The Lamar register., 1905-11-15

through too rapid evaporation, and pre-
pares the ground for the ready abSorp-
tion of rain
3.-Sub-Surface Packer-This tool
consists of series of wedge faced
wheels attached to "a common axle.
These wedge-faced disks are eighteen
inches in diameter and placed vert
ically on the shaft six inches apart.
This machine is better than a smooth
roller for a roller firms the surface soil
with little or no effect upon the under
or sub surface soil. The packer
firms the soil in the lower
portion of the furrow slice. restoring
the capillariety where plowing had ar
rested it. This firmed underestimate
soil is enabled to draw moisture from
below and give good normal root de
velopment. In case sub-surface
packer is not obtainable, corrugated
roller can be used 1t firms the ground
but not to the depth which the sub
surface packer does. These packers
should be followed by smoothing har-
row to produce an earth mulch which
shall arrest capillarity and thereby
check evaporation.
A spike toothed harrow with lever
attachments for regulating the angle
of the teeth is a very satisfactory i'm
III llllo pun DpSt.
4.-Summer Culture. FallowinS
Ground-lcaving the land without q
crop for one or more seasons-was a
common practice with the ancients.
DR.. Roberts in his work on Fertility
of the Land" says this was n neces-
sity for them. The imperfect tools
then used made but a small proportion
of the plant food in the soil available
and the demands of the crops grown
soon outran the obtainable plant food,
Then the only method for renewal was
to let the soil weather out" enough
plant food, with the decayed vegetable
matter to sustain another crop. Some
centuries later the French found that
''manoeuvering" the land-causing
the particles of earth to change place
by tillage-made it more productive.
Experiments now show that sumer til
lage in our semiarid lands has an
added value-it conserves the moisture
while 1t renders more plant food avail
able. Good results have been obtained
in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon
Utah and many sections of Colorado
from summer culture of the land every
other season. 1t has been found that
in this way sufficient moisture can be
stored from the years rainfall to ma
ture crop, in many localities.
After the SHOWS of winter have
melted in the spring. plow the ground
at least seven to eight inches deep.
Level this down with the harrow and
packer. following this process with a
smoothing harrow, forming an earth
mulch to check evaporation. This
mulch should not be too fine as the
winds of the plains will tend to rift
the soil, or blow the earth mulch en-
Irn
fact soil from two to four inches every
ten to fifteen days throughout the sum-
mer. Allow no crust to form after
summer showers, as this will increase
the evaporation of the soil moisture.
Keep the ground clean-free from
weeds.
If fall grain Is to be sown II is ad-
visable to drill in the grain, as this in
sures getting 1t below the earth mulch
which is really dry earth blanket
used all summer to hold the moisture
in the soil below. Get the seed into
this moist under-soil where IL can have
the moisture so essential for germina.
ton. II is advisable to seed fall grain
not later than the last week in Sep
tember in the lower attitudes and not
later than the first week in September
in the higher attitudes: better still, the
Ahiiu VI iuSA Ntfh III AuBuSl.
Ground that has been well cultivated
for several years will produce two
crops in succession and can be given
summer culture the third year. In this
way 1t is possible to grow two crops in
three years.
III farmer expects to cultivate
eighty acres he should divide 1t into
two crop misunderstanding forty
acres the first year and giving summer
culture to the other forty acres This
gives him a crop on one half of his
land each year while he is storing up
moisture in the soil reservoir of the
other half to make the next years
crop. Farmers in the southern part of
Larimer county, Colorado. have been
able to raise quite satisfactory wheat,
barley and forage crops by following
this method of cropping
Mr.. Geo. ID. Porter living at Akron.
Colorado. near the center of the plains
region, has used this method of crop
ping. for small area, for several
years. He reported last fall, when he
seeded his winter wheat, a soil reser-
voir in which there was five feet of
moisture. Last season gave us an un.
usual amount of rainfall but this sum
mer culture has been practiced in
some parts of California for more than
forty years with satisfactory results
The writer knows of one section of
California where it seldom rains from
April to September. yet here some of
the finest fruit and grain is grown
This region in California has an ample
supply of moisture in the rainy sea
son-the winter months. This illus
tration is simply given to show the
value of the earth mulch in holding the
moisture which is already in the soil
reservoir,
Mr.. S. S. Peterman has cherry
orchard near Fort Collins that has
never been irrigated. He depends
upon rainfall for his moisture in a
region that averages scarcely fifteen
inches per annum. As soon in the
spring as possible he cultivates his
orchard and continues to stir the
ground until the fruit sets. His trees
bear fine favored cherries in a salts
factory quantity, while his orchard Is
the cleanest one in his neighborhood
This orchard is eight years old, but
has not yet weathered one of our dry
years.
Summer culture keeps the ground in
good tilth. keeps down weeds. renders
the plant food easily available for the