Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-10-05
FATHER OF DRY
FARMING HERE
W. H. Campbell
Visitor Today in
Santa Fe
SPEAKS TONIGHT At M'|NTOsH
Discusses Scientific Soil Cul,
ture Which is Reclaiming
Semi.Arid Regions.

Among the visitors in Santa Fe to.
day was a man who has been an i'm.
portant factor in causing the desert
to blossom as the rose. and incident
ally in settling up the vast semi.arid
regions of the great Southwest. The
man in question is Professor Fl.
W. Campbell, Of Lincoln, Nebraska
the father of the so-called dry farm.
Ing system, who is now Superintend.
ent of farm development in the indue-
trial department Of the Atchison, To.
peka and Santa Fe Railway.
Mr.. Campbell's mission in New
Mexico at the present time is one O.
instruction to the farmers OF the Sun
shine Territory. He is giving serie
| of practical talks to the tillers of tho
soil, particularly those who are er
gagged in farming without recourse tt
| Irrigation. He delivered one of these
lectures Thursday night at the little
town OF Springer TO an audience com.
posed largely Of men following agri-
cultural pursuits and came to this city
on his way to Mcintosh where he VIII
make similar address this evening
to the farmers of the Estancia valley.
Has Devoted Years Of Study to
Problem.
Mr.. Campbells dry farming system
is more than the name indicates. 1t
is, scientific culture of the soil which
has been developed by years of study
and experiment. Mr.. Campbell has
during the past twenty-five years de.
voted his entire time to a study of this
momentous problem which has for its
principal object the reclamation of
the semi-arid lands even where irri-
cation is impracticable. He has con-
| Quoted model or experimental farms
IN dozen states where the rainfall
is very small and has demonstrated
beyond cavil that not only can crops
be grown with reasonable certainty on
the semi-arid soils of tne west but
that very large crops can be raised
by proper tillage The entire secret
is the conservation of the moisture
in the soil itself and scientific use
of the materials nature already has
at hand. The soil is pulverized
through frequent and deep plowing
until 1t forms a sponge like mulch
which holds the water that falls as
rain or comes from mel ing snow.
No Longer An Experiment.
The results we have obtained in
helds where the work has been care
fully carried out for years in western
Kansas and Nebraska and the eastern
part OF Colorado have been very
marked regardless of the season." Mr..
Campbell stated this morning during
an interview with a New Mexi
can reporter. At the Pomeroy
model farm at Hill City, Kansas,
seven crops of winter wheat have
been harvested, the smallest yield on
land properly handled having been
40 IL bushels to the acre. During
| three of these seven years the aver
age farmer in that vicinity raised
practically nothing by the old method
of cultivation.
1T is one of the most mistaken
ideas prevalent that we simply expect
living crops in the poor years. This
is an erroneous impression. We look
for the big crops in the poor years
Scientific soil culture contemplates
good crops every year. 1t is system
Iof tillage for the purpose of fitting
the soil for the crops, conserving ev-
cry particle Of moisture possible and
increasing available fertility.
| "We are organizing stock company
for the purpose of operating a limited
number of model or demonstrating
farms, throughout the semi-arid coun-
try, publishing monthly magazine
and conducting a regular correspond
Ience course, We hope in this way to
show to the world the possibilities of
scientific soil culture in semi-arid and
arid regions. The fact is we have ney-
er been thoroughly organized hereto
fore, have been hampered by lack OF
funds, and also lack of cooperation
Success in Estancia Valley.
The Estancia Valley gives abundant
promise of being fertile field for dry
farming, as very good crops have been
raised there during the past two sea-
sons without irrigation. Evidence of
. this was shown at the Torrance coun.
|ty fair held this week at Estancia
where variety of vegetables cereals
and other farm products grown in the
valley were on exhibition. Mr. Camp,
bell will visit the farms in the vicinity
of Mcintosh, while on his present trip.
| tyryt k~In 4 I.@kz 4