The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-06-02
DRYFARM NO DREAM
Once Considered Somewhat OF a
Myth, Now Stern Reality.
Wonderful Things Have Been Achieved
In Growing Crops With Very Lit
tie Rsin-Msn Must Constant
~ Conserve Moisture.

We acknowledge that we we're once
IT the opinion that dry farming was
considerable Of pipe dream, ana We
still believe that 1t is sometimes con-
siderably magnifed by the real estate
agent in planting settlers on the arid
lands of the west, writes A. W. Trow
In Dakota Farmer. Yet, notwithstand'
Ing the fact that many people have
been deceived by the glowing stories
Of raising crops with little rain. won
derful things have been achieved in
growing enormous crops with very
light rainfall 1t is true that In many
OF the semiarid districts the poor
homesteader has fallen down in his
attempts to raise crops This, in
measure, can be attributed to his lack
Of knowledge OF conservation of mois-
ture, or, to use another expression,
the lack OF economy Of moisture. The
man who is accustomed to farming
where there Is a superabundance OF
moisture cannot easily understand
how a farmer would go about 1t to
raise from 40 to so bushels Of wheat
with from IL to Is inches Of rain fall.
but there are few places In the far
west where this is actually done. 1t
was our privilege a few days ago
to see wheat turning out so bushels
to the acre in a locality where the
United States weather bureau reports
but IL inches OF rain falling during
the past year; but the men who are
doing this are certainly scientific dry
farmers. On this same land many
farmers went broke 20 years ago
They tried to follow the same plan of
growing wheat which they were ac-
customed to in the humid districts of
the east, and it is said that at least
nine-tenths Of them went to the wall,
and the land that was deserted at that
time la now among the highest priced
wheat land In the United States. sell.
Ing at from $40 to $50 an acre. A crop
failure In that locality of late years is
unknown, but practically half of all
Of the land is summer fallowed every
year. We made the remark that It
seemed tough to farm land two years
10 get one crop, but one of these farm.
srs replied that he considered it a
sight better to get double
'rop from one seeding and one plow.
ng, even thought 1t. didn't come oft.
sner than once In two years. than to
get only half a crop every yea.."
While one-half Of the farm is into
wheat the other half is being plowed
IND narrowed and prepared for the
year. 1t is here that the
corrugated roller is used to make a
lrm seed bed that will not dry out
ND whenever rain comes the ground
nat Is not in crop is narrowed TO
'revent It's checking and to make the
Iust mulcn to conserve the moisture
omatilla county, Oregon, now boasts
I being the largest producer of wheat
I any country in the world. and also
Z being one of the few places In the |
'orid where single>crop farming is a
uccess.
we oeieVe tnat the farmers of our |
umid districts will do well to pay
ONE attention to the methods of these
ry-land farmers. If one extreme fol.
'"s another, as 1t usually does, we
lay expect a series of dry seasons
nd some OF the principles of the dry
irmer may come in good play. These
rinciples are so safe and sound that
ley must be regarded of great value
nd the general plan of successful
'miarid farming can be applied in
'me degree to the growing of almost
very crop in a large proportion of
lat territory embraced within the
issouri valley, and in dry seasons it
also applicable to the growing of
ost cultivated crops in the Missis.
ppi valley.