Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-10-24
FOR THE DRY
LAND FARMERS
Able Article Written by Prof. Akin.
son, Aqronomist Of the Montana Elk.
pertinent Station at eozeman.
MANY VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS
Preparation Of the SoiI-Early Spring
Cultivation-FaIi Sown Crops
Alfalfa Growing.

kluSOn. dSTOnOnllSl Vi W. 'iOutdud eA.
pertinent station at Bozeman, especial
ly for farmers of this section of the
state, will prove of great interest to
those who are practicing dry land
farming entirely or in part in Fergus
county:
A glance at the photographic cas-
sification Of land areas throughout the
semi-arid west reveals the fact that
the location of millions of acres is such
as to preclude all irrigation possibii-
ties. This land contains all the es-
sential plant food elements for the
growth of maximum crops. The diff
ficulty that confronts the farmer here
is the apparently insufficient moisture
supply and when this land is farmed
it must be under the system known
as dry land farming" During the
past ten years considerable of this
land has been devoted to crop growing,
and in many instances good returns
were gained for the money invested.
With this existing possibility, it may
not be inappropriate to consider the
essentials to success in this class of
agricultural practice.
While plants require large amount
of water for growth, some as high as
500 pounds for each pound of dry mat
ter produced. yet when we figure the
water required to mature a crop in
terms of inches rainfall it appears to
be very slight. Seven inches precip-
ltatiOn conveys enough water to the
earth to grow good cereal crop.
Since the average annual precipitation
of this area is not less than IL inch
es and in some cases as high as IS
inches. it is evident that if half this
moisture were saved, paying crops
could be grown.
Preparing the Soil.
In preparing the soil for dry land
crop the first essential is to have a
seed bed that will store the maximum
amount of water When land is tc
be broken for the first time experience
seems to indicate that this can be best
done in the spring or at least not lat
er than June. AS to the depth, little
definite experimentation has been car
ried on to determine this, but the gen
eral practice is to break from to
inches deep. The deeper the soil is
broken the first time, the greater re
servoir Of loose earth there will be tC
hold moisture later.
The soil will be harder to worl
down for year or two. but better
results seem to attend deep breaking
eventually.
AS the breaking is being done it il
important to keep the land cultivat
pi A nnO1 D11n ic Iicl, tho r
plowed during the day before leaving
the field in the evening. The lant
will work down more easily when il
this condition than if the land is al
lowed to remain untouched for time
and since the disking fills the crevices
and forms a mulch on the surface
any moisture that may be present is
prevented from escaping. If the fur
rows are allowed to remain just a:
the pillow leaves them, hard and com
pressed, with spaces between then
such that the air circulates freely, ev
cry particle of moisture present eithe
in the burrows or the underlying sol
escapes. This leaves the soil hard tt
work into seedbed condition, and sine,
moisture is lacking the humus or veg
etable matter that has been turne,
under does not decompOse.
After the blowing and first cultivat
ing has been completed, it is impOl
tant to cultivate the land frequently
This works it into good seed bee
and by keeping a mulch on the SUI
face retains the moisture. 1t is es
pecially important to cultivate afte
each rain. in order that the falle
moisture may be imprisoned.
When ground that has been broke
fy, h@
ed all season, it is usually in cond
ton for a fall crop the first year, Q
if not for a spring crop the followin
moved, fall blowing is found to Civ
to be commended
OF course, the ground is frequent
so hard at this time that the cost c
blowing may be out of proportion
the advantage gained. Again in som
localities the prevailing high wind
cause the soil to blow so as to serious
ly affect it's surface. Under this la
ter condition it is we'll to leave col
sierable stubble, as this holds tn
snow and prevents the rainfall frol
running off too readily. The mer
in fall blowing lies in the fact thu
fall and winter moisture is admitte
to the soil more freely when tn
ground has been opened up. If tn
soil is compact the moisture cannt
gain admission and so passes off dow
the coulees.
Early Spring Cultivation.
Early spring cultivation ought to 70
low on land that has been fall plOy
ed. An experiment reported by Kin
of Wisconsin in his Physics of A
riculture" brings out the value of thi
He determined the spring moistul
content of piece of fall blowing q
soon as the soil was in a conditio
to be cultivated. He then had a DO
ton Of the ground cultivated viii
a similar portion was allowed to r
main untouched. Seven days late
moisture determinations on the tw
areas showed that there was a sligf
gain in the percentage moisture in tn
surface foot of the cultivated are
while on the uncultivated area, 81
pounds of moisture, an equivalent
an inch and three-quarters precipit
ton had been lost from the surfat
foot. This shows the necessity of ca
ly cultivation, especially in dry Ian
farming. When the atmosphere b
comes warm enough to evapOrate W
ter from the surface, moisture tn;
has been deposited there during tt
fall and winter goes very rapid
With the soil in packed condition {