The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-09-06
DRY LAND FARMING.
Whist Has Been Accomplished by
the "CnmpbeiI syHtem.v

tMe "1hMpUe3l SFhteW.
What western people have become
accustomed to calling the Campbell
system Of dry farming consists sim
ply III the exercise Of intelligence, care,
patience ard tireless industry II diff
fers in details from.the good farming"
methods practiced and taught at the
various agricultural experiment sta
tons, but the underlying principles are
the same
These principles are two il number.
The first is ID keep the surface or the
land under cultivation finely pull
verified This forms d soil mulch that
permits the rains and melting SHOWS to
pereolate readily through TO the com
pacted soil beneath and that at the
same time prevents the moisture stored
In the ground from being brought to
the surface By capillary attraction, to
be absorbed by the hot, dry air The
second is to keep the snbsoil finely pull
verified and firmly compacted, increas-
Ing il water holding capacity aad its
capillary attraction and placing ii in
the best possible physical condition for
termination Of seed and the develop
ment Of plant root The dry farmer
thus stores water, not Ia dams and ar
tifieiai reservoirs. but right where it
can be reached by the roots Of growing
crops.
Through these principles rainfall Of
twelve inches can be conserved 10 Ell
fectively that 1t Will produce better re-
suits than are usually expected Of an
annual precipitation Of twenty-four
Inches in humid america. The discov-
frer and demonstration of these princi-
pies deserves to rank among the great
est of national benefactors. He has not
merely made two blades OF grass grow
where only one grew before. but he has
made II possible to cover with wheat
and corn. alfalfa and other useful
crops tens Of thousands Of square miles
of fertile land on which nothing but
sagebrush, cactus, Kansas sunfiowers
and bunch grass are now found. From
John L. Cowan's DRY Farming The
Hope of the Vest in Century
Seeding Corn stubbIe.
Immediately after the silage corn is
off the ground should be seeded with a
cover crop.
II il unwise To pillow the corn stubble,
as the red bed thus becomes too loose
and full Of large air spaces, greatly re-
tarding seed termination. AS soon as
the corn is off 80 over the ground
with the disk cutaway a few times,
followed by float or drag to level the
field Thus can make an almost ideal
seed bed for winter grain. fine and
loose on top, firm below, Inducing the
capillary water to come up and ger
inmate the seed ana incidentally bring
up some fertility for It's needs With
this wheat sow liberal seeding Of
gross seed consisting Of six quarts Of
timothy, four quarts Of redtop and
usually few quarts Of orchard grass,
two pounds Of alsike clover and gem
orally small quantity of red clover,
but the main sowing of clover is in the
spring and this generally results in a
sod not to be despiscd though 1t is not
10 be compared to the sod made by
sowing the grass seed BY itself. but then
we get from So 70 $50 worth Of wheat
and a lot Of much needed straw from
each acre, 4 fair per cent Of which is
profit Where the corn is removed
later rye Is generally more desirable.
because the rye plant is more hardy
and VIII make a later fall and earlier
spring growth. II is n hard matter to
make d good sol in rye field, as the
rye II poor nurse GU crop.-L WI.
Lightly IN National Stockman
Clear Jp the Fields.
After the laying and harvesting have
been completed the fields should be
gone over and the headlauds Of plowed
fields and fence corners cleared Of any
weeds and bushes that may have start.
I'd into growth. These will thrive won
derfuliy If only LET alone. but this
should be no part OF the farmers
creed or practice. A little carolcssness
III this respect VIII be regretted IN the
time to come. according 70 the old say-
Ing, "One year's seeding makes seven
years wedding II would be a good
idea to get rid OF all unnecessary in-
terror fences ais fast Us possible. MS
these are coming to be only d nuisance.
Once they We're considered necessary.
but that time has passed, aud with our
farming machinery the less fencing the
better