The Lamar register., 1905-08-02
THE CAMPBELL SYSTEM Of FARMING
ON ARID LANDS WITHOUT IRRIGATION

work..
For several years | have been con-
ducting experimental farms on the
Burlington road in Nebraska, with
the same results. Many of the farmers
along that road have adopted the
method, but few have gone into 1t thor
oughly. They are not willing to take
the pains and show the necessary pa
tience. One man at Trenton, Nebraska.
harvested forty-one bushels of fifty
nine-pound wheat under this process.
while ninety per cent. of the other
farmers in the county had nothing to
harvest, and none of the rest got more
than ten bushels to the acre.
How do you do it?''
| by storing the rainfall in the Soils"
answered Mr.. Campbell by keeping
the surface of the ground always loose.
| which stops evaporation. 1t 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-we
have the full benefit of it. We keep
it stored where the roots of the plants
can reach 1t when they need it
"How do you accomplish this?"
by stirring up the soil with re-
yolving disk and then going over 1t
again and filing up the furrow. We
call this oubledisking.' 1t pulverizes
the soil and levels il off. We keep
| going over it again and again, begin
ninS early in the spring and continu-
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 a subsurface
packer-a machine which makes
compact. solid bottom, four inches
from the surface. under the loose soil.
Then we go over it again with the
| Acme harrow so as to keep the top
soil loose and pulverized. After work
ing the soil for 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
keep stirring up the soil so that it will
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 it is better to till every
other year and raise a crop alternate
years.
reaper must be Immediately followed
by the plow and the stubble immedi-
ately turned under and the soil disk
and harrow kept at work all winter il
1t is spring wheat. or from the June
harvest to the September planting IL
winter wheat. The same rule must be
applied to all the other kinds of
crops.
TO repeat: II is simply a 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
n harrow carelessly over the field.
| Labor and pains are necessary to pro-
duce good results. whether you are
/ farming or making furniture or pub
fishing newspaper.
Certain scientific phenomena must
be observed also. | cannot tell you
why, but after a certain amount of rain
has fallen and penetrated certain
distance into the soil. each particle of
earth absorbs its share Of the water
until the entire rainfall las been alb
sorbed If we can hold this water in
this soil during the summer season a
, chemical action will follow which pro
duces nitrates and generates bacteria.
or nitrogen, in the soil. The theory is
that the bacteria are latent or con-
cealed in the soil and can only be de-
veloped by moisture and cultivation"
Il have reached point where | am
certain of the principles and the re-
suits. | 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 had
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. without irrigation. with only
moderate increase of expense. We have
organized company and have secured
| 300 900 acres in the Panhandle of
Texas, and 10000 acres In eastern Colo
rado. 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 a
model farm: there is another at Chey-
enne Wells, belonging to the Kansas
Pacific Railway; another at Otis, sup
ported by the Burlington Road. and
also at Holdridge. Nebraska. belonging
to 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 encour-
agement | would have given II up long
ago"
Il am not opposed to irrigation,
said Mr.. Campbell in conclusion. But
regard it as unnecessary wherever
there is rainfall of not less than
fourteen inches. And If we could have
one per cent of the fund that is now
being expended in irrigation plants
by the government, to teach the people
how to get along without water in
semi-arld region, we could have so,
many more happy homes and so much
more wealth in this country
The Pomeroy farm certainly proves
the truth of Mr.. Campbells theories.
or else he is wizard. There is no
water upon 1t. except one well for do
nestle purposes. and last year there
was only about fifteen inches of rain
fall. This year there has been little
more-perhaps eighteen inches. And
there is no more beautiful farm in the
country The orchard, five years old.