Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-11-26

HIS cIop ls or Nllal importance 10 the diversified farmer. for with the same amount of work, he can raise twice as much feed as is possible with any other crop.'
 Prof. A. F. Chamberlain, superinten- dent of farmers institutes, South Da- kota, spoke on "Dry Farming. Good Farming in South Dakota.
 "Dry farming as best praeticed in South Dakota and much of the terri tory of the United States to which it has been applied, is nothing more nar less than good farming in Iowa, Hi nois or Ohio. The entire process with us consists first, of a deep seed bed.
 ''The next step is compaction of the seed bed
 "The third process is keeping the surface of the soil broken, thus prevent ing the escape of the moisture.
 D. w. Warner or Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, told the congress "liOw Dry Farming Affects Central Albert" !"
 "The dry farming sytem is grow ing more in favor each year in Central Alberta he said, "and | predict that it will continue to grow until it will be. come the established method of farm ing in that part. The fertility of our soil can be retained, our yield can be kept freer from weeds, our fall pasture problem is solved, putting our stock into winter in better condition with less cost, and the wide awake farmer will use it to advantage in wet as well as dry seasons.
 Prof. H. w. Campbell, father of dry farming, said in part: ''I have great confidence in the semi-arid regions. l believe of a truth that this region which is just now coming into its own is des- tine to be the last and best grain gar. den of the world. Good farming can be done here better even than in the humid region, but the work must be understood and carefully applied. The highest degree of intelligence is need. ed. It means real headwork in every process
 "Scientifc soil culture means more acres by reason of enlarging immense. ly the tillable area of the country. It means better acres because of increas- ed yield per acre where ideal conditions are maintained. 1t means a great deal to convert three hundreds of millions of acres in the west into rich farms, pro- dueing grain and grass for the finish ing of the live stock. It means cot tages and groves and school houses. towns and cities with banks and stores and newspapers; and it means a stream of wealth pouring into the channels of trade over these magnificent railroads.
 Alfred Atkinson, agronomist at Mon tana Agricultural college and chairman of the board of governors of the Dry Farming congress emphasized two among the essentials of dry farm crop production, saying:
 "Included in the aim of the Dry Farming congress is an effort to bring to the knowledge of the world the facts regarding the possibilities of the non irrigated farming lands of the arid and semi-arid regions, in order that these lands may be brought into state of usefulness; and to assist the farmers who take up these lands to succeed and become permanent eontented home builders in the communities.
 "In the light of the knowledge so far gained by farmers and investigators it would seem that there are certain broad essentials which must be ob. served if the farmers are to continue in this branch of agriculture. I have chosen to emphasize two, which seem to merit the special consideration of dry farmers. These are: Proper mois- ture conserving soil tillage. and due re- gard for the practices which will main tain the soil in productive state.
 'As new farming communities are opened up, the tendency is for those who first take up the lands to start a skimming process. By this l mean to grow soil reducing crops like wheat or other cereals year after year, and re- turn nothing to the land to compensate for the food elements removed in the crops harvested. If dry farmers make this mistake it will be in spite of the warning of past experiences. The com munity, the state the nation and the world have an interest in the store of plant food held in the soil as this is a great treasure house, from which flu ture generations must get their supply of life necessities.
 ''The dry farmer cannot grow wheat continuously without inviting disaster. He must include soil improving crops such as alfalfa and peas to keep up the humus content and nitrogen supply, and must grow live stock in order that the valuable plant food elements may not be needlessly shipped from the farm. ''
 w. M. Jardine agronomist in charge of dry land grain investigations, UnlJ- ed States department of agriculture, called attention to the recent successes of dry farming in the west and gave some valuable suggestions as to ways of reducing the chances of failure. lie said:
 1.-The past season has witnessed more farmers succeeding than ever before. New settlers have been able to secure mployment from well-establshed farm. CTS who needed help and could afford 1t. Practical eXperlence in this way has been accessible to those in need--- a condition which did not exist two or three years ago.
 "The men who are taking home. steads now understand the requirements of dry farming better than did the pioneers. They are also better provid ed with money than was formerly the case