The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-10
HOW TO PRODUCE
ON ARID FARMS
First State Gathering of the Dry
Farm Owners of Utah Held
in Barratt Hall.
INSTRUCTIVE ADDRESSES
COMPOSE THE PROGRAMME
James G. Duffin Selected to Pre-
side and F. NJ. Lyman, Jr.,
Secretary.

Secretary.
The farmers of Utah are having
their inning now. They gathered at
Barratt hall in this city Tuesday morn
ing in the first State convention of arid
farmers held in the State. The at
tendance at the initial meeting was
good, the lower floor of the large hall
being well filled. Men from remote
parts of Utah were present, and there
were several interested in the new meth.
cd of agriculture in attendance from
Montana. Wyoming, Idaho and Ne
vada.
An organization for the meeting was
perfected at the morning meeting with
James G. Duflin as chairman and F. NJ.
Lyman, Jr., as secretary. On account
Of the absence of Gov, John c. Cutler,
il was necessary for Secretary Lyman
to read the welcome address. II ex.
tended hearty greetings to the conven-
ton, dealing with the progress that
has been made by the arid farmer in
reclaiming large tracts of hitherto un-
productive land. commencing the work
of the dry farmer, praising the move
ment that last fall resulted in the or.
ganization of the Transmissouri Dry
Land congress, lauding the work done
by Utah 8 representatives at the first
meeting Of that congress at Denver. eu-
logizing the labors of Fisher Harris,
president OF the congress- congratulat-
ing the Agricultural college, the exper-
iment stations, the arid experimental
farms and the pioneer dry farmers that
have been the leaders in driving back
Al. l.,
branch of industry bright future in
Utah.
The address of the morning dealt with
qualities Of the soil, average preclpita-
tion and methods of marketing prod
ucts not in small quantities, but by the
carload, by the Introduction of the
steam engine. gang plows and sage
brush grubbers.
Widtsoe Is Gleeful,
DR.. John A. Widtsoe Of the Agricul-
tural college called the meeting to or
der. Chairman Dufhn, after his selec
tion as presiding officer, made a speech
in which he expressed his glee In being
named to preside over the first confer
ence of farmers engaged in solving the
problem that means much for Utah s
future He spoke of the hundreds of
thousands headed for the west and of
the need for more homes on this ac-
count. Utah can accomplish Jim the ag.
ricultural field what Kansas and Okla
boma have accomplished, he said. One
county in Kansas produced more wheat
dition is changed now because In Utah
farmers are cultivating lands they long
thought unproductive,
Secretary Lyman in his acceptance
speech told Of the Tooele county farm
on which a crop of corn big enough to
pay for forty acres of land. with 200
bushels left, had been raised in one
year
Fisher Harris. who followed Cover
nor Cutters welcome, was presented to
the convention as "the man with the
grubbing hoe His speech was not
funny, however, as might have been
expected from his introduction. He
spoke of the interest every man In the
West owes the subject of arid farming,
by which large part of 1t is to be
reclaimed, and reviewed the Denver
One of the most interesting speakers
of the morning was DR.. Hyatt of the
local weather bureau, who told of the
in the far-away districts of
Utah, speaking of the crops of sage
brush that have grown unmolested for
centuries. Six inches of precipitation
a year makes II possible for the dry
farmer TO produce wheat crop at least
every year.
The land laws were discussed by
John De Gray Dixon, formerly secre-
rary OF the land board
Prof Merrill Talks.
Prof. L. A Merrill, formerly of the
A Agricultural college, was an early |
being Principles of Arid Farming.
He said the ard farmer is delving into |
he unknown. The principles of arid |
.aTming are by no means entirely de- !
,eloped yet. His address covered pre- /
'ipitation, quality and depth of soil,
illage and the like
According, to Prof, Merrill the average
early precipitation in Utah, twelve
inches, is scarcely one-fifih of what it
$ in many places elsewhere. Good,
Ieep, rich SOL is necessary in arid farm
ng, he said. 1t is not question OF
he kind. as to clay or sand, but of
lepth, He gave data TO show the
mount OF precipitation necessary to
'roduce single pound Of dry matter
i clover
Twenty five bushels of wheat TO the
ere, he sad, If II were possible 10 con-
erve the water that falls each wear in
Jtab, is an impossible theory in prac.
ice. To conserve the water he adj
ocated the ploughing of the land in
he fall of the year Seventy-five per T
ent of the farmers are following this
ractice now. There is 2.3l per cent
lore moisture IN the upper three inches
I soil ploughed in the fall than where
he ploughing is done in the spring
he delay of cultivation in the s.prino
ieans much moisture lost He recitod
ne instance where a certain tract of
round lost 19S pounds in seven days
q this manner
Cultivation should be begun early in
he spring he said. If the harrow is
ot used in the spring more evaporo.
ion Will be lost than is consumed Inv
he soil. Plants adapt themselves to
rHEETT