The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-11-06
ABOUT DRY FARMING.

stay-at-home list.
ABOUT DRY FARMING.
One Who is Interested Writes Urging
More Farmers to Try 1t.
The writer at the farmers institute
received compliment, which, if
not earned, he is proud of. He was
called farmer. The Business Mems
club had Prof. Campbell come here
and lecture on his system of work.
ing high, dry land and desire that
more farmers than were there should
know some of his ideas, causes me to
write this article.
The people often ask why l am SO
interested. 1t is because l believe
it is the one thing that will populate
this part OF South Dakota. 1t will
put four families, and perhaps ten,
where there is one now, on the lands
about here and that would cause
this town to be q large manufactur-
ing city. Now there are three meth
DDS OF raising large crops on the
now cheap grazing lands. Mr.. Camp
bell was told how over half of the
level and rolling land was clay and
fine gravel mixed to a depth Of four
feet, that it was so hard and dry at
all times that to dig post hole one
needed sharp bar, but that when it
did rain at just the right time, it
produced WELL He was also told
that the gramma, or as some call it,
niger wool grass, sheds water, and
keeps the moisture from soaking in
deep.
The Business Mems club have, or
are trying one system that we will
call No. 1. They broke five inches
deep, SUBSIDIZED seven inches, ditched
and narrowed, then waited for rain
and after each rain all summer har-
rowed, planted no crop, allowed no
| weeds to grow, and before the rains
came in September the soil on the
three tracts so treated was moist for
four feet except the three-inch mulch
or dry earth on top. Right by the
side Of these tracts where it was
simply plowed there was no moisture
at all.
System No. never tried, but
it sounds good and l hope to see it
tried. Break deep, follow with
stirring plow two inches deep, disc
and harrow we'll. Work it both ways
and plant cort. Cultivate the corn
all you can. When corn is shocked,
disc, and in the spring disc in
| wheat; harrow the grain wEe1 ueed-
ed. Have the disc follow the har-
vester, plow shallow in the spring
aud put in crop and repeat last sea-
sons cultivation. The next string
pillow deep, turning up the sod
|plowed under three years previous,
said to be we'll rotted.
Now, Mr.. Chamberlain, who is
connected with the Brookings COL
lege and experimental farm, thought
those two systems very good. He
has had great experience in farm
ing just such land, and is gentle
man well informed on all things, and
is highly spoken Of.
Mr.. Campbell does not believe in
sub-soiling at all or blowing very
deep, and he has made life study
of soil culture, and is acknowledged
by most people to be at the top in
his profession. The writer knows
that by his method people have rails
ed as high as from 40 to so bushels
of wheat per acre, on dry land where
they have less rain than falls here
and where it comes no more regular
ly than here. From his lecture and
the talk l had with him afterward,
this is the way he would handle that
land. Break when not too wet or
too dry at any time Of the year, but
preferred when the grass was grow
ing fast in June, two inches, never
more than three inches deep. See
that every sod was fiat on its bacl.
Roll it down solid so that no air
can get under the sod. Harrow it
tbut never disco to fill up all crew
ices. Plant nothing and allow no
weeds to grow. In sixty or ninety
days the sod will be we'll rotted.
Then If you wish you can back set
la little deeper, say one inch, and
drill in winter wheat, or let it 60
until spring, and put in any kind
of grain. Now, he said that he did
not want it to rain just before OF
just after he drilled in grain in the
spring, for the land cultivated his
way was always moist enough wheth'
er it was sod or old ground the yeal
before. Just think how nice this
a would have been last spring
when 1t was so dry and later 80 yer!
, wet. After the grain is up, two
| inches and rains pours down as i
; often does, and then it commences t,
; crack and bake the least bit, slant tn
, teeth back In your harrow just lit
] tie, and harrow the opposite wa.
) from the way it was drilled In, ant
( repeat this II needed. Have the dis
t follow the harvester double incl
{ deep. II rain follows and then DIR
. winds, disc again and again, whel
the frost comes out in the spring
D He thinks fall blowing is good som
1 times and under different condition
slnot as good as spring blowing. blu