entire rainfall has been alb
sorbed. II We can hold this water IN 4
this soil during the summer season q
chemical action will follow which pro
duces nitrates and generates bacteria, !
or nitrogen. in the soil The theory Ia
that the bacteria are latent or con-
cealed in the soil and can only be de-
yeoped by moisture and cultivation"
Il have reached a point where am
certain OF the principles and the re-
suits, I am satisfied that | can grow
as good crops in the foothills of ths 1
Rocky mountains as on the prairies OF
Illinois on this farm we have had
unprecedented crops In land where 1
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. without irrigation. with only a
moderate increase Of expense. We have
organized a company and have secured /
100000 acres In the Panhandle OF
Texas, and 80 700 acres In eastern Colo
rado. which We propose 10 cut up into 4
small farms and sell TO those who are 4
willing TO cultivate them by this sys-
TEN. The Denver Post is planning a
model farm; there Is another at Chey-
enne Wells, belonging to the Kansas 4
Pacific Railway: another AZ Otis sup
ported by the Burlington Road and /
also at Holdridge Nebraska. belonging 4
TO George W. Holdridge. the general |
manager % the Burlington. who has
stayed with me from the beginning He
has been my best friend and my most 1
loyal supporter. But for his encour- /
agemsnt | would have given IL up long
ago.
I am not opposed 70 irrigation"
said Mr. Campbell In conclusion. "But /
rrgard q as unnecessary wherever I
there is a rainfall of not less than /
fourteen inches. And n We could have |
one per cent % the fund that is now /
being expended in irrigation plants Z
by the government. 20 teach the people ]
how 20 get along without water in a
semiarid region. We could have 50
many more happy homes and so much ,
more wealth in this country
The Pomeroy farm certainly proves
the truth o. Mr.. Campbelrs theories. /
or else he is a wizard. There is no
water upon II. except one well for do
nestle purposes. and last year there
was only about fifteen inches Of rain
fall This year there has been a little
more-perhaps eighteen inches. And
there Is 10 more beautiful farm in the
c0untrE. The orchard. five years Old. /
is equal TO any I have ever seen; the
he'd ges that divide the fields and sur
round the garden are as high as the