Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-13
DRY FARMING ON PLAINS.
New Method Of Tilling the Soil in
Far West.
Omaha Correspondence New York Herald.


Omaha Correspondence New York Herald.
The short grass" country of western Ne
braska and Wyoming, together with north
ern Colorado, is thoroughly aroused over
dry farming and is seeing visions of
time to come when the short grass" coun-
try will disappear and in place of its hun
dreds Of thousands of acres of land upon
which cattle now Craze there will be great
crops of wheat corn, alfalfa and sugar
beet.
Then the great irrigation projects now
fathered by the government and private
capital will be useless because no water
will be needed to produce the crops-"dry
farming VIII have taken the place OF the
water
The Cheyenne board of trade and bust
ness men of that city have just appro-
prated $4,000 to experiment along the line
of the new system in Wyoming; the Union
Pacific railroad has organized a depart
ment of dry farming to work under the
direction of the industrial department of
the Hartman system; the burlington road
is conducting experiments of Its own on
a farm of 500 acres In western Nebraska;
one Colorado firm has employed an expert
to make Investigations on its big cattle
ranch of 10000 acres; North Platte, Neb.,
business men have subscribed several thou
sand dollars toward experimenting in that
section and 100 different farmers and
ranchmen in Laramie county, Wyoming,
have. signed a pledge agreeing to cultivate
at least five acres each according TO di-
rections issued from a central body and to
report the results to that body.
BY dry farming Is meant the cultiva-
ton of land without irrigation In any form
whatever The lands affected are those mil
lions of acres of Semi-arid lands in the
great west which are now turned over to
the cattlemen. the prairie dogs. the rattle
snakes and the owls. A small portion of
these lands have been placed under
bitches" and are being irrigated, produc-
ing heavy returns on all crops. But if the
efforts Of those interested In dry farm
ing" prove successful, there will be added
to the cultivated areas hundreds of mil
lions of acres of lands now considered val
liable only for grazing purposes.
The system used in dry farming is ridicu-
lousy simple. Late in the summer the
soil is ploughed very deep. 1t Is then
laid over in loose burrows and when the
meager rainfall comes the loose soil re-
tains the moisture. where 1t would not even
remain damp in hard ground. To prevent
evaporation the soil is loosely scratched:
The following spring the crop is put in and
cultivated in the same manner as in other
states. Crops raised only every other
year, however. under this system, the
ground being permitted to rest each alter
mating year.
Already several small farmers in eastern
Wyoming have succeeded in securing
yield of thirty-five bushels an acre of first
class wheat, where formerly no wheat
whatever was grown except under the irri-
eating ditch. Equally as large crops of corn,
alfalfa and sugar beets are promised to
those who follow the same course of cul-
tivation.
Those who have been experimenting with
the system for several years declare their
lands increase In power to hold water from
year to year. and state that with five years
Of dry farming they will produce crops
equal to those produced in Illinois and Iowa
under the most favorable conditions If not
larger.