The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1910-09-29
MOISTURE IN SOILS
important Question as to Depth
OF Cultivation Discussed.
Deep Flowing Experiments Have Been
Conducted at Many Points In
seml-Arld Country and Find
Many Strong Advocates.

"The depth to cultivate should be |
governed by the depth to which the |
rainfall vets the SOIL" writes Ne
braska farmer in the Dry Farming |
Congress Bulletin. 'Tf we cultivate
deeper than the falling rain pene-
trates. we cannot conserve the mois-
ture, because the clods lying below
/ the layer wet by showers will dry out
and the grain sprouts and dies for
want of moisture before tho next
/ shower comes"
The majority of dry farmers opera
/ ting In the semi-arid west will take
/ issue with this statement, writes
/ George Edward Swan, in Gem State
Rural and Live Stock Journal. The
/ experience of many of the older dry
farmers as reported In the official re-
ports OF the Dry Farming congress
/ and in the agricultural papers, has
been that the depth to which the
rainfall vets the ground depends
largely upon the depth to which the
ground is opened by deep plowing.
Getting moisture into the soil is
one of the most important problems
before the dry land farmer. 1t is
purely a physical problem and its
solution is found in the application of
simple physical laws, according to
the most successful dry farmers. On
the hard baked. compact soils OF the
high western plains the moisture does
not penetrate beneath the sod except
where the ground has been opened by
plowing. In order to get moisture into
the soil to sustain the growing crops.
men are forced to open the ground ST.
that 1t will absorb the rainfall 1t has
been the experience on these lands.
that the moisture is held in the soil
TO a depth proportionate to that to
!, which the ground Is opened by plow.
ing. II the sod is not broken, the mois-
! ture which falls upon It in the form of
rain. runs of in tiny rivulets that be-
, come creeks in the deep arroyos and
| swell the volume of distant rivers to
: food stage. The falling water will
not take the trouble to break open the
: surface of the ground in order to
} penetrate the soil II naturally will
take the easiest course toward its
level. which always is the level of the
: far-off sea.
/. On the other hand, II the farmer
/, will break open the surface of the
4 ground and shatter the compactness
z of the soil mass, leaving numberless
n tiny interstices to the extreme depth
e Of the furrow. the water, naturally
t will sink into these interstices and
t following its tendency to seek 1t!
r level. will penetrate to the depth Il
+, which the ground Is broken.
e Soil has a remarkable capacity To-
v absorbing moisture. "The grea
e Thirst country" as applied to des
d ert, is not a meaningless figure o
s. speech and is not confined In its ap
2. plication to the human of brute crea
h lures who stray upon its desolat
wastes. II applies equally to the sol
h OF the desert, which will drink all tn
d water nature sees fit to pour upon
Is In the form OF rain or snow. and
IN the supply holds out. will not sto
st short OF swampish dissolution. Blu
RS the soil will not open its parched lip
at to receive the invigorating draugh
10 Man must take hand directing tn
ir forces OF nature. else the water wi
ys fall uselessly and run to waste by tn
d. most direct surface route.
We Deep plowing experiments hay
nr been conducted at many points in th
ne semi-arid west during number {
no years. Deep plowing has found
ID place In the established farm oper
m. tions of hundreds OF successful farm
m ers. George l.. Farrell of Utah, d
on V. T. Cooke, state director of dr
OF farming experiments OF Wyoming;
I'd. r. Parsons of Colorado; A. NJ. Axe
tn son Of Colorado; Prof. b. C. Buff
nd of Wyoming. and score of othe
no might be mentioned among the mo
lss eminent advocates of deep plowin
he Deep plowing has been so common
'at accepted as essential 10 the highe
ws success in agriculture that farm m
oil chlnery manufacturers are makil
On. plows and traction outfits suitah
ad for breaking the ground TO the gre;
ok est possible depth. Specially &C
ew structed deep tilling machines we
ais exhibited at the Fourth Dry Far
no ing Congress and are utilized on {
ell dry land farms in this and other COT
I've tries.
at Deep plowing does accompli
os. what the farmer wants done: it {
II ables him to get moisture into
I'M depth. AS a result OF 10 and 12 in
ue- plowing through series Of yea
ark soil reservoirs have been created
'ws the midst OF the desert In the de
ms; plowed. properly cultivated trac
Ing monsture Is perceptible to aim,
OF unbelievable depths. whereas. on
she sod adjacent, where the ground \
zen never been broken by plowing. me
hhd ture is not perceptible to any appre
able depth. The records OF the
perimental dry farm at Cheyen
- Wyoming, OF Mr.. Parsons farm
the high. dry plains of Colorado. a
of farms in many other parts OF I