Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-14
Argument in Favor Of Extensive
Experiment in Dry farming
WAeh viii Msan Untold Benefit TO Ls Vssa-.Fsasibhity Of the
P~repestiea st Forth By One Who Knows.

mechanic are all necessary IN this
day Of progress. yet the time was
when the world got along without
them, but the time has never been
since the days Of Eden when II could
get along without the farmer. for he
feeds you all. But the business man
asks win the results justify the out
lay, he does not care 70 much wheth-
or he gets HIS money back or not. but
as George ward expresses IT, II ~
results that he Il afer. The dry
farming question has been demon
strated by Mr.. Campbell 10 be a sue
cess all over the west. II has been
demonstrated here nj home by somo
OF our best farmers as well as py
myself. The statements ] am about
10 make may be a surprise 10 some.
hut Il IL q fact. that have made
more clear money on dry farming
than by irrigation or the reason tnat
the expense Of keeping up the ditch
e., leveling the land. and employing
extra lobor In irrigation eats UP a
great part Of the prohts, have nev.
or lost a crop. Of even made q partial
failure where the crops were mot irrt
gated. while I have lost two crops Of
onions and several other crops that
were irrigated. and the best crop o.
onions ! ever had was the year Of ex.
IRENE drought. The same year had
| s55 bushels OF golden fleece oats OF
ten acres, and se~venty.nve bushels o.
oats per acre on twelve acres tne
past year: all dry farming.
md that after q crop Of onions
is once started I have but little use
for water. But s0me "DouDtine
Thomas" say you can't raise alfalfa
without irrigation. am not sure Of
It. Back In the states II farm
err rsised one ton Of hay to the acre
he was satisfied. and two tons was
bumper crop. Now, the only trouble
anticipate will be 10 get a stand
this can be easily overcome. and Il
you cut the crop when In bloom, nc
matter II It Ii only six inches high
and a good rain follows, you will cut
at least one II not two crops, and
from one to two tons per acre for the
season. This has been my expert
ence ON my place, and OF an old rus
out alfalfa field. A mixture Of red
top and timothy Is almost a sure cr0I
and bronze grass will make a goof
crop Of hay the frst year; after that
It makes q sod that rivals the IA
nous Kentucky blue grass. Canada
peas and oats will 40 well and make
the best hay IN the world.
There are several varieties OF nine
ty-day corn that can be raised. ans
while we cannot hoe to rival Iowa O.
Illinois In corn raising. yet ! believe
1t can be raised at d profit. But GU
strong and winning card IL speltz O
Ebnmer. a grain which delights in Our
cool nights. The past season ! raise
eighty-three bushels on n acre, from
one hundred pounds Of seed and full
~ ten bushels was lot In harvesting
This crop was cut late In August, an
the second crop would have mad
fine hay, as 1t was my cow revele,
IN green speltx knee deep till earl,
December. The grain Is readily eater
by poultry and hogs. With this crol
we can laugh at our late frosts an,
high altitude, and there IL no reasol
why our butchers should not be abb
to supply the market with the bes
Of beef. pork and mutton. Potatoes
/; can be raised successfully. i see Geo
Ward will try raising them unde
straw. While this plan might not b,
practical In 4 commercial way. vet h
will doubtless succeed. But he ma.
raise q lot Of large watery potatoes
and conclude that Colorado potatoes
are better. believe though. tina
J potatoes just as tine and just a. meal,
can be raised here on our uplands a
In Colorado. Some one will carry Mr.
Wards straw experiment . little fur
then and buy = few apples, plum ant
pear trees. dish out the ground tn
shape OF a u G and ten to twelve
feet In diameter, cutting out the rim
on the uphill side 20 % to catch thu
rains, then set his tree IN the center
MI 1 foot deep with straw, he vii
get results that will convince the
most skeptical that dry farming Il
a success. Another thing that can
~ .uienA A. hsck~hAnA In Tia afafos