The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-07-17
INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS

IL known. as the Campbell system OF
soil culture are being made this sea
son in the region Immediately ada
cent to the Black Hills, in Western
South Dakota. The experiments arc
being carried on under the direction
Of the Business Mems Club Of Rapid
City, the experiments being super
vised by a committee Of the club.
Probably not one farmer in ten
fully understands what is known as
the Campbell system Of soil culture.
Many appear to believe that It Is an
attempt to raise crops on dry ground
in dry seasons, with special ma
chinery, and that by some hocus-po-
Gus 1t may be successful, and then
again It may not. The fact is, the
system is simplicity itself, and where
tried in Nebraska and Texas 1t has
increased the value Of lands three
fold and four-fold, and In some places
men are selling their irrigated land
and buying the cheap dry land, as
they know by experience what al
be done with it by the Campbell sys-
TEN.
It means that the soil is prepared a
season ahead by breaking, subsoil-
ing and narrowing, SO j. IS In comb
ton to catch and retain rains. Then
If the following spring when the land
is put into crops the moisture IS
there, instead Of having been permit
ted to fow down to the Gulf of Mex.
leo.
While Eastern South Dakota has
had ample moisture during the past
seven Or eight years, there are thou
sands Of acres on the divides" that
remain uncultivated, and that can
with sufficient moisture be made as
productive as any soil on the face Of
the earth.
In order to demonstrate what these
lands will do under The Campbell sys-
tenn Of farming. the Rapid City bust
ness organization mentioned has
leased two tracts of land near the
city for a term of five years. About
two acres of each tract has been
plowed and subsoiled to the depth
Of twelve inches, which is three
times the depth that soil usually Is
cultivated in Western South Dakota.
Alongside these tracts of ground
a small tract has been plowed In the
usual way; another piece OF black
gumbo soil about eight inches deep,
and a small tract in the center about
three inches deep. In another place
an acre Of white gumbo soil has been
plowed to a depth Of twelve inches.
All three tracts that were cultivated
the deepest were thoroughly disCod,
and since recent rains are simply
loose mud twelve inches deep and thn
moisture Is penetrating into the hard
pan below.
AS soon as it is dry enough the sur
face will be well narrowed to form
a dust mulch. which will prevent the
moisture from eyaporating. This
narrowing win he repeated after each
rain until next November, or as orten
as it is needed. Then the ground,
being wet. will freeze, and alternate
freezing and thawing is what is need
ed to thoroughly pulVeTiZe the hard
humps. and right here is shown one
OF the eason why irrigated lands
produce nor than land that Is not
irrigated. Dry soil never freezes.
In the spring different crops will
be put into these tracts thus treated.
and into those adjoining tina, have
been plowed in the ordinary way. AT.
ter the crops come up, should the sea
son be unusually dry, the crop on
the deep cultivated land will be har-
rowed and treated as Campbell, the
world-renowned soil %culturist, advises,
bu the tracts on the side will not be.
These comparative tests, side by
side, will show conClusively which of
the two methods is the proper one
to adopt in Western South Dakota,
and will also show why it Is that re-
gions much dryer than Western South
Dakota are fast settling up with sue,
cessful farmers, with Furnishing and
growing towns all around.
Those who have charge of the ex-
periments state that this method Is not
visionary, Blu a reality. The whole
thing, they point out, consists in saw.
ing the moisture that falls so abun-
dainty in Western South Dakota at
times and preventing it from passing
away by evaporation during the hot
winds of midsummer.
1t is estimated that the cost. the
first and second years, of this scien-
tifc system Of soil culture and pres.
ervation of moisture, will not be one.
half what it would be to build a dam
and two miles of ditch, and. after the
first year. there it no s~ubsoiling to
be done, which really is the chief
item of expense. The cost will not
be one-half what 1t would to keep a
dam and ditch In repair and the cost
of irrigating.