La Junta tribune., 1905-08-16
The CAMPBELL SYSTEM OF FARMING
ON ARID LANDS WITHOUT IRRIGATION


says:
What Is known as the Campbell
method Of dry farming" is being prac-
tlced on the semtarid plains of west
ern Kansas and eastern Colorado with
remarkable success. The results ac-
compMshet on several model farms.
under the direction Of the inventor,
tiscoyereF or pTomoter-whicheyer
you may prefer 10 call him-are re-
markable and are entitled 10 the re-
spect Of every one who is interested
in the development OF the high, dry
plains between the Rocky mountains
and the Missouri river. It's advocates
declare that they have received no
sncoura cement from the Agricultural
Department at Washington
We all believe in irrigation. OF
course Il is the safest, the most sat
isfactOry and the most profitable
method Of farming. but vast areas In
she central western states cannot be
reached by water. and the rain that
falls upon them is not sufficient TO
produce crops by ordinary methods.
IL is that class OF lands which Mr.
Campbell is trying to redeem.
Mr.. Campbell Is at present engaged
in the development OF a model farm
near the thriving little town Of Hill
City. belonging TO J. F. Pomeroy OF
Colorado Springs. The latter. who
came into this country seventeen or
eighteen years ago. has been a rail-
road and town-site promoter. lie has
between twenty and thirty thousand
acres OF dry land in Graham county.
which cannot be reached by irrigation.
and founded the town OF Hill City at
about the center Of IL in beautiful
location. He advertised his scheme
all over Kansas and Colorado. brought
'homeseekers and spectators from
every direction on free railway trains.
cold his town lots at auction and gave
an oyercoat to every purchaser. The
rovn has been quite successful. II
now has about 500 inhabitants. an ex-
lcellent hotel. several fine business
blocks filled with stocks OF goods, two
snterpTising newspapers, and all the
other essentials OF a firstClass frontier
town. Just outside the limits DIR
!Pomeroy fenced on $40 acres OF land
about six years ago and brought II, w.
Campbell from Holdridge, Nebraska.
TO lay out a model farm on his system
of soil culture.
Anyone who has doubts OF the prac-
-Icabillty Of the Campbell system
~hauld come here before harvest and
compare the crops on the Pomeroy
farm with those upon the farms that
surround IT, for the yield OF wheat,
oats. corn potatoes and eyery thing
else that IL growing will be four or
nys times as great as Will be har.
vested on the other side OF the fence.
Mr. Campbell has been working in
North Dakota. South Dakota, Ne
braska and Kansas for twenty years
or more, trying TO Induce farmers 10
adopt his plan Of soil culture as he
calls IT, and everywhere be has been,
from the Jar..as river in the north TO
the Arkansas. he has been equally
successful in producing without irri.
cation the same results that are
usually expected with irrigation, with
comparatively little more expense, but
good deal more care and labor.
There Is no secret about T. The
whole thing O. simply the exercise OF
care and patience and any man OF
ordinary intelligence can work IL as
well as a college professor could.
Mr. Campbell's principles, as he e1-
planned them 20 me, are:
/. Catch the rainfall and store II
where the roots % the plant can
reach g.
. Keep the soil always fine and
loose
q Have a drm. solid foundation
under the soI-a bottom to hold the
water.
what will this accomplish" I
asked
The careful regular application Of
these principles In farming will pro
duga az least three times the results
of ordinary farming. and often four
FH.Hr|FH % ElN1 MI
Campbell
"WLaf is the additional expensc2"
In Iowa or eastern Kansas not
more than twenty Eve per cent more
labor is necessary than is usually eN-
pended upon crop By a good farmer.
Ga the pFa.rlrs. as a rule, farming Is
cheap and s..rshod and twice the Ia
Dor ls necessary. But this Is onset
90 certain extent by a saving OF two
thirds of the seed. An ordinary farmer
soVs forty quarts o. wheat 70 The acre
and gets from nothing 70 twenty
bushels. thirteen bushels 20 the acre
being the average crop OF the state,
and fifteen bushels the highest state
average that has been reached in Kan
sas for ten years Under my system
any palustaklng farmer BY sowing
twelve quarts % wheat 20 the acre
and culfIvafiuE his soil carefully viii
harvest anywhere from forty TO hfty-
six bushels wIthoIt fail We can get
forty bushels To the acre in the foot
hills oE the Rocky mountain or any
where else with fourteen inches Of
rain. You can get the same difference
In every other plant Or crop that grows
In gross or the acre"
This particular farm where / am
working was cultivated on the Old
T-an for fourteen years and never
Yielded but one good crop I came here
in February. 1875. and very soon viii
harvest nv sixth crop. ] have never
had less than forty bushels 70 the acre
and the crop this year VII be better
than that. while the farmers all