The state herald., 1909-03-12
DISCUSSION AT THE RECENT DRY
FARMING CONGRESS AT
CHEYENNE.
ONLY GENERAL RULES
MANY THINGS TO BE coNSlD.
Erred IN FARMING WITHOUT
IRRIGATION.

-" h'S paper VII l'SulkS VI W. luhu
agriculture investigation, read at the
recent Dry Farming Congress, E. C.
Chilcott of the Department OF Agricul-
ture, said:
THE methods which give most sat
isfactory results one year will some
times fail completely to give the same
results another year on identically
the same soil. And that what will
bring good results at one station will
fail utterly to give like results at an
other station, even when climatic con.
ditions are similar. In some local..
ties, upon certain type of soil. spring
plowing will generally give better re-
suits than fall plowing. In other local
ties, with another type of soil. fall
plowing will generally give better re.
suits than spring plowing.
But even these are only very gen
eral rules. for We find that the com
paratiye merits of fall and spring plow-
ing are frequently reversed at the
same station on identically the same
kind of soil under slightly different
climatic conditions. Alternate crop
ping and summer tillage will generally
give better results than continuous
cropping, but there are exceptions to
this rule The plowing under of green
manure will generally give better re-
suits than summer tillage. but not
always. A proper system of crop rota-
tion will generally give better results
than continuous cropping, but even
this rule is not OF universal applica'
ton"
DR. V. T. Cooke, state director Of
dry farming experiments In Wyoming,
said:
since my advent In this state. there
has been brought to light the fact that
dry farming is and has been success
fully carried on for the past fifteen or
twenty years In various parts OF the
state. but | want to direct your atten.
tion to very important point In con.
nection with some Of these farmers
and that is q great many of them have
raised as high as fifty bushels OF oats
per acre. year after year. without farm
ing In other words. their grain was
sown by hand and covered with n disc
or corn planter. What cannot these
men do by intelligent, up.to'date meth.
ods2"
Many irrigators are finding out
that methods recommended for the
dry farmer apply equally well to them
aud that to get maximum crops. deep
plowlng. less irrigation and more irri.
tation or cultivation pays"
Alfred Atkinson, agronomist at the
Montana experiment station. addressed
the congress on the DRY Farm Sum
mer Fallow" lie said:
AS permanent feature the sum.
mer fallow has not held its place on
well managed farms In the humid re-
glons.
with the absence of teaching on
the dry farm because Of the light rain
fall II would seem 10 many that the
summer fallow will have permanent
place on these farms"
o. W. Bryant. irrigation manager OF
the experiment station at Cheyenne,
said.
"ln certain districts Of the semi'arld
portion OF the United States so-called
dry land farming has been notably sue
cessul during the las, few years. This
has probably been due to the introduc.
tion Of new drought resistant plants,
scientific tillage Of the soil and rain.
fall above the normal
"Of the drought,resistant plants
probably Durum wheat has been most
successful and has made the greatest
showing In the shortest length OF time
II withstands the dry weather eScep'
tionnlly well and has found n suitable
home west Of the ninety ninth meri'
dim. In 1906. 2O.0O0,OO0 bushels was
exported TO Europe. while In 1907 III.
total yield in the United States was
5.000.0 900 bushels, This was prnctl,
cally all grown In the dry farmed belt
and covered about $1,000 600 acres OF
land
IAN advocates Of dry land farming
will advise conservation Of moisture
In the soil. This IN. no doubt, the
most important factor entering into
scientific dry land farming. Some
teachers show us one way 10 prepare
the soil for the retention of moisture,
while others discuss methods ullghily
different. but they all come Ia tho
same conclusion. viz that n blanket
of fin. soil mulch must cover the
ground To prevent excessive eyaporn'
tion"
Spraying for Cooling Moth.