The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-05-29
TWO SOIL CULTURE
FARMS ESTABLISHED
BUSINESS MEMS CLUB TAKE UP
THE CAMPBELL THEORY
IN EARNEST.
Secretary of the Club Tells of the
Progress Made by Soil Culture
Committee.

Committee.
The Rapid City Business Mems
club is busy these days evolving
ideas, which If successful will mean
much not only to the city but %
all the country surrounding it. One
Of the most important projects TAX
en- up rectntly Is that of making a
practical demonstration in this To-
cality of the Campbell system of
soil culture. The work of arrang-
ing for the preparation Of the soil as
suggested by Mr. Campgell is being
carried on under the supervision of
committee of which l. H. Chase
is the chairman and a good start
ha salready been made on two plots
of land.
The following article from the
pen of G. B. Mansfield Of the Bus
mess Mems club, is published here
with in the hope of interesting
large number in the experimental
farms.
Probably not one farmer in ten
fully understands what is known as
the Campbell system of soil cul-
ture. Many seem to think it is an
attempt to raise crops on dry ground
dry seasons with special machin-
cry and by some hocus-pocus 1t may
oe successful and then again it may
os. The fact is the system is sim
p,icity itself and where tried in
Colorado. Nebraska, Kansas and
Texas, it has increased the value Of
lands three and fourfold, and in
some places men are selling their
irrigated land and buying the cheap
dry land, as they know by expert
ence what can be done with it by the
Campbell system. 1t means that the
soil is prepared season ahead by
breaking, sub-soiling and harrow
ing so it is in condition to catch and
retain the rains. Then in the follow
ing spring when the land is put into
crops, the moisture is there in the
ground-not in the Gulf of Mexico.
While this country has had am
pie moisture for the past seven or
eight years, no one will dispute the
fact that there are thousands of
acres on the divides that remain un-
cultivated, 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 Camp
bell system of farming, the Business
Mems Club have leased two tracts
of land, near the city, for a term of
five years. One tract is on the
Thomson Nursery road about two
miles north Of town, the other is on
the Rapid Valley road, at the inter-
section of the c. G N. w. Ry. About
two acres of each tract has been
plowed and sub-soiled to the depth
of twelve inches, which is three
times the depth that soil is usually
cultivated here. Alongside these
pieces of ground small tract has
been plowed in the usual way, an
other piece of black gumbo soil,
about eight inches deep and small
piece in the center about three inch
es 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 disced, and
since the last rain, are simply loose
mud twelve inches deep and the
moisture is penetrating into the hard
pan below. Soon as it is dry enough
the surface will be well narrowed
to form a dust mulch, which will
prevent the moisture from evaporat-
ing. This narrowing will be re-
peated after each rain until Novem.
ber, or as often as it is needed. Then
the ground being wet will freeze
and alternate freezing and thawine
is what is needed to thoroughly pull
verize the hard Jumps, and right
here is shown one of the reasons
why irrigated lands produce more
than land that is not irrigated. DR.,
soil never freezes.
In the spring different crops viii
be put into these tracts thus treated
and into those adjoining that hav'
been plowed in the ordinary way
After the crops come up, should tn
, season be unusually dry, the crol
t on the deep cultivated land will b.
!, narrowed and treated as Camp
: bell, the world renowned soil cul
turist, advises, but the pieces on tn
. side will not be. These comparativ
I tests, side by side. will show con
A clusively which of the two methods /
t the proper one to adopt. and will al
: SO show why 1t is that countrie
much dryer than this are fast Sci
a Ting up with successful farmers
2 with lourishing towns all around
4 This method is not an experiment
/ but reality. The whole thing col
! sists in saving the moisture ths
n falls here so abundently at times an
y preventing 1t from passing away b
evaporation during the hot winds I
mid summer. Some may say, thel
?. is too much work connected with
d that 1t is too expensive for q poi
n man. Use your pencil and it can
quickly figured out that 1t VIII n,