Judith Gap journal. [volume] (Judith Gap, Mont.) 1908-19??, 1909-11-12
Campbell'S Address
At The Dry Farming Congress Recently Held
AT Billings--Father of Dry Farming

'Wh lille | have in the past protested
against the name which this organiza-
ton bears and while we still think it
wrong because it is indetinate, yet it
is a good deal like the case of the boy
and his nickname. John, it was in
fact, but they called him Jack. When
everybody knew that Jack was John
it was just rs well to call him Jack.
In fact, it did not make so much differ
ence whether John was Jack or Jack
was John as it did what he stood for,
whether his principles were right and
his influence good, and whether he
really accomplished any good for him
self or for those with whom he asso-
ciated.
ESQ with this Dry Farming con-
gress. What we are really interested
in is what the organization stands for
and the good it can do.
Origin of Movement.
''lts history commences back only Il
few years ago, when few thinking
men began to realize there VAS some
thing worth while in soil culture; that
the farmer did not have to be content
with what Providence was willing to
give from the soil year by year, but
that it was possible to compel Mother
Earth to give forth two, three or four
blades where one grew before. 1t is
to this end our efforts should be faith
| fiY11v o,,1 icto %l1,I al
my thoughts were first directed to
tillage and the growing crop some
twenty-six years ago. At first we
| jumped at conclusions as to kind and
time of tillage, only to find that re-
suits We're uncertain. Progress was
slow because we did not and could not
grasp the fundamental principles Of
scientific soil culture. Practically
nothing was known Of this among the
farmers and not line could be found
in the teachings of the books and pa
pers. The foundation had to be laid
in the bitter school of experiment and
disappointment.
Realize the Meaning.
"Not until 1892 did we gain conf
dence and become enthusiastic, and
by the close of 1894 we felt we had
just begun to realize little of the
meaning of scientific soil culture to
the semi-arid belt. Up to this time
our main effort had been to overcome
the evils of the drOuth; but from this
! fi,,,o tho
came to know that tillage meant even
more to the farmer in the best years
than in dry seasons.
1T will not be disputed today by
anyone who knows that by and through
scientific tillage of the soil more is
being accomplished for the better
ment of all crops in all seasons and
and under almost all conditions than
in any other way.
''It is evident any attempt to lay
down rule as to how to till the soil
without regard to the somewhat new
and very vital questions will result in
total failure. Each region will have
it's own problems, each one different.
| GVCly oCuSOu Will COIllpCl IttISlOI VI
the rule. Complex as we have made
this seem, yet the farmer can, by
study and observation, SO completely
control these elements Of fertility as
to bring favorable results where total
failure has been recorded in the past.
Replies to Wilson.
81 regard it exceedingly unfortu-
nate that encouragement from official
sources should be given those who are
crying down and belittlng the work
you and and all of us have been do
ing in recent years in relation to dry
land tillage. In a Washington dis
patch last month the head of the de-
partment of agriculture is represented
as vOicing this sentiment, "rhe Camp
bell system of dry land farming he
prOnounces wrong and hurtful.'
'He is quoted as condemning crop
ping every other year and the summer
fallOw. on the ground that it means
burning out of the fertility. say
that such suggestions coming from
Washington are unfortunate, because
it is evident Mr.. Wilson knows moth
ing of that which he condemns. The
plan of cropping every other year is
not an essential of the SYSTEM and is
resorted to only incidentally. Evi-
IDENTIFY, also, he draws conclusions
from experiments with the old famil-
lar summer fallOw, which is as differ
ent from the true summer tilling as
night is from day.
"And again Secretary Wilson speaks
of his plan of changing the character
of the soil in the dry regions by turn
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