Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-29
Horticultural Notes
By,Frank Simoris
Dry Farming.

The whole secret of dry farming
consists in causing this great clay
subsoiI to absorb and retain all the
moisture resulting from our rains and
SHOWS; and not allow it to pass into
our dry atmosphere through any con-
ductor but the roots of such yegeta-
stion as Is desired by our farmers.
Years ago, when the great prairie
fires denuded our great plains, caus-
ing hot, dry winds which licked up,
every atom of moisture within it's
reach, causing total failures of crops,
driving many settlers from the homes
Uncle Sam gave them, often told
them to keep cultiyating the soil so
as to conserve the moisture. Don't
let single wind steal a drop of
moisture and plant food and some
time in the near future you will hayu
a bumper crop which will pay you a
handsome profit for your time, labor
and expense.
The bottom lands along the river
are usually too cold to produce a good
crop. The excessive hot, dry years,
owing to the warmth and moisture in
the subsoil, produced big crops Of
grass, grain and native wild fruits.
Deep plowing, Immediately after a
heavy rain when the atmosphere is
still laderl with the moisture of the
passing shower, following each fur
row with subsoil plow, loosening up
the compact subsoil as deep as pos
sible, will leave the ground loose and
porous to such a depth that the dry
atmosphere cannot penetrate to the
surface of the compact subsoil to
meet the moisture coming to the sur
face by capillary action The loose
soil is non-conductor of the electric
current carrying it's atom of moist
ure. Thus you have the desired
moisture and chemical plant food i'm
prisoned only to escape through the
roots, stems and leaves (lungs) of the
desired vegetation.
When and how to prepare and cui-
tivate the soil to accomplish the OBJ
ject sought is known to scientific
men and taught to our farmer boys
and girls at our agricultural college
at Fargo.
l. Each farmer has not the time mon
ey and patience to experiment and
study out these problems for himself.
He must learn from experiments
carried on by these scientific men at
or near his home or at some school.
have spent twenty-eight years of
my life right here on the bank "a
! the Missouri river, experimenting and
studying the possibilities of growing
trees, shrubbery, fruits and flowers in
| North Dakota. All these years have
seen a wide stream of hard earned
dollars flowing from the pockets OF
the farmers to the Golfers of the
nurseryman for nursery stock he
failed to make grow successfully
After expending a vast amount ol
time, labor and patience his home is
as barren and treeless today as ii
was years ago. His family Is still
suffering for shelter, starving fol
fruit and cheerless for want Of flow
/ ers.
4 Can there be better security fol
planting and successfully growing 3
grove, shelter belt, orchard, h fruit
garden, shade trees, shrubbery, flow.
ers and plants around home thar
to own them with right to remove
them at specified time if not pait
for. Under this plan the farmer has
something of immediate value euua
to his expenditure, something he
would not part with for many times
its cost. Under this plan the farmer
may pay large per cent Of this out
| lay in labor in preparing the ground
and cultivating the trees under th,
direction Of the experienced tire,
planter.
Ito be continued next week.
F. R. SIMONs.