Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-24

! but on the other hand we want to
| encourage irrigation enterprises. But
| we do know from results of our work
that in districts which cannot be.
reached with water, successful culti-
| walton of the soil can be accomplished
If the results of our experiments are
| followed
| Senator Hyde. answering II question
| declared that these experiment stations
must not be looked upon as model
farms. This is not their purpose. They
are to determine things which must
not be done as we'll as to indicate
the right way of doing things. He
declared that there We're many failures
on these experiment stations and that
if the farmers would croft by these
failures and avoid the obstacles point
ed out by the stations after Failures.
they would not suffer the losses that.
otherwise would follow. In following
the methods that have brought success
they will achieve success. he said Tho
failures are as Important as the sue
cesses. he said, and should be regard,
ed as such.
SCIENCE ON THE FARM.
The visit to the station was a reve-
lation of wonder after wonder. The
systematic manner In which the farm
is conducted should guarantee Its sue
cess and the results being obtained af-
firm this statement.
The visiting party upon arriv-
ing at the neat little farm after Il ride
of four miles south and east of Nephi
was first shown q cistern just cOmplet-
ed at the farm which will be used to
save rain water for use at the sta
ton. 1t Is of concrete and is not plas-
tered. This in itself has so far been
a partial failure with an important les
son. 1t will be success. it is de-
9clared when this lesson is put to its
use. Though quite a considerable guam
tity of water has been led into the
5cistern by pipe, little of it is there
now. Plastering the walls will be the
remedy and this is to be done at once.
The laboratory was next inspected.
I Flere We're found several pieces of
simple apparatus and the process is
still more simple. Small cans of soil
are secured from day to dayfrom the
farm at different depths. The cans are
all of the same size and the soil when
brought in to the laboratory is weighed
on a pair of accurate scales. The can
& Is then placed in a cupboard-like af-
fair made OF galvanized iron and pro-
vlded with & gasoline burner and
Thermometer. Heat at 10 degrees is
maintained until the soil is absolutely
dry and it is then weighed. The loss
in weight represents the weight OF
moisture which was in the soil ut the
time it was taken from the farm The
way calculated and is recorded for
comparison with results at harvest
time.
Mr.. Farrell, who is known to ali Ne
phi as Dave, explained to the visit
ors the three most prominent factors
in successful dry farming. They ara
conservation of moisture, time of plant
ing, selection of seed.
EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED.
Experiments along all three lines are
constantly being made at the station
and the results are made of record for
guidance in the future. The method of
procedure is as follows:
To conserve moisture, land is plow-
ed to different Depths sub-soiled to
different depths and then covered with
a mulch of varying thickness. This
mulch Is regarded as the most import
ant factor of all in dry farming. Its
purpose is to make air tight, heat
tight and water tight the soil under il.
II acts as a cover over the ploughed
ground and stops the permeation Of
sun heat into the damp ground beneath
it. 1t prevents the evaporation OF
water through it. If allowed to dry
after rain it cakes hard and then
cracks, allowing the moisture TO pass
away In yapor through the cracks To
offset this, after q rain, 1t is narrowed
and again made soft to cover the moist
ground. slight rain is regarded more
as misfortune in dry farming than a
blessing, but after narrowing the mulch
after a heavy rain the precipitation is
conserved and much good is thereby
done. Not relying on the rains, though,
1t Is the aim of the dry farmer to con-
serve with this mulch, the moisture
that has accumulated through the win
ter. Thus with proper conservation of