The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1905-08-24
The Campbell System.


"why don't the farmers of the
Isoise valley make a trial OF the
Campbell system 81 agrleulturey" re-
marked NJ. ]. Neill. OF Greeley Colo.
Just before leaving Boise for the fair
city.
What Is the Campbell system. Mr..
Neill?" was the query 10 turn. III
there Is anything In advanced aari-
cultural methods that the farmers OF
this valley have not yet learned. they
want TO know about II. and that
without delay"
"what Is known as the Campbell
system Is really the latest Development
in arid land farming. II Is new even
In Colorado, where the expefiDsents
that have evolved The system have
been In progress but for the past
three OF four years but enough there
has been accomplished as result OF
the experiments to demonstrate the
success OF the scheme. In word the
system Is intense surface cu.tiya-
tion Of the ground, no wate- other
than what the natural rainfall af-
fords, and In the case OF snme pro
ducts crop every ether year.
Mr.. Neill then told something OF
what had been dane with the system
In the arid fields OF eastern Colorado,
where the natural rainfall Is but iit.
! tie II any heavier than In the Boise
valley, one year With another. 1t
has been fund that constant cultiya-
tion OF the surface OF the ground con-
serves the moisture. and with a
variety OF farm products, where The
rain In spring gave fair start.
splendid crops have been harvested.
with no late irrigation whatever.
The Greeley district Is one Of the
richest In all Colorado. aud the ater
supply there, as Ia many another
section of the west, is short In mid
sun,mef. The farmers, truck.grow.
en and fruit men OF that place have
for years been testing schemes for
getting the. most out OF the available
water supply. with the result that
the Campbell system las come &c he
rccoxnjzed n something TO be de-
pended upon. There great orchards
are 10 liie seen. yielding almost every
year bountiful havrests Of all kinds
of orchard fruit. with no other water
tbanthat furnished by the raiufaH
In spring, supplemented. hs slrtace
cultivation of@the ground through
the summer months.
III some OF the Boise valley fafm.
ers could take trip through our part
OF Colorado, and see how much can
: be- dpne with very-,itcse sltef; II
would be an eye-opener for them.
There's about as much In water econ
omy as Ia water supply.
II appears that the term Camp.
bell system" used Ia this connection
Is something OF a misnomer. II
seems that the idea Of surface cult.
yation OF land as q means OF getting
the most possible out Of the avail.
able water came originally from some
part Of India, the land Of famine.
where efforts are being made by the
government for the extension OF the
system. A thrifty Scot, with bar.
ren farm and little water at his com
mand, began in a small way the ex-
periments that have come TO mean No
much for the agriculture Of the state.
The result was that hts name has
come to be associated with the sys.
TEN. nut be applied IL. and honor for
that is accorded him.
Stirring the surface breaks the
capillaries and interrupts the action
of capillary attraction by which the
moisture Is drawn 10 the surface "a
be dissipated by evaporation. Some
OF our people are alive 10 It's I'M
portance. In Fremont Woods or.
chard, for instance. a team Is KEEP,
busy at this kind OF work. States.
man.