The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-12-27
DRYCOUNTRY FARMS
Great Many Of Settlers Have
Little or No Capital.
Arid Country Gradually settling Up
and present- Time Difficulties viii
Dc Overcome by Adopting
Modern Methods.

Farming conditions in the dry coun-
try are far moro from being settled az
they should be and 1t Is too true that
many have had only failure or partial
success. One reason for discourage
ment and failure is that the great ma
jority settling on the frontier have
little money to make 4 start, writes
John Robertson In Campbell's Scien-
tihc Farmer. Few have anything left
after building a small house on their
claim and buying few necessities,
two years before getting any returns
from cultivation of the SOIL Those
who do not leave the country. profit
from the failure of others in that
they can buy their improvements. ETC.
for a small per cent. of the actual
worth. This Is a condition of affairs
In which we ind "a survival Of the
flttest"
Many Of the first settlers who re-
manned, turned their attention to
stock raising, letting their stock run
on government land, and are now in
good circumstances. They have be-
come SO accustomed to plenty OF land
that they have started to cry. "A man
can't make a living en- 100 acres of
land" which accounts for the various
bills for the enactment of law al
lowing 640-acre homesteads There
may be localities where 1t would add
to tho prosperity Of the state to allow
040-acre homesteads. but for the ma
jority of the western part Of the state
It would be q mistake. 1t Is not more
land that II needed, but better farm
ing. Many are land poor" now.
One great drawback IL the scarcity
Of water, and. In many localities, poor
water. Wells are very uncertain. and
= poor man cannot AFFORD to pay for
the drilling. Still. as time goes on.
the country will gradually settle up.
until all the land Is taken. and pres
ent time difficulties will be overcome
by adopting methods that best comply
with natures laws for overcoming the
drawbacks existing in the various 10
calities. In time more will be pro
duced from 40 acres Of land than ID
now from lou acres.
1t Is hard for the man who comes
from an eastern state to realize that
there are lands here in which there
10 no moisture In the subsoil available
for crops. II one digs a hole on such
land. even after one of our wettest
seasons. he will come to soil ~ dry
a. though It never had been wet. All
We have to depend upon Ia the rain
fall. which Is uncertain. Many claim
that as the country gets settled and
land IA cultivated the seasons will
change and we will get more rain
This hore Is q consolation. but per
sonally have little faith in the the
DRY. We have been experiencing
more favorable years lately. but the
dry years will come again: SO let III
plan to accept conditions as they
have been, study the nature Of the
country. and by adapting ourselves tt
conditions, overcome the difficulties.
From experience. have learned
there are four main principles to oh
serve In making q success of dry liant
farming. namely: First. deep blowing
second. planting home grown seeds
or those adapted to the particular lC
cality; third, planting farther apart
or only about two-thirds as much see'
to the acre as on wet land: fourth
thorough cultivation.
In hard soils a 12-inch pillow Is larg
enough for team weighing from
1900 and 400 pounds each. 1t Is
good idea to use a pillow with an extr
heavy beam, say 14-inch pillow bear
In 12-inch pillow. We cannot all a
ford big horses, nor even enough G
small ones in some cases; SO where
man has only one team of broncho:
weighing say 1000 pounds each, an
maybe IA OF 16 inch pillow, he cal
not loosen the soil very deep. and wi
get results accordingly.
Good seed Is of great Importance
II possible, get seeds of some one I
the locality, who is making success
and has varieties which are adapted
observe this rule. especially in see
corn.