The state herald., 1907-03-08

y oiShatu, Wnere tne trees are
III years old, the moisture has reached
a point IA feet from the surface down,
and the tree roots are all through it.
therefore. why should we worry. Mr..
Ellwood Mead, about one dry year or
dozen?
Dry or wet years, my orchard brings
me in from $50 to 500 per acre. The
trees are living on the moisture that
fell two or three years ago. This years
precipitation is nothing to them. Herein
lies the difference between trees ard
crops.
by proper selection Of varieties any
one can raise trees. There isl no obstacle
in the way only the timber line.
In the 20 years of my dry farming on
my present ranch have never lost
single tree. or any crop, by drouth.
When so-called dry year comes we
don't know it, unless a "scratcher, as
friend Stanger calls them. comes and
tells US his crop has drica ~ Then
we advise him TO hitch on another horse
and plow little deeper next time, which
perhaps he does, and perhaps he does
not. Some men prefer to skate on thin
ice.
There are other artificial ways and
means ofprotecting trees agains, drouth.
For instance, by making ridges in the
orchard by backfurrowing with the
plow. you can collect thousands Of tons
OF snow drifts during every blizzard, on
the same principle as the railroad snow
fences. This is seldom necessary except
in dry regions Of nine TO ten inches pre-
cipitation. Nature also protects her
own, for the whole center of a tree is a
reservoir OF sap to be drawn upon in
time of need. the sap that circulates
and provides growth and sustenance be-
ing found only in the region of the bark
and adjoining layers.
In the so-called dry years we uIIally
get precipitation Of about 10 inches.
This means !, l30 tons per acre. Now,
II your apple trees are planted, as l
recommended, 40 feet apart, or q 20
the acre, each tree receives about 40
tons OF water for the season. allowing
two tons for loss by evaporation.
The aim and object OF system Of
dry farming, or dry horticulture, Is not
20 much TO produce good crops in good
years tanybody can do that, as to raise
u profitable amount Of products In dry
years. and know OF no year since the
spring Of 1880 that this was not done by
men who had the requisite knowledge Of
their ar. Every dry farmer can have
his orchard. his shade trees and his
kitchen garden. even his own posts and
cord wood, exactly ms II he irrigated
and at quarter Of the cost.
! consider dry farming no, only the
surcst business man that understands
Il can undertake. but the most delight.
ful form Of farming In tbs world. While
the farmers In other states are wallow-
ing In mud and alush up TO their nceks
We can be blowing and doing farm work
almost the year round.
II you arc a man and want 10 farm I
would say don't be discouraged by a 10,
doubling Thomascs. who probably never
did thing Of their own Initiative In
their lives. but wade In and hun, up the
facts for yourself. and u you can plow
nine inches and have enough gray mat.
ter In your head to follow the Campbell
manual you will undoubtedly make
sueecns Of Il. And remember. that II
you clear $40 an acre of 81 land you ar.
making eight times as much on your In.
ycstinent as the man ip Ohio who buys
800 land and clears 81. I am neither
an optimist nor n pcssinist, neither
have ! any land TO sell. These are the
facts an ] ind them. Denver Republi-
can.