The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-09-15
VALUE OF MOISTURE
Rain and Snow That Fall Should
Be Carefully Conserved.
Almost impossible 90 Impress Upon
Minds of Farmers Importance Of
Giving Most Careful Atten-
tio-n 20 This Question.

"a the dry areas moisture is always
precious The amount Of moisture
that falls in the form Of rain is always
or nearly always low. BY no means
that mao can adopt can II be lin.
creased The only thing that can
be done is TO adopt measures that will
make falls 60 further than st would
II IL we've not carefully considered in
order to grow crops Notwithstanding
this fact. IL is almost impossible to
impress upoh the minds OF many
farmers the Importance Of giving the
most careful attention>to this ques.
ton.
In Montana the present season large
quantities OF prairie are being broken.
In many instances the land thus
broken is left as the pillow left it. II
has been turned over and 1t may be
In way that leaves 1t lying loosely.
says Dakota Farmer. II left thus
through the summer season IL will
dry out so completely that no mois-
ture will be left. Should winter
wheat be sowed on that land. the
moisture is not there to germinate IL
or TO sustain termination II it should
start Grain starting thus weakly is
sure TO succumb in the winter that
follows. Should no grain be sown
until spring. the ground has just that
much less moisture that IL would have
had by the amount that was lost And
fe hos lott
II may be that some are constrained to
do this by force of circumstances, as
when they hire the breaking done by
steam power and leave the land lying
thus. II may be that they do not
find II possible to get the land COM
pressed at once. and a dust mulch
made upon it
The question of narrowing grain is
also one Of the greatest Importance TO
the farmer in the dry country. This
is a great question. We have only
touched upon its outer rim. In some
instances one narrowing may make
more of difference than can well be
imagined. In other instances it may
do harm. In the dry country from one
to two harrowings are nearly always
helpful to a grain crop. In some in
stances from three to four may do
good. In the case of winter wheat
one to two harrowings may be benefi-
cial in the autumn, and from one TO
three in the spring. If but two har-
rowings are done in the spring. let it
be understood that, as a rule, one can
best be given when the crop can first
be discerned coming through the
I ground. and the other after the plants
are several inches high. But no cast
( from rules can be given. A heavy rain
| falling may call for narrowing at some
different time. The conditions also
may call for the use of different kind
| of harrow. The dry farmer is not
/ equipped for his work with only one
harrow. The harrow that is suitable
for one kind II soil and condition is
not suitable. II may be. for another
kind Of soil or different condition.
Nor is the farmer in the dry coun-
try properly equipped for his work
without a roller. In some instances
he may want a subsurface packer. In
other instances he will want CORFU
gated roller, and yet again a plain
/ roller. These three may not always
be wanted on the same farm, but In
the dry country they all have a place
according TO the conditions.
I Each farmer should have some kind
/ of q clod crusher. IL may be of va.
rious forms, but usually 1t may b
homemade and. therefore, cheaply
made. The idea is TO have something
that will crush clods. In lands that
are more or less adobe in character
such an implement If 1t can be called
an implement, is of immense value
I Both the roller and clod crusder are
generally but not always to be used
before the crop is planted The clod
crusher on uneven land or on cloddy
adobe land may do a world of good by
way OF MASKING clods at the right
time.
OF course the beginner may not be
able to do all these things at the first
but he should make the nearest ap
proach possible TO them. On fifteen
incnes Of rainfall year, good crops
can be grown II much of the moisture
falls in the growing season, but the
success will be proportionate to the
extent to which the moisture is held
Deep plowing enlara-- = the room for II
in the soil. and prevents II from run
ming away over the surface into the
streams.