Philip weekly review. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 1907-1912, 1909-04-20
Farming on a Nineteen Inch
Q9infasI
Rainfall

Henry wallace, one OF the aOleSt ana
foremost writer's on agricultural sub
jects this country has ever had, un-
dertakes to answer In "Wallace's
Farmer an inquiry by one who
writes that he is thinking Of taking
up REIMBURSEMENT in South Dako-
ia, where the rainfall is l9.4 inches,
where sweet clover grows wild, where
the stubble is SO dry after the farmer
has mown his wild hay that 1t could
be burned If touched with match.
The soil is rolling clay, similar to
that which produces the best red
clover In Iowa, and some alfalfa is
started" The correspondent asks
whether it would be necessary un-
der these conditions to summer-fal-
low, and raise crop every other
year; whether a man W it'll five good
horses (soms of them brood mafes,,
ten COWS, pig or two, and good
supply of poultry and agricultural
implements could make living, and
something besides, and have the rise
in the value of his land,
Mr.. Wallace proceeds to give this
inquirer some information through
his paper, the principal points OF
which are.
l. He says he has never been In
this part of the state, but is quite ia
miliar with the conditions on the
highlands near North Platte, Neb.,
and where the annual rainfall is
1915 inches, practically the same.
2. What he has to say does not ap-
ply to bottom lands, or bench lands
that have more or less sub-irrigation,
but to the high and rolling prairie.
3. That dry farming methods
must be adopted, and that it would
be unsafe to undertake it on a quar-
ter section," but that - section at
least is advisable, and two sections
better"
4. 1t is probable it will require at
least ten acres Of land of that kind to
keep thousand pounds Of COW, or
other live stock during the summer
5. Alfalfa should grow there and
produce about two crops in seasons OF
abnormal rainfall; in seasons of nor
NAL rainfall one crop of seed, and
would probably maintain it's life after
once established in seasons of rainfa!I
somewhat below the normal"
q. 1t is not poor mans country.
In fact, there is no poor mans -coun-
try left in the United States; by
which we mean country where a
poor man, without capital can engage
in farming OH his own hook.
I. He says the recent dry farming
congress recommended that the
farmer who took homestead in that
country should have means enough
to carry him through at least two
years." and "by inference says Mr..
Wallace, "the man who buys land
there should have capital enough over
and above the price of his land, to
support him and his family two
years.
$. He cites field of wheat which
he saw at the experiment station at
North Platte last summer, which
With two years CIVILIZATIONS for one
crop, averaged 66 bushels per asre.
We must acknowledge our surprise
at this article from the pen OF one
who is generally SO guarded In his
propositions, and has done so much
for the betterment OF the northwest,
and feel certain that his errors are
due to the fact that he has "neysr
been in this part o: the state" rather
than to any desire to do South Dako-
ia wrong. or deprive his inquirer Of
more correct information. Were it
not for the fact that the writer has
been right here twenty-thrse years,
| twenty-one Of which we're spent In
what has always been considered the
driest portions of the state; that dur
ing that time we have seen hundreds
OF men fail, Uust as Mr.. Wallace did
in early days in Iowa), and other
thousands win, Gust as he did in
Iowa., we would not presume TO an
swer or cOntrovert some OF his state
ments; but we have seen so many
things which point to the almost alb
surdity Of some of Mr.. Wallace S
propositions; have seen SO many men
win and noted how they did it; have
noted SO many government. reports on
the producing power of the two
states, and the accumulation OF
wealth therein by the people, that we
cannot refrain from at least attempt
ing to point out some of his mistakes.
The first mistake he makes is in
singing out the 'high and rolling
prairie" as the particularly dangerous
place for his inquirer to locate. Ii
Mr.. Wallace had lived here during
the dry years we have he would adj
wise the selection of the higher roll
ing land as rule, in preference to
the bottom or bench land, first for
the reason that every year, without
an exception, when the rainfall has
been enough below normal to reduce
the yield Of the crop, the rolling sec.
tions Of the state, and the rolling
farms have been by far the least A.
fected by the drought, and this Il
true, and always has been true Of al
parts Of the state; second. the rolling
lor higher lands have as arule . muol
better subsoil for holding the rainfall
and bringing II back to the plants b.