The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-10-23
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
FROM THE DROOTH
Saving Effects Of Drainage and lrr'
cation Where Practicable.

The long and severe drouth through
which so much Of the country mas
been nassing viii not have been With
ont beneat to the farmer II IL mas
impres sed upon him the desirablllty-
MOI. 10 say the absolute necessity
in n climate like ours OF preparing
for'the recurrence OF these long spells
of dry weather Scarcely year
passes that there is not IN some part
OF the growing season droulh, more
or less prolonged when II would DE
dollars and cents 10 the market gar
denor or farmer 20 be able 10 carry
his crops through the critical periqa
without DAMAGE. And he Wide-aW axe
up-to-date cultivator will not be $40"
10 take advantage OF every opportnhl!
OF adding 10 his knowledge and eN'
periencs and turning 10 his proht even
adverse conditions.
To n careful observer IL has been
/ evident during the last season lhal
/ crons on we'll drained fields have SUI
\ fered less from tie drOuth than those
! on und Trained land Hence paradox
ical as IL NAV appear. the drouth has
,aught us a lesson in favor OF dram
age. And the reason for the superior
itv Of such well drained soils Il not
far 10 seek. How do they succeed IN
raising good crops in the dry Farm
ing REGIONS of the West2 The nFst
and Fundamental essential Is TO pro
vide in the soil a capacious wafer
storage reservoir and an ample space
for root development This Is done
in the west by deep ploughing IN the
East By drainage and deep plOuShihs
combined The next step is to hus-
-. slf.a e.
the soil BIZ frequent. thorough. Level
cultfvatfon before. as well as after,
sowing or planting Our eastern farm
. ers mi-ht. indeed get many valuable
suggestions for use in drouth from
The experiences gained in The airy
farminE area. and which may be found
, In the. bulletins OF The Colorado and
New Mexico stations.
(. Another obvious provision against
{ droufh and one which has often beer
/ urged hv agricultural leaders and an
Z thorities Is frrigation but how few
o are the attempts TO make use OF me
; streams which flow idly By the farms
while the crops are willing. / looi
ont from ms window across a neign
bors farm of between sixty aud seven
~ acres. lying along a large. neve
~ failing creek. some twenty five feet y
q width The fields slope gradual
y from the creek % a ridge OF nieht
y land. bordered by picturesque cour
l. frv road. and are admirably situate
FOR irrigation. The wafer supply
"a abundant. and only needs raising
q very slight elevation in order
III overflow probably Onethlrd OF IN
le farm The owner is an intelliget
y farmer and appreciates the value
70 irriaaffcn. but during the forty year
rs hg- hal the farm he has not take
cine single step TO utilize the water
- TIE creek
Here. how ever. IS an example Of
d,Herent kind Every reader OF II
Tribune Farmer Will remember u
ng founder Of The Tribune Hora
Greeley. Now. no one Will claim tn
mt STR Greeley was "A model or succes
I'm farmer Tie frankly acknowiedg
NJ" himself tina. his practical nowled
Ike OF agriculture was meager ana man
e." aconired in "A childhood long bygor
while Of science he had only a sh'
+orinr II even that. hut he was
thinker. an sxperimenter. a man
nriginnl IDEAS and breadth Of mil
=" Tie had Travelled. too. extern sive
10th IN his country and in Euro
~ and was a keen observer; and VIII
DE saw. forty years ago, the hackwa
'"o state az American agriculture ne
4 nyolv faith IN its future ! Sno'
he saws. that a majority " tho
who live hy the tillage OF the SOIL e
,er II too sparingly and stir II 100 sigh
ave and crudglngly I know that we
ON TOO little for II. and expect IL. the
Iish upon 20 do too much for Us. kn
in. chat in other pursuits il Is only VI
her thoroughly well done that Is liber'
compcnsated and ! see no reason
farming should prove an exception
Ibis stern but salutary law ! may
indeed deficient In knowledge OF "
constitutes GOOD farming. but not
faith that the very best farming
that which Is morally sure OF
largest and most certain reward.
Nr. Greeley embodied his IDEAS
observations In small work EMIT
"Whaf | Know Of Farming "a Sc
land AZ brief and plain cXposit ion' OF p
tn- .ical agriculture as an arr based y
light science. Il is a book fuil OF Nalu
ings surgcs sions. and should be in e'
an farmers library In il, among ~
east other interesting matters. NE discu
in several chapters the question o
rigation. and gives the following
count OF an experiment he made
al his own farm at Chappaqua.
-" Toward the north end Of my
''''o tho hillside which rises east OF